Spoilers for the midseason premiere of The Walking Dead, which aired last night, follow
Well we heard The Walking Dead was going to bring it when it finally came back and they definitely delivered. I can’t believe the amount of things they crammed into last night’s episode. Several characters died (Ron, Sam and Jessie), Carl got his eye shot out, Maggie and Glenn were reunited, and Daryl, Abraham and Sasha came to save the day. There were so many intense moments that I fast forwarded some scenes which were too hard to take. They really made you feel like you were part of that horrific world. It all culminated in a fabulous lake of fire which drew the walkers in and consumed them. When we saw the bodies strewn all over the following day I wondered how Rick was ever going to rebuild the community as he pledged, because it would require a massive amount of cleanup.
Here’s a recap from E! of the major scene when everything seemed to happen all at once. Yahoo has a more thorough recap if you’d like the play-by-play:
As last fall’s midseason finale foreshadowed in its final moments, Rick’s plan to get through the walker herd that had overtaken Alexandria by camouflaging themselves in zombie guts proved to be too much for the mentally unstable kid. He panicked after seeing a walker kid, stopped moving, and began making way too much noise for his own good. It was all over from there. The walkers descended upon the dumb kid, ripping at his neck, causing Jessie to scream at the sight of her child being eaten alive. Naturally, she was next to go.
Preoccupied with her imminent death, Jessie wouldn’t let go of Carl’s wrist, leading Rick to jump to action after a few sad moments where the happy future he thought he might have with the pretty Alexandra Breckenridge flew out his head. As he chopped her hand off at the wrist, someone’s gun made its way onto the ground and into Ron’s hands. Out of his mind after just having watched his family brutally die, he aimed the weapon at Rick, blaming him and his plan for their deaths. And well, that’s where things somehow got even worse.
Hoping to protect Rick and keep the sound of gunfire from alerting even more walkers to their presence, Michonne literally cut Ron in half with her sword. Seriously, she basically split the kid in two. It was horrendous. Of course, Ron couldn’t die without one last awful moment to cap off his horrible existence. (Remember how this plan was only necessary because he tried to kill Carl in the garage of the house they were hiding in, letting walkers in in the process? God, Jessie’s kids were the WORST.) His finger still squeezed the trigger, but his body being sliced in half screwed up his aim, sending the bullet right into poor Carl’s [eye].
I want to know why Rick’s initial plan was to make it all the way to the quarry. That seems way too risky for all those people, especially the kids. Obviously it was, because Sam blew it for everyone as expected. Also, why trust Father Gabriel with a baby? That issue was brought up on Talking Dead and they assumed that the group had no other option. (Carrie Underwood was on Talking Dead along with the Wolf who got shot by Carol just as he trying to redeem himself. That actor, Benedict Samuel, was Australian and surprisingly hot.)
EW has interviews with showrunner Scott Gimple and with Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman about this episode and particularly how it deviated from the comics. In the comics Carl got his eye accidentally shot out by Douglas, the leader of Alexandria, who was turned into Deanna (now deceased), in the TV version.
If you haven’t seen the episode yet you can watch it without a login on AMC’s website.
It was too overwhelming, but yeah, we all knew Sam would ruin things.
If he was too scared to leave the house when Alexandria was safe, why let him walk through all the walkers!?
Also, this habit TWD has with characters saying “you’re not coming” and then the other characters saying “yes I am.. blah blah blah”, “ok, you can come”. That’s so annoying and builds either unnecessary drama or obviously invites disaster (the kid).
I’m so glad Mary Martin and her awful children are dead. Poor Carl, how many times is that boy going to get shot?
“Mary Martin!” HilArious! Amen to that.
Is the idea that they couldn’t have lit the walkers on fire in the quarry because there be no way to put the bonfire out then? I don’t get it. Because the solution they came up with 30+ deaths later was the same one proposed seven episodes and five wasted Glenn’s ago. So maddening.
