‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’ recap: Episode 5 ‘Madman Across the Water’

In The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the group reaches the Mississippi River. Will they continue forward and cross it, or will Felix’s plan work?

Episode 5 of The Walking Dead: World Beyond opens with a female narration about nature as the group approaches Daiquiritown, located on the banks of the Mississippi River. When the group settles in for the night, Felix pressures Elton into helping him; however, Elton is still unsure.

The next day as the group arrives at the Mississippi River, they realize they will need a boat to cross it. Iris believes they could rebuild a boat, and the group agrees while Felix is waiting for his moment to talk to the group. The group finds parts scattered throughout a warehouse, and they begin to build the boat. Hope overhears Felix and Huck talking about turning the group around and becomes enraged when she hears Elton’s name mentioned.

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She confronts him about his betrayal, and Elton admits that Felix’s plan to return home makes sense. Things escalate slightly when Hope gives Felix a piece of her mind.

She’s mad that he roped Elton into his plan, mad at herself for thinking Felix would see her side of things, mad that even after her father took Felix in, he never acted like a brother, and mad that he didn’t stop her father from leaving.

Things only get worse when the boat doesn’t start, and a vicious thunderstorm is heading their way. The group splits up as Silas and Elton gather nail polish from the warehouse to use as fuel for the boat engine, and Hope and Huck continue to work on the boat.

Approaching an abandoned gift shop, Iris admits to Felix she isn’t angry with him but needs to know if he really thinks her father is safe. Felix’s answer is yes; however, it is because he has to believe he is safe.

Felix was supposed to go with Iris’s father, but Will went with him instead. As Silas and Elton gather the nail polish, Elton’s guilt continues to bother him as he nearly breaks down and confesses that he doesn’t want anyone to die. Silas, though mostly silent, understands.

Lightning strikes a pole near Iris and Felix, resulting in it collapsing over the building as empties begin to wander outside. Elton and Silas make it back to the boat after losing one bucket of the nail polish as the storm gets closer.

As Hope and Huck finish the boat, Hope slices her hand (this will definitely come back to haunt her). The engine works briefly before realizing they need someone small to go underneath the boat to fix the issue.

Elton is the smallest, and while he declines due to his claustrophobia, he ultimately decides to be brave and go through with it. He recites the names of the planets in our solar system repeatedly and fixes the issue. Elton gets freed as the empties approach, having passed Felix’s makeshift fishing wire barrier. Together the group pushes the boat into the water, and they cross the river.

After they cross and set up camp, Huck informs the group that she will be gone no more than 48 hours to scout ahead.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond Episode 5 recap: Elton’s Flashbacks

While all the character flashbacks thus far have been emotional ones on The Walking Dead World Beyond, Elton’s by far is the most heartwrenching. Episode 5 was Elton’s time to shine, and he didn’t disappoint.

His flashback’s center around the last time he saw his parents alive. His father explains how a meteor was the cause of the dinosaur’s demise. His mother is pregnant with his sister, Elton, names Esmeralda. His mother leaves to go to the university while Elton and his father examine a fossil together.

The source of Elton’s claustrophobia is explained when his father has him hide inside a wooden crate with only a horn to protect him. His father, though terrified himself, tells Elton to stay in the box and not to be scared. He says this while the sounds of banging, yelling, and empties groaning can be heard outside the room.

Elton stays in the box, reciting the planets’ names in our solar system until eventually, he hears the door open. What sounds like the voices of several men, they believe the room is cleared and leave. After they leave, Elton finally emerges from the wooden crate and leaves the room only to find his father dead next to the door. He picks up a bag and puts the horn inside.

Wandering outside of the museum, he finds a map on the ground of an evacuation path that looks to be leading to the university. This would imply that Elton made it all the way to the university by himself.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond Episode 5 recap: The Plot Twist

As Elton thinks about the last time he saw his family alive, he confides in Hope. He believed that his father didn’t want him to be afraid even though he was afraid of himself.

Elton believed that his dad was brave to have done what he could, even though he was scared. He thinks his mom and sister Esmeralda are still alive somewhere.

When he shows Hope a photo of his mom inside her manuscript, Hope immediately recognizes her as the pregnant woman she killed in “The Night the Sky Fell.” Before she can linger on the horrific realization, they hear movement and assume it’s an empty. Instead, it is a person standing ahead of them before the scene cuts to black.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond Episode 5 recap: Final Thoughts

Having the group finally come together was satisfying and relieving. Especially when Huck was having doubts about Felix’s plan, they are stronger when they work together than when apart. While some may have had their reservations about Elton at the beginning of the show, it is clear that he is stronger than he appears.

He went through a very traumatic event as a child and managed to survive independently with the little resources he had. The undeniable truth remains that the group will need to get used to killing empties more often instead of avoiding them.

As I mentioned earlier, Hope’s cut on her hand will most likely become a future problem if it is not treated. Perhaps we will see a scavenging episode for medical supplies soon.

What did you think about The Walking Dead: World Beyond Episode 5? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The next episode of The Walking Dead World Beyond will air Nov. 8 on AMC.