The Walking Dead – No Way Out

By starrymag | February 15, 2016

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

Alright, now that we’ve all had a chance to watch probably one of the most insane episodes of “The Walking Dead” ever…are we all alright? Are we ready to talk about what just happened?

 

I know I wasn’t to begin with. In fact, mid-episode I actually had to go grab myself a glass of wine to calm my nerves, which were completely obliterated by the end of this episode.

 

But, here we are and there’s sooooo much to talk about, so let’s begin.

 

“Your property now belongs to Negan.”

 

First off, we start with Daryl, Sasha and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) coming across Negan’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) group. This is the first mention of Negan….who we will meet later on in the season.

 

We never learn their names, only that they’re ready to disarm the team and dominate in the only way they know how: killing a few of our favorites. (This group obviously knows that this would cause a riot, right?) Abraham tries to question them, it backfires. Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Greene) caters to their dominant nature, which backfires, too. And then comes Daryl (Norman Reedus) with the rocket launcher, taking out Negan’s henchmen. So the episode literally started off….with a big bang!

(Of course, I couldn’t stop using the hashtag #DarylIsBack while I was tweeting. It’s about time we see some of the old Daryl back in action! He looks like he’s out for blood now.)

 

Meanwhile in Alexandria…..

 

Last we left Rick & Co., they were navigating their way through the town to come up with a plan of action in saving everyone else. There were groups scattered in homes all over the town, huddling together trying to determine the next course of action.

 

The Wolf who kidnapped Denise grappled with his inhumanity a little and had a potential change of heart to the good side a little too late…this time, Morgan (Lennie James) took care of business.  With Denise (Merritt Wever) free, she manages to get to the Infirmary safe and sound. Her presence there is key in this episode.

 

Carol (Melissa McBride) nd Morgan grapple with their clashing personalities, even though both have lost their spouse and their child. So similar, yet so different. We witness two individuals who have experienced profound loss but ventured different paths to redemption. (I honestly hope they develop this relationship more because the Carol/Morgan dynamic really brings out some of the biggest feels.)

 

And of course, we witness the demise of Sam, Jessie and Ron.

 

(Not sorry to admit that I was waiting for the demise of Sam, but did not anticipate Jessie following suit.)

 

Rick’s Choice is an ‘eye-opener’

 

With Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) yielding a death-grip on Carl’s hand while becoming a walker meal, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) makes the decision to save his son by taking off Jessie’s hand….and in turn Ron finally shows his true colors when he pulls a gun on Rick for his choice. The end result proves to be bittersweet: Michonne (Danai Gurira) takes out Ron via samurai sword, but not without him getting in a clean shot….to Carl’s eye. The fight to the infirmary to save him begins now. (I almost woke up the neighborhood with how loud I screamed at my television!) But we’ll get back to Carl (Chandler Riggs) in a bit.

 

“And hell, this is a story people are going to tell.”

 

Eugene’s character finally shows a little less naiveté and a bit more backbone this season, understanding that while Alexandria is currently under walker rule, he’ll need to fight to survive. Rosita (Christian Serratos) thinks differently, as she doesn’t believe Eugene is strong enough to handle himself when it comes down to the wire.

 

Yet Eugene (Josh McDermitt) is one of the many Alexandrians who comes to the aid of Rick when the possibility of losing Carl brings back our favorite character: Scary Rick.

 

“Let’s get Maggie.”

 

Last we saw Glenn and Enid, both were right outside the walls of Alexandria as the walkers meandered on in. With Maggie in a compromised structure fighting to stay up, Glenn (Steven Yeun) pleads with Enid(Katelyn Nacon) to stay safe while Enid is more concerned with making sure Glenn has backup. We all know that Glenn loses this battle. (Apparently, he has a soft spot for the ladies and their determination.)

 

In the end, Glenn and Enid go off together to rescue Mrs. Rhee and their plan works…but not without giving me heart palpitations first. Maggie and Enid get a front-row seat as Glenn fights off an onslaught of walkers alone and almost dies in front of Maggie’s eyes….when Sasha and Abraham come to the rescue. (Finally!)

 

“God will save Alexandria, because God has given us the courage to save it ourselves.”

 

If there was ever a moment to finally start liking Father Gabriel, this moment would be it. With Carl in the infirmary fighting for his life, Rick’s rampage of slaughtering the walkers inspires other Alexandrians to finally stop hiding and start fighting.

 

First comes Rick, followed by Michonne, Heath, Aaron, and Spencer. Once the other Alexandrians see the camaraderie, they’re in the thick of it. Olivia (Ann Mahoney) and Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson) make their way to the battle. Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) steps in. Carol, Morgan, Rosita, Tara and Eugene jump right into the fray without a second thought.

 

We see this montage of townsfolk slaughtering walker after walker in spectacular fluidity and Alexandrians finally showing the strength that Rick has been hoping to see: the innate need to defend their home at all costs. (Not going to lie, it brought me to tears in the best way possible.)

 

They fell in to a burning lake of fire….

 

As the fight for Alexandria ensues, the crew finally comes all together as Daryl, Sasha and Abraham have now returned to help their family in this epic battle. To do that, Daryl gets to put that rocket launcher to use once more, creating a watery inferno to help draw the walkers away.

 

And it works! While the walkers are distracted, Rick and the Alexandrians decimate the walker count. By the end of the battle, the remaining walls are holding, the smoke starts to clear and the townspeople prevailed.

 

“I want to show you the new world, Carl.”

 

With the battle over, Rick can finally be at Carl’s bedside as he lays comatose. This would be the second time we see Rick at the bedside of his son, the first time in Season Two when Carl was shot accidentally by Otis.

Rick, vulnerable and not as blinded by rage now, clings to the hope that Carl will wake up. Because Rick has hope now. He sees what the community is capable of as he fought side by side with them, witnessing their drive to live and thrive together. He finally sees the potential and wants that for Carl.

 

And while there were so many horrific moments granted to us this episode, it ended on the most hopeful note of all: Carl squeezes his father’s hand in assurance.

 

My Final Verdict:

 

By far, this may be one of the best returns to “The Walking Dead” that I have experienced! I laughed, I cried and I found myself ready to pull my hair out at the intensity crammed into sixty minutes. I’m sure many of you who watched were in that boat with me. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I won’t be able to fully process last night’s episode until next month.

 

But we’re still here….and that was a fitting start to the second half of Season 6. Well done!

 

Stay tuned next week as it looks like we will be ready to go on what looks like ‘Rick and Daryl’s Excellent Adventure!’