Violet recaps Season 4 Episode 4 of The Walking Dead, titled Indifference, where Daryl’s group continues its quest for medicine, and Rick and Carol go out on a supply run! Following the recap, both Violet and Josh share their thoughts on the episode.
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The Walking Dead, Season 4 Episode 4: Indifference Recap Overview
Need a quick The Walking Dead episode recap of Season 4 Episode 4, titled Indifference? Here is a summary of events for the episode. Each event is linked to the more detailed The Walking Dead episode recap for Indifference if you need more information!
- Rick and Carol go out on a supply run. Daryl and crew continue their journey on foot.
- Daryl‘s group finds a car and is attacked by walkers upon trying to enter the gas station to find a car battery. Rick and Carol find a young man and woman hiding in a house.
- Despite their injuries, the young man and woman split off from Rick and Carol to help sweep the neighborhood. Daryl‘s group gets the car started. Rick and Carol argue about what Carol did.
- Rick and Carol discover that the walkers got the woman. Daryl‘s crew makes it to the veterinary college and gets the medicine, but they are attacked by walkers.
- Sam has not returned to the house, but Carol decides they have to go. Bob nearly falls off a ledge into a horde of walkers, but the others save him, only to discover his bag only contains a bottle of alcohol.
- Rick decides not to let Carol return to the prison, and sends her off in another car with supplies.
The Walking Dead Episode Recap: Indifference, the Details
Rick and Carol Go Out for Supplies
Season 4 Episode 4 of The Walking Dead, titled Indifference, begins with Carol visiting with Lizzie before she goes on a run with Rick. Carol gives her some words of encouragement and survival instruction, and Lizzie accidentally calls Carol “Mom.” Carol tells Lizzie not to call her that. Meanwhile, Rick retraces the steps Carol took to kill Karen and David, and imagines how she did it, then loads up the car.
On the road, Tyreese is washing his bloody shirt in a stream, and is upset that they lost a whole night. He thinks his sister and everyone sick could be dead now. Bob says it helps to keep moving, but Tyreese disagrees.
As Rick and Carol drive out on their run, Carol explains why she killed Karen and David, saying she was trying to save lives, that somebody had to.
Walking down a dirt road, Daryl picks up a piece of jasper, which one of the prison residents asked him to keep an eye out for. Michonne is surprised that he knows everyone back there.
Rick and Carol Have Company, as Does Daryl’s Group
Rick and Carol stop in a neighborhood. They see another car, which has “Pardon our dust” written on it. Rick figures that the car couldn’t have been there more than a day or two, considering that the windshield has been wiped down. They head to the houses to look for supplies, especially medicine, just in case Daryl and the others don’t make it back.
Daryl’s crew happens upon an overgrown gas station, and find a car outside, which needs a new battery. As they try to cut through the thick overgrowth, walkers attack. Tyreese won’t let go of one, and it nearly gets him, but Bob shoots it. Michonne wonders why he didn’t let go.
Rick and Carol enter a house, and Rick cleans out the medicine cabinet. A walker comes stumbling down the stairs, and Rick pulls Carol out of harm’s way. Then she knifes it in the head. Just then, a young man and woman come out of the room at the top of the stairs and offer them fruit, as Rick keeps his gun pointed at them.
Later, Carol doctors up the man’s shoulder, which they explain was hurt when walkers attacked them at the nearby greenhouse, where they were looking for fruit, and where members of their group were killed. Carol helps fix the man’s dislocated shoulder. They explain that they came to this house after the greenhouse incident, and they hid inside the bathroom the past 2 days to avoid the walker. Although they have guns, they have few bullets left, and aren’t good shots. We learn they were at a refugee camp, where the woman’s leg was trampled and the man, Sam, saved her life, so they’ve been playing it safe because of her hurt leg. They ask what Rick and Carol’s setup is like, and Rick starts in on his Three Questions.
Daryl and Bob enter the gas station, and find a car battery in the garage. Meanwhile, Tyreese and Michonne clear off the overgrowth from the car outside. Michonne observes that Tyreese is trying to get himself killed, that anger makes you stupid, and stupid gets you killed. Michonne claims she’s not angry at the Governor anymore, but Tyreese asks why she keeps going out looking for him, to which she replies she doesn’t know. Back inside, Daryl and Bob discover that the walkers they ran into earlier were people who offed themselves together by drinking anti-freeze, which Daryl disapproves of, if they could have made it out. Bob comments, “Everybody makes it. Till they don’t.” There’s one walker pinned under something, and Bob kills it with the men’s restroom key as they leave.
