After the run-in with zombified Calvin, Nick, Madison, and Travis choose to flee to the desert, and they want Alicia, Liza, and Chris to follow. Alicia finds Matt ill in his dishevelled house. Travis arrives and sees a bite on Matt, who convinces Alicia to leave. The group returns to Madison's home to gather supplies. Nick suffers from heroin withdrawal, so Madison drives to her school to get him Oxycodone. There, she encounters Tobias scavenging food. A zombified Artie tries to bite Tobias, so Madison kills Artie and drives Tobias home. Chris’ bus is trapped in a traffic jamcaused by a zombie shooting by the police. He films the event and joins in a protest against that and other recent fatal police shootings, when Travis and Liza meet up with him. A riot erupts after police shoot down another zombie, but the three Manawas find refuge with the Salazars in their gated barbershop-home. Travis tells Madison to take the kids to the desert without him; he will catch up. Alicia witnesses her zombified neighbour, Mr. Dawson, attacking Mrs. Cruz across the street, but Madison prevents her from intervening. The group inside the barbershop remains trapped, while the riot outside intensifies.
Reception
"So Close, Yet So Far" received mostly positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered an 86% rating with an average score of 6.63/10 based on 21 reviews. The site consensus reads: "'So Close, Yet So Far' maintains the slow-burn build of the FTWD pilot, earning its moments of gripping tension with zombie attacks and dynamic dysfunctional family drama." Matt Fowler of IGN gave "So Close, Yet So Far" a 7.5/10 rating stating: "By the end of 'So Close, Yet So Far,' Alicia and Chris seemed to get what was happening. But now they all pretty much missed their window to flee. Stil, this episode was good at showing us how quickly society can collapse, the toughness of fresh 'day one' walkers, and all the ways a zombie outbreak can be misinterpreted. 1988's Miracle Mile springs to mind. It's about a diner full of people who learn about an incoming nuclear strike on LA before the rest of the city does and then scramble to get out before it's too late."
Ratings
"So Close, Yet So Far" was seen by 8.18 million viewers in the United States on its original air date, nearly 2 million less than the pilot episode.
