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| {{Infobox television episode | {{Infobox television episode | ||
| ⚫ | |series = ] | ||
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|image = AMC TWD After.png | ||
| ⚫ | | |
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|image_size = 250 | ||
| |caption = ] blames ] for their many losses after the ]. | |||
| |Caption = | |||
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|season = 4 | ||
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|episode = 9 | ||
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|airdate = {{Start date|2014|2|9}} | ||
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|writer = ] | ||
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|director = ] | ||
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|guests = | ||
| *] as Mike | |||
| *] as Terry | *] as Terry | ||
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|prev = ] | ||
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|next = ] | ||
| | season_article = The Walking Dead season 4 | |||
| |Episode list = ]<br>] | |||
| | episode_list = List of The Walking Dead episodes | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| ⚫ | "'''After'''" is the ninth episode of the ] of the ] ] ] '']'' |
||
| ⚫ | "'''After'''" is the ninth episode and mid-season premiere of the ] of the ] ] ] '']'', which aired on ] on February 9, 2014. The episode was written by ] and directed by ]. | ||
| ⚫ | The plot for this episode is very similar to Volume |
||
| ⚫ | The plot for this episode is very similar to "Volume 9", "Issue #49" and "Issue #50" of the ]. | ||
| ⚫ | The episode was watched by 15.76 million viewers, |
||
| Following the ], ] (]) and ] (]) find themselves on the road looking for shelter. They have to come to terms with their new environment and ask themselves if survival alone is enough. However, after his vicious fight with ] (]), Rick also deals with old wounds as he is in desperate need to rest and heal. Concurrently, ] (]) finds herself once again alone and haunted by memories of the past as she tries to come to grips with how she wants to spend her life. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Plot== | ||
| ] (]) reconnoiters the damaged prison and uses her ] to kill approaching walkers. She uses two trapped walkers as protection by tying them with ropes and removing their jaws and arms. As she walks, she encounters ] (])'s reanimated head and kills it with her katana, leaving her distraught as she leaves the prison grounds. | |||
| ⚫ | The episode was watched by 15.76 million viewers, a significant rise in ratings from the ] two months prior. However, commentators had varied reactions to it, with many noting positively to the character development, but commenting negatively on the episode's pace. | ||
| Meanwhile, ] (]) and ] (]) walk on a country road with Carl walking ahead of Rick, who struggles to keep up due to his injuries from his battle with ] (]). They stop at a diner for supplies and find a walker barricaded by some pieces of furniture. Rick wants to kill it with his axe, to conserve bullets, but is too weak to make a finishing blow, forcing Carl to shoot it in the head. They continue until they take shelter in an abandoned house. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Plot== | ||
| Michonne and her two pet walkers come to the same road that Carl and Rick had walked previously, and she notices their footprints in the mud. | |||
| Following ]'s ], the survivors are forced to scatter and try to regroup. ] reconnoiters the prison for survivors. She discovers the reanimated head of her friend, ], and stabs it to put him out of his torment. She discovers a trail of footprints leading away from the prison. To protect herself, she slices off the arms and jaws of two walkers, leading them pet-like to help mask her presence from other walkers, however this appears to draw more walkers toward her and they form a herd around her. While taking shelter in a car overnight, she dreams of her young son, her boyfriend Mike (]), and his friend Terry (]) before the apocalypse, but the dream turns into a nightmare when Mike and Terry appear like her walker 'pets'. She continues onward, but on observing a walker that looks similar to herself, suddenly comes to the realization that her mindless walking is for naught; she slaughters the walkers that surround her and her pets, and vows to Mike that she now has a purpose in life. She sets off to follow the trail of footprints. | |||
| Meanwhile, ] and ], whose footprints Michonne is following, work their way from the prison, Rick slowing them down due to injuries he sustained in the assault on the prison. They stop at a diner to find food and encounter a lone walker barricaded behind furniture. Rick wants to kill it using an axe but is too weak, forcing Carl to kill it with his gun. Rick and Carl enter an abandoned house and barricade the door before Rick falls unconscious. The following morning, Carl wakes and shouts at Rick to try to wake him, attracting nearby walkers. Carl is able to dispatch them, and when he returns, yells at a still unconscious Rick, blaming him for abandoning his leadership role, hurting himself, his mother ], his newborn sibling Judith, and the others of his group at the prison. Later, Carl goes to search for supplies in a nearby house. He nearly is bitten by a walker trapped behind one door, but is able to escape when the walker pulls off his boot. He recovers additional food and supplies, and returns to the house where Rick is. He sees Rick crawling toward him and moaning, and fearing his father has become a walker, turns his gun on him. Rick calls out Carl's name, proving he is still alive. Rick sees what Carl has done to protect and sustain them, and apologizes for his behavior, and believes Carl is now a man. | |||
