As expected, “Here's Not Here,” did not resolve the Glenn Question. I feel like I'm getting into the mindset of the producers – because why would they resolve that question? Why, when we're guaranteed to stay tuned? It may seem like emotional puppetry, but from their perspective, it's pretty damn smart. Season 6 has wildly been lauded as one of the best yet, and Episode 4 brings a space of calm to all the noise in the first three episodes.
Morgan's Journey
Instead of resolution, we were treated to the story of Morgan's redemption – what happened in the space between “Clear” and Morgan's arrival in Alexandria. What might have otherwise been a facile invocation of the healing properties of Eastern philosophies was excellently executed by the fine acting team of Lennie James (Morgan) and John Carroll Lynch (Eastman).
Not much attention is overtly paid to the psychic and mental trauma that survivors experience in post-apocalyptic tales. We may see the effects, but it's rare that someone, especially someone with training in the field of psychology, identifies it and discussing how it's working. This episode was revolutionary in that regard.
Believe me, I was ready to get eye-rolly about how they would show Morgans metamorphosis from a suicidal, homicidal nihilist subhuman to someone spouting crunchy granola aphorisms like “all life is precious” in a single episode, even a supersized 90 minute one. But my ready snark subsided, as this beautiful, touching story unfolded.
First, we were treated to a very clear reminder of just how feral and far-gone Morgan had been. His Sisyphean existence is reduced to “Clear,” and the repetition and bleakness of it would be right at home in Dante's Inferno. This is his mad penance.
Morgan's Death Wish - "KILL ME"
Relatively quickly, we realize where Morgan learned those stick skills, as we meet Eastman, the forensic psychiatrist with some very dark secrets of his own. We are treated to a man whose approach to the apocalypse is 180 degrees from Rick's, but whose worldview cannot be said to be naïve. He manages to live a life according to principles like those from Aikido, that, while steeped in Eastern tradition, manage not to be racist. Overall, pretty great job handling that this episode.
Hard lessons
What this episode does particularly well is show the passage of time. And how this surplus of time can be a gift. All you can do is try when all you have is time. This is the side we don't see with the main group of survivors – who are rushing and reacting to every situation.
Alas, poor Tabitha
How hard is it to make cheese? It is probably very hard, especially without the internet. Eastman's every action is a positive one. And these projects are more than flights of fancy – they are concrete steps to building a better world. Because I cannot imagine anything quite so bleak as a world without cheese.
This episode oozed profundity, but again, in lesser hands, this would have been saccharine and facile. Instead, lines are delivered with a kind of grace: “It's all a circle. Everything gets a return. The door is open.” When Morgan decides to stay, but “locks” himself in the cell, he is on that razor's edge. I don't deserve human treatment – that's what Morgan was saying by re-entering the cell and slamming the door shut. And the story of the prison cell in his house turned out to be a lot darker and more believable than a quirky way to take work home with you. It was absolutely heartbreaking.
It is also important that Eastman's lessons came just days in advance of the Fall. The horror and trauma that he experienced, as well as his vengeance – these were activities that happened without the stressors of the undead. In his really excellent recap of this episode on Vox, Todd VanDerWuff notes that while the majority of The Walking Dead is a kind of escapism, this episode very clearly demonstrated how Eastman's lessons can be applied to our own lives: “This is an episode about learning to live comfortably with yourself, about forgiving yourself for things that have gone wrong, and about finding a way forward.” It's not every show that manages to even attempt such lofty goals, and this is what makes The Walking Dead such a compelling drama.
I've long said that “Clear” is my favorite episode of the series, in no small part because of the awe-inducing acting talents of Lennie James. “Here's Not Here” is now vying for that spot.
