Skip to main content

The Walking Dead weekly recap: A great lie requires ‘Self-Help’

The Walking Dead weekly recap: A great lie requires 'Self-Help'

walking dead weekly recap great lie requires self help the  s05e05 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder
“I’m not a scientist!”

Who knew that four little worlds could do so much damage? Certainly not Abraham Ford, the redheaded tank of a man who drops like a sack of bricks upon learning a horrible secret: Eugene, the mulleted geek he’s dragged from Houston to Georgia in service of a great mission to end the zombie apocalypse, can’t end the apocalypse after all.

In “Self-Help,” the fifth episode of the fifth season of The Walking Dead, Eugene finally confirms what many fans suspected (and comic book readers knew) all along. He’s not the world-saving genius he claimed to be. He’s just a very good liar with a very bad haircut. Eugene “knows things” from reading and having a superior intellect in comparison to most, but that’s the extent of his scientific knowhow; he’s not a Department of Defense veteran, he doesn’t know about any Washington, D.C. failsafes to end the apocalypse, and he certainly does not know T. Brooks Ellis.

He’s just a very good liar with a very bad haircut.

Still, does that make Eugene worthless, or any worse than some of these other survivors? Depends upon your view of the situation. But here are the facts: Eugene knows things. He was the only survivor quick-minded enough to use a firehose to shred apart a walker ambush. He knew how to bust up a church bus by using crushed lightbulbs, even if his motives were on the cowardly end of the spectrum.

Like it or not, Eugene’s lie — that he’s a very important man with a very important mission — allowed him to survive in this world much longer than he probably would have otherwise. These are valuable survival skills that the group can put to good use, now that Eugene’s mask is off, and assuming they can forgive his lie — a tall order, to be sure.

Still, Eugene’s lie wasn’t all bad. Several people died in service of the mission (including one-legged cannibal snack Bob Stookey), but it saved at least one life. In a series of flashbacks, we see Abraham’s first contact with Eugene; the walking, talking Tennessee Top Hat begged for Abraham’s help, moments after Abraham stumbled upon the shredded remains of his own family, and just as Abraham was about to take his own life in response.

If Eugene did not show up on Abraham’s radar when he did, under the false pretenses he presented, Abraham would not be alive. Like the lie or hate it, it saved Abraham’s life.

The Walking Dead - S05E05 - 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Arguably, Eugene’s lie saved some other lives, too. Because the mission got Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene to Georgia, their group was able to save Glenn and Tara from the undead on numerous occasions in season four. Abraham’s group was able to help Rick and the gang through the Terminus crisis, all the way through savagely murdering Gareth’s gang in the church. Eugene’s lie saved at least Glenn and Tara’s lives, if not Carl and Judith and the others in Rick’s crew. And who knows how many more people it’ll save along the way?

Still, try talking that kind of sense into Abraham, absolutely gutted at Eugene’s revelation that the past year and change of their lives was built on deception. Now, Abraham faces a tough choice: kill Eugene or otherwise cut him loose, or accept what Eugene did and keep a proven liar in the group.

However Abraham cuts it, it’s a “s–t storm behind Door A and a storm of s–t behind Door B” kind of situation; he’s screwed either way.

Josh Wigler
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Josh Wigler is a freelance entertainment reporter who has been published by Comic Book Resources, Comics Alliance…
The Walking Dead series finale ending explained: We are the ones who live
Rick standing outside wearing a CRM jacket in The Walking Dead.

“We are the ones who live.” It’s a poignant final phrase for a show that has captivated fans for 11 seasons, 12 years, and 177 episodes. Now, The Walking Dead has officially come to an end.

Note: The following contains heavy plot spoilers for the series finale of The Walking Dead.

Read more
Tales of the Walking Dead is a refreshing take for the zombie franchise
Alpha/Dee and Lydia covered in blood in a scene from Tales of the Walking Dead.

As the original The Walking Dead series gears up for its 11th and final season commencing October 2, fans have been inundated with announcements of new and upcoming spinoffs to keep the franchise alive. The most recent is the six-episode anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead. What’s most surprising about this series, which aired its six-episode first season on AMC in mid-August through to late September, is that, unlike others such as Fear the Walking Dead and Walking Dead: World Beyond, you don’t need to watch the original to truly appreciate the show and understand what’s going on. These are standalone, compartmentalized stories with no continuity or crossovers with the original beyond the dystopian state of the world…and the team behind it.

Like the other Walking Dead series, the undead roam the streets, looking to satiate their voracious appetites for human flesh. But the characters and stories are completely unique not only from the main show, but from one another as well. Each episode has its own distinct look and feel, fitting into different genres that will make you laugh, cry, wince, and jump out of your seat. Since there are no connections, you can watch them in any order as well.
Multiple genres are explored
Tales of the Walking Dead Season 1 Comic-Con Trailer

Read more
Tales of the Walking Dead trailer shows new zombie adventures
Two women stand on an overpass and watch zombies walk towards them in a scene from Tales of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead franchise is adding more zombie adventures to its universe with the addition of Tales of the Walking Dead, the new spinoff series set to premiere on AMC and AMC+. Scott M. Gimple, a co-creator of Tales, shared the first trailer from the spinoff in front of the lively crowd at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con. Also on hand for the announcement were showrunner/executive producer Channing Powell, director/executive producer Michael Satrazemis, and some cast members, including Terry Crews and Samantha Morton.

Tales of the Walking Dead will be a six-episode anthology series that features a standalone story in each episode. New and established characters in The Walking Dead universe will be featured throughout each episode. The tagline reads, "Six New Stories. One Dead World." The footage highlights all six stories in different settings as the characters all try to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Read more