| In the house, Rick falls unconscious due to fatigue and his injuries. Carl tries to awaken him but when Rick doesn't respond, Carl starts yelling, alerting two walkers outside. The walkers begin pounding at the front door, and Carl lures them away from the house planning to kill them some distance away, but he is surprised by a third walker who approaches him from behind. With some difficulty, he manages to kill all three walkers unscathed. When Carl returns to the house, he angrily yells at his comatose father, saying Rick failed to protect the prison group, ], and ]. When Rick, who is still unconscious, does not respond, Carl says he doesn't need him anymore and he would be fine if Rick died. | |||
| Michonne arrives at the house the following morning and, after observing through a window that they are alive and well, begins to cry tears of joy. As Rick and Carl bond over a meal, there is a knock at the door. Rick looks through the peephole, and, upon seeing Michonne, laughs and tells Carl, "It's for you." | |||
| Michonne, who's fallen asleep in a car, awakens from a dream of her young son, her boyfriend Mike (]), and his friend Terry (]). At the start of the dream, they are having a happy life, but the dream progresses to the beginning of the apocalypse and later depicts both Mike and Terry with their arms cut off. Michonne continues walking with her "pets" and is joined by a herd of walkers, one of whom closely resembles her. | |||
| Carl goes on another supply trip in a nearby house. Upstairs, he opens a door with a walker behind it. After a struggle, in which his gunshot misses the walker, Carl is nearly bitten on his leg, but he manages to get loose when the walker pulls one shoe off his foot. Carl shuts the door, locking the walker in the room. Upon returning to their shelter, Carl sees Rick groaning and trying to crawl to him. Fearful Rick has reanimated, Carl draws his gun but can't bring himself to shoot his own father, and he admits that despite all his prior tough talk, he still feels weak and scared. Carl is relieved when Rick calls out to him, confirming that he is still alive. The next morning, Rick tells Carl that he is glad Carl has scavenged additional supplies, and says that Carl is a man now. | |||
| Michonne, still walking along with the herd, comes to a realization and kills the herd along with her pet walkers. She tells Mike, in a monologue, he was wrong and says she's found a reason to live. She returns to the country road and decides to follow Rick and Carl's footprints. Michonne manages to get to the house, and sees Rick and Carl inside together and starts to cry with joy. When she knocks on the door, Rick looks through the peephole and starts to laugh, telling Carl it is for him. | |||
| ==Production== | ==Production== | ||
| "After" was written by comic book creator and executive producer ] and directed by special effects makeup artist and executive producer ]. | "After" was written by comic book creator and executive producer ] and directed by special effects makeup artist and executive producer ]. | ||
| This episode focuses entirely on the characters of ] (]), ] (]) and ] (]). ] (Hershel) and ] (The Governor) have brief final appearances as corpses |
This episode focuses entirely on the characters of ] (]), ] (]) and ] (]). ] (]) and ] (]) have brief final appearances as corpses. "After" is the final episode to feature Morrissey's name in the opening credits; Wilson's name is featured in the season finale, "]". ] (]), ] (]), ] (]) and ] (]) are all credited, but do not appear. ] (]), ] (]), ] (]) and ] (]) are also absent, but are credited as "also starring". | ||
| The plot for this episode is derived almost entirely from "Volume 9", "Issue #50" of the ]. | |||
| ], who plays Carl, has admitted that "After" is his favorite episode of the series. | |||
| From this episode onwards, ''The Walking Dead'' began airing in the ], a day after its ] airdate, instead of five days after. | |||
| ==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
| ] received critical acclaim for his performance as ] in this episode.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}]] | |||
| ===Critical response=== | ===Critical response=== | ||
| The episode received moderate reviews from most critics, with most praising the episode's focus on the secondary characters, but others commenting negatively on the series' shift in environment and the episode's pace. Katla McGlynn of '']'' summarized the episode by saying: "Phew! That was quite an episode. Although we didn't get to see what's happening with the rest of the group, we learned more about Michonne than ever and finally got to see Carl become a man. Instead of a traditional rite of passage like a bar mitzvah or a co-ed birthday party, Carl got to kill zombies and eat copious amounts of pudding! Welcome to adulthood, Carl."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katla-mcglynn/the-walking-dead-midseason-4-premiere-recap-after_b_4757174.html|title='The Walking Dead' Midseason 4 Premiere Recap: Carl Unloads On Rick, Becomes A Man And Eats 112 Ounces Of Pudding| |