-TheRealPinky
Yes! When Daryl set the lake on fire and the zombies walked into it , I said out loud: “What you should have done in the first place!” The plan to lead the walkers away was stupid. I never understood why they wouldn’t try to kill every walker they come across. If you want to live in a world without walkers you have to kill them all!
I thought this too. It seemed like an awfully big plot hole. I remember that during the quarry episode, someone had pointed out that if they set ALL those walkers on fire in that quarry, it wouldn’t kill them all. Fire only works if the brain is incinerated. Walkers can be ON FIRE and mobile. The idea that the some quarry walkers could wander out and set the woods on fire, possibly all the way back to Alexandria was a concern.
Last night, there were less walkers, the fire pit was smaller and it was in a more or less contained area. Potentially, the team could keep watch and systematically brain-skewer any walkers that made it out of the fire pit? It is a big stretch, but it was the only logic I could find. And it is flawed because I suppose they could have also stood by the quarry and killed any stragglers too.
@Pamela: ok, I take that as a reason 🙂 I couldn’t understand were the problem was, that the fire might attract other walkers, because they would have fallen right into the quarry. But of course some of them getting out while being on fire would have created chaos.
I just thought leading them away was the worst idea ever.
@pinky – I get what you’re saying, but they didn’t have a fuel truck at the point that the quarry fell apart. That truck was found by Daryl after the zombie parade. Remember how they’re always scrambling for fuel normally?
And, we’ve also seen a bunch of times (I just watched TWD marathon) that fire doesn’t kill the zombies. It’s just a great way to distract them & round them up.
I’m really disappointed in them for not addressing Sam’s initial freak out at the end of the midseason finale. They show him losing his shit and yelling “mom,” with zombies starting to take notice, leaving everyone wondering what will happen. Then at the beginning of last night’s episode, their little parade makes it to relative safety, as if that scene at the end of the midseason finale never happened! Not cool TWD producers. I expect better of you.
I was glad to see that family go. The in memoriam on TTD was hilarious. Sam- you never had a chance. Ron – say hi to your dad for us.
I was miffed too. Also, the entrails disguise should not have lasted as long as it did–through nightfall. Who are they trying to kid with this logic lapsing BS?
-TheRealPinky
I assumed this episode would start with Sam’s initial freak out. It was very cheap of them to gloss over that. Also, as they were all going to be holding hands, why didn’t his mom tell him to keep his eyes on her feet and keep going? I am terrified of cheesy carnival-type haunted houses, but I still go into them on occasion. I very often latch on to my husband, make him go first, and keep my eyes closed through most of it. THAT is what Sam should have been instructed to do.
I was thinking blindfold, but staring at feet would be better. I was going through all the what ifs if he’d been blindfolded.
Daryl knocking out Negan’s men was the best.. Jesse and her kids were the WORST. and that little boy was just so eating worthy. I have to say Carol is the cause of that kids demise. She really messed up his head and just left him to just implode. It was great to see everyone fighting together..
Question????
NOW HOW are they going to clean up all those dead bodies I want to know.
That poor little kid. You knew he was going to implode and he did. Carol killed the wolf. After last season’s finale, this wasn’t the scenario I was expecting, but a lot of things happened I wasn’t expecting. Got watch again to soak it all in.
Sam was already messed up. The walkers and an abusive father ensured that. He was dynamite but Carol did light the fuse.
@ lisa2
In the real world everyone alive should already be dying from some kind of disease due to exposure from rotting corpses. Never mind getting bit. Just having the walkers’ fluids sprayed on them should have caused untold types of diseases. And then their bodies can’t be buried because it would infect the soil which will eventually be needed to grow crops and raise livestock when they ever find some more animals. So in the real world they would need to burn those bodies, and super fast.
My husband said “I hope they saved some of that fuel to burn the bodies.”
I agree about the scene with Neegans people getting torched by Daryl. So did not expect that! Best scene this season…
Glad Sam is gone. Of course, now Scarol doesn’t have anyone to tell mean scary stories to…..
“NOW HOW are they going to clean up all those dead bodies I want to know.”
My husband took one look at the aftermath and said “Ewww…they need to move.”
