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"Self Help"
Series The Walking Dead
Season 5, Episode 5
Walking Dead 5x05 006
Air date November 9th, 2014
Writers Heather Bellson; Seth Hoffman
Director Ernest Dickerson
Producers Robert Kirkman; David Alpert; Greg Nicotero; Tom Luse; Gale Anne Hurd; Scott M. Gimple; Paul Gadd; Jolly Dale; Matthew Negrete; Channing Powell; Corey Reed; Angela Kang; Seth Hoffman; Denise Huth; Heather Bellson; Caleb Womble; Kenneth Requa
Starring Andrew Lincoln; Norman Reedus; Steven Yeun; Lauren Cohan; Chandler Riggs; Danai Gurira; Melissa McBride; Michael Cudlitz; Emily Kinney; Chad L. Coleman
Episode guide
Previous
"Slabtown"
Next
"Consumed"

"Self Help" is the fifth episode of season five of the critically acclaimed survival horror television series The Walking Dead and the fifty-sixth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Ernest Dickerson with a script written by Heather Bellson and Seth Hoffman. The episode first aired on AMC on Sunday, November 9th, 2014 at 9:00 pm.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Actor Role
Andrew Lincoln Rick Grimes [1]
Norman Reedus Daryl Dixon [2]
Steven Yeun Glenn Rhee
Lauren Cohan Maggie Greene
Chandler Riggs Carl Grimes [3]
Danai Gurira Michonne[4]
Melissa McBride Carol Peletier [5]
Michael Cudlitz Sergeant Abraham Ford
Emily Kinney Beth Greene [6]
Chad L. Coleman Tyreese Williams [7]

Also Starring[]

Actor Role
Sonequa Martin-Green Sasha Williams [8]
Josh McDermitt Doctor Eugene Porter
Christian Serratos Rosita Espinosa
Alanna Masterson Tara Chambler
Seth Gilliam Father Gabriel Stokes [9]

Co-Starring[]

Actor Role
Andrea Moore Ellen

Notes & Trivia[]

  • This episode is rated TV-MA. It contains strong language and acts of extreme violence.
  • This episode had a viewership of 13.50 million people upon its initial broadcast in the United States, which is down by .03 from the previous episode, "Slabtown". [10]
  • This is the fourth episode of the series written or co-written by Seth Hoffman. It is his first episode from season five of the show. He previously wrote "Us" from season four. His next episode is "Crossed".
  • The flashback scene in this episode takes place in Houston, Texas. This is the first episode of the series to show a location other than Georgia.

Allusions[]

  • The title of this episode is taken from a scene where Abraham Ford and Rosita Espinosa are having sex in the Self Help section of a library.
  • When commenting about his hair, Eugene Porter makes reference to the Biblical story of Samson. Samson was given superhuman strength by God, which he used to kill a lion and slay the entire Philistine army , using nothing but the jawbone of an ass.
  • Eugene Porter makes reference to his old employer, T. Brooks Ellis, who he alleges was the director of the Human Genome Project.

Bloopers[]

  • When the bus flips over, Tara protects Eugene from a walker that tries to get in through the bus' window by stabbing it in the back of the head. The kill is done with CGI effects, so the stab wound is still visible in the kill scene, but after Tara gives Eugene a knife and they both leave the bus to help the rest of the group. The stab wound behind the walker's head isn't there anymore. [11]
  • The scene where Eugene uses the powerful water monitor on top of the fire-truck is unrealistic, as all water pumps inside a fire-truck can only work with a working and running engine. [11]

Appearances[]

  • This is the 1st and only appearance of Andrea Moore in the role of Ellen. She appears in flashback only in this episode.

Quotes[]

  • Rosita Espinosa: It's getting a little messy for you.
  • Abraham Ford: Gettin' ready for retirement. Relaxin' the grooming standards. Thinkin' about becomin' a plumber, a sheepherder, or something.
  • Rosita Espinosa: You ain't herding sheep now, Abraham. Eyes on the prize.
  • Abraham Ford: Damn right. That's my girl. Maybe I'll let you shave me down all over, dolphin-smooth.
  • Rosita Espinosa: I'll cut it for you tonight.
  • Abraham Ford: Yes, Ma'am.

....

....

  • Glenn Rhee: How long will it be? After you get on that terminal and do what you have to do?
  • Eugene Porter: Depends on a number of factors including density of the infected around target sites worldwide.
  • Glenn Rhee: Wait, target sites? Are you talking about missiles?
  • Eugene Porter: That's classified.
  • Glenn Rhee: I thought we were over that.
  • Eugene Porter: What if we all live?
  • Glenn Rhee: The secrets will matter then?
  • Eugene Porter: They might. Anyway, the speed with which things normalize depend on a number of factors including worldwide weather patterns, which were modeled without the assumption that cars, planes, boats, and trains wouldn't be pouring hydrocarbons into the atmosphere this long. Changed the game quite a bit when it comes to air-transmissible pathogens.

....

  • Glenn Rhee: We need the map. There's gotta be a detour.
  • Abraham Ford: I'm not doing it. We detoured and detoured and detoured from Houston to Georgia. I'm not playing that game anymore.
  • Glenn Rhee: We are not going through this, okay? It isn't gonna happen.
  • Abraham Ford: You got a shit storm behind door A and a storm of shit behind door B. If you're lucky, it's walkers or a shot-up truck. But sooner or later you get cornered. You wind up stayin' and you wind up killin'. We don't go back. We can't go back.

Crew[]

See also[]

The World of The Walking Dead

Images

Miscellaneous

External Links[]

Episode links

Series links

References[]

  1. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  2. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  3. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  4. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  5. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  6. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  7. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  8. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  9. The actor is credited, but otherwise does not appear in this episode.
  10. TV.com; The Walking Dead, "Self Help"; Notes.
  11. 11.0 11.1 TV.com; The Walking Dead, "Self Help"; Trivia; Goofs.
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