The Walking Dead: Home Sweet Home (10x17)

Dang, it's been a while since I've written a review!

Cons:

So, the problem is, I don't care anymore and I don't think this show is particularly good anymore. A bummer, but there it is. Everything here feels like a retread of material we've already seen done over and over again. We've got so much of this show left to go, especially if you include spin-offs (which I really don't, you couldn't pay me to watch Fear or Beyond or whatever else they've got going), and I'm just dreading the months (years!) ahead where we go over and over the same well-trod ground.

Having Maggie back really shines a spotlight on how... uncomfortable and unnecessary Negan's "redemption" is. The problem is, we didn't see his redemption. We saw a man who murdered people and took pleasure in it, then we learned he's sad because dead wife, then we flash forward and he's friends with Judith and we're supposed to be cool with that? There's no complicated redemption arc here. Maggie is right to despise him and want nothing to do with him.

So we learn where Maggie has been, and again, it's just a repetition of the same ol' same ol'. She went out, she worked with Georgie on helping other communities, then there was a disaster, she and little Hershel ran and found a new community, made themselves at home, and then a group of evil sadistic baddies called the "Reapers" came and destroyed their home, forcing Maggie and the remaining people of her new family to come back and reintegrate into Alexandria.

The Reapers. Please. Give me a break. The Saviors, the Governor, Terminus, the Whisperers, yadda yadda yadda, it's all the same shit we've already seen. And in this episode, we have Maggie showing up with a bunch of characters we've never met before, so that we can try to squeeze some emotional moments out of watching them die, but like... I don't know these folks. I don't really care.

Pros:

On an individual moment-to-moment level, sure, it was nice to see Maggie. I liked her monologuing to Daryl about where she'd been. This show has a monologue problem, of course, but every once in a while it works, and this one did for me.

And while Negan's framing really bothers me, I do like the complexity of Carol telling Maggie that they needed Negan to stop the Whisperers, and wanting to be honest about making that choice while also not being apologetic about it necessarily. Lots of meaty character conflict could come from this, if we keep the focus on Carol and Maggie, and not on Negan's stupid irrelevant feelings on the situation. The way he reacted, you'd think his crime was one of negligence or accidental complicity in the death of one of Maggie's loved ones, and not the gleeful smashing of the man's head in front of his whole family including his pregnant wife. Like, Negan can get fucked.

Kelly is still looking for Connie, and I want Connie to be alive! Please, just for once, can't we have a miraculous reunion? Kelly and Daryl's relationship is cute, I love watching Daryl use some sign language, however clumsy, and I love how much they both care for Connie, even knowing the odds. And it was nice to see Maggie and Kelly having that moment to commiserate, both of them having sisters, both of them having lost those sisters, even if there's a chance to get Connie back someday. Just hearing Beth get mentioned a few times in this episode really made this feel like old-school The Walking Dead, and in the best way.

While there was nothing new or innovative about the Walkers and the physical threat they represent here, I still did think that the choreography and the tension during the forest scenes was well done. It mostly worked because Daryl and Kelly are out there but they literally can't tell friend from foe, so they keep stumbling across people and Maggie has to jump in and say: no, that person's safe. So there was a good build there with never quite knowing who was going to show up, and whether they could be trusted when they did.

I'm happy this episode was tightly focused on Maggie, with very little of other characters to muddy the waters. Obviously we've got so many other people to check in with in the coming weeks, but as it stands I'm definitely grateful to have Maggie back with us, especially since the list of people I give a shit about has gotten perilously low.

So that's that! I'm pleased to have a show to review again; it's been a while.

7/10