I suppose they can clean it much like the prison….(I think it was the prison?)– by carting them out somewhere farther away. The quarry would be a good place to dump em.
They also had to clean up the massacre at the barn.
I was wondering about all those bodies laying in the street also. That will make for a huge fire pit.
Speaking of cleaning up, Benedict Samuel cleaned up real nice for his appearance on the Talking Dead last night.
“I have to say Carol is the cause of that kids demise. She really messed up his head and just left him to just implode.”
Definitely not imo. Yes, Carol was too brutal and shocking, but the main reason for him freaking out was the lack of parenting. His parents failed to help him cope with the real world by pretending the danger simply didn’t exist. Jessie didn’t even confront him with it when she knew Alexandria was no longer safe. Also, she should have known (Rick as well) that Sam would never make it through the herd and gone to the church with him. This was not his time to prove himself and she failed to see that.
Saying that Carol caused his death doesn’t make sense cause it implies that he wouldn’t have died without her. Hell, that kid got a panic attack when thinking of walkers or any other danger. Do you really think he would have made it through the herd without breaking down, even if Carol hadn’t told him about the “monsters”?
Loved this episode! They definitely brought it this time. I’m going to have to rewatch it tonight just because there was so much going on.
Best episode ever. Wasn’t expecting it to be so good. A lot of carnage but we are watching the Walking Dead. Love Daryl…badass
Great mid season premiere! Last season was a snooze-fest, I’m excited to watch TWD again.
Happy to see that useless kid get gobbled up, sad for Rick about Jessie though.
Daryl is super filthy, grungy hot.
KBeth: Okay here I go with my third comment……sad for Rick, I thought he was out for the count, but he sure as the hell woke up, good acting on his part as well.
Rick thrives on the chaos and the madness. Every time he has become lethargic and plunged into a dark space it has been because things were too quiet, too calm, too peaceful. The zombie apocalypse irreversibly changed Rick. He is a war machine. He will not ever be that man of peace planting a garden and building a new world. As much as he thinks he wants to be. When there’s no one left to fight, Rick will die.
KBeth, I was thinking the same thing, “Daryl is super filthy, grungy hot.” Mmm-mmm. 😉
This was one of the best episodes in a very long time.
Yep!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. And that’s not saying much!
-TheRealPinky
+1
Agreed.
I just finished watching it on iTunes!!
OMG. I am soooooo happy that blonde woman and her stupid children are gone. BYE FELICIA!!! And that crazy Wolves guy. But at least in the very last moment he tried to help Denise, and probably saved her as a result. God, I hated that woman and her children.
BIG kudos to the writers for knocking out all the weak links from this season so that the story and characters can move forward on fresh ground for season 7.
Next season is gonna be intense. Neegan, whomever you are, watch out!
My dad texted me Saturday and said “new walking dead tomorrow.” As if I didn’t know. I texted him back and said I was taking bets on whether Jessie fought for Sam or let him go as zombie bait. Then I told him that entire family needed to go. In the zombie apocalypse, if you’re not an asset, you’re a liability. I think my dad’s a little worried about me now.
Hands down AMAZING! And while I’m a fan, I’m not easily impressed – this episode made gasp, clap, & genuinely root for the crew. Good riddance to Jesse & Co, their deaths were satisfying
As much as I was ready to see Sam go, when I really thought about it, I felt bad. He was a kid, who would have acted like a lot of kids seeing walkers up close for the very first time. He freaked out and he had to die. I didnt feel bad for Ron. He was an a hole like his dad and it’s his fault they were all in that predicament. I felt bad for Jessie and Rick because he was in love with her. I thought he was going to start hearing telephones start ringing again like when after Laurie died.
Daryl is bad ass and I was wondering when someone was going to remember they had a rocket launcher in their truck.
Glen avoids death again. Yawn. I’ve always loved Glen but he has way too much plot armor. I know people say that about Daryl, but Daryl to me is like a soldier at this point, like Carol. They get it done without too much contemplation.
