Forget (The Walking Dead)

"Forget" is the 13th episode of the fifth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 8, 2015. The episode was directed by David Boyd and written by Corey Reed. The events of the episode adapt material from Issue #72 of the comic book series of the same name. In this episode, Rick and the others try to settle in with the community of Alexandria at Deanna Monroe's party. However, some of the characters are unable to adjust to new life after their struggles on the road such as Sasha, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder over her losses. Meanwhile, Carol Peletier devises a plan to steal back the group's weapons undercover.

This episode marks the first appearance of Spencer Monroe portrayed by Austin Nichols, a prominent character from the graphic novels. It also features the introductions of Tobin, a member of the construction crew from the graphic novels.

The episode received positive acclaim, with many praising the continuing Alexandria story arc.

Plot

Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) wakes up and glances at several family portraits left behind in her new house. She takes them outside the walls to use as target practice. Finally she sits down on a tree stump, quietly saying to the walkers, "Come and get me".

In the woods, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) start scheming to steal back their weapons. A walker creeps up on them, which Carol shoots multiple times before finally killing it, to make it seem like they were practicing. The trio notices the letter "W" carved in the walker's forehead. Back at Rick's house, he and Michonne (Danai Gurira) discuss the reasons why they have been made town constables and wonder if it's part of a larger plan.

Elsewhere in the woods, Daryl catches Aaron (Ross Marquand) following him, and together they go hunting when they come across a horse called Buttons which Aaron has been trying to catch for months. The horse is spooked away by some walkers, and others later corner and attack it. Aaron and Daryl kill the walkers, and Aaron regrettably puts down the mortally wounded horse.

Meanwhile, Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh) explains a bit more about Rick and Michonne's job securing the community. She explains that Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) will be helping her with politics and her vision is that one day the community will have a government. Outside, Deanna tells Rick she cannot have everyone walking around with guns. Sasha approaches them, saying she wants to man the watch tower with her sniper rifle and displays her eagerness to have as "many shifts as possible" in the tower, which Deanna rejects.

That night, Deanna throws a welcoming party for the group and invites the entire community. The group has trouble adjusting to their new surroundings: Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) and Michonne discuss the difficulty of leaving behind the road and its dangers, and Sasha has flashbacks of her recent traumas and storms out after an outburst. Rick meets Jessie's son, Sam (Major Dodson), and later gives Jessie a kiss on the cheek. Daryl skips the party, so Aaron invites him to dinner along with Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson), and shows Daryl their garage full of old motorcycle parts. Aaron tells Daryl that he will need to construct a bike because Aaron wants him to replace Eric as a recruiter for Alexandria.

While the party is underway, Carol, having already unlatched a window, sneaks into the storeroom where the guns are being held and takes three pistols from a bin as well as a small chocolate ration. Jessie's son Sam catches her and says he will tell his mother what he saw. Carol persuades him to remain silent with the promise of cookies, and a threat of tying him to a tree for walkers to eat if he breaks his silence.

At their meeting spot in the woods, Carol hands both Rick and Daryl a .38 Colt Detective Special revolver, but Daryl refuses. Rick goes for a walk in Alexandria, where he sees Jessie and her husband, Pete Anderson (Corey Bill), and briefly reaches towards his revolver. He hears a noise from outside the wall and runs in its direction, where a lone walker is banging on it from the other side. Rick puts his hand on the wall, taking in the experience of knowing there is a walker there and not having to do anything about it.

Reception

Ratings

Upon airing, the episode was watched by 14.534 million American viewers with an 18-49 rating of 7.3,^[1] an increase in viewership from the previous episode which had 14.43 million viewers, and a slight decrease in 18-49 ratings from the previous episode's 7.5.^[2]

The Australian broadcast was watched by 86,000 viewers, making it the seventh most-watched broadcast on pay television that day.^[3] In New Zealand, it was the fifth highest-rated timeshifted broadcast, with 33,330 viewers.^[4]

Critical reception

Matt Fowler of IGN gave "Forget" an 8.6 out of 10, and wrote positively about Carol's intimidation of the young boy, Daryl's storyline with Aaron, and Sasha's actions in the episode. He concluded, "So even though there's no imminent threat at the moment, things within Alexandria are still really intriguing."^[5]

References

External links

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