The Walking Dead, Spend, review: Alliances shattered following warehouse disaster

It didn’t last long, but the honeymoon period in Alexandria has already come to an end. Not long ago Rick and Deanna’s respective camps were looking forward to building a utopia together. ‘Spend’ marks the end of that optimism, as The Walking Dead (Fox) delivers another bleak, carnage-littered instalment that hints at much more bloodshed to come in the final two episodes of the season.

While Rick continues to settle into his new position in Alexandria, Glenn takes some of the survivors with him on a supply run (including people from both camps). Although they are initially successful, a run-in with some walkers means the survivors are soon fighting for their lives. Back in Alexandria, Rick and Carol are trying to regain some degree of normality when an encounter with Sam (Major Dodson) sheds light on a seemingly troubled domestic situation. Meanwhile, Father Gabriel turns Judas when he warns Deanna that Rick and the others cannot be trusted.

How the characters of The Walking Dead must despise supply runs. Where some series have their annual ‘Christmas’ episode, the supply run instalment has become a recurring tradition on the show, albeit one that is often followed by intense periods of mourning. ‘Spend’ manages to stand out by being possibly the bloodiest supply run episode yet, featuring two incredibly gruesome, drawn out death scenes shot from multiple angles (for ultimate viewing pleasure, of course).

The death of Noah is particularly brutal – he was just at the point of developing an interesting arc on the series (he’s had little to do since Beth’s demise). The Walking Dead is a series that has had a constant revolving door of central characters, so it feels fitting that this should be the location for Noah’s painful final moments.

The story does a good job of interweaving the individual stories and setting in place the crossed wires that will no doubt lead to the conflicts viewers will witness in the remaining two episodes. In particular, Father Gabriel’s betrayal is an interesting one, placing fans in an uncomfortable position as they are forced to question whether Rick and his group have any real sense of morality left. The build up to the reveal about Pete’s potential abuse is an interesting one, not least because it raises difficult questions about Rick’s true motives. It seems likely that the true cost of the group’s survival is about to be revealed.