I hope Morgan wakes up. What Carol told him was true. He left the Wolf alive for his own reasons, and not for the good of the crew. Though he did redeem himself at the end, but too little, too late and it was because he was about to die anyway.
Morgan’s problem is he sees himself in every bad guy. By saving them, he saves himself. What he doesn’t realize is, he did what he did out of grief stricken madness. The wolves do what they do because they LIKE it. Negan’s group do what they do because they get off on it.
The last several seasons have shown us that people who maintain their moral compass in the zombie apocalypse die horrible deaths. But now there’s a shift in the paradigm. Now people who try to maintain their moral compass cause the deaths of the innocents around them.
Daryl looked at the rocket launcher like,”Screw the crossbow! “,after he smoked the Saviors. And I still want Daryl to have a dog. Every tracker/hunter needs one, in my opinion.
Please no animals! The poor dog will end up like the horses, piglets, and chickens – suffering horribly. And Fear the Walking Dead took out a sweet dog. Just too horrible for me. Animals on these shows are plot devices only.
Add in the turtle that Enid ate.
greenmonster – I wonder the same thing every time I watch the show. Why don’t they kill every walker?
I agree Daryl should have a dog and it should be female. She-dog’s character should be similar to Maggie – always prevails. In addition, the dog’s injuries are restricted to minor scratches and other minor things dogs naturally encounter in nature.
But based on Rick/Daryl interview I saw over the weekend. Rick seemed a little bothered by how popular Daryl is. If I’m right, then giving Daryl an awesome dog will never happen because that would instantly double Daryl’s popularity over night.
Agreed mayamae. Sweet merciful mother, I can still hear the piglets screaming. No animals.
I have faith in Daryl Dog. Believe me, I’ve seen dogs smarter than people. Haha
@MinnFinn: Glad, I’m not the only one 😉 I guess it got really frustrating to me in Season 4, when there were walkers piling up on the prison fences and Rick wasn’t doing much about it (at least it felt that way). I was yelling at the screen “KILL THEM! YOU HAVE TO KILL THEM ALL”.
I’m right there with you. No more animals please! I skipped every scene with animals in it when it was clear they were about to be eaten. So to me all the horses, piglets and Tabitha are still alive. They can kill 100 Sams but please no more animals. And yes, I know that sounds terrible.
@mayamae – I agree, no animals! i have to ff thru every animal eating scene. Funnily enough, I’m okay with the walkers eating people 😄 Okay, not every person.
I wonder if the little toddlers playing Judith ever have nightmares about the show. It’s gotta be a scary show for a little one to be on.
My brother-in-law and I talk have had detailed discussions about Daryl’s dog all the time. Daryl will nick-name her ‘side-ass-kicker’.
Daryl finds a Southern Cur female puppy. The reason I chose that breed for Daryl is because 1. they are awesome multi-purpose dogs 2. that breed was developed in the southern US. 3. Daryl with his Georgia roots will recognize the breed instantly
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/blackmouthcur.htm
My vote is for a Catahoula Leopard Dog. Similar to a Blackmouth Cur, with strength, loyalty, and stamina. And they’re wicked smart!
It was really good. I loved the Jesse – you almost made it
Sam- you never had a chance
Ron – say hi to your dad for us
Like pp said, carol was so right that Morgan saved that wolf for his own reasons not the group’s but as we saw, the wolf still had some humanity so it pains me to say that maybe Morgan was right
That memoriam was great. Yep at Morgan being kinda right, and Carol realized it too when The Wolf told Denise to run after he got shot and became walker chum. It’ll be interesting to see what this changes in both of them. Morgan thinking he failed, Carol realizing that maybe Morgan’s ways weren’t as harebrained as she originally thought.
I liked how that storyline became more complicated than we all (viewers) thought. We all thought Morgan was straight up wrong and they left it ambiguous enough to be interesting.
Amazing episode. This is the only episode I’ve watched where I spent the entire time standing up. I yelled, I laughed, I cheered (team Daryl and GingerPuffs were the truth!) I almost cried when Rick gave the speech to the newly one-eyed Carl, like it’s been so long since a TV show evoked that much emotion out of me.
