The Walking Dead: No Way Out (6x09)

Okay! A very strong opening for the second half of the season. I wouldn't be me if I didn't have some complaints, but I feel pretty happy with what I just saw, and I'm really excited to stick with these characters for the rest of the season.

Cons:

There were a few odd pacing/timing issues that I must mention. Particularly, there were scenes during the day and then suddenly it was night time, and I was forced to conclude unlikely things from that, such as the fact that Maggie was apparently stuck up on that tiny platform all day? Or that it took most of the day for Denise and the Wolf to try and make their escape? I don't know... maybe I'm thinking too hard, but these moments did take me out of the story a little bit.

Of all the many subplots and characters that this episode focused on, the only story that I didn't really enjoy was the one involving Carol, Morgan, Denise, and the Wolf. Basically, Carol angrily tells Morgan that she should have killed him rather than let him spare the Wolf's life. Now, Denise has been kidnapped. But meanwhile, the Wolf is actually seeming to soften, showing a more human side with Denise. He even goes back and saves her life when she is nearly overrun by Walkers. As a consequence, he gets bitten in the arm. As they try and rush back to the infirmary to help him, Carol shoots the Wolf from the window, freeing Denise from her captivity but also killing somebody who maybe wasn't all bad.

Making the Wolf a sympathetic character for the final few moments of his life seemed like a really cheap way to comment on Carol's lack of a moral compass. If the Wolf was just unambiguously a bad guy, Carol killing him would be no big deal. So instead of trying to delve further in to the Morgan vs. Carol philosophies on the value of human life, we just make the Wolf oddly sympathetic for a couple of seconds there, so we can all point an accusatory finger at Carol for killing him. This could have been done with more subtlety, in my opinion.

Lastly, this episode contained some pretty serious and traumatic deaths, but I can't help but notice that none of our main characters, none of our closest and most important characters, were killed off. I mean, we came really, really close with Carl, which really amped up the tension and the drama. But all of the other deaths were one step removed from the center of things. I was shocked and saddened, but not horrified and flabbergasted. It's one of those things that I think this show needs to find a better balance on. When they kill big characters like Hershel or Beth, it creates a big impact. They need to avoid killing characters just for shock value, though (Beth). And then on the other hand, it's getting annoying to have characters introduced for just long enough so we're supposed to miss them when they're gone, and then have them predictably die (Noah, Jessie and her children, etc.) I'm not quite sure how to articulate the problem, but I've noticed it more and more as this show goes on.

Pros:

But hey. I said this was a really strong episode, and it was.

Let's take it plot by plot. I already mentioned Carol, Morgan, and Denise. Also hiding with Carol and Morgan were Rosita, Tara, and Eugene. There wasn't much for them to do until the end, but I liked how Eugene knew he had to fight by their side. There was no sitting out at a time like this. He was prepared for it, and that reminded us of how much he's grown.

Glenn and Enid create a rope so that they will be able to get up to Maggie and she can climb down the other side of the wall. Glenn tries to stop Enid from going with him, claiming that it will be too dnagerous, but the two of them have a talk about the people in their lives that they've lost, that they can hold on to by being brave. Enid climbs up to Maggie, while Glenn draws the Walkers away so they can get down safely. Glenn is nearly swarmed by the Walkers, but he's saved by Abraham and Sasha, who show up in the nick of time. I like this weird connection between Enid and Glenn, and think the show could really make something of Glenn being something of a father figure to her. Especially since Maggie is pregnant. Also, Maggie and Glenn have been reunited! I hope they can actually stay this way for a while. I haven't really forgiven the show for the Glenn death fakeout.

When we last left Sasha, Abraham, and Daryl, they were facing down Negan's crew. Daryl is forced to go back behind the truck to hand over all their weapons and supplies, and while he's back there the leader of this particular branch of the crew threatens to kill Abraham and Sasha. Just before he kills them, Daryl reappears; having dispatched his escort, he uses Abraham's rocket-launcher to take out the entire motorcycle gang with one shot. Bad ass! They rush back to Alexandria in time to save everybody's asses in the final showdown with the Walker hoard.

