Lets begin with the ending, both of this latest The Walking Dead and the one before it. As it turns out, that Daryl-shaped figure who showed up in the closing seconds of last weeks installment was in fact the shows other scraggly-haired, crossbow-wielding badass: Dwight. And in the final minutes of this weeks episode Something They Need Rosita reveals that Negans reluctant lieutenant saved her from the shootout at the Sanctuary at some point after the closing credits. He then apparently volunteered to be imprisoned in Alexandria, just to prove to Rick that hes serious about helping him with the coming war. Whether or not the Daryl/Dwight visual similarities were an intentional fake-out by the TWD creative team, the image did provide an apt segue into this seasons penultimate episode, where heroes and villains look directly at each other over and over. Its as though theyre both staring into mirrors.
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Ever since the mid-season break, the series has moved swiftly to get to the confrontation that might (or might not, given showrunner Scott M. Gimples recent cryptic utterings) commence next week. Were talking about the inevitable moment where the combined forces of Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and the Scavengers armed with the Oceanside commnitys newly borrowed arsenal will start launching coordinated assaults on the Saviors in their scattered outposts. As for Negans side, they may be more braced for the attack regardless of when it happens, thanks to Hilltop leader Gregory all but becoming the Saviors mole. It would appear that a messy melee awaits both sides.
So its less about whether next weeks finale will contain the entirety of what the comic books spent a dozen-ish issues covering (under the were-not-going-to-undersell-this narrative-arc title All Out War) then whether the conflict starts up at all. But if the shows recent trends continue, we can expect Season Seven to end very differently than it began. Expect less whimpering and wallowing. And brace for more meaningful action.
Something They Need (credited to writer Corey Reed and director Michael Slovis) is a good example of how The Walking Dead has rebounded in 2017 by taking advantage of its resources. About two-thirds of the episode consists of the kind of long, dialectical scenes this show relies on far too often, as a way of killing time instead of walkers and creating the illusion of thematic depth. But here, these pieces serve more of a narrative purpose. And because theyre divided across two locations, and broken up by some actually thrilling sequences elsewhere, the overall experience is more satisfying.
It helps that the performances are so strong as well. The often-underutilized and soon-to-be-Trekkie-fan-favorite Sonequa Martin-Green has been taking full advantage of her increased screen-time over the past two weeks; she does some of her best TWD work to date when Sasha who didnt die in her suicide raid sits locked in a Sanctuary cell, pondering her next move. After fending off a rape with Negans help, and then using the knife he leaves behind to finish off her attackers undead corpse, she gets the usual sales pitch about how the Saviors are not monsters and how she should let go of her hard feelings about Abrahams death. (Why? We all got shit to get over.) Her former cohort Eugene also tries to persuade her that joining the enemy is a matter of evolutionary necessity.
Whats so remarkable about these interactions are the layers of emotions and motivations that Sasha cycles through, from fear and despair to a sense of hope when she realizes she can manipulate the mulleted gent into slipping her a weapon to kill herself which she hopes to use on the big man in charge. In a clever reversal, her old friend gives her the suicide pill he concocted several weeks ago (see Hostiles and Calamaties), proving once again how the characters on this show can scheme and strategize and make all the right moves and still end up with the wrong outcome.
Another case-in-point: Maggie, who on the Hilltop is helping people become self-sufficient with their farming and fighting skills, and who even saves Gregorys life when he fails to kill the first zombie hes ever confronted on his own. He loses even more face in front of his former followers and in the process, she apparently hastens his betrayal. Throughout, we get some entertainingly awkward exchanges between the two characters, perfectly played by Lauren Cohan and Xander Berkeley.
The heart of the episode, however and the primary explanation for the title is in Ricks shock-and-awe raid on Oceanside, executed after a too-brief warning from the communitys former guest, Tara. With Michonne
serving as a tree-stationed sniper, and explosive devices designed both
to startle and to create an imminent walker-based threat, the
Alexandrians get the guns they need with minimal damage, Oceanside
leader Natanias brusied pride being the exception. They even
almost win over some recruits thanks to their pitch that, The world can
belong to fair people if were brave enough to try.
Still, its worth noting that even the newbies who consider joining the cause are doing so on the other end of a gun barrel. No matter how Rick tries to sell their armed robbery, the fact remains that from the perspective of these women, they were invaded by another group of survivors ones who intentionally terrified them and then left them defenseless. Not a good start.
This is all something to keep in mind as we head into the finale. The Alexandrians and their allies are not the bad guys, true. But Negan doesnt think he or his tribe are either. Ultimately, theyre all going to be judged by what happens during the skirmish to come, as well as whatever lies beyond it. From a distance, the intent of a person holding a weapon is hard to make out. We react to the silhouette.
Previously: Over the Hill