Walking Dead Reviews – Simon’s Incoherent Blog

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – Episode 6 – The Last Time

“Love doesn’t die. LOVE… DOESN’T… DIE!”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Well, that’s over. A plotline that’s been six years in the making, stretching across no fewer than four TV series, with details eked out crumb by crumb, has finally come to an end. Was it a satisfying one?

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – Episode 5 – Become

“Protect the people from the people.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After last week’s (admittedly well-written) two-hander saw Rick and Michonne solving all their relationship difficulties in the most effective day of couples counselling the world has ever seen, this week saw them going on honeymoon.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – Episode 4 – What We

“I don’t like who you are with them. What they make you. It isn’t you.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Well, contrary to my expectations after last week’s Big Cliffhanger, Rick and Michonne didn’t have parachutes after all. Luckily for them, they were over water when Michonne dragged them both out of the helicopter. Even more luckily, there was a handy luxury condominium nearby, which still had power, supplies, and a nice clean bed for our heroes to, er, reconnect.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – Episode 3 – Bye

“You didn’t threaten me, or the people I loved, when I was trying to get away before.”
“That’s because I knew you couldn’t.”
“So what’s changed?”
“You two together? You can do anything.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Well, all the pieces are finally in place, and now the true plot of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live can finally get going. Yes, it’s been fun and all catching up with how Rick and Michonne got back together, and we’ve had the setup of the Civic Republic and its totalitarian military. But what we really want to know is: how are Rick and Michonne going to win?

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – Episode 2 – Gone

“My name is Michonne. I lost someone. Years ago. But I just found out that he might… I just found out that he’s alive.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

As expected, after last week’s focus on Rick, this second instalment of The Ones Who Live was a Michonne-centric episode, catching us up on how the other half of TWD’s power couple found herself confronting her long lost beloved in the aftermath of shooting down his CRM helicopter.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – Episode 1 – Years

“We don’t die. We’re the ones who live.” – Michonne, The Walking Dead season 8

(SPOILER WARNING!)

I used to love The Walking Dead.

Sure, it had a shaky start. A fairly assured first season of an economic six episodes was followed by a draggy second of thirteen, in which the characters stood around arguing on a farm and occasionally a zombie showed up. But by the third and fourth seasons, with the group ensconced in the prison and at war with David Morrissey’s charismatic Governor, the show had truly found its feet and was compulsive viewing.

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 8 – Evolution

“You are where you do not belong.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After last week’s rather dreary talkathon, this week The Walking Dead limped to its mid-season finale with at least a little more pace. Though, it has to be said, this was still a pretty slow and uninteresting affair, only enlivened by some last minute Walker/Whisperer shenanigans that slightly advanced the plot.

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 7 – Stradivarius

“They came together as an answer to defeat.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

The Walkers may be learning to talk, but it’ll be a while before they’re as talky as this episode was. Written by Vivian Tse and directed by former cast member Michael Cudlitz (Abraham), this was intended as a character piece; but with comparatively little plot advancement or Walker action, it seemed more like a post-apocalyptic soap opera than anything else.

The Walking Dead: Season 9, episode 6 – Who are You Now?

“Weeks, months, even years go by while you try to make sense of it all.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Last time, I wondered if the loss of the character who’s been the lead since the beginning (and still is in the comics) would make a whole new show of The Walking Dead. It certainly had that potential, for the show to diverge more thoroughly from its source material than before, and become its own, more unpredictable story.

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 5 – What Comes After

“You need to wake up.”
“What’s your wound?”
“I need to find my family”.

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Well that was a bit of a game changer. I’m still not all that sure it was a great episode, but The Walking Dead is not going to be the same after this one. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 5 – What Comes After”