A fantastic ending doesn’t excuse The Walking Dead’s inexplicable cop-out

Photograph: Jace Downs (AMC)

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The Strolling Lifeless simply drove proper previous the goddamn fireworks manufacturing facility. Right here’s a present that thrives on depth and dread, a collection the place subtlety and nuance have by no means precisely been a robust go well with, and whose most fun episodes have usually concerned massive battles and race-against-time eventualities the place large quantities of zombies threaten to overwhelm all the things; you’re telling me that after all of the build-up of the Whisperer menace, the long-heralded confrontation is breezed by within the pre-credits sequence? To cite Negan: Sorry, child—this shit is completed.

Actually, it beggars perception that The Strolling Lifeless determined what it actually wanted was to have an enormous, multi-season narrative main as much as an enormous struggle between our heroes and the a number of the extra compelling antagonists the present has ever seen, after which fully cop out on the struggle. It’s a trombone-sound fart of a rug pull, the sort of bait-and-switch you’d lampoon on a extra clever TV present. True, nobody has ever credited the collection with an overabundance of brains (which, ironic, no?), and but it’s nonetheless stunning that AMC’s long-running enterprise appears to have a lot hassle nailing its massive moments these days. True, the ultimate minutes of “Stroll With Us” are the actual attention-getter (extra on that shortly), and that ending is so good, it’s virtually sufficient to rescue all the things that got here earlier than it, but it surely’s nonetheless a baffling option to excise the most effective motion out of your horror-action TV present.

The episode opens in media res, the flaming arrows that trapped our heroes between Hilltop’s burning partitions and a military of walkers (see final episode) having already achieved the duty of stripping the city’s safety and letting the hordes of Whisperers and walkers come pouring by way of. And for a few minutes, it looks as if issues are actually going to be thrilling: Ezekiel is already gathering the kids, Daryl is racing among the many totally different skirmishes, walloping heads together with his morning star, and Carol is standing atop one of many few remaining battlements, loosing arrows and searching down in fearful despair on the chaos under. “Stroll With Us” seemed primed to be an action-packed hour of battle, akin to certainly one of Recreation Of Thrones’ lauded battle episodes, and the way in which small moments of character service darted out and in of our view in the course of the struggle steered a wise integration of story and spectacle. From Eugene racing off to attempt to save his beloved radio gear to Yumiko recognizing a blood-soaked Magna among the many throngs of the undead, it was thrilling, invigorating stuff.

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Photograph: Jace Downs (AMC)

Then the opening credit roll, and immediately we minimize to the listless aftermath. Usually, while you observe an action-heavy episode, the next installment during which individuals recoup their power and take inventory of the brand new state of affairs feels earned, as a result of we’ve simply been by way of the hearth alongside the characters. Right here, by abruptly yanking us out of the warmth of battle and leaving solely the denouement, it strips the somber temper of legitimacy. It doesn’t really feel earned, as a result of we skipped proper previous the catharsis of confrontation, however are nonetheless anticipated to completely really feel its weight. That’s not how drama works. From there on out, it’s a battle to regain a way of narrative momentum, and whereas noteworthy components occur en path to that wallop of a better, they don’t have as a lot emotional heft as they’d’ve, had the present not construct up this confrontation a lot after which deserted it mid-stab.

However let’s have a look at what did occur throughout these center acts, earlier than we get to the grand finale. Regardless of having lowered Hilltop to a smoking heap of ash, Alpha isn’t calling something a victory till she will get Lydia again so she will…kill her? Regardless of the lengthy dialog with Negan about this very challenge, Alpha’s motives are getting a bit of messy, particularly when in comparison with her preliminary insistence that Ezekiel and firm hold her daughter protected. Is she simply mad about Lydia selecting to assist Daryl as an alternative of murdering her mother? Bizarre vendetta, however go off, Alpha. Even Negan is bored by this a part of the episode, deciding to disregard orders and begin smashing walker heads, relatively than desultorily attempting to spherical them up once more. In the meantime, Alden makes his peace with former Whisperer Mary, letting her maintain her nephew, a lot to the aid of Kelly. After all, that comes simply in time for Beta to enter body and stab Mary by way of the center, watching with non secular fervor as she transforms right into a walker. He doesn’t get to savor the second, although, as a result of Alden fires an arrow by way of now-dead Mary’s head, forcing Beta to run away. Hey Alden, pro-tip for subsequent time: Possibly shoot the large hulking psychopath within the head first, then take care of the shambling zombie afterward? Everybody Beta kills any more is kinda in your head.

