Claimed

"Claimed" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead; it aired on AMC on February 23, 2014. In this episode — written by Nichole Beattie and Seth Hoffman, and directed by Seith Mann — Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun), and Tara Chambler (Alanna Masterson) interact with three new survivors headed for Washington, D.C., while Rick (Andrew Lincoln), deals with a group of marauders and Carl (Chandler Riggs) learns more about Michonne (Danai Gurira).

Plot

Tara (Alanna Masterson) sits in the truck bed of Sergeant Abraham (Michael Cudlitz)'s military vehicle, writing street names and landmarks on her hand as the truck drives past them. They stop at a car pileup that blocks the road, attracting three nearby walkers that start beating at the back of the truck. As Tara prepares to shoot them, Abraham orders her to stop and instead gleefully puts them down with a crowbar. Tara observes this is the first time she's seen someone smiling when killing walkers; Abraham explains that is because he's the "luckiest guy in the world".

Meanwhile, Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) enjoy cereal for breakfast while Carl ribs Michonne on her new shirt. Michonne remarks that she'd love to have soy milk, and Carl recalls his own dislike for it; he'd rather drink Judith's formula than soy milk. The reminder of his lost sister upsets him and he leaves the table. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) thanks Michonne for making Carl laugh; because he can't be both Carl's father and best friend, so Michonne's friendship is important to Carl. Michonne tells Rick that she and Carl are going on a supply run. Rick wishes to go as well, but Michonne tells him he needs to rest. Instead, Rick gives Carl his Colt Python, and Michonne and Carl say they'll return by midday. Rick wanders upstairs to the master bedroom and falls asleep.

After clearing their first house, Michonne tries to cheer Carl up. An offhand remark that she is better with younger children prompts Carl to ask about her past. Michonne reveals that she had a young son before the apocalypse, surprising Carl. As he presses her for more details, she promises to reveal more as they clear a second neighbor's house.

Rick is startled by the raucous commotion of men entering the ground floor of the house. One of the strangers pleads for mercy as the larger group tortures him. At the sound of footfalls up the stairs towards Rick's bedroom, he dives under the bed. Tony (Davi Jay) collapses on the bed and soon falls asleep.

Michonne confides in Carl, sharing the secret of her son's name, Andre Anthony. She discovers an undisturbed set of children's rooms. The last room, belonging to the youngest child, contains the deceased remains of the family, who committed suicide together. Shaken, Michonne slams the door shut and blocks Carl from seeing the room. Carl tries to comfort Michonne with the thought that Judith and Andre Anthony are in heaven together.

While Rick continues to hide under the bed, Len (Marcus Hester) enters the room. Disputing Tony's "claim", Len knocks Tony to the ground. Tony spots Rick under the bed during the fight but is choked unconscious by Len before he can reveal Rick. Satisfied, Len begins napping in the vacated bed.

On the back of Abraham's truck, Glenn (Steven Yeun) wakes up. He bashes the back window until Abraham angrily stops the truck and gets out. Glenn insists on resuming his search for Maggie, but Abraham tells him Glenn is disrupting "The Mission". Abraham reveals that Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) knows what caused the apocalypse, and since his communications with government officials have been cut, Eugene and his group are on their way to Washington, D.C. Abraham acknowledges Glenn's loss, but states that every extra body is needed to get to Washington. Glenn doggedly tries to leave again, but after Abraham insists that Maggie is dead, Glenn punches him in the face. Abraham tackles Glenn and the two brawl. While Tara and Rosita (Christian Serratos) try to stop the fight, Eugene spots walkers emerging from the withered fields surrounding the road. Clearly unfamiliar with an M4A1 assault rifle, he fumbles and sprays the truck with bullets, rupturing its fuel tank. The group regains focus with the sound of gunfire and together they eliminate the walker horde, after which Glenn and Tara set off to find Maggie. With the truck out of commission, Rosita follows and Eugene convinces Abraham to go along for the time being until they can find a replacement vehicle.

With Len asleep and Tony unconscious, Rick gingerly eases out from under the bed. Just as he clears the room, excited shouts wake Len; the group has discovered Michonne's old, freshly-laundered shirt. As the men declare claims on "the woman" and prepare an ambush, Rick darts into a washroom, surprising a third survivor who is using the toilet. In the ensuing scuffle, Rick strangles him and loots his Uzi submachine gun and jacket. He then climbs through the window and down the roof. Rick is preparing to kill the porch lookout Joe (Jeff Kober) before he spots the approaching Michonne and Carl, when commotion and gunfire erupt in the house (from the reanimation of the man Rick had killed). As the lookout leaves, Rick sprints towards Michonne and Carl and directs them away from the house.

While Glenn and company are backtracking to the prison bus site, Rick's party follows the train tracks. They resolve to take the directions of a sign declaring "Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive, Survive."

Production

"Claimed" was co-written by supervising producer Nichole Beattie and co-executive producer Seth Hoffman and directed by Seith Mann.

This episode focuses entirely on the main characters of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs), Michonne (Danai Gurira), and Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun), and features guest appearances by recurring actors Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler, Michael Cudlitz as Sgt. Abraham Ford, Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter, and Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa. Norman Reedus (Daryl), Lauren Cohan (Maggie) and Melissa McBride (Carol) are credited but do not appear. Emily Kinney (Beth), Chad L. Coleman (Tyreese), Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha) and Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. (Bob) are also absent but are credited as "also starring".

Reception

Upon airing, the episode was watched by 13.12 million American viewers, receiving an 18–49 rating of 6.6.^[1] This presented a slight decrease in ratings from the previous episode,^[2] but still presented strong ratings. The show placed first overall in cable television viewing.^[1]

Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a positive review, with a score of 8.3 out of 10.^[3] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club rated the episode a "B+".^[4]

References

External links

• "Claimed" at AMC
• "Claimed" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Claimed" at TV.com