And I don’t totally blame Carol for Sam’s demise at all. That kid was never going to make it and I think Jessie was a way bigger influence on his behavior than most people give her credit for. He was her Achilles heel and vice versa. I can’t really explain it, but the episode where Sam doesn’t want to come down to eat, and instead of forcing him to adapt, Jessie just decides to take his food up to him? That more than anything sealed their faiths to me. I didn’t know when, but I knew they were going to die and that Sam would be the cause of it.
That last shot of the group fighting together, all I could think was #SquadGoals!
I doubt they will ever evolve weak characters into stronger ones. And Sam was weak so he had to die. The reason I say that is I just watched a Season 2 (or maybe 3) Talking Dead with Nicotero who said that they write definitively weak or strong characters and not much in between. Nicotero said the weak ones die plus they are slower to reanimate. He also said since Shane was both a strong character and angry one which is why he reanimated very quickly.
Eugene got some balls last night. He was kicking ass at the Ned with the rest of the group. Spencer was too, but I’m iffy about him ever manning up, especially with next week’s scenes.
I never honestly gave it that much thought, but that make sense about Shane. But I remember Andrea’s lil sis way back in season 1 reanimated quickly and she was pretty weak.
@Jean: Something has always been off about Spencer to me. The previews kind of confirmed it for me, but I can’t knock the feeling that he is going to be involved in something really shady, really soon.
Oh so maybe they aren’t as strict about their old character model anymore. I’m behind on episodes haven’t seen this episode. I don’t care about spoilers b/c by the time I get to see some episodes I’ve forgotten the spoilers I read anyway.
I thought Andrea’s sister took a long time. Andrea sat holding her until it was way past dawn. I remember thinking that it would serve her right for her to reanimate when Andrea dozed off and bite her.
I remember her sister taking a long time as well.
Even if not, Andrea’s sister died when Frank Darabont was the showrunner and they made quite a few changes after he left, especially when it comes to zombies. They had more skills and some sort of memory in the first season, it wouldn’t be odd if Nicotero was the first one to introduce that rule.
It was a great episode. I’m not quite sure how Daryl managed to get that rocket launcher from the truck without anyone from the Negan’s crew noticing (they were all looking straight in that direction), but that was a badass moment. I won’t miss Jessie and her kids, but it was surprising that there were three major deaths and one serious injury just like that, in the first half of the episode. I loved the scene with everyone fighting the walkers together, but since Gabriel finally stopped being so damn annoying and started helping out, as did Eugene – it probably means they are the next ones to go.
I’m not a believer, but I cheered at Gabriel’s new approach to faith – he finally stopped believing that God is there to miraculously save his ass, while he sits there doing nothing. If God exists, he helps by giving people means and strength to overcome obstacles.
My only complaint is WHY did they hire that chick from Nurse Jackie?!?! One of the reasons why I can get so into this show is the actors are all relatively unknown and good so it’s easier to suspend belief. Not enough time has passed for me to forget about six seasons of Zoe Barkow! Now I’m just like, great, Nurse Jackie is in the zombie apocalypse 🙁 They should have stuck with unknown actors, she’s ruining it for me.
Andrew Lincoln (his Love Actually is on tv every single Christmas and he was part of the most famous scene from that movie), David Morrisey (he seems to be in most British series’ and mini-series), Michael Rooker (so many action films), Norman Reedus (Boondock Saints), Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break), Lennie James (so many movies) or Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey’s Anatomy, P.S. I Love You, Supernatural and the list goes on) are hardly unknown actors.
Never heard of Zoe Barkow before Walking Dead. On the other hand, Norman Reedus, Michael Rooker, Laurie Holden was already known. Plus, Alexandra Breckenridge if you are a American Horror Story fan.
I loved Zoe on Nurse Jackie. Merritt Weaver is great – I haven’t thought of Zoe at all since the character of Denise is so different in personality. 🙂