The Walking Dead (TV Series) Isolation (2013) User Reviews

A Thoughtful Episode!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 26 January 2015]

This is the third episode of the fourth season of the Walking Dead. After the cliffhanger from the previous episode, we get even a better one this time around and one that is truly a shocker. That being said, this episode is mainly a character-driven episode as we see the changes people must do in order to survive. Some of the characters we met in the first two seasons, are just not the same characters they are here in season four.

In this episode, "Isolation," the survivors with the flu are being kept in quarantine including Glenn and Sacha. Herschel decides to risk his life to keep the people alive. Tyreese is angry over the murder and burning of his girlfriend, and he orders Rick and Carol to find the culprit. Daryl, Michonne, and Tyreese head away from the prison to gather medicinal supplies for the sick people, but there may be a problem.

Overall, this is a fantastic episode, even if it's a little slow at times. I felt like this episode could have done very well as a murder mystery, something along the lines of Sherlock Holmes. A solid episode with another excellent cliffhanger. I rate this episode 9/10.

Surprising Revelation

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 29 October 2013]

People are dying in the prison with the outbreak and most of the survivors are in quarantine, including Glenn and Sacha. Meanwhile Tyreese is out of control asking Rick, Darryl and Carol to find who burnt to death David and Karen. Darryl drives Zach's car with Michonne, Tyreese and Bob to a rural university eighty miles far from the prison to seek antibiotics to heal the infected people. Carol goes outside the prison to unblock the water piping while Rick investigates the murder of David and Karen, coming to a surprising revelation.

"Isolation" is a good episode of The Walking Dead, with a dramatic situation in the prison escalating to the revelation of the identity of the killer of David and Karen and full of action with Darryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob stumbling upon a horde of walkers. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Isolation"

Note: On 14 April 2016, I saw this show again.

A different threat

[and_mikkelsen · 8/10 · 21 January 2024]

You only have to breathe, to die!

Thats what Hershel says, as he reflects on the world, realizing it is not always a matter of survival but the ability to look yourselves in the eyes afterwards and put responsibility front and center!

As the virus terrorizes the prison, some of our characters are put to the test as they try to deal with this new situation! I have to admit that it was a bit unnerving at times cause it felt more real than any of the other things!

The confrontation at the beginning was shocking and shows how Rick tries to change, but is sometimes put to the test as his darker self lurks within him!

Tyresse is stepping up as an interesting character and Carol seems to not be who she once was anymore!

Isolated sickness

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 21 August 2018]

Had heard nothing but great things about 'The Walking Dead' from friends and IMDb reviewers. It took a while to get round to watching, both from being busy and also not being sure whether it would be my cup of tea. Finally getting round to it a few years ago and slowly working my way through it, having had a very long to watch and review list, 'The Walking Dead' turned out to be very much my cup of tea and as good as the hype made it out to be, have found it extremely addictive.

"30 Days Without an Accident" was a hugely promising start to Season 4 after a not terrible but disappointing Season 3 finale. The season's second episode "Infected" was even better, a return to the tense and gutsy kind of episodes instead of the quieter action-light kind of episode. "Isolation" is another quieter/lighter episode rather than the gutsy adrenaline-rush of other episodes, and lacks other episodes's tautness but it is still a great episode that handles this approach well. It is yet again a strong reminder of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8). It is an emotional and thought-provoking episode with some tension.

It still shocks me at how an intelligent, well-made (so much so that it is easy to mistake it for a film) show about zombies could be made when so many films have tried and failed abysmally to do so.

My only complaint of "Isolation" was that it occasionally did drag a little in the more talk-heavy scenes.

Like all the episodes of the show, "Isolation" is incredibly well made in the production values, with gritty and audacious production design, photography of almost cinematic quality, effects that look good, have soul and are not overused or abused and pretty frightening make-up. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but never being too intrusive.

The writing is intelligent and thought-provoking, not as talky as some of the previous episodes, with lots of tension and emotional resonance and shows signs of character complexity and multiple layer storytelling. The more eventful parts are thrilling and terrifying as well as uncompromising.