Rick and Carol Get Help Sweeping the Neighborhood, Daryl Gets the Car Started
Back at the house, Sam asks Rick if they passed his test. Rick tells them they’re in a prison 8 miles north, but he can’t guarantee their safety, due to the illness, and that they’ve lost a lot, even children. The woman asks Carol one of the children they lost was hers, and she says no, but that one of her girls has it, though she’s strong and will make it. Ricks confirms to Sam that they have fences and walls, and Sam says they’re in. Rick tells them to stay put, and he and Carol will come back for them before dark. But then Carol suggests they help sweep the rest of the neighborhood. Rick isn’t so sure, considering Sam’s hurt shoulder and the woman’s hurt leg, but they convince him to let them help. Rick gives them each a gun, and says they’ll meet back there in 2 hours. He gives Sam his watch.
Daryl works on getting the car started, as he talks to Bob. We learn that when Daryl found Bob out on the road, he almost kept walking, because he had been in two groups before, and each time he was the last person left. He was tired of “being a witness.” He admits that he only went on the run to the Big Spot so he could get alcohol, and says it was his fault the shelf fell and the walkers attacked, getting Zach killed. Daryl says that’s BS, that he and Sasha picked the spot, and no one could have known. He tells Bob he won’t be standing alone anymore. They get the car started and leave.
As Rick and Carol raid a house, he asks her if she thought it was right, letting those kids come back with them. She says it was the humane thing to do, and that if they’re strong enough to help them survive this illness, then she thinks he made the right call. Rick asks, “And if they’re not?” to which Carol replies, “Let’s hope they are.” Carol brings up the fact that she killed 2 people and Rick hasn’t said anything about it. Rick doesn’t know what she wants him to say, and Carol says it’s not about that, it’s about facing reality, and that he can’t just be a farmer. Rick replies that he never killed 2 of their own, but Carol points out, “Just one,” referring to Shane. Rick defends himself, saying he was going to kill him, but Carol replies, “So were they. They were going to kill all of us.” But Rick says she didn’t know that. Carol tells him he doesn’t have to like what she did, just accept it.
Trouble in the Neighborhood and at the Veterinary College
Daryl and crew make it to the veterinary college and look for the medicine. Bob secretly finds a bottle of alcohol.
Rick and Carol stop to pick some fruit. Carol tells him she learned how to fix dislocated shoulders from the internet, as a result of having to fix her own, thanks to her abusive husband. They each talk about their old lives, then get up and move on. They discover the woman’s leg, and see two walkers eating her.
At the veterinary college, Bob directs Michonne to the medicine that they need to get, while Daryl and Tyreese grab medical supplies for IVs. They find and pack up everything they need and get going. On the way out, they run into walkers, then find themselves in a dead end, as doors are chained shut, and walkers are trying to get through. They don’t want to go back the way they came from, because those walkers are infected with the virus the prison residents have, as you can tell by their bleeding eyes. They break the chain and kill the few walkers coming from that way, then continue on their way.
Bob the Alcoholic
Back at the house, Rick and Carol are waiting for Sam, who has still not returned. Rick wants to give him a few more minutes, but Carol says they have to go.
Daryl and crew make their way down the hall, killing walkers in their path, and running from the walkers that are trailing behind them. They have to bust through a window and jump to a ledge to escape. As Bob jumps, he trips, and his bag ends up dangling over a horde of walkers, who try to pull him down with the bag. The others tell him to let go of the bag, but he refuses, and they are able to pull him back up with the bag. However, they see that only a bottle of alcohol is in his bag, and no meds. (Which is odd because I saw him put bottles of pills in his bag.) Daryl begins to throw the bottle, but Bob reaches for his gun and tells him not to. Daryl gets up in Bob’s face and takes his gun away. Tyreese tells Daryl to let it go. Bob says he didn’t want to hurt anyone, just wanted it for when it got quiet. Daryl lets him keep the bottle, but threatens him if he drinks any of it before they bring the medicine back.
Rick Kicks Carol Out
Rick and Carol get ready to go, but when Carol tries to open the car door, it’s locked. Rick tells her, “They might have lived,” and says it wasn’t her decision to make. He also says that when Tyreese finds out, he’ll kill her, and when the others find out, they won’t want her there. He goes on to say that if everyone dies, and it’s just the two of them left, he won’t have her there. Carol defends her actions, saying she had to do something, but Rick says she didn’t. She begins to cry, and pleads to have Lizzie and Mika come with her, but Rick refuses. He is confident she will survive.
