Four Walls and a Roof

"Four Walls and a Roof" is the third episode of the fifth season and 54th episode overall of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 26, 2014. The episode was written by Angela Kang and Corey Reed, and directed by Jeffrey F. January. In the episode, the group of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) prepares for a showdown with Gareth (Andrew J. West) and his group of Terminus residents. Meanwhile, following his leg being amputated and eaten by Gareth's group, Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) is on the brink of death from a walker bite sustained in the previous episode.

The episode marked Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. and Andrew J. West's final appearances as regular actors on the show. It also features the climax and deaths of the notable comic book villains The Hunters, which was praised by critics for its quick conclusion and fast pacing.

Plot

Gareth (Andrew J. West) taunts Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.), after his group eats Bob's left leg, and expresses his anger over Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), "grey-haired queen bitch" killing his mother during the Terminus attack. He points out his group saw her and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), "the archer", drive away. Gareth vows to eat Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group later, but decides Bob "would do just fine". Bob begins to cry, but then hysterically laughs and shows the group that he was previously bitten by a walker, telling them they are eating "tainted meat". Panicking, all those who had eaten his leg begin to spit out what is in their mouths. Martin (Chris Coy) offers to kill Bob, but Gareth refuses stating they cooked him but Albert (Benjamin Papac) freaks out stating they're gonna die, as Bob laughs hysterically believing they will now turn. Gareth angrily knocks Bob out after unsuccessfully telling him to shut up.

At the church, Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) confronts Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) over the disappearance of several group members. Rick then asks what he did that he is so ashamed of. Gabriel admits that when the outbreak occurred, he locked his entire congregation outside the church, leaving them to be eaten by walkers they'd attracted. The group then discovers Bob lying outside the church unconscious. Once inside, Bob warns the group about Gareth and repeats what Gareth told him about Daryl and Carol, before showing everyone his bite mark. Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) refuses to risk Eugene's life and begins to argue with Rick that they have to leave for Washington as soon as possible, but Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) convinces him to stay another 12 hours by promising (along with Tara and Maggie) to join his mission. Before Sasha leaves to join Rick and the others retaliating against the Hunters, she tells Tyreese (Chad Coleman) to stab Bob once he stops breathing, to prevent reanimation.

At night, Rick and part of the group leave to search for Gareth and his group; however, the Hunters have been hiding outside the church and break in. As the Hunters make their way through the church, Rick's group returns and Rick kills Albert and Mike (Chris Burns) with his pistol, then shoots two of Gareth's fingers off, forcing them to surrender. Martin, however, isn't as willing to surrender until Abraham aims his M16 rifle in his face. Gareth begs for mercy, saying they will leave and never bother Rick and his group again. Rick says that even if that is true, Gareth's group will still kill and eat other people they encounter. Rick reminds him of his earlier promise to kill him with a red handled machete. Rick, Sasha, Michonne and Abraham slaughter Gareth, Martin, Theresa (April Billingsley) and Greg (Travis Young) respectively as Glenn, Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan), Tara Chambler (Alanna Masterson), and Tyreese watch, disturbed. Michonne notices that by sheer luck, Theresa was carrying her sword. She retrieves it. Gabriel is also disturbed by the brutality inside his church, "the Lord's house", but Maggie retorts that it is "just four walls and a roof."

The following morning, everyone says their goodbyes to Bob. Bob thanks Rick for taking him into the prison and giving him a home. He dies in Sasha's arms, and Tyreese stabs him in the head to spare his sister's emotions. The group buries Bob outside the church alongside Gabriel's parishioners. Abraham gives Rick a map with the specific route they're taking to Washington. Abraham, Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt), Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos), Glenn, Maggie, and Tara drive off in the repaired bus. Rick reads a message from Abraham on the map, imploring him to come to Washington. Rick then helps Tyreese bury The Hunters and asks about his journey to Terminus. Tyreese claims the experience killed him, but Rick reminds him it didn't.

That night, Gabriel talks to Michonne, expressing discomfort over the horror he has seen recently. Michonne hears a noise in the bushes and goes to investigate. She finds Daryl and asks where Carol is. In response, he looks towards the bushes and says, "Come on out".

Reception

Gilliard Jr. (left) and West (right) made their final appearances in "Four Walls and a Roof" as series regulars, playing Bob Stookey and Gareth respectively.

Upon airing, the episode was watched by 13.801 million American viewers with an 18-49 rating of 7.0,^[1] a decrease in viewership from the previous week which had 15.143 million viewers with an 18-49 rating of 7.7.^[2]

In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 1.147 million viewers, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. It also received 0.062 million timeshift viewers.^[3] In Australia, it received 0.107 million viewers, making it the highest-rated cable broadcast that day.^[4]

Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A grade.^[5]

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode an 8.6 out of 10, saying the episode "once again showed us what a powerful force Rick's group can be by having them pretty much annihilate Gareth's posse on one fell swoop. Everyone's on the same page, morality wise, and their fighting skills are, for far, unrivaled. Which is why it's frustrating to see them get cut in half and split off into two separate storylines at the end. I do understand that the show can't realistically handle such a giant ensemble always being together in one spot, but I just wish I'd bought more into the reasons for the split."^[6]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix said "this was another effective, pulpy episode, and a good illustration of the ways "The Walking Dead" has improved itself over time."^[7] With regard to the church massacre, he said "I appreciated both that the writers didn't keep the cannibals around as a long-term threat — and excuse for wallowing in the sadism of what they do (even if Gareth doesn't see it that way) — and that Rick didn't turn out to be nearly as stupid as they wanted him to seem when he led most of the good fighters away from the church when that was so obviously what Gareth wanted him to do. The massacre of the remaining Termites[...] was brutal, and illustrated how cold and rough Rick can be when you push him to this point."^[7]

References

External links

• "Four Walls and a Roof" at AMC
• "Four Walls and a Roof" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Four Walls and a Roof" at TV.com