The episode received moderate reviews from most critics, with most praising the episode's focus on the secondary characters, but others commenting negatively on the series' shift in environment and the episode's pace. Katla McGlynn of '']'' summarized the episode by saying: "Phew! That was quite an episode. Although we didn't get to see what's happening with the rest of the group, we learned more about Michonne than ever and finally got to see Carl become a man. Instead of a traditional rite of passage like a bar mitzvah or a co-ed birthday party, Carl got to kill zombies and eat copious amounts of pudding! Welcome to adulthood, Carl."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katla-mcglynn/the-walking-dead-midseason-4-premiere-recap-after_b_4757174.html|title='The Walking Dead' Midseason 4 Premiere Recap: Carl Unloads On Rick, Becomes A Man And Eats 112 Ounces Of Pudding|work=]|first=Katla|last=McGlynn|date=February 10, 2014|access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> | ||
| Roth Cornet of |
Roth Cornet of ] gave the episode an 8.5 out of 10, saying: "The Walking Dead opened the second half of Season 4 with a restrained, but effective episode that saw its characters faced with the challenge of accepting, and even embracing, the reality of the lives they're living - even the horror."<ref name=IGN>{{cite web|url=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/10/the-walking-dead-after-review|title=The Walking Dead: "After" Review|publisher=]|first=Roth|last=Cornet|date=February 9, 2014|access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> | ||
| Sean Tepper of the '']'' gave a moderate review of the episode, starting with a mixed commentary on the show's shift from the previous episode, saying: "Instead of kicking off the second half of Season 4 with a bang, ''The Walking Dead'' took a sizeable risk with its mid-season premiere as showrunner Scott Gimple focused more on character development than on the gruesome, over-the-top zombie killing that we’ve come to appreciate in AMC’s hit series."<ref name=TorontoStar/> He then commented positively on the episode's beginning scene at the prison, saying: "by kicking off the episode with various shots of the zombie-infested prison, a quick look at the Governor’s body and an emotionally charged scene that saw Michonne drive her katana through Herschel’s severed, zombified head, 'After’s' pre-credit scene served as a satisfying end to the show’s prison saga and gave the episode a tone more akin to a traditional season premiere."<ref name=TorontoStar>{{cite web|url= |
Sean Tepper of the '']'' gave a moderate review of the episode, starting with a mixed commentary on the show's shift from the previous episode, saying: "Instead of kicking off the second half of Season 4 with a bang, ''The Walking Dead'' took a sizeable risk with its mid-season premiere as showrunner Scott Gimple focused more on character development than on the gruesome, over-the-top zombie killing that we’ve come to appreciate in AMC’s hit series."<ref name=TorontoStar/> He then commented positively on the episode's beginning scene at the prison, saying: "by kicking off the episode with various shots of the zombie-infested prison, a quick look at the Governor’s body and an emotionally charged scene that saw Michonne drive her katana through Herschel’s severed, zombified head, 'After’s' pre-credit scene served as a satisfying end to the show’s prison saga and gave the episode a tone more akin to a traditional season premiere."<ref name=TorontoStar>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2014/02/10/the_walking_dead_after_gives_depth_to_carl_and_michonne.html|title=The Walking Dead: 'After' gives depth to Carl and Michonne|work=]|first=Sean|last=Tepper|date=February 9, 2014|access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> He also positively reviewed Carl and Michonne's roles in the episode, saying: "If there’s one thing that ''The Walking Dead'' has proved time and time again it’s that superficial supporting roles can be transformed into multifaceted, essential characters and last night’s episode was at its best when it gave Carl the opportunity to escape Rick’s shadow," and "gave us some insight into her past along with a better understanding of the events that shaped her post-apocalyptic persona."<ref name=TorontoStar/> | ||
| Not all reviews were positive. Patrick Kevin Day of the '']'' — though commenting positively on the character development, saying the episode "gets huge mileage out of small character moments and goes a long way to making Carl an interesting character for the first time" — commented negatively on the episode's beginning, saying: "the episode seemed too intent on attempting to jolt viewers by killing off beloved characters, such as the saintly Hershel. Many seemed to love it, but I felt the escalating body count was providing diminishing returns."<ref name=LATimes>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-walking-dead-back-to-basics-20140124,0,6940610.story#axzz2syGw3m2Y|title='The Walking Dead': Back to basics| |
