Walking Dead Recap: Family (Season 11, Episode 23)

In final week’s recap, I wrote the next: “Do you ever feel tense when watching The Walking Dead anymore? Does the TV show ever truly surprise you anymore? I’m pretty sure it’s been quite a while since TWD made me feel like a character was in real danger or did anything that made me wonder what was going to happen next.” 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 Walking Dead can be the collection finale, you’d have each proper to really feel it’s a lot too little, and much too late. But I’m grateful the present has lastly began to really feel a bit like a collection finale versus enterprise as traditional. When “Family” begins, Alexandria has been utterly liberated from the occupying Commonwealth forces after final week’s episode—which you would possibly suppose might make for an fascinating 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 practice, and head to the Commonwealth to rescue their children and take Pam out.

Before, throughout, and after their practice trip, characters have emotionally significant conversations which can be simply restating the plot or recreating the identical outdated character beats. Judith has an incredible argument for being allowed to affix the assault to honor her father Rick, her mom Michonne, her brother Carl, and even her delivery mom Lori, who she by no means bought to fulfill, and assist make sure the peaceable, higher future that they envisioned (…among the time). Later, Daryl guarantees to inform her “all the stories about everyone who ever loved you,” which bought me fairly good. Negan confesses to Ezekiel that he’s properly conscious that everybody he’s driving with is a greater particular person than he’s, and if Ezekiel can’t see that, properly, somebody’s not been paying consideration.

Perhaps the perfect line in “Family” comes off the practice. As 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 will enter. Lydia tries to drag her boyfriend Elijah in, however solely manages to get chomped on the wrist by a zombie. Yes, a zombie truly bit one of many protagonists! Of course, she should have her arm slashed off to keep away from changing into a zombie herself—one thing Aaron is uniquely suited to cope with, because the similar factor occurred to him. But as an alternative, Jerry does the slashing, whereas Aaron comforts her. Just earlier than the blade got here down, Aaron empathetically tells her, “You are so loved, Lydia.” It’s lovely, and I’m unsure it’s true, but it surely’s a beautiful second nonetheless.

Inside the Commonwealth, the individuals are justifiably offended at Governor Pam, so she requires a “B17”—i.e., having troops lead a large horde of zombies to the town’s entrance gates so she will justify a city-wide lockdown. Unfortunately, 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 unhealthy information for everyone however the viewers: The Variants got here again! They had a significant affect 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 practice and tells him the plan, so Mercer pulls his troops from the practice station Team Alexandria can be sneaking into. Unfortunately, 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 cute Judith to push her out of the best way and get shot as an alternative. Judith’s down! Prepare 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 baby, screaming to the Alexandrians, “You did this!” to divert the blame. Pam escapes, solely to be told that big herd of zombies is coming to city. She directs the Commontroopers to direct the zombies to the “Lower Wards,” aka the poor a part of city, and shield the “Estates,” i.e., the rich of us’ properties. It’s essentially 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.

However, Vickers at the very 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 do not know how they’re going to get out of this, and I really like that. I’m certain the reply can be foolish or require slightly retcon, however I really like feeling that these characters—particularly Judith—are in precise hazard, even when they most likely aren’t. I really like that Lydia bought bit by a zombie, as a result of it makes me really feel someplace in my dumb, TV-watching lizard mind, that different characters can also get eaten. I really like that the Variant zombies turned what was a foul however contained state of affairs into an all-out catastrophe, proving they’re way more harmful than the zombies we’ve been waiting for over a decade, even when they want slightly luck on their facet. I really like not realizing precisely what’s going to occur subsequent.

Check 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 realizing something about it, or how she has troops who’re utterly and uniformly advantageous with main hundreds 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 legislation must be instated as an alternative 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!

Still, my solely actual grievance about “Family” is that this episode ought to have aired weeks in the past, or at the very least an episode prefer it. If I hadn’t spent so, so, so lengthy watching and recapping this present, I’d actually be slightly bummed there was just one extra episode to go. But since The Walking Dead 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 unhealthy wealthy woman or you may stage an armed coup, however not each. Pick a lane.
• I discovered it delightfully creepy when Aaron and the others had been whispering to one another within the zombie horde in order to not be detected. Whisperer tech, man—they had been loopy, however they knew what they had been doing.
• Speaking of, one other Commonwealth Jeep bites the mud off-screen. Did the funds 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 had been ever going to see one another. Jerry even says, “See you on the other side.” But the explanation 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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