Guys, I Think The Walking Dead Might Be Losing It

When it was introduced The Walking Dead’s eleventh season would even be its final, I assumed the present would get itself collectively to finish the zombie sequence with a bang, one thing to rekindle the curiosity of the tens of millions of viewers that used to look at the present. Instead, I do not know what it’s doing, and I don’t suppose The Walking Dead does, both.

First, there was final week’s out-of-nowhere, wholly uncharacteristic second of loathsomeness courtesy of Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) on-the-road anecdote. The third episode of season 11, “Hunted,” is an enchancment in that it’s solely wall-to-wall confusion with a wealthy vein of hypocrisy. It’s not dangerous, per se, however it’s baffling. Let’s ignore the 2 tiny scenes of the Walking Dead Kids Klub, the place they play video games and get unhappy their mother and father are continuously leaving them. We could make the briefest point out of Carol (Melissa McBride), Magna (Nadia Hilker), Kelly (Angel Theory), and Rosita’s (Christian Serratos) try to catch a number of the horses that escaped Alexandria throughout Beta’s assault, as a result of a hilariously majestic scene of horses working throughout a beautiful sundown is adopted by a forlorn Carol slitting one of many horses’ throats. You know, simply in case you’d in some way forgotten folks on The Walking Dead aren’t allowed to have good issues (for lengthy, anyway).

The solely story that issues is the Reapers’ assault on Maggie’s group, which started within the remaining seconds of final week’s episode. The Reapers appear to combat through Looney Tunes guidelines, the place they’ll pop up or drop down from anyplace, even when spatially, Maggie, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), ought to have seen them coming from a mile away. Gabriel and Alden (Callan McAuliffe) get wounded, Negan runs off, a number of the Red Shirts die, all whereas Maggie is in a combat for her life that ends when everybody simply…disappears. Even the lifeless individuals are gone. It’s so weird I assumed it was a dream sequence. But that’s not the case! Maggie escapes to a division retailer/artists’ loft/storage/someplace which appears to have been deserted lengthy earlier than the zombie apocalypse began.

Here’s the place “Hunted” is finest, as Maggie tries to creep by means of the darkish constructing unnoticed whereas a Reaper stalks her, often bursting out of the darkness for brief however immensely satisfying combat scenes. At one level, Maggie pushes the Reaper over a banister, down a stairwell, and she or he simply stares down into the darkish. Then you hear faint footsteps that get more and more louder, quicker, and nearer, and Maggie simply bolts. It’s one of the crucial successfully scary Walking Dead moments in current reminiscence. Eventually, the Reaper will get the higher of her however Negan fortunately pops out of nowhere to avoid wasting her. Together, they discover the very wounded Alden and a few Maggie’s Meridian buddies who rapidly chew the mud. Since Alden can barely hobble and it’s getting darkish, the trio takes refuge in a small church the place they make the arduous, painful resolution that Alden has to remain behind so Maggie and Negan can procure the badly wanted meals provide at Maggie’s previous colony Meridian for Alexandria. That’s all properly and good, however after we study the episode’s particulars, they don’t add up. At all.

Example #1: Negan—After Maggie and Negan discover Alden, Negan says they need to journey again to Alexandria as a result of Alden’s extraordinarily wounded and so they’re being chased by murderous assholes. Maggie is unsurprisingly in opposition to this concept, as she is of all Negan’s concepts. Negan responds emotionally and wearily, “I am on your side, Maggie.” This to a girl he actually left for lifeless within the season premiere. But in “Hunted” he saves her, after which the episode ends with Negan smirking menacingly at her whereas holding a blood-covered crowbar.

Example #2: Gabriel—The wounded Father Gabriel repeats a prayer as he painfully pulls out the knife that pierced his hand and his leg. As he walks away, he comes throughout a wounded Reaper additionally saying a prayer. He asks if Gabriel, being a priest, would bless him earlier than he dies. Gabriel’s response is, and I quote, “God isn’t here anymore,” proper earlier than he stabs the Reaper within the head. So, Gabe, who precisely had been you praying to about 10 minutes in the past?

Example #3: Maggie—While agonizing over the choice of whether or not to depart Alden behind or not, Maggie yells at Negan that he’s “not allowed to decide who lives or who dies anymore.” She says this like the thought of holding the ability of life or demise over folks is a nasty factor, as you’d suppose…on another present however The Walking Dead. Rick Grimes was continuously deciding who wanted to be killed, and Carol issued Alpha her demise sentence. Hell, Gabriel simply determined the Reaper needed to die by his hand, relatively than of pure causes (more than likely zombie mastication). That was arguably a sensible resolution on Gabriel’s half, however in simply final week’s episode, Maggie herself determined to look at her teammate Gage die relatively than try to avoid wasting him.

And by the way in which, when her different Meridian pal Agatha will get chomped and swarmed by zombies in “Hunted,” Negan has to drag Maggie from uselessly working right into a deathtrap to avoid wasting an contaminated girl that might have, at most, a day to dwell if rescued. The solely manner this makes somewhat sense is that if when Maggie says, “You’re not allowed to decide who lives or who dies anymore” she means it’s as a result of she now will get to determine, but when that’s the case, she’s making some very hypocritical choices. I don’t know, guys! It feels just like the writers of the Walking Dead have both utterly stopped caring about following a plot or have in some way misplaced their short-term reminiscence. On the plus facet, I’ll take a complicated, contradictory episode over one which disgusts me any day of the week. Tune in subsequent week, when The Walking Dead turns right into a romantic comedy or one thing, I assume.

Assorted Musings:

• I do not know concerning the extraordinarily burnt zombie who was strung up on a cross that had an indication labeled “JUDAS” on it, however it was a improbable zombie impact. I anticipated his jaw to fall off any second.
• Li’l Herschel introduces Judith, C.R., and Aaron’s daughter Gracie to the enjoyable world of insect delicacies. The different children aren’t enthused about it, however they’re clearly open to the thought, which makes me suppose they’ve gone hungry typically sufficient that they know they shouldn’t flip down any potential supply of meals, which is extraordinarily miserable.
• Kelly is a Horse Whisperer. Don’t fear about it.
• Rosita believes Abraham, who died again in season seven, is attempting to ship her a message by means of her desires. We ought to most likely fear about this.
• Carol is meant to work on the wall, however as a substitute sleeps in and decides to go catch horses as a substitute—even when Aaron confronts her about it. Later, Magna asks Carol to please cease giving Kelly hope that her sister Connie is alive. The subsequent day (possibly even the identical day?) Carol grabs Kelly for one more Connie hunt proper in entrance of Magna. Carol, there’s a distinction between being self-destructive and being an enormous asshole, and also you’re undoubtedly on the obnoxious facet.
• On that be aware, Carol lower that horse’s throat for a purpose, proper? That I simply missed? …proper?

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