Walking Dead S05E05 Recap: Self Help

The bus group is on the road, and Rosita looks over Abraham's grooming. He wonders what life will be like once the world has been put back together. Tara tries to make small talk with Eugene, but he's more distant than usual. Eugene has his mind on what the preacher did. Maggie hopes that Rick and the others are behind them, that Carol has come back and they'll catch up soon. Maggie wonders the time table on restoring world order, Glenn tries to get more information, but Eugene shuts down, and is even more secretive. He may have Abraham and Rosita fooled, but does anyone really think mullet wearing, man-child Eugene has all the answers? If this plays out like the comics, readers already knows how this ends. Eugene goes over his normal speel talking big, and about weather patterns, until about all tune him out. He tells Rosita not to tease him over his hair, he was told it makes him look like a fun guy, and he is one. The bus speeds past a herd of walkers, when it blows a tire, flipping the bus onto its side, as the walkers approach.

Abraham beats man with a can. It's one heck of a scene in the supermarket, with a string of bodies. The group wakes up in the bus. Everyone looks to be okay for the most part. Glenn and Abraham make a plan to knock back the zombies, and clear a path for everyone else to get out, with Eugene and Tara taking up the rear when it's safe. Everyone gets out, except Eugene, who is stopped by a walker who breaks through the window. Tara brains the walker, and urges Eugene to be brave. She gives him her knife for added protection, telling him that she is right behind him. All around Eugene everyone is doing their part to take out the group, as Eugene clutches his knife in fear. He holds one walker as Tara takes care of it, and the other take out the rest. The group is winded, but all of the walkers are dispatched. Abraham orders Rosita to check Eugene, who claims that he's fine. Maggie turns to checkout what supplies survived the bus crash, right as the bus catches fire. Eugene suggests that they go back to the church, but Abraham refuses to go back. He wants the group to forge ahead. Glenn wants caution, but Abraham can't go back. Glenn is on board with it, and even Maggie is. Off they go again, by foot.

Past Abraham searches for Ellen. He finds her with two children. Now, armed, Abraham leads his group on. They make a fire inside of a building, looking for supplies. Rosita patches up Abraham, he goes for a sweep of the area by himself. He thanks Glenn for showing up. It took a little to convince him to come, and after the crash he could have left. Glenn made a deal, and he's sticking to it. They're risking a lot to get Eugene to Washington, even if they don't have all the answers. Later, Abraham and Rosita have sex loudly, and Eugene listens on. There's really not a way to avoid it. He and Tara chat. He's feeling a little hopeless, but she knows that they can make it. Eugene sabotaged the bus. Tara is shocked to hear his confession, and demands answers. Eugene knows that he cannot survive on his own. If he doesn't cure the world, he will have nothing, there will be no reason for them to protect them any longer. Tara promises to keep his secret. She will protect him, but he cannot pull another stunt like that again. He isn't sure why he even told her, but he needed to tells someone.

Maggie and Glenn think about how they almost died, and the journey that they're on. She's still processing what happened the previous night.

Past. Abraham is grateful for Ellen saving him, as she protects the two children behind her back. He tells her that she has no reason to fear him, but covered in blood he looks pretty scary, and his words comfort neither her nor the children.

Rosita looks over his wounds again. His hand looks pretty good, it doesn't look infected. She thinks that they should stay another night. Abraham wants to push on. She points out that they're pretty banged up, especially him. After everything, she does indeed want to go forward, but she wants to get there in one piece. Abraham thinks that she's stalling. Maggie has looked around. The store is in pretty good shape, they can make a good fort while they mend. There's no rest for the wicked. Across the street is a firetruck, and Abraham plans to take it.

Abraham gets the firetruck started. For once it looks like things are going their way. He pulls forward, and the truck dies. Abraham thinks about what repairs the truck needs, but he doesn't know all that much about the fire truck, as Rosita points out that the intake is actually on the roof. The truck moving opened door that had tapped a whole lot of walkers, and they pour out. Abraham, and Glenn leap out to take care of the horde, with Maggie, Tara and Rosita behind them. They're pretty overwhelmed when Eugene takes action armed with the fire hose. He takes out all of the walkers. Abraham is impressed, he's never seen anything like it. He climbs aboard the truck to clear out the intake and sees the sign painted on the ground warning of the sick inside too late to be of any help.

Past. Abraham sleeps on the floor. Ellen and the children are gone. There's a note that says not to go looking for them.

Abraham hums as he works, the firetruck is down again. Eugene reads. Maggie tries to chat with Eugene. She knows that he's not the person who people think he is, but he wants people to know who he is. He isn't like everyone else, and she thinks that most people in his position would have given up, but he hasn't. Glenn catches a horrible stench, and the wind picks up to where everyone smells it. The entire group goes to investigate the smell. Glenn and the others want to turn back, but Abraham doesn't want to detour. He wants to go straight through. He doesn't want to go back. There are too many walkers to get through the group thinks. The firetruck is compromised, the tank is empty. Abraham wants no compromises. He grabs ahold of Eugene and drags him back towards the truck with everyone else protesting and fighting. Eugene finally cracks and admits that he's not a scientist. He doesn't know how to stop anything. Pretty much everyone is horrified at the revelation. Rosita knows that he has to be a scientist, she's seen the things he can do. He's not, he just know things. He reasoned that DC was the best possible place he could survive, and he thought he'd be doing those people a favor getting them there too. Many people have died trying to get him there. The closer they got, the more he panicked, knowing that he would be exposed as a liar once they arrived. He also lied about his hair, no one ever said anything about his hair. Abraham punches Eugene a few times, and knocks him out. Abraham has reopened his cut, and Eugene doesn't look so good. Everything that he's strived for is gone, nothing more than a lie.

Past. Ellen and the children didn't get far. They all winded up dead, and Abraham was a broken man, considering suicide, when he spotted Eugene being chased, by a trio of walkers. Abraham kills all three walkers, and Eugene stops him from leaving him. He doesn't really want to hear it, but Eugene intrigues him with the announcement that he has a very important mission.