We start with Megan and "Brian" being helped out of the walker pit by a very reluctant Martinez. But what's Martinez supposed to do? If Martinez kills Phil, he'd be responsible for Tara, Lily and Megan. We find out later that Martinez just can't handle that responsibility again, not after losing his own family when the world turned. Martinez fishing them out of the pit is juxtaposed with Phil dodging questions from Megan about his own father, who turns out was a total dick. Martinez, on the other hand, pretty much rolls with it and makes a decent deal with Phil right at the edge of the pit: I'll call you "Brian" and won't tell them all about the town you destroyed, and you take orders from me. Megan fears her dad was mean because she's bad. Phil reassures her she is, in fact, good. Too bad not everyone else is.
Totally sure everything will be okay
It's a good deal, with Phil, Lily and Megan sharing a camper with only one leak in the roof. But Phil is actually ashamed that this is all he can offer his new family. Is this what Phil was like before? Always trying to provide more for his family than he actually could, and beating himself up for it? Obsessing over whether he was correcting his own father's mistakes? When his wife died of cancer, did Phil spend the 18 months before zombies re-examining every medical choice they made? Blame the insurance company for her death? Since Phil loves Megan like he loved Penny, did this mean she was the only bright, good spot of his life?
Lily and Tara adjust well to the camp, with Lily providing the camp's only medical care, and Tara getting a girlfriend she can talk guns with (I'll take a .22 rifle by any reputable manufacturer, myself). Megan doesn't seem to have kids she can play with, which leads to a pretty disastrous game of tag, but otherwise it's really only Phil's demons that camp could do without. It's got about 20 adults, 2 of whom had military experience. Pete was a loyal soldier to the end; his brother Mitch ditched as soon as he could gas up his tank.
Martinez, The brothers Grimm, and Phil all head out to a cabin supposedly filled with supplies, to discover its owner dispensed some pretty extreme justice. The owner, after killing others, labels himself a murderer and blows his own head off. Phil bends over to look at the same picture he used to carry- Dad, pretty Mom, pretty little girl adored by Mom and Dad. They inspect the cabin, and find a room with the zombie Mom and daughter, as well as the head collection. Phil takes out the undead with his knife. To Phil, this is all old hat and really just reminds him of the good old days, which Martinez must be aware of.
As the searchers share some beer they discover, Phil cleverly dodges questions about his past, saying on "I survived". Is he talking about before or after the world turned? Martinez is complicit here and later, when the ladies can't get any info out of Phil about his old life, or the town he and Martinez both left. Phil actually starts clearing the table rather than answer any questions about Woodbury. As he lets the leak in the roof get at him again, Martinez asks if Phil can come over to play... golf.
All alone, you, me, some booze, some golf clubs and your murderous pathology
Up on the roof of Martinez's camper, with Martinez obviously drunk, Martinez explains that the ladies and Megan are the only reason he's here, as Martinez will never take on the responsibility of a family again. You can't promise they'll be safe. No one can keep that promise, so no one should make that promise. Phil just repeats that he won't let anything happen to them "again". Does Phil even know the difference between this family and his first one anymore? Is he trying to re-create that family, get it right this time? Martinez, drunk, doesn't think about it either way. Since the day went so well, and Phil was pretty useful, and he doesn't seem to want to even talk about Woodbury, let alone re-create it, Martinez decides it's a great time to offer to share power with Phil. The hit from the golf club is quick and silent and knocks Martinez down. Phil then shoves Martinez off the roof of the camper. Martinez, beyond the pain and confusion of what is probably a terrible concussion, is shocked that Phil is dragging him across the grass shouting "I don't want it! I don't want it!" while doing the very thing that will lead to Phil getting it. At first, Phil holds Martinez' head over the edge in a rage, zombies grabbing Martinez's head. Martinez's body is slowly dragged into the pit and Phil lets go. He collapses on the grass. He has just killed the one guy outside the prison who knows just how terrible he can be. Lily, for the life of her, can't figure out why Phil can't sleep that night.
Not victim blaming, just saying you really should not have trusted Phil
If these two don't shut up, I will kill at least one of them
After they arrive back, in foul moods because some other group of thugs attacked the same camp later that day, and made off with the supplies they wanted, Phil decides this isn't going to work out. Mitch and Pete's bickering will ruin the camp. It's only a matter of time before it explodes and the camp breaks up or is too weak to defend itself. He rushes into his camper and tells an unbelieving Lily that they have to go, because he's not going to lose them again. He still can't tell the difference between this family and his first one. Megan, totally sure of "Brian", is already packing, but Phil has to beg Lily to trust him. Later that night, Phil, Lily, Megan, Tara and Alicia are on their way out, but they can't get past a pit of zombies trapped in some sort of mud or goo flooding the road. Phil is totally defeated. He can't leave, and he sure as hell ain't gonna' accept the pathetic leadership options the camp has. The next morning, back in their camper with the others asleep, Lily wants to know where Phil is going, and what he's doing. "Surviving", he tells her.
Worst. Roadblock. Ever.
"Surviving", apparently means showing up at Pete's, the kind army guy who wouldn't attack yesterday, and knifing him from behind, killing him. It also involves showing up at Mitch's with a gun pointed at Mitch as he calmly explains to a bad ass with his own tank that his brother is dead, and Mitch is going to do what Phil wants from now on. Does Mitch maybe realize that Martinez didn't die by accident at this point? Hard to say. Mitch, for all his bluster, is not a chess player and didn't see this coming, which means that Phil is ahead of him. Phil explains that Mitch will like his leadership, because Phil will do and order whatever it takes to survive. Phil even has a handy explanation for Pete: Mitch and Phil can just claim he died a hero on a supply run. Phil explains, juxtaposed with weighting Pete's body down and tossing him in the pond (notice: no head wound) no one uses because it's polluted, that everyone loves a hero. Not Phil, though. Turns out that Phil's older brother was a hero. Didn't help him. Phil doesn't want to be a hero. He wants to live, and protect the family he barely holds on to his sanity for.
Later, Phil is cleaning out his old wound, with his eye patch raised. In the previous episode, Phil never takes it off, even for sex or sleep. So when Lilly comes in unexpectedly, Phil scrambles to put it back on so she can't see his eyeless eye. Lily, though, stops him, and takes a good long look at his missing eye. She's unfazed. Despite being a nurse, the scene is pretty clear. Lily is telling Phil that she accepts him as he is, even the scary parts. She just has no idea how scary the parts can be. Whatever you do, don't ever complain about how hard it is to be the leader to him.
Phil leads a meeting of the campers, making sure the vehicles all block the perimeter, and that ammo is collected and accounted for. They seem to all like reporting to him. He's in full Governor mode, going over locations to gather supplies with others, warning the campers to report all strangers to him. Phil goes back out to the pond and we realize he's replaced his aquarium collection with the pond. Pete, dead and zombified, is struggling to swim out of the pond, chained to a weight that keeps him from ever surfacing. Phil is fascinated with zombie Pete, maybe wondering how he got in there in the first place. But it's too good to last, and a game of tag ends with Megan almost getting bitten, with Tara completely useless as she tries to drag the zombie away. Phil ends it just in time with one shot. The camp is shocked. Mitch realizes that Phil ain't playing, and is mentally ruling out a coup. Phil just walks away. Just like that day, in Woodbury, when he shots a bitten townie the day after Rick and Co. made off with Merle. Which reminds Phil. There's a prison just a drive away.
And on those prison grounds is Rick and his kid, growing food. A short walk away, and old man is laughing with a happy and smiling Michonne, done looking for the man who now has a gun on her.
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