The penultimate episode of Tales of The Walking Dead gives viewers a creepy melodramatic whodunnit.
Previously, the new anthology series has touched on various aspects of The Walking Dead universe.
Most episodes have remained close to what viewers expect to see but Episode 2 took a giant leap off to one side and introduced an episode that felt like Groundhog Day.
This week’s installment falls somewhere between the two.
While this episode could be seen as just another alternative community set in Madawaska, Maine, there is also an otherworldly feel as the episode is shot mostly at night and with a community that is intent on an old-fashioned witchhunt
So, let’s see what went down in Episode 5, titled Davon.
Davon is having the very worst day
Davon (Jessie T. Usher) wakes up handcuffed to a walker and with the cries of “murderer” all around him.
The only thing is that he is convinced he didn’t kill anyone.
And, did he?
Well, you don’t find out until the end of the episode
Instead, viewers get snippets of what happened as Davon tries to find out more.
Oh, and the walker is also speaking to him and calling him a murderer as well but, at least, it also leads him to his first major clue: House number 897.
What’s inside the house?
It becomes apparent pretty quickly that Davon knows this house and that something went down there. After all, there is blood and a shoe on the ground in the garage.
Inside, he not only saws off the walker’s hand and frees himself but he also has several flashbacks that allow the earliest part of the story to unfurl.
What we learn here is that Davon was heading to Montreal and somehow wound up in Madawaska instead.
He also had a run-in with someone who shot him and he had to have his leg amputated by the kind family who took him in.
Here, we meet the mother, Amanda (Embeth Davidtz), her son Arnaud (Gage Munroe), daughter Nora (Loan Chabanol), and Nora’s son.
Everything looks peachy, right? Except maybe there is an undercurrent of something going on between Amanda and her son.
Also, Amanda has some pretty wackadoodle philosophies like, “Sometimes murder is mercy.”
Also, there is something in the basement.
What’s in the basement?
The crux of this story is what’s in the basement but, first, Davon wakes up tied to a monument in a cemetery.
The whole town is there and it’s some sort of crazy witch hunt where Davon is the one they want to burn at the stake.
They not only accuse him of murder but of killing children. Davon denies this but things don’t look good – especially after Nora comes forth and demands to know where her son is because he’s missing now.
And, after the whole town decides he is lying about not being a murderer they vote on putting him in a car and crushing him to death.
Creative, yes, but also entirely not needed.
Davon argues his point and, eventually, Nora comes around. This causes utter chaos in the community and Davon manages to escape, following Arnaud who is sneaking off and not looking suspicious at all.
Arnaud is a killer
Davon follows Arnaud and discovers he is holding his cousin, Nora’s son, hostage.
This brings on more flashbacks for Davon and it is here that viewers discover that Arnaud is a killer.
You see, he thinks that it is kinder to kill the kids off while they are young because this world is strange and too hard now.
Remember Amanda’s catchphrase, “Murder is mercy”? Yeah, well she was in on it too.
Sure, she didn’t want her son to be a serial killer but she will do anything to protect him and this is when the full story is revealed to Davon.
Here’s what really happened
It turns out those creepy noises in the basement were children and Davon walked in on it. Amanda then found him down there after he had released Nora’s son.
A scuffle ensued and Davon handcuffed himself to Amanda so she wouldn’t escape.
Except they trip over in the garage and Amanda falls into a pot of acid, burning her face off and dying in the process.
So, Davon is really a murderer – just an accidental one.
He carried Amanda’s body into the forest where he collapsed, only to wake up with her turned, bringing us full circle to the start of the episode.
Except, the town blamed Davon for everything, Amanda’s death as well as those of the missing children.
But Davon won’t have that. Confronting Arnaud, he then calls out to Nora, which draws the attention of the whole town.
After they realize that Arnaud is the killer they throw him into a pit of walkers and Davon decides he is done with this crazy town and walks off.
Tales of The Walking Dead airs every Sunday night on AMC at 9/8c.