This week on The Walking Dead, Abraham tells us why dingleberries are brown and Rick's group goes Die Hard, except with more questionable morality. My thoughts are after the jump.
Yikes. That was some nasty stuff, but oh was it exciting. The Walking Dead went full 90's action movie this week and I had a big goofy grin on my face the whole time. Before I get into that last half, let's start with the first half of the episode with all the drama and the planning.
Yeah, the first half was sort of ridiculous. The second half redeemed it, but I still have issues with it. First, as much as I love Carol, the new romance with her and random dude in the doorway was extremely out of left field and random. I like the idea of Carol having someone to talk to and have some intimacy with, but it needs to have some build. She met the dude formally and shared a romantic kiss all within a few minutes. This is probably due to how quick the pace has been this last half of the season, but this could have easily been starting at the beginning of the season so it can build to a pay off this week with the romantic smooch. This quick development also makes me nervous because whenever a character all of a sudden gets a bunch of development and screen time like this, they are the next one on the chopping block. The Walking Dead has never ever been subtle about who was going to die next. I am extremely scared that Carol is not going to make it past this season, especially with Negan in play. I think it is safe to say your goodbyes now because of how this episode ends, it could very well be as soon as next week.
A couple more qualms. Abraham's sudden break up with Rosita was kind of ridiculous, but the kind where you laugh at how misplaced it was. Sure, break up with her right before you lead your death strike on the camp. Not only do that, but deliver the hilariously awful "why are dingleberries brown" line. Creative, sure. Groan inducing? Absolutely. How the hell did that make it into the final script? Abraham has been known to say silly things before, but that was something else. I cannot decide whether I am grateful that something so funny exists or angry that it ruined a possibly dramatic scene. Also, having Eugene poke his dumb face in to talk about his chewy cookies right after Rosita is broken down in tears was the ugly bow on top of that scene. It was genuinely bad, but I cannot say that I was not entertained by its badness.
Last complaint about the first half before I get into the awesomeness of the last half, how dumb was it to let Maggie go on the mission? You know, the pregnant Maggie? And for what reason? She does not really bring anything to the table except "I gotta go and do it!" Glenn letting her go is a perfect qualification for a "worst husband of the year" award. Yes, she should make her own decisions. Except when she is going to become a liability to everyone and to the child inside of her and guess what? That is exactly what happens later. Good job Glenn and Maggie. If you and your child survive, I cannot wait to see how the kid turns out. We thought Carl was annoying and that Lizzie was psycho. Wait until you see this offspring come forth.
Now that my nitpicking is out of the way, can I say that the last half was fantastic? It was among one of the most intense and brutal sequences in the show's history. The scene where Glenn basically murders those guys in their sleep was pretty tough to watch. We have seen zombies get blown up countless times and bad guys shot in firefight in numerous instances, but this was a step further. Yes, they probably deserved it. It does not make it any less tough to witness though. This is some fascinating territory for the characters to dabble in and I am sure it is going to come back to bite them in the rear shortly.
Every character had a great action movie moment to shine as they slaughtered those guys un their bunker. Daryl got an especially big shotgun to beat a guy's head in with and Gabriel finally got to be a BAMF. Not only did he kill a dude snarling at him, he got to deliver a Pulp Fiction style scripture monologue, shoot the guy, and top it off with an "amen". This is where a cheesy line works. Take notes Abraham. Domestic disputes is not the place to be witty. After capping a bad guy with a rifle is a much better choice. Gabe, you get the one-liner award for the week. Treat it well and live up to its legacy for now on.
The episode ends with the group supposedly celebrating their victory until it is revealed that there are people watching them in hiding who reveal that Carol and Maggie, who just had to be there, are in their possession. I am sure that the showrunners are not going to hurt the pregnant woman, but like I said before I do not believe Carol is going to make it out alive once the group meets Negan. In order to show him as their true adversary, he needs to strike some fear into our characters. What better way to do that then to kill the most cold blooded killer mother who has ever lived? I hope I am worng, but I have a feeling that I am right.
Grade: A-.
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