Yowzers. Heavy episode. If you read our Robert Kirkman Post-Mortem, or if you’re one of the comic fans that called this months ago, then you know that tonight’s episode, “The Grove,” used events from issues 60 and 61 of the comic (found in Volumes 10 and 11, respectively).
In the comics, Billy finds his twin brother Ben poking at a dead cat. Ben tells a concerned Billy not to tell Dale (who is taking care of them, along with Andrea). In the show, if you’ll recall WAY back in episode 408, “Too Far Gone,” Tyreese shows Daryl and Rick a flayed and dissected rabbit nailed to a board. He tells them that there’s a psychopath living amongst them. Nothing comes of it because the Governor attacks just then, but a ton of comic fans felt that the scene was awfully familiar.
We jump forward a bit, in the comics just one issue, in the show a full six episodes. In the comic, Andrea goes looking for Ben and Billy only to find an unapologetic and emotionless Ben has killed his brother. “Don’t worry. He’s going to come back. I didn’t hurt his brains.” It’s very similar in the show. We see that Lizzie and Mika have replaced Ben and Billy. Carol (surrogate mother to the girls, like Andrea was to the boys in the comic), finds Lizzie, bloody knife in hand, and her dead sister behind her. She says almost the exact same thing as Ben.
The reaction in both cases is complete shock. In the comic, Ben walks over to Andrea and hugs her. In the show, we see more of the interaction between Carol and Lizzie, as Carol treats the situation delicately to keep Judith safe. Tyreese just looks on in horror.
These events play out with the whole group present in the comic, and no one is able to come to a decision about what to do about Ben. Andrea and Dale are adamant that he’s not to be harmed, even though Abraham has suggested it. Rick doesn’t disagree and Morgan wonders who would even be able to do that, and no one says a word. That night Carl sneaks out of bed and kills Ben.
In the show, Carol and Tyreese discuss what must be done, and they decide that they have to kill Lizzie. Carol carries out the execution.
The books are closed on these events with a shot of their graves*.
In our Post-Mortem with Robert, we specifically discuss the change of Ben to Lizzie, how this was teased in advance, and why it was ok that it was Carol and not Carl that had to do the unthinkable. For what it’s worth, I think a teenage Carl killing Lizzie would be a much different situation than a naive 7 year old Carl doing the same to Ben. Agree? Disagree?
*Yes, I’m aware that the grave with the baby shoes was there when they arrived but’s a better shot than the one previous that shows all three graves and it matches up better.
Another thing that I’ve noticed is that right after this tragic loss came a confession. Carol tells Tyreese that she killed Karen and David, and in the comics Carl tells Rick he killed Ben when they’re burying Dale. I know is not the same situation, but I just wanted to tell you the feeling that I had when I saw that incredible scene right after the burial of the sisters. A lot of scenes from Fear the Hunters Volume.
Amazing episode and great panel to screen. THANKS FOR ALL OF THIS THE WALKING DEAD!
what an awesome way to bring both worlds together!!! flawless.
I agree that a teenage Carl killing Lizzie just wouldn’t have worked as well. If he, Rick, & Michonne were there to be a part of that decision, it would have been Carol anyway. Carol doing the deed also served to bring out the confession. That’s why we love the comics AND we love the show!
This was a great episode I thought about the comic a number of times .
Another reason we love the comics: Carl’s frame.
Excellent episode, and yes, as a reader, I knew what was coming and who morphed into whom, but it was still done in a masterful way. (One small critique: Lighting the stove, Carol didn’t use a match, but there was no ‘sparker’ to light it if the electricity would be out, how did the gas light? I have a gas stove, so this caught my attention immediately.)
Pilot light on old stoves. No electric spark, that’s on new things, and this was an old farmhouse so that was not something I noted.
Ok, possible.
Yes, but would not the pilot light have used up all the gas before they got there…
It angers me that one of Carl’s most defining moments was stripped in favor of a chick who isn’t even a live in the source material. I’m kind of an elitist snob, though. Still… I hope they have more planned for him to show exactly what kind of survivor we’re dealing with in the kid.
I’m thinking a couple of factors played into why they went this route, with the main reason involving giving Carol a release of her secret. I can’t help but think that there will be something put into place to compensate for what we missed this doing for Carl.
For me I like it when the show moves away from the comics and changes things up, while this wasn’t a massive shift from the Ben/Billy story it was enough for it to feel different, and keep me interested. Carol was the only choice to pull the trigger the way things paned out. great episode.
I like a little deviation myself, to keep me engaged. I have no problem with what they did here with Carol (it serves her character well in the show) & Carl, but I would like to see more in depth characterization, emotional/mental journeying with Carl. There’s no better time to show that than now, when he’s going from a kid to a young adult.
it will come I have faith in the writers, I am sure that they will find ways of putting Carl further through the mill, and they will take him to dark places for him to emerge changed on the other side of, Carl in the show is growing a lot faster that carl in the comic so they just need to find new ways of taking him on that journey.
I like that it was Carol that did the deed instead of Carl. With the way the shows story arc changed, writing it up to have Carl do it would have made the killing a justifiable defense of Judith. That wasn’t the essence of what the killing was meant to be. It was about making the hard decision to do what needs to be done. In the show, that has become Carol’s personality.
Ohhhh man. Just seeing that panel of carl opening to the double doors to the van…… Words cant describe how good that part of the story was… fucking goosebumps, the WHOLE group was on a emotional roller coaster
Ben and Billy were not developed as much as Lizzie and Mika even though they were in the camp outside of Atlanta. Carl not only is younger, but both boys are his playmates. In the tv show they don’t establish that relationship between Carl and the girls. There is a personal relationship between Lizzie and her executioner. But I don’t think enough comparison is given to the mystery killer.
Epic episode and I LOVE these comparisons! They are great!