Michonne tells Daryl she doesn’t need to go out anymore. They drive back to the prison in silence.
Rick loads up the “Pardon our dust” car with supplies for Carol. She gives him her watch, and drives away. Then Rick drives back to the prison alone.
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 4 Episode 4 of The Walking Dead: Indifference
This episode of The Walking Dead brought up questions of morality which sparked heated debates among my friends and family. Was Carol right or wrong in killing Karen and David? Was Rick right or wrong in kicking Carol out of the group? It also got me thinking about whether or not traditional notions of morality have changed in this post-apocalyptic zombie world. It seems that things that were once black and white in terms of right or wrong seem to have shifted into more of a gray area, for some people at least. As I mentioned before, I don’t think the quarantine was handled correctly, as it seems like everyone had already been exposed to the illness at some point. Therefore, it was pointless for Carol to have killed Karen and David, especially since they were locked away. Not only that, Carol further exposed herself to the illness when she killed them. They don’t know exactly how the virus spreads, and I’m not so sure that a cloth mask would prevent you from catching it!
As for Bob’s situation, it doesn’t really make sense. The first time I watched the episode, I specifically saw him put the medicine bottles in his bag, and then when I re-watched the episode for this recap, I confirmed that he did indeed put the medicine in his bag. So how come all of a sudden there was only a bottle of alcohol in his bag? Was this an error on the part of the show? Or did the medicine bottles happen to fall out when the walkers were trying to pull Bob’s bag? If they did fall out, why didn’t Bob defend himself? Because he figured they wouldn’t believe him?
All in all, Indifference was a very show-changing, thought provoking episode. I’m wondering what Rick will say happened to Carol when he returns to the prison, and what their reaction will be. We shall soon see!
Josh’s Thoughts: The Walking Dead, Season 4 Episode 4: Indifference
I think the obvious big deal in this episode is Rick’s decision to kick Carol out. As a Violet touched on above, morality is something that could be questioned depending on the conditions and factors of the time, one would argue. Case in point would be soldiers in war. Killing another person is morally wrong, but according to our governments, during times of war it is justified, even though the person they are killing doesn’t have a direct connection to the reason the war is being fought. I myself on the whole believe that no matter the circumstances, there is some sort of moral code that is valid at all times. I guess the question I have to ask myself is what are my personal thoughts on Carol’s actions.
My thoughts are that Carol may have had good intentions, but took way too extreme of measures with trying to help the rest of the group. These people could have been confined to a specific area of the prison, and in today’s society, we have a pretty good idea how diseases spread, so if it could have been stopped, it would have. Additionally, most people know from experience that if one person has a cold, really 5 other people do as well, symptoms just aren’t showing yet, which is exactly what happened in the show. But it you were to ask me if the disease did stop there, I would still disagree with Carol’s actions. As I stated before, given how well we know how the disease spread, with enough warning, proper containment could have been done. Also, getting as close as she had to to kill the two of them, she exposed herself to the disease without telling anyone, potentially being the cause of the infection herself.
Additionally, Rick’s decision wasn’t merely for the actions that Carol took, but the lack of remorse for those actions. The entirety of Rick’s interactions with her last episode, she defended her stance with no regrets. Had she shown that she hated doing it, and showed some emotion, Rick would have probably given her the benefit of the doubt. So now that Rick’s mind is made up, what are his options to do with Carol? Kill her is the easiest probably. A more nefarious person could explain it away as she was eaten by walkers. Second option is turn her in, and see what the Council decides, but how long until Tyreese finds out and handles the problem himself? Third is to say nothing, but then Rick has to think in the back of his mind: What will Carol do next? What if that next thing comes? That would weigh heavily on Rick’s conscience. I think Rick made the correct choice, and I support it 100%.
As for the rest of the episode, I felt is was fairly overshadowed by this one issue. I actually am not sure what the big deal is with Bob bringing back the bottle. I don’t understand why he is being so secretive of it. No one knows Bob has a problem, so whether he is taking it for just a couple drinks at night, or to drown his sorrows, the results will show either way no matter how Bob gets the liquor.
Scenes from The Walking Dead, Season 4 Episode 5: Internment
Here are scenes from the next The Walking Dead episode titled Internment:
What did you think of Season 4 Episode 4 of The Walking Dead, titled Indifference? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
I would have done the same thing with Carol. She turned into a different person and started taking matters into her own hands way too much. To nonchalantly admit to something like that proves this.