In last week’s recap, I wrote the next: “Do you ever really feel tense when watching The Strolling Lifeless anymore? Does the TV present ever actually surprise you anymore? I’m fairly certain it’s been fairly some time since TWD made me really feel like a personality was in real danger or did something that made me wonder what was going to happen subsequent.” I’m happy to report tonight’s episode stunned me, made me anxious, and left me questioning what’s coming subsequent week.
Now, provided that subsequent week’s episode of The Strolling Lifeless can be the collection finale, you’d have each proper to really feel it’s a lot too little, and much too late. However I’m grateful the present has lastly began to really feel a bit like a collection finale versus enterprise as common. When “Household” begins, Alexandria has been fully liberated from the occupying Commonwealth forces after final week’s episode—which you may assume might make for an attention-grabbing hour of TV, however apparently not—and all of the protagonists who aren’t caught in Alexandria (Eugene, Yumiko, Max, and Mercer) or trapped in a zombie horde (Aaron, Lydia, Jerry, Ezekiel, Lucas, and Jules) arm up, get on the prepare, and head to the Commonwealth to rescue their children and take Pam out.
Earlier than, throughout, and after their prepare journey, characters have emotionally significant conversations which can be simply restating the plot or recreating the identical outdated character beats. Judith has a fantastic argument for being allowed to hitch the assault to honor her father Rick, her mom Michonne, her brother Carl, and even her beginning mom Lori, who she by no means obtained to satisfy, and assist make sure the peaceable, higher future that they envisioned (…a few of the time). Later, Daryl guarantees to inform her “all of the tales about everybody who ever liked you,” which obtained me fairly good. Negan confesses to Ezekiel that he’s properly conscious that everybody he’s using with is a greater particular person than he’s, and if Ezekiel can’t see that, properly, somebody’s not been paying consideration.
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Maybe the perfect line in “Household” comes off the prepare. Because the Commontroopers herd the zombies towards the Commonwealth, Aaron, Jerry, and Lydia handle to sneak into an deserted RV, however Elijah, Luke, and Jules are swept away earlier than they’ll enter. Lydia tries to tug her boyfriend Elijah in, however solely manages to get chomped on the wrist by a zombie. Sure, a zombie truly bit one of many protagonists! In fact, she should have her arm slashed off to keep away from turning into a zombie herself—one thing Aaron is uniquely suited to cope with, for the reason that similar factor occurred to him. However as a substitute, Jerry does the slashing, whereas Aaron comforts her. Simply earlier than the blade got here down, Aaron empathetically tells her, “You’re so liked, Lydia.” It’s stunning, and I’m undecided it’s true, nevertheless it’s an exquisite second nonetheless.
Contained in the Commonwealth, the persons are justifiably offended at Governor Pam, so she requires a “B17”—i.e., having troops lead an enormous horde of zombies to the town’s entrance gates so she will be able to justify a city-wide lockdown. Sadly, nobody’s knowledgeable her concerning the Variants, the smarter-than-the-average-undead who can climb partitions and eat the troopers, one in every of whom simply occurs to land on the “open gate lever” as he’s being eaten, permitting a number of thousand zombies direct entry to the residential and industrial areas of the Commonwealth. It’s dangerous information for everyone however the viewers: The Variants got here again! That they had a significant impression on the storyline! They’ll most likely be again subsequent week, too! Oh, what a bounty of riches.
Princess manages to contact Mercer from the prepare and tells him the plan, so Mercer pulls his troops from the prepare station Crew Alexandria will likely be sneaking into. Sadly, Pam hears of the redeployment, has Mercer arrested, and parks her armed goons inside to allow them to gun down the Alexandrians upon arrival. Weirdly, Pam can be there to get in on the motion and begins firing an assault rifle at Maggie, just for lovely Judith to push her out of the best way and get shot as a substitute. Judith’s down! Put together to riot!
As if the characters within the present know that the franchise will lose all of its remaining goodwill if Judith dies, the group bands collectively, escapes the station, and begins heading for the Commonwealth’s physician. Even Pamela has the decency to be appalled she’s shot a toddler, screaming to the Alexandrians, “You probably did this!” to divert the blame. Pam escapes, solely to learn that big herd of zombies is coming to city. She directs the Commontroopers to direct the zombies to the “Decrease Wards,” aka the poor a part of city, and defend the “Estates,” i.e., the rich people’ houses. It’s probably the most actively and blatantly evil classism Pam has ever proven, and it clearly doesn’t sit properly with the military’s new chief, Vickers.
Nevertheless, Vickers at the least partially does as informed, and begins deploying troops to direct the zombies—and the group lands proper in-between two barricades with the horde heading proper for them. The Alexandrians handle to combat again sufficient zombies to let Daryl, carrying Judith, escape down an alley, however the episode ends with the remainder of them swarmed.
I don’t know how they’re going to get out of this, and I like that. I’m certain the reply will likely be foolish or require a bit retcon, however I like feeling that these characters—particularly Judith—are in precise hazard, even when they most likely aren’t. I like that Lydia obtained bit by a zombie, as a result of it makes me really feel someplace in my dumb, TV-watching lizard mind, that different characters may get eaten. I like that the Variant zombies turned what was a nasty however contained state of affairs into an all-out catastrophe, proving they’re way more harmful than the zombies we’ve been anticipating over a decade, even when they want a bit luck on their facet. I like not understanding precisely what’s going to occur subsequent.
Test that—I’m appreciative of all of this. The episode wasn’t so nice that I wasn’t questioning how Pam controls half of the Commonwealth military with out Mercer one way or the other understanding something about it, or how she has troops who’re fully and uniformly high-quality with main 1000’s of zombies to their hometown at her bidding, or why, once more, she simply doesn’t lie and inform folks a zombie herd’s been noticed so martial regulation must be instated as a substitute of genuinely bringing zombies to their entrance gate—a gate that’s far sufficient away from city, as we see tonight, that it’s extremely unlikely any civilian would ever discover out if the risk was actual or not. It’s pointless, Pam. Do some streamlining!
Nonetheless, my solely actual criticism about “Household” is that this episode ought to have aired weeks in the past, or at the least an episode prefer it. If I hadn’t spent so, so, so lengthy watching and recapping this present, I’d truthfully be a bit bummed there was just one extra episode to go. However since The Strolling Lifeless was content material to spin its wheels for a lot of the earlier six episodes, I’m content material there’s just one extra hour to go. I solely hope it’s pretty much as good as this one.
Assorted Musings:
- Oh, I used to be aggravated when Mercer talked about having authorized grounds to take away Pamela from workplace. Look, guys, both the Commonwealth has a working authorized system you should utilize to lawfully vote out the dangerous wealthy girl or you’ll be able to stage an armed coup, however not each. Decide a lane.
- I discovered it delightfully creepy when Aaron and the others have been whispering to one another within the zombie horde in order to not be detected. Whisperer tech, man—they have been loopy, however they knew what they have been doing.
- Talking of, one other Commonwealth Jeep bites the mud off-screen. Did the price range for this closing season shrink, or…?
- Boy, certain looks as if Jerry’s gonna die, proper? Aaron and Lydia—even Jerry himself—made it sound like the ultimate time they have been ever going to see one another. Jerry even says, “See you on the opposite facet.” However the cause he’s going is to assist Elijah, Luke, and Jules, who’re both useless, captured, or nonetheless trapped hiding within the horde, and a single particular person couldn’t assist them in any of these three conditions.
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