The Walking Dead Inmates Non-Spoiler Review: Questions Get Answered

Last weekend, The Walking Dead returned with a thought-provoking episode written by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. The Mid-Season Premiere focused on what happened with Michonne, Rick, and Carl after The Governor's attack on the prison. I've seen an advance screening of Sunday night's "Inmates" episode of The Walking Dead, and while I can't reveal any spoilers from the episode, I can write a little bit about the tone of the episode and what's been revealed in the previews so far. While the Mid-Season Premiere was an intricately-scripted episode, it had a somewhat slower pace than many recent Walking Dead episodes. For those wanting more walker-killing action, the "Inmates" episode of The Walking Dead picks up the pace considerable. There is a lot that happens in this episode. The "Inmates" episode was written by Matthew Negrete & Channing Powell. Earlier in Season 4, Powell was responsible for the brilliant and intense "Internment" episode, which centered around Hershel's fight to save Glenn. The "Inmates" episode has a similar level of intensity, where the threats feel real and there is a sense any of the characters could die at any second. While the "After" episode might have been short on answers beyond what happened to Rick, Carl, and Michonne, the "Inmates" episode is filled with answers. In "Inmates," viewers will learn what happened to almost everyone else in both Rick's group and The Governor's group. Looking at the previews, one might suspect that the "Inmates" episode might be the much teased Daryl-centered episode. It's not. There is plenty of Daryl in the episode, but the entire episode does not center mostly around him, like last week's episode centered around Carl. As has already been revealed in sneak previews and photos, Beth, Daryl, Tyreese, Glenn, Maggie, Sasha, Bob Stookey, Lizzie, Mika, and Tyreese all appear in the episode. A couple of other characters also make a surprise appearance in the episode. Yes, we did say couple, as there is more than one surprise appearance in the episode. One thing that carries over from the last episode is that the events that happen in the episode are woven together nicely. There are minor things that happen in the episode, which might seem out of place at first, but wind up ultimately bringing the story together into a cohesive whole. While the episode answers a lot of questions, it also raises a lot of new questions. There are new people, things, concepts introduced in the episode, which will likely play a major role in the remainder of Season 4.