The Walking Dead: World Beyond Episode 4 Recap: The Wrong End of a Telescope

In the fourth episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond titled “The Wrong End of a Telescope,” the group seeks shelter from a storm inside an abandoned high school; while re-supplying, they imagine what high school life was once like and encounter new threats both living and dead.

The Hidden City

As the group continues their journey, they discuss the mysterious Civic Republic, also known as “The Hidden City,” bringing up their high resource output that suggests they have a large population, their shadiness, CR’s security measures, and how they have protection agreements between them, the Campus Colony, and Portland as part of The Alliance of the Three. Iris closes the discussion by saying the CR took their dad and they don’t know what his last messages mean, hence the long walk to New York. Felix and Huck quietly talk about their limited supplies and come up with a plan to try and change the kids’ minds, which involves attempting to convince Elton to switch sides and help them persuade the others to turn around.

As a storm approaches, the group seeks shelter inside of an old high school. After a brief flashback highlighting a few students that used to attend the now dilapidated school, Iris convinces them to split up to search the school for food, items to gather water, and some clothes for Hope who lost her bag in the B.O.G. They split off in pairs – Elton and Felix, Silas and Iris, and Hope and Huck – with Hope feeling like Iris is avoiding her after she revealed the truth about their mother’s death.

Hope flashes back to a fight she had with her dad about not showing up for a meeting with her and the principal. We finally get to meet Leo Bennett, who ultimately says that he felt if Hope sat there all day she would rethink setting off stink bombs at school. Hope defends they were time-released stink bombs that took two weeks to perfect before saying Leo must kick himself for “picking a dud” like her. Leo tells Hope that the adoption agency had told them she and Iris shared the same crib and that they were inseparable; the girls were bonded from the start, they had chosen each other, and Leo and Kari just wanted to protect them. Leo calls Hope exceptional and wishes she could see herself the way he does. He then gives his daughter props for figuring out how to make the stink bombs in the first place.

Complicated Dads

Elsewhere, Felix and Elton search for items they can use to collect water. Felix gets to know Elton a bit more, bringing up his photography and love of science. Felix mentions the research that’s being done back home, but Elton says being able to physically document the outside world is a more visceral learning experiencing and he is also invested in helping Iris and Hope find their dad. After Elton finds some iodine, “the holy grail of water purification,” the two step back out into the hall and notice fresh blood and drag marks, unsure if it was an empty or something else.

Felix attempts to radio Silas and Iris over the walkie, but no one responds. Silas and Iris are busy checking out the gymnasium still filled with prom decorations and remnants of the students who used to attend, including those who died there. When they go to leave, they realize water damage has caused some of the doors to jam, and the other entrance is being blocked off by an empty outside of the door. Iris tries to radio Felix, but unfortunately, the batteries in the walkie are corroded.

As they continue searching for supplies, Hope asks Huck about her dad, saying he must have been proud of her for being in the army. Hope says he was, but that it’s “always complicated shit with dads,” and how they have a “funny way of showing they give a shit sometimes.” Hope remembers the argument she had with her dad after Leo decided to leave and go with the CRM to help them with their scientific pursuits, believing this isn’t the end of the world, though Hope disagrees. She cries, telling her dad that she’ll “be better” and Leo assures her that he’s not going on this trip because of her and that she’s not a screw-up, despite whatever she believes. Leo mentions he has a lot he wants to speak with Hope about and that they’ll talk more once he gets back. He then tells Hope about the communications device he made in order to secretly send messages to Hope and Iris while he’s away, and that he loves her more than she’ll ever know.

Claustrophobic

When Felix and Elton come across an empty locked inside of a locker, Elton has a brief flashback to when he was a terrified little kid sitting in a small space beneath floorboards, covering his ears. When Felix picks up on Elton’s discomfort and the way he flinches at the banging from inside the locker, Elton explains he’s claustrophobic. After making their way into another hall, Felix jumps on the opportunity to tell Elton he understands he has his reasons for being out here, but none of them are ready for this. Felix says that if Elton cares about his friends, he’ll help Felix and Huck convince the others to turn back. He then shows Elton his tattoo, sharing that he got it to remind him of everything and everyone he’s lost. Crying, Felix says he lost his parents just like Elton did, among others, and he can’t lose anyone else.

Still trapped in the school gym, Iris and Silas bond over things they never had the chance to experience and how Iris wishes she hadn’t put so much pressure on herself growing up to make up for everything. She says she definitely would have gone to more dances and had more fun. Silas brings up her art and then says she’s different now, leading them on their journey. Iris calls him different, too, mentioning how he helped save them back at The Blaze. Silas knows what people at the colony thought of him, what they said about him, and he’s relieved knowing he doesn’t have to experience that daily in the outside world. The two then listen to some of Silas’ music before Iris convinces the boy to dance a little with her.

Meanwhile, Huck and Hope find themselves being snarled at by a very protective mama wolf posted in a doorway attempting to keep the humans away from her pups. Huck slowly guides Hope past the wolf and the two continue down the hallway as Felix and Elton finally find Iris and Silas in the gym. Iris tells them through the door that the main entrance is jammed and the back way leading to the basement is being blocked by an empty. Felix says he and Elton will go through the basement to kill the empty but warns Iris and Silas to stay there and wait for them since there’s “something else” roaming the hallways.

Losing Control

Hope calls Huck out on trying to get her to change her mind and go back home. The younger girl says a few days ago she might have agreed to go back, but now she thinks her dad was trying to protect her from something and she wants to ask him about it once they find him. The pair find a supply closet full of canned food and begin stocking up. Back at the gym, Silas and Iris realize they can’t wait around after a growling wolf slips into the vent attempts get inside the room. The kids carefully maneuver their way around the empty, trapping it in the gym as they head into the basement.

As empties begin to converge on Silas and Iris, Hope and Huck hear the two on the other side of a chained up door. As Iris yells for help, Silas — recalling more flashbacks of the violent incident from his past and things people have whispered about him including how he should be in jail — completely snaps and takes one of the empties to the ground, punching it over and over. Felix and Elton find Hope and Huck and the four are able to get the door open. Elton runs up to Silas to try to get him to stop hitting the empty and Silas shoves him to the ground, causing Elton to land heavily on his shoulder. Felix takes out the empties and yells at Silas, who finally stops hitting the empty before staring at his hands and apologizing. Afterward, Hope asks Iris if they’re okay. Iris says there’s a lot she missed out on and that they should have talked about what happened the night their mother died sooner, that they both missed out on being there for each other. But for now, the sisters are okay.

Huck and Felix give Elton props for being a tough kid before Elton asks Felix how, if they were to turn back, they would avoid the B.O.G. Felix says there are other ways around, depending on how long it takes to convince everyone to go back, noting that their last best chance is the Mississippi. Felix attempts to drive the point home by saying he and Huck could use Elton’s help to keep everyone alive.

Iris finds Silas sitting by himself who tells her they should leave him behind, feeling guilty about hurting Elton. Iris says they’re not leaving him and that Elton knows what happened was an accident. Silas asks if Iris thinks he killed his dad like the others back home do. Iris says it doesn’t matter; he’s saved them twice now, and that’s what matters. After Silas gets cleaned up, Felix asks him if he’s good and Silas nods as Elton comes up and tells Silas reassuringly, “You are.” Before leaving the auditorium and the school, Elton grabs his camera and convinces the others to let him take a group photo.

What did you think of the fourth episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond? Sound off in the comments below!