@lcfremont recaps…
Well, that wall did not hold and the people inside of it didn’t fare much better after it came crashing down. In previous mid season finales we lost Hershel and Beth, but this one was much less traumatic. In fact, this episode was a bit strange; let’s discuss.
Opening with that creepy-ass song, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” we see that Sam is drawing a picture of himself tied to a tree surrounded by walkers. Was this moment supposed to be a nod to Insidious and The Ring or do I just watch far too many horror films? Also, was the shot of the ants devouring the food really necessary? We get it. The walkers are invading Alexandria and they’re hungry.
As the walkers cover Alexandria the same way the ants were covering that cookie, Deanna runs around trying to be a badass, Rosita and Tara seemingly forget to utilize their marksmanship for head shots, Maggie gets trapped on the lookout tower, Carol trips and falls and Eugene freezes in terror. Meanwhile, Glenn is witnessing all of this while Enid continues to be a brat.
Carol and Morgan end up together which allows for them to hash out their differences upstairs while Denise is stuck downstairs with the Wolf. The Wolf has some interesting thoughts on present day life, mainly, that the world is not an unfair place anymore. He has done his part and the world will take care of the rest. Like a million other women before her, Denise tells the Wolf that he can change and just like a million men before him, he just looks at her with pity. When Carol and Morgan finally face off, even the Wolf agrees that Carol should kill him, but Morgan is holding onto his new life philosophy at the cost of others and he gets instant karma in the form of the Wolf knocking him out and taking Denise with him. Thanks a lot, Morgan. We all knew that there would be a Carol/Morgan showdown, but this was pretty lackluster. Perhaps a bigger and better fight is in store in the future.
While cleaning up Deanna’s wounds, Michonne finds a walker bite. Rather than freak out or feel sorry for herself, Deanna decides to hone her sense of humor and wants to hold Judith one last time. She has the unique luxury of being at peace with dying because she worked with her family, trying to make a better world. She got to do what she wanted right up to the end and she asks Michonne if she knows what it is that she wants for herself. At the end of her life, Deanna is full of wisdom and she shares some with Rick. She points out to him that all of the people in Alexandria are his people and he should start treating them as such. Not only can Rick grow one hell of a beard, but he’s one of them now. I think Rick actually heard this piece of advice and that would make for a bigger, stronger team if he did. Deanna has never been known for her sense of humor, so her remark about Rick’s beard and her overall demeanor post bite was kind of off-putting. Maybe the fever made her loony.
Ron and Carl continue to engage in the lamest dude fight in history which results in Ron deciding that everyone is dead and he, inadvertently, lets the walkers into the house. Carl then continues to illustrate why he’s not always the most clever kid on the block when he tells Ron that he understands why he’s angry: because Rick killed his dad. Oh Carl, you really don’t get it and you are going to be shocked when you realize Ron wants you dead. Not your dad. I know that I’m not the only one who was expecting Carl to get shot this episode, so the fact that he’s still in one piece makes you wonder how long this little tiff of theirs is going to go on.
With walkers invading Jessie’s home, Rick pulls out the old trick of covering yourself in walker entrails in order to get out of the horde and this makes for a delightfully disgusting scene. Rick, Michonne, Jessie, Father Gabriel, Carl, Ron and Sam exit the house only to be completely surrounded by walkers. We know that this camouflage is successful, but will it remain so while Sam keeps calling to his mom? I suppose we shall see when the show returns in February. Until then, we can endlessly discuss what happened in the two minute prologue.
As Daryl, Tara and Abraham head back to Alexandria, they are stopped by a road block and the leader of this road block utters the name of the boogie man: Negan. We already know from the Daryl centric episode that Negan operates on the theory of debts needing to be repaid and these three owe Negan some lives after his men that they killed. Daryl is exactly the kind of death that would bring Rick to his knees, Daryl has been an outsider ever since our group reached Alexandria and Norman Reedus has been doing a lot of other projects lately. This TV Baby is really starting to wonder if Daryl will be the one to meet Lucille first. What do you think?
So far, this has been an uneven, but great season. Do you feel the same? Let me know on Twitter.
Sidenotes:
After Sam asks if the monsters are here, Rick is the first person he sees. Coincidence? I think not.
I love that Rick is just carrying a hatchet in his belt. You know, like you do.
Deanna went out like a real champ. Respect, girl, respect.
It’s nice to see Father Gabriel finally join the Ricktatorship.
Judith is an incredibly quiet and low key baby for always being surrounded by chaos.
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