I believe it important to point out that the major spoiler of this episode was spoiled for me. Thanks to the wonderful people operating The Walking Dead's Facebook page, I was writhing in fury early this morning when (accidentally) I came across a picture of Daryl holding Beth with the caption "RIP Beth". Needless to say my day was from there ruined...
Given that I knew Beth would die from the outset, I had a different perspective from most viewers whilst watching this episode. I paid close attention to the conversations between Dawn and Beth, as I imagined it would be her who would result in Beth dying. And I didn't see the two distancing themselves; rather, they became closer and seemed to bond - especially with the struggle between the other officer whom Beth ends up sending to his death (which she previously said that she would never do).
Beth and Dawn cooperate, even share a drink, yet end up getting one another killed. Typical with TWD, this is paradoxical as both have saved one another at some point. This may have been exasperating for some viewers to watch as it seemed that the two were similar, as Dawn points out. But there is reasoning for this: the two characters had completely opposing values and mindsets.
The ending was not, therefore, unpredictable (I do realise that having known the ending before it came may make my point seem invalid) as Dawn quite clearly was struggling to regain authority and respect within her group. Take the fight between herself and her fellow male officer by the elevator shaft as an example: Dawn essentially said that there was no way both of them were walking out of it alive, as doing so would undermine Dawn's position and authority, and she quite clearly feared following in the footsteps of her predecessor. Even the two hostage-cops admitted that there was no chance of Dawn accepting the trade-off as she'd be too concerned that allowing Rick to dictate the outcome of the situation would show her officers she could easily be bullied.
This indicates Dawn's fierce desire to remain in control and, further, to have the upper hand in every situation: balance does not satisfy Dawn as it indicates equality, and where there is equality, no single person is entirely in control. This is what we witness in the penultimate scene of the episode as she simply does not accept a fair trade-off of 2 survivors for 2 cops. She demands more to show her fellow (subordinate) officers that she is in charge and will be respected; however, we, the viewers, know very well that Rick (an ex-officer too) will not cave in to the demands of a stranger. And whereas Dawn has allowed herself to become corrupt with the apocalypse, allowing her to demand more than she bargained for, Rick is still a man of his word and a man of justice. He refused to let Noah be taken by Dawn, although his reasoning was not the same as Dawn's (to show his group he was in charge) his reasoning was for fairness and respect of the deal they originally had.
Therefore we already know that things cannot end well when the two Sheriffs come together to make a compromise: one hell-bent on gaining the upper hand and one too stubborn out of a desire for justice to allow that to happen. We gather that when Dawn is placed in front of her officers and expected to act, she will do so out of what is ultimately best for her, and not what she knows is right.
In addition, Dawn says she used to be like Beth, however Beth has not yet allowed herself to become so polluted by the apocalypse that her values are corrupt, as Dawn's now are. Beth, like her father before her, has a strong moral compass and a set of values which are (seemingly) impenetrable. Therefore, at this sudden turn of events when all seemed to be going so well and Dawn demands more, Beth cannot accept it and lets her morals take control.
That being said, all throughout the episode I was hoping that the ending I knew was coming, would not. Despite all evidence pointing towards a not-so-simple (because they never are in TV shows) trade-off, the optimist within me cheered once Rick turned his back to leave and it seemed as though everyone would make it out alive. But then again, would the episode have been that satisfying if they had all walked away with no shots fired? Perhaps since they would have been reunited, perhaps not...
What makes it all the more heartbreaking is that Rick tried to suggest an alternative plan time and time again, yet it was Daryl, arguably one of the most eager survivors to see Beth alive again, who pushed for the trade-off which inevitably led to her death. Which can surely only lead to some deep (and probably dull) conversations in a future episode between Maggie and himself in which he explains his guilt.
Once more, we are left with a bleak outlook on this apocalyptic world, feeling - just as the characters are - that nothing will ever improve...or will it?
Given that I knew Beth would die from the outset, I had a different perspective from most viewers whilst watching this episode. I paid close attention to the conversations between Dawn and Beth, as I imagined it would be her who would result in Beth dying. And I didn't see the two distancing themselves; rather, they became closer and seemed to bond - especially with the struggle between the other officer whom Beth ends up sending to his death (which she previously said that she would never do).
Beth and Dawn cooperate, even share a drink, yet end up getting one another killed. Typical with TWD, this is paradoxical as both have saved one another at some point. This may have been exasperating for some viewers to watch as it seemed that the two were similar, as Dawn points out. But there is reasoning for this: the two characters had completely opposing values and mindsets.
The ending was not, therefore, unpredictable (I do realise that having known the ending before it came may make my point seem invalid) as Dawn quite clearly was struggling to regain authority and respect within her group. Take the fight between herself and her fellow male officer by the elevator shaft as an example: Dawn essentially said that there was no way both of them were walking out of it alive, as doing so would undermine Dawn's position and authority, and she quite clearly feared following in the footsteps of her predecessor. Even the two hostage-cops admitted that there was no chance of Dawn accepting the trade-off as she'd be too concerned that allowing Rick to dictate the outcome of the situation would show her officers she could easily be bullied.
This indicates Dawn's fierce desire to remain in control and, further, to have the upper hand in every situation: balance does not satisfy Dawn as it indicates equality, and where there is equality, no single person is entirely in control. This is what we witness in the penultimate scene of the episode as she simply does not accept a fair trade-off of 2 survivors for 2 cops. She demands more to show her fellow (subordinate) officers that she is in charge and will be respected; however, we, the viewers, know very well that Rick (an ex-officer too) will not cave in to the demands of a stranger. And whereas Dawn has allowed herself to become corrupt with the apocalypse, allowing her to demand more than she bargained for, Rick is still a man of his word and a man of justice. He refused to let Noah be taken by Dawn, although his reasoning was not the same as Dawn's (to show his group he was in charge) his reasoning was for fairness and respect of the deal they originally had.
Therefore we already know that things cannot end well when the two Sheriffs come together to make a compromise: one hell-bent on gaining the upper hand and one too stubborn out of a desire for justice to allow that to happen. We gather that when Dawn is placed in front of her officers and expected to act, she will do so out of what is ultimately best for her, and not what she knows is right.
In addition, Dawn says she used to be like Beth, however Beth has not yet allowed herself to become so polluted by the apocalypse that her values are corrupt, as Dawn's now are. Beth, like her father before her, has a strong moral compass and a set of values which are (seemingly) impenetrable. Therefore, at this sudden turn of events when all seemed to be going so well and Dawn demands more, Beth cannot accept it and lets her morals take control.
That being said, all throughout the episode I was hoping that the ending I knew was coming, would not. Despite all evidence pointing towards a not-so-simple (because they never are in TV shows) trade-off, the optimist within me cheered once Rick turned his back to leave and it seemed as though everyone would make it out alive. But then again, would the episode have been that satisfying if they had all walked away with no shots fired? Perhaps since they would have been reunited, perhaps not...
What makes it all the more heartbreaking is that Rick tried to suggest an alternative plan time and time again, yet it was Daryl, arguably one of the most eager survivors to see Beth alive again, who pushed for the trade-off which inevitably led to her death. Which can surely only lead to some deep (and probably dull) conversations in a future episode between Maggie and himself in which he explains his guilt.
Once more, we are left with a bleak outlook on this apocalyptic world, feeling - just as the characters are - that nothing will ever improve...or will it?