The Walking Dead: Bonds (10x06)

Things are happening, but they're happening slowly. That might as well be the slogan of The Walking Dead, if we're being honest about it!

Cons:

The thing about Carol behaving in a concerning manner is that it makes everyone else look like idiots. I could buy in to Daryl being fooled by her whole "recon" mission, if this were the first time Carol had acted a little unwisely. But she tried to shoot Alpha in the face, and she's been hallucinating. So the fact that Daryl is indulging her in such a dangerous activity is actually really annoying and makes him seem like a moron.

The creeping threat of an illness sweeping through Alexandria is a good one, but I thought Siddiq and Dante's little argument was pretty pointless. I wanted more from this, or I wanted it cut completely. Let's focus our Siddiq time on exploring his PTSD. We got some of that too, and it looks like we'll be getting more, but the spat with Dante felt like padding.

Also, I understand there's a big ensemble cast and all that, but does it feel annoying to anyone else that we didn't check in on Lydia this week? Sure, we're saving Michonne and Judith for later. That's fine. But Lydia... she's been through some crap. Is everyone in Alexandria just giving her a break for a while? It would make sense to check up on what she's up to.

Pros:

Negan and Beta together was actually really funny, and morbid, and tense, and great. Negan is known for being a loudmouth, and the "Whisperers" are called that for a reason, so there's an inherent tension in the setup itself. Beta puts Negan through trials to see if he's worthy of joining their group, at Alpha's insistence, but it's clear Beta doesn't want to give Negan a real chance. He leaves him to be killed by a part of the hoard. Negan, improbably, survives, and thus joins the Whisperers. This could actually be really good. Negan's motivations here are unclear. Is he really just looking for a group for protection? Does he still harbor any thoughts of loyalty to the memory of Carl Grimes, or think fondly about young Judith? Seeing someone like Negan kneeling at the feet of Alpha is kind of intense. I can just see Negan and Beta going head-to-head with Alpha as the mom who is forced to mediate. It could be fun to watch.

As I said, the idea of a creeping illness infecting Alexandria is good drama. When Siddiq comes back to the infirmary with an extremely ill Rosita and baby Coco, and suddenly the whole room is filled with sick people, there was a visceral horror element to that. In this world, if you succumb to illness in the dead of night, you might just wake up and kill everyone else in the room. Some of the creepiest moments in all of this show for me have been when one character is sitting with a sick or dying loved one, and as they drift in and out of coherence, you're left wondering at every second whether they are about to awaken as a zombie, or if they're really still holding on to life. There's a lot of potential in this story-line, although of course I don't want to lose Rosita, or any of our other Alexandrian characters!

As I mentioned, Daryl is being an idiot for trusting Carol when she's behaving this way. But that said, I still enjoy watching them spend time together. Daryl passes along Ezekiel's regards, and then Carol immediately asks Daryl if there's anything going on between him and Connie. It's interesting, because I feel like Carol knows that Daryl loves her, but she's actively trying to set up this boundary where they're just good bros who totally talk to each other about their romantic lives. It remains to be seen if this is going anywhere interesting or exciting, but I like the inherent tension of their scenes together, especially since their overall comfort and familiarity shines through. They know each other too well for anything to come between them at this point.

Eugene has never been my favorite character, and I thought his obsession with Rosita was extremely off-putting. But I must say, his scenes in this episode were my favorite parts. First, we see him and Rosita talking on the radio. It looks like when Eugene is finished licking his wounds, they are going to be able to salvage their friendship. I hope Rosita lives long enough for that to happen. Then, Eugene makes contact with a mysterious woman, and the two chat and bond. I'll admit, for the first few minutes I was so excited about this new mysterious stranger! I think I got caught up in Eugene's excitement, as he sensed the potential escape from loneliness. But then I realized - this is Gamma, looking to gather information. My heart breaks for Eugene. He really is the perfect target. He's so smart, but so gullible when it comes to dealing with other people. The actor's performance really sold it for me - he's so hopeful, so excited by the idea of a new friend. I hope things don't break too bad... it's never good when the Whisperers infiltrate.

That's all I've got for this week. I think we're coming up on the mid-season finale pretty quick here, and I'm definitely ready for this show to start thinking about its endgame. If Season Ten is the end, I won't be mad about it. Even after a pretty solid episode like this one.

8/10