We waited almost 30 minutes before seeing the expected carnage and when we finally did we were treated to one of the best episodes of the series with an exceptional tone set for the future.
The Walking Dead returned with a bloody Valentine's Day midseason premiere. It began in explosive fashion, for real, as Negan's crew was obliterated by Daryl and the rocket launcher and also ended in a similar manner. It slowed a bit until we had the first casualties of the episode.
Those were all members of Jessie's family. And Carl's eye.
Sam was first to go, as he was startled by a child Walker and immediately became dinner. Jessie was stunned and was next to go before a distraught Rick sucked it up and hacked off her hand to free Carl from her grasp.
Once free, Ron, who had nothing left to lose, pointed a gun at Carl. Michonne ended Ron with a stab through the chest, but not before he was able to get off a shot. The errant shot went through Carl's right eye and Rick carried him to safety just like he did when his son was shot on that hunting trip near Hershel's farm oh those many moons ago.
It was a long time coming for Carl's eye, which was another nod to the graphic novel. He survived, as he did in the graphic novel, and will now wear a sexy eye patch for the rest of his time on the show.
The shock led Rick to leave the house with a hatchet, but this became a catalyst for his group and the remaining Alexandrians to come together. It also allowed some weaker characters, such as Eugene and Gabriel (who are alive despite themselves) to gain strength against the odds.
Daryl, Abraham and Sasha played a large role in helping ebb the tide of Walkers. The trio began the episode stopped in the road by a Negan patrol. It appeared as if they'd be taken hostage or killed before Daryl blasted all of them with a rocket.
The fire to start also prevailed to the finish, as Daryl set the Alexandria lake ablaze. This caused many of the Walkers to meander to their demise, while Rick and the newly-empowered residents took care of the rest of the pack.
The result was a bloody and battered group that will now truly live as one, stronger unit. Rick delivered a speech to recovering Carl, saying the Alexandrians showed him their worth and there was a new world to live in after rebuilding the walls.
The last half of this episode was powerful stuff. It was what we needed after a slow midseason finale last year. It set the stage for a build toward an intense battle with Negan's group, when more people will fall (including one big one to a bat named Lucille).
Page 2 of 2 - The impending appearance of Negan will be the next big moment. But we won't get that for a while. Now we can catch our breath, maybe.
OK, that's wishful thinking. But next week surely can't match the intensity. If it does, we might need to get some heart medication.
Quick thoughts:
Daryl is sneaky, even with a rocket launcher…
It's not a good sign for Denise to need a pep talk … from a crazy Wolf…
Speaking of the Wolf, at least Carol was able to kill someone this episode. She shot him as he and Denise made their way to the infirmary. Carol also told Morgan she should have killed him. Yes, Carol, yes you should have…
Rick showed faith in Gabriel the past two episodes. He entrusted him to care for Judith and may have redeemed himself a little…
It's true, Glenn is immortal. He was saved by Abraham after it appeared he was going to be a goner. We know better, of course, as he's been on death's door more times than you can count…
I still think Rick and Michonne could find love in each other, it's only natural…
We might need to wait a while to meet Negan, but we won't wait long for them to retaliate in some form for the rocket death…
We didn't see Walker Deanna. Maybe she's still roaming the house…
Source: Blogging Dead: Recap, thoughts on The Walking Dead midseason premiere
No comments:
Post a Comment