With Carl recovering, the group puts their focus on finding Sophia. Glenn and Maggie go for a trip to find supplies.With Carl recovering, the group puts their focus on finding Sophia. Glenn and Maggie go for a trip to find supplies.With Carl recovering, the group puts their focus on finding Sophia. Glenn and Maggie go for a trip to find supplies.
- Bloated Well Walker
- (as Brian Keith Hillard)
- Walker
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe flower Cherokee Rose (Rosa laevigata) is the state flower of Georgia. It grows throughout Georgia and can survive many different climates including drought. The flower is not indigenous to North America, it is native to southern China and Taiwan and can be found as far south as Laos and Vietnam. It was introduced to the southeastern United States around 1790 and is considered an invasive species.
- GoofsThe premise of getting the walker out of the well is invalid and pointless. Once the water is contaminated with any kind of disease vector it would be considered unsafe to drink.
- Quotes
[Daryl tells Carol the story of the Cherokee rose]
Carol Peletier: A flower?
Daryl Dixon: [Daryl hands Carol the flower he picked] It's a Cherokee rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they, uh, said a prayer. Asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day, this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell.
Daryl Dixon: [Daryl pauses] I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Walking Dead: The Journey So Far (2016)
"Cherokee Rose" is a slight disappointment, being the weakest of Season 2 up to this point and the weakest of the overall show up to this early stage. That it is still a very good episode says a lot of 'The Walking Dead's' high quality in its prime. It is still a strong reminder of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8). It may lack a few of the things that made the previous episodes so great but there is plenty of what is particularly good about the show.
It still shocks me at how an intelligent, well-made (so much so that it is easy to mistake it for a film) show about zombies could be made when so many films have tried and failed abysmally to do so.
Not a perfect episode. "Cherokee Rose" would have benefitted from a tighter pace for an episode that is dialogue-heavy and more intricate. It does lack the previous episodes' tension, guts, tautness with the emotion not always as strong.
Occasionally it's a bit too talky, although the quality of the dialogue is actually very good, which can bog things down a little in terms of momentum. Also am yet to be completely sold by Sarah Wayne Callies as Lori, she does give her best performances of the show up to this point but she still doesn't have the presence or nuances of much of the rest of the cast.
Like all the episodes of the show, "Cherokee Rose" is incredibly well made in the production values, with gritty and audacious production design, photography of almost cinematic quality, effects that look good, have soul and are not overused or abused and pretty frightening make-up that make the walker even more creepy. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but never being too intrusive.
The writing generally is intelligent and thought-provoking, with lots of tension and emotional resonance and continues to show signs of character complexity and multiple layer storytelling. The highlights here are the hilarious yet grotesque water well sequence, the tense conclusion and the Maggie and Glenn and Daryl and Carol interactions. Am liking that Daryl shows signs of being made into a gradually lighter character.
Appreciated the ever strong and still progressing story and character building, which the episode has a bigger emphasis on.
The world building is still stunningly immersive and effective. Direction is smart and atmospheric while the show throughout has been strongly acted. Andrew Lincoln is an excellent lead, with an even better performance from Norman Reedus giving Daryl intensity and pathos.
In conclusion, a little disappointing but still very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- May 29, 2018
Details
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime43 minutes
- Color