Splintermission.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
In whatever it is that you'd like to call "The King, the Widow, and Rick" - a rest episode, a snoozer chapter, a catch your breath installment - we saw small stories span all over the landscape, in each of the three communities and beyond.
I suppose I should kick things off with what I liked here - what resonated. What landed the best. Because this episode, for the most part, was a cluttered mess. With this in mind...hey, everyone, it's Michonne and Rosita! And they're doing stuff!
Specifically, Rosita was blowing an a-hole to bits with a missile launcher! That sure was a fun, over-the-top action beat. I think it helped too that it came during a detour/side mission and from two characters who haven't been a part of the ongoing (never-ending) battle. Meaning, they were both baggage free. They could have this side quest to stop the Saviors from solving their herd problem (with speakers blasting opera) and explode a guy with a rocket. They weren't doing anything else and all they did here was help, so good on them. They're not woefully defeated and depressed like Ezekiel or in the middle of purposefully getting captured by the still, and always, RIDICULOUS garbage folk out at the junk yard like Rick. "Why back after?" Go to hell, you jerks.
Anyhow, yes, this was a weigh station-style episode, beginning with everyone giving status updates via delivered letter and then prepping for whatever the next stages of the plan were. The way this long battle, this single day, has been drawn out has only worked to drag things out to the point where the stakes are barely interesting. One of the tactics used, of course, to stretch the story out to an unnerving degree is the pause to debate ethics and morality. Which is a common practice on The Walking Dead, but here, in the midst of this crucial winner-takes-all war, it's phenomenally frustrating.
Let's break down the moral quandaries here. Carl has decided that he wants to show some charity to the dude, Siddiq (Avi Nash), who Rick chased away in the premiere (or earlier that morning). It's a boring story. I'm not against bringing a new character into the mix though it does instantly remind me of all the characters the show already has that it doesn't use properly. This was the episode's excuse for walkers this week (it always needs some) as Carl decided to help Siddiq kill some zombies because...Siddiq likes killing zombies. For his mom. And Carl almost got killed in the process. So Carl's living his best life, you know?
Over at The Hilltop, I'm going to give Maggie a ton of credit for giving Jesus a ton of s*** about bringing those Saviors back to the town. Including that one Savior who the show's now decided we need to pay attention. You know...the guy who started talking to Jesus when they were all outside the walls. The series seems to be doing this more than ever these days - just having random Saviors get more screen time than a lot of the main characters.
Here's the deal. I'm anti-Jesus here (please accept this in appropriate context). I think a bunch of us are. Why are, like, 12 Saviors worth saving? I get that now it's kind of too late to kill them because you'd basically just be executing them all in the public square like monsters. They should have been killed back at the outpost, granted. But now the argument is that "we need to live and work with these people when the war is over." Really? These 12 people? What are they going to contribute specifically? And what is the total dirtbag who's been nothing but a pain in the ass since he got captured ever going to provide for anyone else? Why does anyone think he's going to be on their side once Rick wins? He even tried to escape! What are you keeping him around for?
In order for the show to try to bring us over to Jesus' side (because it's a very hard sell), Gregory had to become the mouthpiece for their execution so that it could all of a sudden seem like a bad, selfish idea. I'm all for Maggie locking Gregory up. He's given her a ton of reasons too, not just his most recent actions and betrayals, but I'd hate to think that she won't listen to reason just because it happens to be coming from Gregory.
I won't spend too much time on Jadis and the Scavengers since, bare bones, they're dumb as hell ("still alone, you" - why speak like that ever?) except to say that it certainly was strange for Rick to think that he could trust the people who A:, threw him into a rubbish pit so that he could get devoured by a gladiator walker, and B: betrayed him at a turning point so vital and important that if Maggie and Ezekiel hadn't miraculously saved them all at the last second Carl would be dead. Negan was about to kill Carl and Jadis and the trash trolls were willing, callous accomplices to it. Now Rick thinks getting them back on his side is a great idea. I understand the need for more fighters, but is this not a worse decision than having fewer soldiers? Welp, now he gets to be all naked and dehydrated for his troubles.
Now, let's dig into Daryl. Last week, he and Rick seemed to leave things, after their brawl, on okay terms. But now he's actively going against orders and back trying to scratch his itch about just taking the fight to the Sanctuary. Hey. GUESS WHO HASN'T LEARNED HIS LESSON AT ALL ABOUT ACTING IMPULSIVELY? It's Daryl. Ol' angry Daryl. You know, after getting Glenn killed because he didn't listen to warnings and just lashed out you'd think he'd behave differently now. His entire Season 7 arc was about his guilt over inadvertently getting Glenn's face bashed in. Now he's gone off book again and is probably going to eff things up royally for everyone.
I know, for years, there's been an "If Daryl Dies, We Riot" credo among fans. I guess I'm here to say...you know what? Daryl can go. I'm just saying. If he's going to make decisions this dumb, on this large a scale, he can drop. It's one thing to just want everyone dead, Punisher-style, but it's another to make up his own plan and endanger others. Plus, could he possibly be the one meant to rescue Rick from the Garbage Pail Kids? Was he Rick's backup plan?
Finally, Ezekiel was beyond reaching this week. He didn't want to be king anymore. He didn't want Jerry standing as his attendant anymore (poor Jer). He just wanted to be left alone. On his throne, sure. Because nothing says "I don't want to be king" like moping alone in your own huge auditorium, on a stage, on a throne, but yeah - he's not taking calls right now. Of course, Carol could have talked him into rejoining the fight, and the living, this week. She said some pretty moving words. But he said "no." The show wasn't ready to wrap this up just yet.
To end things here...can Rick get a cooler call sign than "Rick?" Maggie gets to be the widow, Ezekiel's got his own regal nickname - can't Rick be "The Man with the Plan?" "The Lawman?" "Mr. Stuff n Things?"
The Verdict
The Walking Dead spread itself pretty thin this week by giving us a break in the action (Rosita and her trusty rocket launcher notwithstanding) so that we could catch up with everyone outside of the Sanctuary. Unfortunately, frustrating fights and squabbles about morality, along with some dangerously dumb decisions, benched this one.
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