*This review contains some spoilers*
Unlike the last several episodes, "Crossed" jumps between all of the characters instead of just focusing on one group. It makes sense since the next episode will be the mid-season finale and they need to finally bring all of these arcs together for a hopefully awesome story. However, jumping from group to group also means a number of these settings won't have time to really pull us into their bleak setting. They offer little doses of character here and there and there's a handful of decent developments, but it just doesn't feel as gripping as many of the previous episodes.
For me, the highlight was the time spent with Rick Grime's crew. Not only did it have the best set piece (that evac site was brutal), but it also had the best focus on character. Yes, Rosita finally gets to open up a little bit and Sasha bonds with Tyreese, but the scenes with Rick continued to drive home the point that he isn't who he used to be... not at all. I mean, when you have Daryl siding with Tyreese about a non-lethal option instead of going with Rick's plan, you know Rick has really lost sight of his humanity. Now, that's not a jab at Daryl, but it just goes to show how much these characters have changed since we first met them. The way Rick casually mentioned slitting someone's throat like it was no big deal illustrates the fact he's totally cool with using lethal force as the primary option. I can't help but wonder how current Rick and Shane would get along... you know, assuming Lori wasn't around. The bit with Rick struggling about whether he should shoot the guy who has given up was a nice example of this.
Let's talk about that evac site for a second because it most definitely deserves some praise. Firstly, the make up and effects were shockingly disgusting and quite awesome. Many of the locations show how humanity has failed to thrive in this new setting, but that brought us back to the earlier days and showed the tough choices that needed to be made to help deal with the evergrowing threat. The way these bodies were melted and stuck to the surface was vicious and the setting was even used to serve as a haunting contrast during a very brief emotional moment. A setting like that would freak any of us out. These survivors, though? They can have a heart to heart in that location. Crazy, right? You can really tell they put a lot of effort into bringing that environment to life. Secondly, it was terrific they used this spot for such a tense and horrifying fight. Before the two went to the ground, the handling of the fight was just okay -- it was full of close ups and quick cuts -- but once the two began to grapple, that's when they really delivered on the intensity. And the way Daryl took the edge? It made me want to cringe and cheer at the same time. That's using his your head, Daryl!
The focus on Rick's group is also where most of the plot progression went down. As much as I love what they're doing over with Abraham's group, this episode just didn't have the right amount of time to make it feel as emotional as it could have. The dynamic between Maggie and Abraham worked well enough (the performances during the standoff definitely sold the moment, as did the later conversation), but watching the others gather water and fish just wasn't that interesting. I'm fine with slower episodes and material that reminds us this story is about people in a messed up world, but this one didn't really bring anything especially compelling to the table. As for Beth, it felt like that was there just to give us an update on Carol and whether she could be waking up any time soon. It was basically just moving that narrative forward without delivering anything memorable. However, the focus on Gabriel had a more subtle handling of his story. There was no need to blatantly spell things out for the viewer here. Everything from a child teaching him how to kill to being reminded of what happened in the church did a more than effective job telling us what's going through his mind and why he makes such a drastic decision.
Even if you're not that thrilled about the episodes, The Walking Dead tends to hit you with a pretty good cliffhanger. Unfortunately, that wasn't really the case with this one. Even if you didn't think the twist with the guy was predictable -- how many of you also wanted to scream at Sasha for letting her guard down like that?! -- it was still a pretty abrupt and not that exciting of a way to leave us hanging until the next episode. If an episode is building up to the mid-season finale, you can't help but expect something that'll drop your jaw.
Minor gripe: Does anyone else find it odd when a walker suddenly acts like a ninja? I get the show wants to get some jump scares in there, but it's a little silly when it seems like the zombie is a master of stealth.
"Crossed" has the difficult task of focusing on all of the groups and unfortunately, this means some scenes just aren't going to be all that interesting as the show clearly needs to race all of its elements forward. The constant need to jump from scene to scene takes a toll on the pacing and, despite building up to the mid-season finale, it didn't feel like that big of an episode and the cliffhanger wasn't very strong at all. It wasn't one of the more engaging episodes, but the focus on Rick was effective, the performances were solid, the evac site left one hell of an impression, and the material with Gabriel offered an adequate follow-up to the church slaughter. It's not the best episode this season, but I don't think it's a bad one, either. Now we just have to wait and see how all of these stories are handled in next week's mid-season finale.