Not all reviews were positive. Patrick Kevin Day of the '']'' — though commenting positively on the character development, saying the episode "gets huge mileage out of small character moments and goes a long way to making Carl an interesting character for the first time" — commented negatively on the episode's beginning, saying: "the episode seemed too intent on attempting to jolt viewers by killing off beloved characters, such as the saintly Hershel. Many seemed to love it, but I felt the escalating body count was providing diminishing returns."<ref name=LATimes>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-walking-dead-back-to-basics-20140124,0,6940610.story#axzz2syGw3m2Y|title='The Walking Dead': Back to basics|work=]|first=Patrick Kevin|last=Day|date=February 10, 2014|access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> | ||
| Tim Surette of |
Tim Surette of ] commented positively on the series' change in environment, saying: "Now ''The Walking Dead'' can return to the enjoyable (for us, anyway) world outside those barbed-wire fences, a world where our survivors can't just garden all day and then safely tuck themselves into bed behind six-foot-thick concrete walls. Now they'll have zombies nipping at their heels as they try to make it to another sunrise, hoping they'll live long enough to have one more argument over whether or not Rick is a good leader."<ref name=TV.com/> However, he commented negatively on the episode's pace, saying: "large stretches of "After" were, indeed, boring. I wanted to like the episode a lot more than I did, because I think it was making an effort to both deliver a message and reintroduce us to the danger of this world by showing us how it can break even the sturdiest survivors. Otherwise, it was just characters walking around and killing zombies. And even that's starting to get old."<ref name=TV.com>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-walking-dead/community/post/season-4-episode-9-after-review-139103318517/|title=The Walking Dead "After" Review: Not So Tough Now, Eh?|publisher=]|first=Tim|last=Surette|date=February 9, 2014|access-date=February 10, 2014|archive-date=April 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425152918/http://www.tv.com/shows/the-walking-dead/community/post/season-4-episode-9-after-review-139103318517/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
| ===Ratings=== | ===Ratings=== | ||
| Upon its original airing, "After" garnered 15.76 million viewers, 10.9 million of them in the |
Upon its original airing, "After" garnered 15.76 million viewers, 10.9 million of them in the 18-49 demographic, and it was the No. 1 telecast for the night among adults 18–49, beating even the ]. Viewership increased 30% from the ], making "After" the second-highest rated episode of the series after the ], which garnered 16.1 million viewers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvline.com/2014/02/10/ratings-the-walking-dead-season-4-winter-premiere/ |title=Ratings: Walking Dead Ties Series High, Trumps Olympics; Beatles Salute Draws Good Crowd |publisher=] |first=Matt Webb |last=Mitovich |date=February 10, 2014 |access-date=February 10, 2014 |archive-date=March 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303123106/http://tvline.com/2014/02/10/ratings-the-walking-dead-season-4-winter-premiere/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kondolojy|first=Amanda|title=Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Tops Night + 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' & More|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/02/11/sunday-cable-ratings-the-walking-dead-tops-night-real-housewives-of-atlanta-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-more/236089/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222214014/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/02/11/sunday-cable-ratings-the-walking-dead-tops-night-real-housewives-of-atlanta-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-more/236089/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 22, 2014|publisher=]|access-date=February 11, 2014|date=February 11, 2014}}</ref> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{reflist}} | {{reflist|30em}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{Portal| |
{{Portal|Speculative fiction/Horror|Television}} | ||
| * at ] | * at ] | ||
| *{{IMDb episode|3316798|After}} | *{{IMDb episode|3316798|After}} | ||
| *{{Tv.com episode|the-walking-dead/after-2996574|After}} | |||
| {{The Walking Dead}} | {{The Walking Dead episodes}} | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| {{DISPLAYTITLE:After (''The Walking Dead'')}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 17:27, 2 August 2024
9th episode of the 4th season of The Walking Dead| "After" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Walking Dead episode | |||
 Carl blames Rick for their many losses after the assault. | |||
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 9 | ||
| Directed by | Greg Nicotero | ||
| Written by | Robert Kirkman | ||
| Original air date | February 9, 2014 (2014-02-09) | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
| |||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| The Walking Dead season 4 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"After" is the ninth episode and mid-season premiere of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on February 9, 2014. The episode was written by Robert Kirkman and directed by Greg Nicotero.
