Spoilers for ‘The House of the Dead’ (not the Uwe Boll film) to follow
Is it possible for so much to happen and nothing happen at the same time? *Checks notes*. Ahhhh, The Walking Dead, you have returned! I kid of course, but that is what exactly what we get here, as ‘The House of the Dead’ continues to build important pieces without anything really happening.
‘The House of the Dead’ is a bit of a misnomer. While there is indeed a house filled with dead people (making that name as subtle as a brick to the face), it doesn’t have much to deal with the dead, but instead the living, most importantly, relationships. Tom (Brad William Henke, Orange is the New Black) and Nick (Henry Zaga, New Mutants) develop a friendship (and Tom learns Nick’s name finally), Stu (James Marsden, Westworld) and Fran (Odessa Young, Looking for Grace) realize early feelings and, most deviously, Nadine flips the quiet arc and zeroes in on Harold’s (Owen Teague, It Chapter 2) anger and insecurities. Annnnnnd…that’s about it.
Nick and Tom, the hearing impaired and intellectually disabled couple, are trying to find Mother Abigail (Whoopi Goldberg, The View). It’s as simple as that. With Nick being unable to speak and Tom being unable to read, the challenges are high. However, when Nick comes across Julie (Katherine McNamara, Arrow), he is able to communicate his name to Tom. The problem? She is completely psychotic. Her need to get laid and use of the word “retarded” shows her true colors early, prompting Nick to become disillusioned with a woman’s touch. Then…she brings out the gun. McNamara is very fun and wild in her brief appearance. You’re supposed to detest her, as our heroes do, and she turns from horny to murderous quite seamlessly. The important takeaway here is between Nick and Tom, the best friendship this side of All Elite Wrestling’s Best Friends, and is sure to make even the toughest people’s chest swell.
Moving onto Harold and Fran, the two are still truckin’ to Atlanta. Their annoyance with each other comes to a head when Harold professes his love for her, which she strongly objects to. This sequence is somehow awkward, hilarious and scary at the same time. Harold is unhinged Fran is terrified but yet…his reaction triggers the comedy, as we all know that one dude who thinks “nice guys” can always get the girl. Though cracking, Harold still does his best to protect her, as the two come across a crazed trucker who ties women up and keeps him in the back of his semi. Harold, close to death, is saved by Stu and Glen (Greg Kinnear, As Good as It Gets), who are on the move to find the two. This is where we see the seeds of romance between Stu and Frannie, further loosening the screws in Harold’s brain.
If you’re looking for what’s going on with Nadine (Amber Heard, Aquaman)…good F’N luck. Nadine is the most complex and strangest character in the book and, sadly, Amber Heard does not hold the ability to have that complexity. Sure, we see a change in character from the quieter woman to a sexualized and manipulative one, but it seems like a complete flip of the script. There’s no subtleness to it, it just happens. She lays out her plan to Harold who … agrees, I guess, and then we’re off to the races to Flagg (Alexander Skarsgård, Legend of Tarzan), right? RIGHT!? Though I joke and complain, her turn does lead to one of the most heartbreaking scenes between her and Teddy Weizak (Eion Bailey, Band of Brothers), who I have criminally not mentioned until now. She lacks though, in every department. I guess Nadine is supposed to suck. I’m torn.
‘The House of the Dead’ is fantastically frustrating. I’m enthralled each week, and I know what the bigger picture is right around the corner but you only have so much time to tell this story. There is no Season 2. After the ninth episode, that’s it and I feel many will feel the ending just comes if we continue on this path. That all said, this episode gave us so much to root for: Fran and Stu’s relationship arc and especially Nick and Tom’s loving friendship that, in one particular scene, was so hard not to cry at (don’t worry, neither die). We have to juxtapose that with the evil that is Nadine (and in turn, Flagg) and how she plans to turn Harold into an anarchist. I know what happens. People who read the book know what happens. But if you’re looking for the answer on the show and the show only, I, again, see a lot of people being disappointed.
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