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| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
The
Walking Dead
Season
8, Episode 5
By Garrett Yoshitomi
The
first three episodes of The Walking Dead’s new season did something that
we’ve rarely seen during the show’s eight-year run. Each of these episodes jumped
around between different characters and settings, rather than dedicate
themselves entirely to a singular storyline. And, while these episodes weren’t
perfect, they certainly felt more dynamic compared to past seasons. Each week,
we got a good feel for what was going on with Rick and Daryl; Jesus, Tara, and
Morgan; and Carol and Ezekiel. Their plots didn’t move forward as quickly as
they would have if they were allotted a full hour of screen time, but the
important thing is that we got to enjoy all of these characters in bits and pieces,
for three straight weeks, as their storylines gradually inched forward.
However,
despite this recent incorporation of multi-storyline episodes, there was one
dangling loose end that had been entirely forgotten for almost a month. What
happened to Negan? If you’ll remember, the season premiere ended with Negan and
Father Gabriel (sans his shitting pants) trapped in an RV, surrounded by
walkers. The next three episodes then went on to completely ignore this
relatively major cliffhanger, leading into this week’s ‘The Big Scary U,’ which
picks things up as if no time has passed, at all. At this point, you pretty
much just have to accept that this is the kind of show The Walking Dead is. For whatever reason, whether it be budgetary
or creative, the writers just can't figure out a way to explore some of its
characters, without abandoning the rest, for weeks at a time.
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| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
At
the very least, ‘The Big Scary U’ is a good episode, and makes the wait to find
out what happens, between Negan and Gabriel, almost worth it. We’ve got about a
season and a half worth of data, and I think it’s pretty safe to say that The Walking Dead is a much better show when
Negan is onscreen. And, it’s not just the contagious charisma that Jeffrey Dean
Morgan brings to the character. Negan is unique- the lone #RedMachete in a show
full of pocket knives. When it seems like every other week, another main
character is hemming and hawing over what to do, and how comfortable they are
doing it, Negan slices through decisions like a hot knife through butter. It’s
this calm, yet unsettling, sense of confidence Negan exudes that almost gets us
siding with this leather jacket-wearing megalomaniac, when he talks about his twisted,
tyrannical new world order.
Was
it really Rick who got Glenn and
Abraham killed, while Negan merely killed them? (I guess Rick’s group did
attack the Saviors first.) Are people really just resources? (It sounds harsh,
but maybe in an even harsher world like the zombie apocalypse, a more
practical, utilitarian approach needs to be adopted for the sake of survival.) These
are all thoughts that briefly ran through my head, as Negan and Gabriel bantered.
And, although, these thoughts disappeared as quickly as they arrived (No,
Negan, the one bashing people’s brains in with a baseball bat, in order to
instill fear and obedience, is obviously the asshole; and, people are a
resource, but they’re also, you know, people.), Negan, and his world view, definitely
challenged my thinking more than any "This World is Ours" speech that Rick’s ever given.
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| (Photo Credit: Image Comics) |
In
addition to these insights into Negan’s psyche, we also get a few hints about
his pre-outbreak life sprinkled throughout this episode. This background
information is taken directly from “Here’s Negan,” a standalone volume of The Walking Dead that explores Negan’s
life leading up to, and during the early days of, the zombie apocalypse. It
would have been quite enjoyable to see Negan’s backstory fleshed out through
actual flashbacks. The Walking Dead,
in general, shies away from using flashbacks, but I think Negan is one of the
few characters who has an interesting enough origin to warrant an exception to
this trend.
The
exclusive focus this episode puts on the Sanctuary means that we also get a
behind the scenes look at the Saviors. Specifically, Negan’s “small council” plays
a prominent role, and features a handful of high-ranking Saviors, most of whom we’re
already familiar with. Simon, Dwight, Gavin, newcomer Regina, and even Eugene
round out the ranks of Negan’s inner circle; and it’s fun to see this group
attempt to navigate their current predicament, without Negan. Somewhat
surprisingly, they all manage to do a pretty good job of listening to each
other’s ideas, considering the pros and cons of each plan. What’s more
impressive, probably, is the fact that they manage to do all of this while only
threatening Eugene’s life once. Speaking of Eugene, he’s inadvertently thrust
into quite the pickle when Gavin (correctly) deduces that the attack on the
Sanctuary would have required at least one Savior on the inside helping out
Rick. Now, we know that Eugene’s not the mole, Eugene knows he’s not the mole,
but to everybody else, he’s a pretty likely suspect. This cat and mouse game
should serve as an entertaining subplot, and will function nicely in giving
more screen time to Eugene, a character that usually manages to make the most of
whatever screen time he’s given.
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| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
Five
episodes into season eight, and it’s finally starting to become clear what Rick’s
plan is. The elaborate ploy to lead a massive herd of walkers straight into the
heart of the Sanctuary wasn’t meant to wipe the Saviors completely off the map,
but rather to keep them confined to the Sanctuary, and to cut-off all supply
lines and outside help, in the hopes of potentially negotiating a more peaceful
surrender. Rick seems to have regained some of that compassion that’s often waivered
throughout the more recent seasons. He seems to genuinely care about the Savior
workers, who pledge allegiance to Negan out of fear, rather than a real sense
of loyalty. This stroke of kindness is already starting to cause strife within
the group, and it’s incredibly likely that more characters, like Daryl, will
try to protest in some way. The real question is, how will fans feel? Will they
throw themselves behind Daryl and his quest for vengeance? (Probably) Or, will they
see the value in Rick’s plan of trying to “save” as many of the Saviors’
working class, as possible. Only time, (but hopefully not too much time), will
tell.
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