"TS-19" Review
“TS-19” takes place entirely in the CDC, where life seems pretty perfect compared to the outside. That being said, the luxuries of food, water, and most of all - alcohol, cause some tension. “TS-19” starts with a flashback to Shane’s attempt to save Rick from the hospital bed. I thought that scene was handled nicely, and it definitely complicates Shane a little more. That scene, mixed with his near-assault on Lori, makes him an ambiguous character. But let’s not forget his urge to shoot Rick in the back last week.
I should also mention that I really liked the character of Dr. Jenner and felt that he added a nice mix to the show. We saw him very briefly last week, but here we got to see his desperation and loss of hope. He was a dynamic character, and it was all the more tragic to learn that test subject 19 (the one he had to shoot in the head) was his own wife. Seeing his downward spiral and actual suicide was really powerful.
The rest of the cast did a nice job, as well. I especially liked Dale’s determination to save Andrea. She was in a dark place ever since the death of Amy, and she needed somebody to save her. He did so in a touching way, too, so that it felt like her decision to keep fighting, not his.
That whole countdown scene made things seem immediate and urgent, but it definitely toyed with science-fiction. It felt straight out of Lost. Actually, it was closer to Michael Crichton’s book, The Andromeda Strain - right down to the computerized woman’s voice counting down to self destruction in an underground CDC building (God, it’s almost identical). Still, it was all handled well here (even if it wasn’t completely original), and the explosion we got was awesome. I like that one camp member - though I can’t remember her name - decided to stay.
Overall, “TS-19” is an intriguing episode of The Walking Dead and it leaves me wanting more. While there isn’t much of a cliffhanger (with the exception of what exactly Dr. Jenner said to Rick before the explosion), “TS-19” still tells a nice story with genuine character moments.
Although there isn’t any one thing that has me counting down the days until Season 2, I’m still looking forward to it. Thanks for following my reviews of The Walking Dead, and I’ll see you all next season!
And as always, let me know what you thought in the comments below.
-MP