Appreciated the ever strong and still progressing story, where there is never the mistake of being confused or over-stuffed, and character building, which the episode has a bigger emphasis on, and that the pace is rarely dull or rushed, with a taut intensity in the more tense parts. The character writing and the character interactions are what is particularly great here, like with Rick and Tyreese. Tyreese, Herschel and Michonne are getting more interesting all the time and it's great to see.

Everything is nicely paced without rushing through the more important parts, not exactly taut but not dull. The world building is already stunningly immersive and effective. Direction is smart and atmospheric while the show throughout has been strongly acted. Andrew Lincoln is excellent as ever and he has great support from Chad L. Coleman, Scott Wilson and Danai Gurira giving intense and deeply felt performances.

All in all, excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Down With The Sickness

[mrxelement · 27 October 2013]

Its not looking good for everyone in the prison. More people are dying and more people are getting this mysterious zombie flu. Very terrible to see how people are gone from left to right. Everybody has to be isolated each other with no human contact being locked up in a cell alone. So sad to see one of the main characters Glenn as the zombie flu. Saldy, Sasha suffering also with Tyreese already in pain after seeing Karen's body being burned. This episode is really depressing enough with already half of the prison is about to be wipe out. Although the last 10 mins was very exciting fully of intense and gripping moments. When Daryl and his group are complete surround by millions of zombies was the best. This season is definitely improving.

Strong episode with beautiful art design in one scene

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 28 November 2021]

Rick and Tyreese clash over the deaths of Karen and David, whilst the disease infects more people.

This is a solid character focussed episode with a focus on morality, leadership and humanity post zombie apocalypse.

As a plot, it's character moments are the strongest points, with Carol, Rick, Tyreese and Herschel having the best material. The overall narrative is okay, but it generally moves quite slowly and it is very easy to predict it's final reveal, which lessens the impact when it happens.

Tyreese makes the observation that 'murder is okay in this place now' and there are a number of scenes that portray varying ethical perspectives of characters. Group survival is of utmost importance to one character, whilst others like Herschel value the needs and suffering of individuals over even their own life. All these depictions contrast each other well.

The scene involving Carl and Herschel in the woods is beautifully filmed and includes fantastic, non-violent zombie effects. The art design here is absolutely top drawer.

This season has used the zombie extras to great visual effect and this is evident in one scene filmed on the road. Some of it is not very plausible, but it is very cinematic nonetheless.

All performances are excellent, especially Chad Coleman, Melissa McBride, Andrew Lincoln, and Scott Wilson.

Shocking Diacovery!!

[slightlymad22 · 8/10 · 1 February 2015]

Plot In A Paragraph: People are dying in the prison with the outbreak and most of the survivors are in quarantine, including Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Sacha (Sonequa Martin- Green). Meanwhile a furious and unstable Tyreese (Chad L Coleman) is out of control asking Rick, Darryl and Carol to find who burnt to death David and Karen. Darryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob travel to a university eighty miles far from the prison to seek antibiotics to heal the infected people. Carol (Melissa McBride) ignores Ricks advice to wait till he can help her, and goes outside the prison, to unblock the water piping while Rick (Andrew Lincoln) investigates the murder of David and Karen, coming to a shocking revelation.

The violent confrontation between Rick and Tyreese was shockingly brutal, and one wonders how far Rick would have gone, had Daryl (Norman Reedus) not dragged him off. (I hope he is not going to have another breakdown) Carol (Melissa McBride) seems to have really bonded with Lizzie (possibly a replacement daughter) and their scenes are good. Glenn (Steven Yeun) being sick is a concern, as I like him and this show is not afraid of killing off main characters. Scott Wilson is given his most to do so far this season in this episode, and Scott Wilson is his normal brilliant self.

I also wonder is Carol lying about something??

Best Episode So Far

[mohamad_goldenlarynx · 10/10 · 28 October 2013]

"Spoiler Alert" OK. this season is getting better and better. with a strong character-centered episodes, this season proved to be a very different one from the whole series. the most shocking moment was the last scene and the best Character in this episode was Carol, definitely. can't wait for the upcoming episodes. and so worried for Carol. and the most exciting moment was also the group stuck in the middle of Zombie-Herd (not definitely a million!). and by the way, What's wrong with Hershel that risking his life going into the Isolated part??and the Governor is another issue they must think of. the only one who cares about the Governor is Michonne.and she will possibly get on with Daryl! and Carol and Rick :)

I give this episode a perfect score of 10.

