The Walking Dead: The Next World (6x10)

Well this episode was a delight. No, seriously. A delight. I loved it. Often this show has a problem with transitional episodes. The big events are great, and then there are the episodes between the big events, where the group is traveling somewhere new, or learning new things about their environment. I've found that with The Walking Dead, you start to run in to a lot of pacing problems with episodes like that. But here, we've got a really good one. Expertly handled. It gives me great hope for the rest of the season.

Cons:

Enid is still sort of floating in the "what do we do with your character" category. This week, we see that she and Carl have been going out beyond Alexandria for some rebellious comic book reading away from the safety of the walls. She's not sure she wants to keep coming out there. Maggie talks to her, telling her it's okay for her to get involved and be a real part of the community. She seems to still exist on the fringe of things. I'm waiting to understand a bit more what her place is in the story.

Pros:

This episode was actually lighthearted and hopeful, which is kind of wild when you think about it. After all the drama and angst last week, this episode jumps us forward a few months. Carl is doing okay, Alexandria is rebuilding, and people are healing from their tragic losses. It was an unexpected direction to go, but one that I feel worked very well. Everybody got to catch their breaths for a moment, and it made me appreciate these characters and their relationships all the more.

The main plot follows Rick and Daryl as they go out on a scouting mission to look for supplies and possibly recruits. They run in to a guy who says his friends call him Jesus. This Jesus fellow ends up being trouble, as he steals a truck stocked with food from Daryl and Rick and drives off with it. The guys follow him and actually manage to overtake him when Jesus stops the truck. After a fight, Daryl manages to knock him out cold. The truck with all of the supplies ends up rolling into a lake and sinking to the bottom. Daryl wants to leave Jesus alone and vulnerable, but Rick reminds him that even though he's a jerk who tried to steal their stuff, he never pulled a weapon on them, and indeed he actually saved Daryl from a Walker during their fight.

Back in Alexandria, the guys bring Jesus to Denise so she can look him over. Rick and Michonne relax after their long days, and end up going to bed together. Later, Jesus appears in their bedroom and tells Rick that they need to talk.

Okay, so where to even start with this plot?

First of all, you've got Rick's new hopeful attitude about the future. This is the first time in a long, long time that we've seen him with any sort of optimism, and it's a refreshing reminder of why these people love and respect him the way that they do. He's finally starting to feel like Alexandria can be his home, and that's going to really open up doors for the story.

Then there's the Rick and Daryl friendship, which I thought got a lot of really lovely moments here. They really are on each other's sides, no matter what. I loved the part where Jesus asked them if they even had ammunition in their guns, and they turned in unison to shoot an approaching Walker. That was so bad ass.

There was a lot of humor with the Jesus character and their interactions with him, too. He actually gets on top of the truck while they're driving away, thus thwarting their plan to leave him behind, which I thought was rather clever. While Daryl and Jesus are fighting, Jesus sees a Walker approaching Daryl from behind. He says "duck!" and then shoots the Walker. Daryl's response? "Thanks," followed by a punch, and an angry "that's my gun!" You can tell that Daryl and Rick both think the same thing about Jesus - ugh, this guy. They have no grounds to kill him or think him a dangerous threat to them and theirs, but they haven't exactly gotten off to a good start. I'll be interested to see what Jesus adds to the story as we move forward. (I know nothing about him from the graphic novels at all).

Another adorable part of this episode was Denise, who requested some soda from Daryl as he went out on this supply run. She doesn't even like "pop," as she calls it, but wanted to surprise Tara with it. Apparently Tara was talking about it in her sleep. Daryl actually does find some soda, but after the sinking of the truck, is unable to bring any back for her. I just loved Denise and Daryl's awkward conversation about the sodas. You could tell that Denise was just so timid about requesting something from Daryl, and Daryl certainly didn't make it any easier on her with his awkward social skills. More Denise, please! I love her!

While Daryl and Rick were off adventuring, Michonne finds Spencer wandering in the woods outside of Alexandria. After a while, we see Deanna, now a Walker, roaming the woods. Carl and Enid had had an opportunity to kill the Walker Deanna earlier, but Carl had refused. Michonne helps Spencer kill his already dead mother and get closure. Back at home, Michonne asks Carl why he didn't kill Deanna. Carl said that it should be somebody who loved her. He says he'd do it for Michonne if it were ever necessary, and Michonne said she'd do the same for him.

RIP Deanna. Again, I guess. I wasn't totally moved by Spencer killing Deanna, because I already made peace with Deanna's death and I don't feel as if I understand Spencer as a character yet. That being said, I did adore Michonne's insistence on helping Spencer, and being a member of his family for him. She and Deanna did have a bond. Also, Michonne and Carl's conversation was as precious as I ever could have imagined. Carl was probably thinking of his mother when he said he'd kill Michonne for her if it came to that. What a heartbreaking life this kid has had. My goodness.

And then of course I'll finish this review by talking about the SINGLE GREATEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED ON THIS SHOW EVER! *ahem* Sorry, I must have hit capslock inadvertently.... Michonne and Rick! Finally! It really happened! I'm not really a huge shipper when it comes to this show. The romantic relationships aren't what draw me to it in the first place. But oh my God. Rick and Michonne. I've always wanted them to get together in a vague sort of way, but since I figured it wouldn't happen, I wasn't holding my breath. And I wasn't expecting it. And then it happened. Seeing Michonne be a part of Rick and Carl's family has been such a special part of the past few seasons. I think about all of Michonne's character growth and it makes me want to cry. I sincerely hope that Rick and Michonne's relationship gets the chance to develop and grow over the weeks so that we can really understand them as a couple the way that I feel I understand them now as individuals.

I'll stop right there. Rick and Michonne make me happy. Deanna and Tara make me happy. Michonne and Carl's relationship is awesome. Daryl and Rick's friendship made me smile a lot. Jesus is funny and interesting. This episode was just kick ass.

9.5/10