The Walking Dead 4.1 Review: “30 Days Without an Accident”

By John Keegan and Paul Pearson

The-Walking-Dead-iconAs AMC shows go, The Walking Dead seems more determined to take after Mad Men with its contained season arcs, rather than the intense serialisation of Breaking Bad; most of the premiere episode’s run is about getting the audience caught up, not just on what’s happened in previous seasons, but on the sweeping changes that both the prison and the core group of characters have undergone. It helps to reset any concerns that viewers might’ve had from previous seasons, but there’s also the sense of a new showrunner determined to prove his mettle and introduce us to his version of The Walking Dead.

In the months since the chain gang fought the Governor and his soldiers, the prison has grown into a stable, fortified refuge for the growing community of survivors. Rick has done his best to give up the reigns of leadership, and of the kill-or-be-killed struggle of battling walkers every day, but his latest foray outside the prison walls leads him into one of the strangest predicaments yet. Meanwhile, a supply run led by Daryl and Glen goes horribly wrong, Michonne continues her search for the Governor, and new problems start presenting themselves within the prison.

As with a couple of episodes from the previous season, “30 Days Without an Accident” has a pilot quality to it, as much of the running time eases the audience into the new status quo amongst the chain gang. The prison manages to seem more fortified and more homelike at the same time, and through subtle touches amongst the performances and set design, it feels like a place where people have lived for a long time and are trying to make a home. The core characters have settled into roles amongst the community, and on the whole it’s reminiscent of mid-series Lost, when everyone was becoming cosy.

twd_4-1All of which makes the plotlines more intense. The supply run was one of the more engaging zombie action sequences that The Walking Dead has delivered in a long while, finding new and interesting ways to make the walkers dangerous and use the environment as both help and hindrance, all of which was impressively staged for a TV show. But the subplot didn’t skimp on character beats either; Daryl and Glen have strong relationships that we fear for, and the secondary character – even the redshirts – have moments where we get to learn something about them. The outcome was predictable, but the whole sequence was strong.

Rick’s storyline was a far calmer affair, but emotionally more gripping at times. We see a lot of how he’s developed since the battle with the Governor, trying to be a family man, to contribute something other than violence to the community, and these moments are rather sweet. We get the sense that both he and Carl have developed more normal personalities and dynamics, even though they have a harder edge than those around them. It makes things sadder and more dramatic when Rick’s excursion goes in such a strange direction, and highlights how the post-apocalypse can really unhinge people.

This was a very strong return for a show that’s been on a rollercoaster in terms of both quality and behind the scenes drama. There were moments of strong emotion and moments of exciting, intense action, both in equal measure, and never a feeling that the story was dragging or the characters had become dull. Scott M. Gimple proves that as a writer, he’s capable of delivering the action and drama that fans have come to expect from The Walking Dead, and hopefully he’ll be able to do the same as a long-term showrunner.

John Keegan is Editor-in-Chief for Critical Myth, a partner site of SciFi Vision. Paul Pearson is Critical Myth's reviewer for The Walking Dead.

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