Photograph: Jace Downs (AMC)

There are just a few extra little moments—Carol encourages Eugene to drop all the things and go discover his mysterious Stephanie, Magna and Yumiko kind of break up, and we study Magna misplaced Connie whereas attempting to make their means again residence (incomes Carol a punch within the nostril from Yumiko for getting them separated within the first place)—however the different story that considerably succeeds emotionally is the demise of Earl whereas attempting to maintain the kids protected. Having been bitten, he secures them in a single room of the shack the place they’re hiding, then goes within the different room to bash his head right into a spike earlier than he can flip and assault them. It’s a transfer we’ve seen from the present earlier than, but it surely nonetheless has chunk, as a result of there’s one thing existentially shifting about watching somebody be pressured to kill themselves lest they kill others. Add to that the upsetting (if button-pushing) sight of Jerry’s spouse Nabila freaking out as a result of her youngsters aren’t on the rendezvous spot, and also you’ve acquired some blunt but undeniably efficient character beats.

After which. That ending. “Blunt but undeniably efficient” doesn’t do it justice, as a result of it lastly did one thing I don’t assume the present has had the center to do earlier than, not less than for the reason that first few years: Kill off a significant character with no fanfare, in the course of a season. Negan experiences again to Alpha that he’s captured her daughter, directs the chief of the Whisperers to the shack the place he’s acquired her tied up, after which, when she flings open the door to study she’s been fooled, he slits her throat, cuts off her moaning walker head, and brings it again to Carol. “Took you lengthy sufficient,” she says with a sardonic look.

Even Siddiq’s demise within the first half of this season didn’t shock as a lot, as a result of it adopted the present’s regular route of spending your complete episode main as much as it watching the soon-to-be-dead character emotionally making peace with their life. Right here, it’s the alternative—if something, for the time being of her demise Alpha is much more pushed to finish an unfinished purpose than ever earlier than. It’s apparent from the beginning that Negan is attempting to offer Alpha an out, persuade her to not kill Lydia, and when she rebuffs his each effort, it’s clear one thing will occur. (For the document, I assumed Lydia had freed herself earlier and was already gone, not that she was in one other location altogether.) However nonetheless, even armed with that data, it’s a hell of a better, taking out top-of-the-line villains the present has ever had with such fast, ruthless effectivity (and a kiss from Negan). It virtually rescues this underwhelming letdown of an installment—virtually—by way of sheer shock. It began nice and ended even higher; if solely there weren’t that complete episode in between to tug it down.

Stray Observations

• I laughed when Negan refers to Beta as “Frowny McTwoKnives.”
• Guess Carol didn’t clue Aaron in to the entire “Negan’s gonna infiltrate the Whisperers so he can homicide Alpha” plan. Really, I’m guessing this was Carol’s plan B, given how badly she needed to do it herself.
• Mary’s demise was additionally a little bit of a shock, although as soon as she was reunited with nephew Adam, it was fairly clear demise was coming for her.
• What makes the aborted battle much more irritating is how successfully they established what may’ve been some wonderful setpieces: The burning farmhouse, the pile of useless walkers holding again the even bigger pile of stay ones, Eugene re-entering the constructing to attempt to save his stuff…what a waste.
• Did I miss one thing within the reveal that Beta is somebody recognized to the opposite Whisperers as not simply Alpha’s right-hand man? The person who says, “It’s you…your voice sounded acquainted” simply by catching a glimpse of the a part of Beta’s face uncovered by Mary ripping his masks actually appears to suggest there’s one thing else happening there; I simply can’t consider what it could possibly be.
• Her having to kill walker Earl is the primary time I’ve presumably ever felt a bit of dangerous for Judith.
• “I’m useless to this world, however you’re pretending.” Would possibly need to look in a mirror subsequent time you say that, Negan.
• Goodbye, Samantha Morton! It’s been nice having you on the present—Alpha was a very memorable villain.