The Walking Dead: JSS (6x02)

Well. All I can say right now is... that wasn't what I was expecting. Last week, we were left with a cliffhanger, as a large horde of Walkers were heading toward Alexandria. And this week, we didn't pick up where we left off. Instead, we saw what's been going on at Alexandria, and... yikes! Let's jump right in.

Cons:

A lot of stuff was going on. Like, a lot. We didn't even check in with Rick, Glenn, Daryl, and everybody else outside of the community, and yet there were still too many characters to keep track of. Some characters got little tiny snippets that seemed like they were going to turn into stories, but there wasn't room. Maggie, for example, was trying to help Deanna heal from the death of her husband. That got interrupted. Father Gabriel is still trying to make amends, but doesn't seem to be getting very far. I have no problem with these plot threads, but they didn't have room to breathe in this episode.

Pros:

But that's only because the bulk of the episode was taken up with INTENSE ACTION OH MY GOD. I was sort of picturing the Alexandrians all sitting around waiting for Rick and the others to save them from the Walker horde. But that's not what happens. As everybody goes about their business, there's a sudden attack! The Wolves, a nomadic group of vicious human survivors that we met briefly last season, attack suddenly, and the rest of the episode is basically everybody scrambling to repel the horrific attack. There was so much awesome going on here. Amazing action sequences, some interesting character decisions, a few genuinely scary moments... it was non-stop amazing. Barely a second to breathe, which is pretty great.

First, let's talk about the action itself. The moment when the first Wolf appears is horrifically stunning. Carol is staring out the window at one of the other Alexandrian women, who is outside smoking. Suddenly, one of the Wolves shows up and just chops her down! With a machete! All of a freakin' sudden! That was awesome. I did a double take; I wasn't expecting it at all. There were lots of really intense moments here, like when Jessie brutally kills one of the Wolves in self-defense, and to protect her children, or Morgan's pacifist philosophy coming in conflict with the immediate situation. He took down several of the Wolves with his bad-ass staff.

Morgan and Carol, in fact, were responsible for Alexandria's victory. (At heavy cost, of course). I love the fact that they had such different strategies, but both of them had valid points. Morgan wanted to avoid killing, and Carol wanted to kill first and ask questions later. Morgan's reluctance to kill simply isn't practical - these Wolves are vicious, and they're trying to wipe them out. But Carol's violence might be going too far - it might have been smart to keep a few of the Wolves alive, to question them and find out more. In any case, they're both total bad-asses. Especially Carol. I was missing her brutal intensity lately, as she's been playing timid for the benefit of the Alexandrians. I guess her cover is blown now! I loved her disguise - at one point, she pulls the old Wookie prisoner trick, disguising herself as a Wolf with a bandana covering her face, and leading Morgan in chains. The tide is turned when Morgan and Carol manage to get to the armory, and pass out weapons to the remaining Alexandrians.

Another great thing about this episode is how it began. We finally get some background on Enid. She witnessed the death of her parents, as they were brutally torn apart by Walkers. She survives on her own, and eventually makes it to Alexandria. This explains some of her tough outer shell. Enid and Carl end up defending a house together, and Carl actually kills one of the Wolves. Enid leaves, however - leaving nothing but a note telling Carl to survive somehow. We'll have to see what happens next with this - I'm not convinced we've seen the end of Enid.

Ron, one of Jessie's two sons, is obviously still bitter about his father's death. He gets into a fight with his mother about it, but later witnesses Jessie brutally stabbing one of the Wolves. She may have been having flashbacks to all the times she let her husband beat her. I like this interesting family dynamic. How is Ron supposed to live peacefully in this town with the man who shot his father in the head? But how can Jessie not be grateful that Rick saved her? It's such a deliciously twisted situation. I'm excited to see what happens.

Aaron had a few little moments during the battle, but the most notable is that he sees the Wolves have his backpack. I think he's just come to the horrific realization that the Wolves found Alexandria because of him. We'll have to see how that plays out!

That's all I've got for now. This was a huge episode. A lot more impressive than last week's premiere, actually. I'll be really excited to see how the Walker horde fits in with the recent Wolf attack. Yikes! This season is starting off pretty darn intense.

p.s. - What's with the "JSS" thing? Did I miss something, or will we learn more about that later?

9.5/10