Hello my friends! Welcome to another episode of “What The Walking Dead”! This is our first episode without our hero, Rick Grimes. Like all of you, I have been skeptical about what the show will be like going forward. I am proud to say that this show has only continued to improve with each episode. I absolutely loved this week’s episode, even though it was set six years after the disappearance of Rick Grimes. So grab your wigs, we have a lot to talk about!
Six Years Later
Six years after Rick Grimes blew up that bridge, life continues to move. The communities appear to be moving forward peacefully but separately. Michonne likely went through the most change as she continues to serve as a leader in her community. She has grown tougher, yet still has her eyes on peace and security. Under her care, she has Judith Grimes now all grown up as well as a child i am guessing she had with Rick during this time jump. Carol is now the unofficial queen of “The Kingdom” as she is married to Ezekiel and serves as grown-up Henry’s mother. Father Gabriel is now in a relationship with Rosita. Daryl appears to be living as a hermit in the woods, but that is still to be determined. Even Eugene is starting to man up a little bit and took care of that awful mullet. Things have really changed.
Yet, I am still very in love with this idea because it all makes sense. The creative team really stayed true to each of these characters and how they would deal with their own traumatic experiences. So I am very excited to see what life is like for each of these characters including the ones we maybe didn’t love before the time-jump. In a way we have a chance to get know to know veteran characters all over again. Proven by her little fire scene which we will talk about later, as long as Carol is still a bad-ass then I am happy.
Who The Hell Are You?
Judith Grimes is now grown up and living up to her nickname of “Little Ass-Kicker”. On one of her little adventures she found a group of new people and convinced everyone to bring them back to Alexandria. In this new group we have Magna, the leader of this little group played by Nadia Hilker. She is clearly a bad-ass and I’m sure will be one of my new favorite characters. Then we have Luke who is played Dan Fogler . You may recognize Dan from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Eleanor Matsuura is playing Yumiko.
Then lastly we have two characters I am very excited to watch. Kelly is being played by Angel Theory, who is actually hard of hearing in real life. Then we have Tony nominated actress Lauren Ridloff who plays Connie. Lauren is actually deaf in real life and uses ASL to communicate in the show and real life. I love the fact that The Walking Dead is using these two actresses to serve as real representation for the deaf/hard of hearing community. These actresses have incredible stories and I am very excited to have them be apart of this show!
Watch Your Back
Ah, my dear Carol. Carol may have a new wig, but she is still the same terminator on the inside. This of course was one of my favorite scenes in this episode. Carol and Henry are on their way to… well somewhere? In that time, Carol ends up cornered by those punk-ass Saviors that shot up the campsite six years ago. They basically mug the two and spare their lives since Carol spared theirs all those years ago. Henry kind of makes Carol feel guilty for just letting them go. So in the middle of the night, Carol sneaks back to their camp and sets all of them on fire. Wow. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. Do not mess with Carol. Carol can kick anyone’s ass in this show if she wanted to so stay back. Yes, I have been made aware that Carol does not survive The Walking Dead comics. However I hope the show will consider keeping Carol on this show for as long as Melissa McBride so chooses because Carol just represents so much and has continually smashed the glass ceiling. Do not kill Carol!
Uh, What Was That?
The biggest scare of the episode has to do with the Walkers who are now… talking. When Rosita and Eugene are hiding in the mud, you hear one of the Walkers whisper,
“Don’t let them get away”. This scared me to the core. The idea of these Walkers somehow evolving is a pretty terrible fact. But then I realized this plot is likely one coming straight from the comic book series. I realize many of us, including me, do not read the comic series so I do not want to give anything away. But this is going to be very fun yet scary plot that will play out really well on television. Like we have seen before, the show does not always walk alongside the comic so we will have to see how this plays out. Until we get some more information, be afraid. Be very afraid.
In Summation
Carol’s little fire scene snatched my wig, and put it on her head and I am content. Michonne’s heartbreak is very believable and very interesting to watch especially for those who know what it’s like to lose someone you love. Judith Grimes walking around the house with Rick’s revolver is exactly the way I hoped her story-line will move forward when she was born. Father Gabriel gets around faster than Sidney Stokes and myself at a drag queen convention. This new girl Magna, (not to be confused with MAGA), is uh… well very beautiful and talented. So Jadis was literally just erased from the show like she never existed? If zombies can talk in complete sentences then there is really no excuse for Trump’s pathetic ramblings. Did I mention that Carol is a bad-ass?
Well this was such a good episode! I am so happy. We only have two more episodes this year before we go on a mid-season break. Everyone prepare as I have a feeling the show is only getting better from here. Thank you all for reading with me and I can’t wait to hear from you next week! Enjoy a preview of next week’s episode below.
