Isolation (The Walking Dead)

Upon its original airing, "Isolation" earned 12.924 million viewers and a 6.8 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic. This was down in total viewers and from the 7.1 18-49 rating received for the previous episode's first airing. However, the show still won the night on cable, far outranking any other cable programming.^[1]

The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, with many of them praising the surprising ending and Chad L. Coleman's performance. Writing for IGN, Roth Cornet gave this episode a rating of 8.8/10, indicating that it was "great". Cornet justifies her rating is mainly down to the rich character development seen in this episode, particularly of Carol and Tyreese. She says that "Carol’s choice provides some rich story potential, to say nothing of her character’s now far more complex arc." Cornet explains that the "landscape" has shifted well, adding that many interesting plot lines were extended and raised for this episode, most importantly of the voice heard through the car radio. She writes that she wants to see more of this, explaining that the carrot of hope given to the characters by this mysterious voice, no doubt, will keep the series going. Cornet criticizes the scene in which Darryl, Bob, Michonne, and Tyreese all survive their car's being attacked by a large horde. Cornet says, "it was a bit of a stretch to imagine that all four made it out of that horde intact. Tyreese looked to be in a particular pickle." Also, she notes that the scene in which Carl is told by Hershel not to shoot the clearly weak walkers they are confronted with (one is in a bear trap, the other moving slowly in the woodland) was perhaps not necessary, pointing out that "didn’t Carl learn about leaving walkers behind when Dale died".^[2]

Zack Handlen, of The A.V. Club, gave the episode a B+ on a scale graded from A (highest) to F (lowest). Handlen writes against the views of Cornet on the development of Carol and Tyreese somewhat in this episode, explaining that the reveal that Carol killed and burnt David and Karen was "unconvincing" and that "it seems like a drastic leap for the character, and one that a few conversations about knives isn’t going to cover." On the development of Tyreese, Handlen describes his plot line as "clunky in spots." However, Handlen contrasts this point by explaining that though his behavior, particularly his fight scene with Rick at the beginning, is somewhat over the top, it does show us a "sense that frustrated violence must be lurking behind the everyday behavior of so many of these characters." More positively, he writes that the element of isolation involving the quarantined characters was effective, especially when main characters such as Glenn showed signs of the illness. He adds that the chance to see some of the show's main characters step up and try to save others in their hour of need was great to watch, particularly Hershel. Of Hershel's act to go and find some herbs to make tea to help the sick, Handlen remarks: "It’s a small (and potentially fatal) gesture, but the dignity of it, and Hershel’s refusal to back down when everyone else tells him he’s risking his life, is noteworthy. In a way, it’s the exact opposite of Carol’s choice."^[3]

• "Isolation" at AMC
• "Isolation" at IMDb