"Inmates" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on February 16, 2014.
This episode also marks the first appearances of Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermitt, and Christian Serratos as Sgt.
Beth spots a small shoe, assuming it is young Luke and Molly amidst the remains and breaks down crying.
Mika attempts to warn her sister, but as Lizzie is quieting Judith she begins to slide her hand up over the baby's nose as well, becoming increasingly lost in the moment.
Two men, Christopher (Cameron Deane Stewart) and another man (Michael Harding), are fighting off a group of walkers.
Before he dies, the older man (who attacks Daryl and Beth in the woods once zombified), tells Tyreese about a sanctuary up the tracks.
Sasha is frustrated at what she sees as a waste of time; Bob, however, argues that the search gives their lives a purpose beyond mere survival.
Despite his initial despair, he collects some clothes and supplies, including Bob's bottle of brandy, puts on riot gear, and then pushes his way through the walkers.
Tara describes seeing her sister Lilly being swarmed by walkers on the field outside the prison, and reveals Hershel's death to Glenn.
Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt), and Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos).
Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt), and Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos), notable characters from the comic book series.
[3] The final scene of this episode was intentionally shot and produced to look like the cover of "Volume 9", "Issue #53" of the comic book series.
Series regulars Andrew Lincoln (Rick), Chandler Riggs (Carl), and Danai Gurira (Michonne) are credited but do not appear.
Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode an 8.3 out of 10, saying "On the whole, the pace felt better this week - though I enjoyed “After’s” more focused-quality - and there were some decidedly juicy and tension-filled moments.
There were a few moments where the series could have made a bold move, but chose not to, which deflated the momentum a bit, and some rocky exposition.
The episode moved the plot forward with check ins on each of the prison survivors, the introduction and/or re-introduction of some key characters, and a path to a new, somewhat mysterious location.
Instead, it was more of a housekeeping episode, doing the necessary taking stock of the large cast in the aftermath of the chaos of the prison's destruction.
"[7] Marciela Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly also commented positively on the series's characters, saying "I can only speak for myself, but I care.
Club gave the episode a B−, commenting on the episode's inconsistent focus on the different characters, saying "the script’s anthology-esque approach of spending a few scenes with several different groups of characters results in some stories lasting longer than they need to, while others barely register.
Where last week’s episode played like a cohesive unit from beginning to end, an hour in which, whether you liked them or not, every piece was designed to establish the struggle of survival and to answer the question of why it was so necessary to survive in the first place, “Inmates” continues these themes (just about everyone is trying to decide whether or not they should go look for other survivors; just about everyone is strung out with grief and fear and worry), but never becomes more than a collection of modestly interesting moments.
I know this is a TV series about zombies, but I’d really like to see the living, breathing, human characters start acting like real people at some point.
My high hopes for Season 4 have dropped, and the show struggles to push past the sort of cozy, entertaining mediocrity that defines an episode like this one.