The plot for this episode is very similar to "Volume 9", "Issue #49" and "Issue #50" of the comic book series.
Following the attack on the prison, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) find themselves on the road looking for shelter. They have to come to terms with their new environment and ask themselves if survival alone is enough. However, after his vicious fight with The Governor (David Morrissey), Rick also deals with old wounds as he is in desperate need to rest and heal. Concurrently, Michonne (Danai Gurira) finds herself once again alone and haunted by memories of the past as she tries to come to grips with how she wants to spend her life.
The episode was watched by 15.76 million viewers, a significant rise in ratings from the previous episode two months prior. However, commentators had varied reactions to it, with many noting positively to the character development, but commenting negatively on the episode's pace.
Plot
Following The Governor's deadly assault on the prison, the survivors are forced to scatter and try to regroup. Michonne reconnoiters the prison for survivors. She discovers the reanimated head of her friend, Hershel, and stabs it to put him out of his torment. She discovers a trail of footprints leading away from the prison. To protect herself, she slices off the arms and jaws of two walkers, leading them pet-like to help mask her presence from other walkers, however this appears to draw more walkers toward her and they form a herd around her. While taking shelter in a car overnight, she dreams of her young son, her boyfriend Mike (Aldis Hodge), and his friend Terry (Brandon Fobbs) before the apocalypse, but the dream turns into a nightmare when Mike and Terry appear like her walker 'pets'. She continues onward, but on observing a walker that looks similar to herself, suddenly comes to the realization that her mindless walking is for naught; she slaughters the walkers that surround her and her pets, and vows to Mike that she now has a purpose in life. She sets off to follow the trail of footprints.
Meanwhile, Carl and Rick, whose footprints Michonne is following, work their way from the prison, Rick slowing them down due to injuries he sustained in the assault on the prison. They stop at a diner to find food and encounter a lone walker barricaded behind furniture. Rick wants to kill it using an axe but is too weak, forcing Carl to kill it with his gun. Rick and Carl enter an abandoned house and barricade the door before Rick falls unconscious. The following morning, Carl wakes and shouts at Rick to try to wake him, attracting nearby walkers. Carl is able to dispatch them, and when he returns, yells at a still unconscious Rick, blaming him for abandoning his leadership role, hurting himself, his mother Lori, his newborn sibling Judith, and the others of his group at the prison. Later, Carl goes to search for supplies in a nearby house. He nearly is bitten by a walker trapped behind one door, but is able to escape when the walker pulls off his boot. He recovers additional food and supplies, and returns to the house where Rick is. He sees Rick crawling toward him and moaning, and fearing his father has become a walker, turns his gun on him. Rick calls out Carl's name, proving he is still alive. Rick sees what Carl has done to protect and sustain them, and apologizes for his behavior, and believes Carl is now a man.
Michonne arrives at the house the following morning and, after observing through a window that they are alive and well, begins to cry tears of joy. As Rick and Carl bond over a meal, there is a knock at the door. Rick looks through the peephole, and, upon seeing Michonne, laughs and tells Carl, "It's for you."
Production
"After" was written by comic book creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman and directed by special effects makeup artist and executive producer Greg Nicotero.
This episode focuses entirely on the characters of Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). Scott Wilson (Hershel Greene) and David Morrissey (The Governor) have brief final appearances as corpses. "After" is the final episode to feature Morrissey's name in the opening credits; Wilson's name is featured in the season finale, "A". Norman Reedus (Daryl), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Lauren Cohan (Maggie) and Melissa McBride (Carol) are all credited, but do not appear. Emily Kinney (Beth), Chad L. Coleman (Tyreese), Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha) and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Bob) are also absent, but are credited as "also starring".
The plot for this episode is derived almost entirely from "Volume 9", "Issue #50" of the comic book series.
Chandler Riggs, who plays Carl, has admitted that "After" is his favorite episode of the series.
From this episode onwards, The Walking Dead began airing in the United Kingdom, a day after its United States airdate, instead of five days after.
