Blogging Dead: Recap, thoughts on Episode 4 of 'The Walking Dead'

We moved away from Glenn "sorrow" for a week and were treated to a Morgan-centric episode that filled in the gaps between his first appearance way back when and his reemergence in the new Zen, Jedi persona.

Morgan was a man who was the first to help Rick after the former cop woke from a coma. Morgan schooled Rick on how things were going and set him on a path to survival. Rick did the same for Morgan, who at one point was devoid of hope after losing everyone in his life.

Much of that was of Morgan's doing, as he couldn't kill his Walker wife, which led to the death of his son. Morgan fell off the rails huddled up in his booby-trapped home before Rick and Michonne happened upon him a few seasons back. Much like most characters and keeping traits even while hidden, there's still a tinge of crazy in Morgan despite what his newfound ways might suggest and it's this crazy that ultimately will get him into trouble he can't escape.

This week's episode, "Here's Not Here," explored Morgan's time alone. Some of this time included slicing up Walkers, building undead bonfires (not for s'mores) and sharpening wood like a carpenter.

It also included a ferocity we don't see in him today and could again. He killed two people early in the episode, including one with his bare hands. Morgan spent a lot of time talking to himself, too, and lamenting his past.

It was on one of his inner tirades where he met the man who taught him more "peaceful" ways. A robed man in a cabin offered falafel and said he was perfecting making goat cheese. How's that for living in your own, perfect world amid all the chaos and desolation?

The man, Eastman, locked Morgan in a cell inside his remote cabin. It was fitting given Morgan has given up on all the things that make life worthwhile. To put it mildly, he was much like an animal acting on instinct and needed to be caged. Eastman eventually brought back some humanity before departing later in the show.

Eastman, a forensic psychologist in his other life, accurately diagnosed Morgan with PTSD. The condition is awful if untreated and would be more rampant in this world. Eastman said most of those he encountered were damaged but could be "repaired" with some help.

Morgan needed some help, a lot of help in fact, as he said his job was to "clear," which included Walkers, humans, animals, fish, etc. Anything and everything that came in his way, he said. Eastman calmly told him that was a load of "horse shit."

Page 2 of 3 - Eastman gave Morgan a choice. Stay or go. He said he would not allow Morgan to "clear" or kill him.

Morgan still tried, of course, but failed. Eastman briefly showed rage, but choked it back inside. It's a trait Morgan would soon learn, albeit with glimpses of his former rage.

Eastman and Morgan shared common ground. They both had wives and children. They both lost their families, but Eastman lost his before everything went South by way of one of the psychopaths he interviewed along the way.

Eastman built the cell with the intention of capturing the psycho and watching him starve. Instead, he chose to redirect his rage and said all life was precious, even for those who disregard it with such malice. This struck Morgan the most, especially since he was on a killing spree for most of the time on his own.

We later learned that he did indeed starve the man and chose not to finish the story at the dinner table. Eastman said it took 48 days for the man to finally die and at the end he was lost.

He said it didn't give him peace. The only thing that did give him peace was deciding never to kill again. Morgan has seemingly made the same promise.

Eastman credited Aikido with calming his soul. That and his friendship with a goat. I'm not making a joke here, Eastman was at peace and was one with a lot of things and it's sad we can't have more of him this season.

You can make a case that Morgan is the Yin to Rick's Yang, but it's clear Eastman was that to Morgan first. He imparted calm on Morgan, reminded him that you need to fix your errors (like breaking the fence while saving the goat) and that "where there's life, there's hope."

Hope was something Morgan lost and seemingly couldn't find, but he has it back. Now is his opportunity to make the most of hope. It's also his chance to honor Eastman, who met his demise after being bitten by a Walker Morgan "created" from the previous encounter.

It was another sign that hope, even strong hope, doesn't get you far in this world. Everything ends in terrible ways. It's just a matter of making the most of your time.

The same can be said for everyday, real life. But here, the moments you have are even more fleeting. Friendships end quickly, but the bonds you make can still linger.

This was the case for Morgan, who now embodies Eastman's teachings. He cherishes life rather than discards it and this is what will continue to rub the wrong way with the likes of Rick and Carol. It's an admirable thing to value human life in these times and forgiveness would be even more difficult for many. In those ways, Morgan is better than most.

Page 3 of 3 - That said, Morgan does suffer from PTSD. It can be triggered at any time. The rage still lingers and it will come back to haunt him.

It will lead to Morgan's demise, especially with Rick, Carol and Michonne, all of whom won't hesitate to defend themselves and the group. Many of Morgan's decision have come back to bite him. We'll have to see how many more people die because of his "peaceful" decisions.

Case in point, Morgan kept one of the Wolves locked up in Alexandria. He did this after telling his story of Eastman and the crazy Wolves member telling Morgan he still had to kill him and everyone else because "those are the rules."

Oh, Morgan...

This was a nice change of pace episode. We needed this with the frenetic pace of the previous three episodes. It's back to heart-pounding action next week.

Source: Blogging Dead: Recap, thoughts on Episode 4 of 'The Walking Dead'