If you would like to read our review of last episode of The Walking Dead, click here.
Synopsis: Rick’s vision of a civilized future is threatened by a sudden reckoning with past sins that remain unavenged and unforgiven. (IMDB)
Writer: Matthew Negrete
Director: Greg Nicotero
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 45mins
Airs: Sundays at 9pm on AMC (Canada/United States)
Rick now gets to ride into the sunset.
The episode starts with an older risk trying to get his Season 1 self to wake up. He does and pulls himself off the rebar that was impaling him before scouring away on his horse away from the Walkers. As he fought to stay awake, he was hounded by memories. Rick stopped at a nearby, bullet-ridden cabin where he tended to himself until he fainted. Rick eventually got to a cop car where Shane was inside. They talked about Judith and the moment where Rick killed him. Shane approved of badass Rick and wanted him to find that again. Then Shane turned into a Walker and Rick was back fighting them in the cabin before he lead them away once again.
Michonne was back home and was informed of Maggie’s arrival. She wanted Negan but Michonne stood in her way. They had much different views on what killing Negan meant. Neither Michonne of Maggie couldn’t think of something else to do or say about it. Maggie couldn’t live with not doing anything so Michonne gave her the key to get inside. Negan played with her as she asked him to get on his knees. She wanted to see him in the light as he begged Maggie to kill him so he could be with his wife and family. He couldn’t be how he was anymore. Ultimately, Maggie wanted to kill Negan but he was already worse than dead. He went back into his cell and Maggie left. Both she and Michonne were informed of what was happening at the camp.
After Rick fainted on his horse, he was back at Herschel’s farm. Rick was sorry. He’s been looking for his family but he wasn’t going to find them in the afterlife. After going back to the Walkers for a second, Rick was wandering the halls of a hospital and opened a door and walked through a light and into a field of countless dead bodies (including a few familiar ones). Sasha was there to tell him that it was okay. They all did their part. It wasn’t over and he still had a long way to go.
Rick woke up at a now deserted camp. He quickly found his trusty gun to defend himself until a lot more Walkers showed up. He led them on foot back to the bridge where Daryl and the others showed up to save the day. Michonne gave him an inspirational speech. Rick didn’t believe any of it was real and he was right. He eventually led the Walkers the unrepaired part of the bridge but it held. Then everyone else showed up for real. Realizing what Rick was doing, the others were focused on saving Rick but there were a lot of Walkers. They still tried, however, Rick exploded the bridge and himself in the process. Everyone was sad.
Meanwhile, Anne is trying to start an motorhome that broke down. She told a voice on her walkie that she had her “A”. She saw the explosion and then a helicopter came. Rick washed up onto shore. She told the voice on her walkie that she had a “B’, a strong person who saved her. Anne and the voice still had a deal. She and Rick were then taken away on the helicopter. Meanwhile, another group of strangers were fighting off Walkers. They were surrounded until they were saved by a young girl with a gun who was named Judith Grimes so there’s a flashforward I suppose.
Overall, this otherwise good episode was a good send off for Rick which ultimately undoes everything that has happened this season so far, ending with the destruction of the bridge, the thing that had single handedly defined his hold on the communities. Besides Maggie’s powerful scene with Negan, the rest of the episode was just super contrived fan service where Rick miraculously stayed alive alone against more Walkers than most episodes to interact with Shane, Herschel. and Sasha with the ultimate goal to get him to think about the others and sacrifice himself until he didn’t. It was clear that he wasn’t going to really die. They can’t possibly kill Rick in case they have to use him for god knows what else. The time jump at the end was an interesting choice. They kind of have to do something different now. It will be interesting to see where the series goes. It has already lost a lot of viewers since the beginning of the season so maybe Rick being gone will be the final nail in its coffin. Regardless I will continue to watch it begrudgingly.
Score: 8/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.