Reception
Critical response
The episode received moderate reviews from most critics, with most praising the episode's focus on the secondary characters, but others commenting negatively on the series' shift in environment and the episode's pace. Katla McGlynn of The Huffington Post summarized the episode by saying: "Phew! That was quite an episode. Although we didn't get to see what's happening with the rest of the group, we learned more about Michonne than ever and finally got to see Carl become a man. Instead of a traditional rite of passage like a bar mitzvah or a co-ed birthday party, Carl got to kill zombies and eat copious amounts of pudding! Welcome to adulthood, Carl."
Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode an 8.5 out of 10, saying: "The Walking Dead opened the second half of Season 4 with a restrained, but effective episode that saw its characters faced with the challenge of accepting, and even embracing, the reality of the lives they're living - even the horror."
Sean Tepper of the Toronto Star gave a moderate review of the episode, starting with a mixed commentary on the show's shift from the previous episode, saying: "Instead of kicking off the second half of Season 4 with a bang, The Walking Dead took a sizeable risk with its mid-season premiere as showrunner Scott Gimple focused more on character development than on the gruesome, over-the-top zombie killing that we’ve come to appreciate in AMC’s hit series." He then commented positively on the episode's beginning scene at the prison, saying: "by kicking off the episode with various shots of the zombie-infested prison, a quick look at the Governor’s body and an emotionally charged scene that saw Michonne drive her katana through Herschel’s severed, zombified head, 'After’s' pre-credit scene served as a satisfying end to the show’s prison saga and gave the episode a tone more akin to a traditional season premiere." He also positively reviewed Carl and Michonne's roles in the episode, saying: "If there’s one thing that The Walking Dead has proved time and time again it’s that superficial supporting roles can be transformed into multifaceted, essential characters and last night’s episode was at its best when it gave Carl the opportunity to escape Rick’s shadow," and "gave us some insight into her past along with a better understanding of the events that shaped her post-apocalyptic persona."
Not all reviews were positive. Patrick Kevin Day of the Los Angeles Times — though commenting positively on the character development, saying the episode "gets huge mileage out of small character moments and goes a long way to making Carl an interesting character for the first time" — commented negatively on the episode's beginning, saying: "the episode seemed too intent on attempting to jolt viewers by killing off beloved characters, such as the saintly Hershel. Many seemed to love it, but I felt the escalating body count was providing diminishing returns."
Tim Surette of TV.com commented positively on the series' change in environment, saying: "Now The Walking Dead can return to the enjoyable (for us, anyway) world outside those barbed-wire fences, a world where our survivors can't just garden all day and then safely tuck themselves into bed behind six-foot-thick concrete walls. Now they'll have zombies nipping at their heels as they try to make it to another sunrise, hoping they'll live long enough to have one more argument over whether or not Rick is a good leader." However, he commented negatively on the episode's pace, saying: "large stretches of "After" were, indeed, boring. I wanted to like the episode a lot more than I did, because I think it was making an effort to both deliver a message and reintroduce us to the danger of this world by showing us how it can break even the sturdiest survivors. Otherwise, it was just characters walking around and killing zombies. And even that's starting to get old."
Ratings
Upon its original airing, "After" garnered 15.76 million viewers, 10.9 million of them in the 18-49 demographic, and it was the No. 1 telecast for the night among adults 18–49, beating even the Sochi Winter Olympics. Viewership increased 30% from the previous episode, making "After" the second-highest rated episode of the series after the fourth season premiere, which garnered 16.1 million viewers.
References
- McGlynn, Katla (February 10, 2014). "'The Walking Dead' Midseason 4 Premiere Recap: Carl Unloads On Rick, Becomes A Man And Eats 112 Ounces Of Pudding". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- Cornet, Roth (February 9, 2014). "The Walking Dead: "After" Review". IGN. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- ^ Tepper, Sean (February 9, 2014). "The Walking Dead: 'After' gives depth to Carl and Michonne". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- Day, Patrick Kevin (February 10, 2014). "'The Walking Dead': Back to basics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- ^ Surette, Tim (February 9, 2014). "The Walking Dead "After" Review: Not So Tough Now, Eh?". TV.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- Mitovich, Matt Webb (February 10, 2014). "Ratings: Walking Dead Ties Series High, Trumps Olympics; Beatles Salute Draws Good Crowd". TVLine. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- Kondolojy, Amanda (February 11, 2014). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Tops Night + 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