7.2/10

[CillianMurphyEnthusiast · 7/10 · 22 August 2023]

Another bad episode of The Walking Dead Season 4. Almost everything about it was just bad. When Tyreese goes mad about the death of Karen at the start and fights Rick and Daryl was good though. Everybody getting sick is such a stupid plot. Daryl still calls Judith "Little Ass Kicker". Lizzie becomes sick but she doesn't even die. Carol said Glenn will make Lizzie toasty and warm, unfortunately it's not the same kind of toasty as Karen and David. Hershel's speech was really good. Rick confronts Carol about killing Karen and David. It shows how much she's changed that she will kill 2 sick people to protect the rest. Nothing interesting or important happens in this episode.

A bit less exciting, but not that bad.

[XueHuaBingYu · 8/10 · 11 October 2019]

Episode 3 is the one which reveals who killed Karen and David. Normally, they don't reveal the answer that soon. To be honest, I had a thought that would be Carol when I saw she was angry at those water tanks. But I don't know it's the right thing to do for the others. Karen and David were infected with a cold. But they are not dead yet. Maybe they can be treated. Maybe not. On the other hand, if the disease kept spreading, all people will die. But Carol killed them before making sure. So, it's kind of difficult to say what she is right or wrong.

I still can't believe that Daryl's group runs into that terribly big group of walkers. That's really a big number that they are facing. I want to know how they will get out of it and get what they came after. And about Ty, I wonder if he got bit.

All in all, Episode 3 isn't that much exciting. But it's not that bad. I really liked Carol when she went out there to fix without thinking about her safety. So, yeah, I really want to see what's going to happen next.

The episode delves into the psychological toll of the outbreak, as the survivors struggle with feelings of isolation and fear

[fernandoschiavi · 7/10 · 8 March 2024]

As the virus continues to ravage the group, tensions rise, leading to conflict among the survivors. Rick takes charge once again, making the difficult decision to quarantine those infected to protect the rest of the group. The episode delves into the psychological toll of the outbreak, as the survivors struggle with feelings of isolation and fear. It also explores themes of sacrifice, as characters like Hershel risk their own safety to care for the sick. The standout scene is Rick's emotional breakdown as he realizes the extent of the danger they are facing, highlighting the pressure he is under as a leader.

Unrealistic exposure

[maxpenguin · 8/10 · 9 March 2019]

The whole plot of the infection was amazing, but the one flaw the show had was that all the people from Woodbury got sick. Not Rick, Not Maggie, not Hershel. They only made the unimportant characters get sick. They rarely made a main character get sick. But, when they did, (Sasha, Glenn) they seemed to keep them alive. All the others died, but they of course survived

A build up episode!

[mm-39 · 28 October 2013]

Isolation episode is a study in group psychology. The main story of a zombie flu creates stress for the zombie Apocalyptic survivors. The over populated and cramped prison conditions are the perfect incubation environment for a disease. Who do you isolate? Do you help the infected? The environmental stress is causing the characters to mentally crack! What will the survivors do if rational thinking devolves into the irrational logic? The second main story build up is down the road there are even greater number of zombies. Could be caused by the flu? There is the possible zombie wave hitting Rick and the survivors at the prison. A building stress, and story buildup for the stories climax is coming! The viewer will become enthralled with the story as the build up becomes stronger and stronger. But the story writers are taking their sweet time. 6 out of 10.

Slow and un-steady, down with sickness

[seshasai-tris · 28 October 2013]

It would seem ridiculous, but the show creators are using the sickness to make the prison unsafe and to compel the characters to look for another stay.

Apart from revealing the true nature of characters, 'isolation' concentrates on building a strong platform for the upcoming episodes. Isolation lacks adequate pace, but it accounts for build up of a tense, unstable, anxious environment.

With a million of zombies piling up at the end, making it difficult for the characters, it keeps the millions of viewers waiting for next Sunday!