It has been a long road for Rick and the gang. They have survived for years in the zombie apocalypse and with that good fortune comes an inevitable change in the survivor’s personalities and a general loss of trust in humanity. Rick’s gang has seen some of the worst in mankind and it has transformed everyone to their core.

The episode begins with Maggie and Sasha bringing the stranger, Aaron, who had been spying on the gang back to their camp. Director Larysa Kondracki plays with the audience’s perspective of your favorite characters in this episode. Initially we are led into the barn from Aaron’s perspective and presented to Rick, who almost seems like an angry tribal leader.  It was hard to not think of his transformation from the first season to now. It truly is heartbreaking to see the changes that Rick has forced himself to make in order to survive the zombie apocalypse. It is clear that he has become just as terrifying to outsiders, as any of the baddies that they have encountered.

There was a reoccurring theme of being wounded by the past and being able to learn from it. After Abraham looses his cool because the RV’s battery runs out of power. Glenn calmly guides him to the spare battery. A trick we can surely assume that he learned from his time riding in Dale’s RV. On the other hand, Rick’s past is keeping him from moving forward. Michonne and Rick have a strong scene where they bring their two viewpoints to light. It is interesting because Rick is clearly the most skeptical and dangerous person in the entire episode. However, they are using Rick to show how jaded the viewers have become to the world as well. Despite his tactics being harsh and borderline paranoid, they are understandable if you know the nightmarish journey that he has been on the past  five seasons.

Aaron is an interesting character. He is clean, rational, and outwardly compassionate. So he surely can’t be trusted…His presence manages to forces each member to reassess where they are and what kind of life they want to live. Once Aaron’s true motivation is revealed, it immediately makes the episode re-watchable to see the various choices that his character made and how they affected others.

Michonne has had a huge character arc over her time on the series. She is no longer the silent lone wolf. She has reemerged not only more optimistic, but also showing to be a respected leader within the ranks of the group. She and Glenn are driven by a certainty that the group needs community and stability. By focusing on them, it shows how the leadership dynamic has changed. Rick will always be the figurehead and de facto pack leader, but the true decision making power is also held by Michonne, Glenn, and Darryl.

When The Walking Dead is at its best, the twist is that there is no twist. It is more suprising when people are actually who they seem. Carol summed up Rick’s skepticism by saying,  “Even though you were wrong. You were right.” Essentially she was letting him know that while he misjudged Aaron’s character (maybe), he was correct in being cautious. There are no easy answers in this world and that moral ambiguity is what makes the show still feel fresh.