about the hardship of growing up with his abusive father. He drags Beth out to where a walker is approaching, and uses his crossbow to pin it to a tree; he then tries to teach Beth how to use the crossbow to kill it but Beth insists on using her knife. The two begin to argue, Daryl calling Beth a "dumb college girl", while Beth accuses Daryl of not caring anymore. Daryl breaks down, believing himself responsible for Hershel's death as he had failed to kill The Governor when he had a chance. Beth embraces Daryl as he cries. After some time, a more sober Daryl tells Beth about the difficult times between himself and Merle as children. Beth gives him confidence that he will survive, and that he needs to put his past behind him or it will kill him. Together they agree to burn down the house as a figurative way to move forward. They watch from a distance as the house goes up in flames, both laughing and flipping off the house before turning away and leaving. Production "Still" was written by producer Angela Kang and directed by series editor Julius Ramsay, marking his directorial debut. This episode focuses entirely on the characters of Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Beth Greene (Emily Kinney). This episode is the first to feature just two series regulars which both have no comic counterparts. Andrew Lincoln (Rick), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Lauren Cohan (Maggie), Danai Gurira (Michonne), Chandler Riggs (Carl), and Melissa McBride (Carol) are all credited but do not appear. Chad L. Coleman (Tyreese), Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha) and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Bob) are also absent but are credited as "also starring". Reception Viewership Upon airing, the episode was watched by 12.61 million American viewers, receiving an 18-49 rating of 6.4. This presented a slight decrease in ratings from the previous episode, but still presented strong ratings airing against the 86th Academy Awards. The show placed first overall in cable television viewing. Critical reception Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a positive review, mainly praising the character development of Daryl and Beth, and gave the episode a score of 8.5 out of 10. She commented that the episode featured "some of the most grounded and engaging character moments of the season" and praised the horror elements, particularly the opening sequence, calling it "evocative" and "very satisfyingly, creepy." Zack Handlen of The