For our review of last episode of The Walking Dead, click here.
Synopsis: In the aftermath of an overwhelming loss, the communities must brave a ferocious blizzard; as one group deals with an enemy from within, another is forced to make a life or death decision. (IMDB)
Writers: Angela Kang and Matthew Negrete
Director: Greg Nicotero
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 46mins
Airs: Sundays at 9pm on AMC (Canada/United States)
Winter is coming.
The episode started with Ezekiel making a special emergency radio broadcast. The Kingdom needed help as winter and the cold was coming. The general mood was nowhere near what it was before as time had passed since the fair as he reminisced about Henry. Ezekiel and his people had to leave the Kingdom behind. Things were getting tense among the delegation as some were still not fond of Lydia. Meanwhile in Alexandria, they were running into heating issues. Concern immediately shifted to Negan who would inevitably freeze in his cell. Talk was to let him out.
While Ezekiel more or less told Daryl to back off of Carol over their loss of Henry (which garnered no response from Daryl), Lydia wandered off from the delegation. Lydia stumbled on a walker stuck in ice and was about to offer it her arm until Carol showed up. They were not going to make the next weigh station so they needed to find shelter overnight so they went to the Sanctuary. Meanwhile in Alexandria, Negan was let out and started to torment Gabriel while Judith was worried about Daryl’s dog. Negan did notice a smell that led to their fireplace exploding due to a blizzard destroying the fireplace’s ventilation system. Now they would all have to face the blizzard and cram into another house to stay warm.
In the Sanctuary, Carol confided in Daryl about how she thought she was losing herself (presumably after losing Henry). Ezekiel blamed Daryl because he couldn’t blame Carol. They had to find a new way which may or may not cross through ice but most notably, Alpha’s self-proclaimed territory. Some were apprehensive but they were not going to survive much longer and it may be the only chance they’ll have. So they set forth for the border and crossed it while the storm raged on. Meanwhile in Alexandria and during another raging storm, Judith heard Daryl’s dog and broke from their line. Negan chased after Judith.
The delegation encountered walkers through the blowing snow but they would be frozen stiff. As they reached the edge of a river, Lydia disappeared again and walkers were coming out of the snow. As a result, they would rush across the river. Carol found Lydia who did not want to go with them. She believed she would have to die to fix things and that Carol had to do it. Though Lydia pressured her, Carol didn’t go for it. Meanwhile, Negan’s search for Judith was successful despite getting injured, however, she was freezing so he gave her his coat.
The delegation got to Hilltop but Carol was leaving for Alexandria. Things were happy when Michonne and the others returned home to find Judith and RJ playing in the snow. Michonne thanked negan for saving Judith. She updated them on their happenings while he gave her some perspective. Meanwhile, Alpha talked about having made mistakes that she couldn’t make again and being strong for what had to happen next. Beta then whipped her.
Ezekiel spoke with Judith on the radio and after he left, another woman’s muffled voice could be heard (perhaps Maggie’s).
Overall, The Storm was a good finale of The Walking Dead that would end what was a tumultuous season on a good note. The episode did not feature too many walkers as it would be more character-centric. Things were not looking good for the survivors as they would be faced with harsh weather conditions for the first time in the series. The visuals in the episode or lack thereof were impressive to watch as were the snow walkers. This would only add to the tension as it was unclear whether the whispers (who were in the episode just enough) were watching as the survivors crossed through their territory. In the end, it would bring certain characters together while driving some apart as Michonne and Negan inevitably found some common ground while Lydia faced her own inner demons and Carol and Ezekiel grew apart as she would find herself slipping over losing Henry and Daryl getting in between them. The question now is, where do they go from here and who was the voice at the end?
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.