A part of me feels nonplussed by this development. They've been building up to Negan for a while now, and now our first real interaction with his crew results in the good guys taking them out and running. I'm starting to get a tad impatient to meet this Negan. But on the other hand, I really like the idea of Negan getting an idea of just who he's dealing with. Daryl is not somebody you want to mess with, and neither are the rest of these characters. I want the showdown with Negan to feel like a battle between two worthy opponents. It's not as exciting when it's obvious who's stronger. Also, the rocket launcher thing was just flat-out awesome, no point in denying it. It was the kind of thing that just makes you revert back into a childish state and say "cool!!!!!" 

And then there's Rick and the others. Last we saw them, they were covered in Walker guts and using that disguise to walk their way through the massive crowd of Walkers to somewhere where they would be safe. The gang consists of the following: Rick, Carl, Judith, Michonne, Gabriel, Jessie, Sam, and Ron. After walking through the Walkers for a while, Gabriel volunteers to take Judith to the church to wait out the worst of it, so that the others can make it to the vehicles and try to drive some of the Walkers away. Jessie wants little Sam to go too, but Sam insists that he wants to stay. Unfortunately, Sam gets scared and freezes, crying out in fear. The Walkers are on him in a second, tearing him to pieces. Jessie cries out in horror, and she too is devoured. Rick is forced to chop Jessie's arm off to sever her hold on Carl. Ron then points a gun at Rick, which goes off just as Michonne stabs Ron from behind to save Rick. The bullet hits Carl in the eye. Rick, with Carl in his arms, and Michonne, rush to the infirmary where Denise has just returned from her sojourn with the Wolf.

Rick goes crazy, rushing out among the Walkers to take down as many as he can. Michonne and the others go out to help Rick. This begins a chain reaction, as Carol and everybody else realizes that they are making their final stand. They go out among the Walkers, killing them in droves. There are still too many to deal with, however, but Daryl saves the day yet again by lighting a bunch of oil on fire and diverting all of the Walkers to fiery deaths. Everybody gathers around to view the devastation of their community and heal from the wounds they've suffered. Rick sits by Carl's side and begs him to wake up, wanting to show him the new world that they can create together. The solidarity he saw in the Alexandrians made him realize that these people are his too, and they can all work together for a brighter future. At the very end of the episode, Carl's fingers twitch to grip Rick's hand.

So. Where to even start with this? I loved the slaughter. I mean I didn't love it, obviously, I'm not a monster... but the drama of it was really effective. First Sam, then Jessie... and if that wasn't bad enough, suddenly Michonne is killing Ron and Ron is nearly killing Carl. The editing in this episode took some risks, and I think for the most part they worked really well. I liked how Rick flashed to memories of Jessie as he was hacking off her arm to save his son. It gave me chills.

And Carl! Holy shit, Carl!! That I did not see coming at all. He'll probably live, but what a dramatic thing to happen! Rick was so devastated and messed up over it, which of course makes sense. Not only did he lose the family he thought he could have with Jessie and her children... he almost lost Carl, his son. I loved how Denise kept her head. She was in full-on doctor mode when Carl came in. She was calm in the face of everybody else's panic, and she saved Carl's life. Michonne, upon seeing Rick run out to confront the Walkers, follows him, but not before staying to help hold Carl steady for Denise. She gives Carl a quick kiss on the forehead before following Rick outside, which I thought was the perfect way to remind us that Michonne considers Carl her family.

And then there's the final showdown, where all of the Alexandrians, both old and new, came out of their hiding places and defended their home as best as they can. I loved the fact that Rick's grief-stricken act of stupidity in going out among the Walkers sparked a full-on fight. Gabriel hands Judith over to another Alexandrian and goes out to join the fray. Eugene takes up arms. Denise does as well. Ultimately they win the fight because Daryl the bad ass showed up in time to save the day. It might be cheesy to hear Rick speak to the unconscious Carl about teamwork and coming together to create a brighter future, but Rick's speech at the end of this episode truly felt earned. He's struggled with this "us and them" idea since coming to Alexandria, but seeing his people come out to fight for what belonged to them really solidified in his mind that they could win. They could do more than live to fight another day. They could actually come out on top and build something wonderful.

That's where I'll stop. I'm scared for Carl, but I think he'll probably live. I'm really excited to see if these people can rebuild Alexandria, and I'm excited (yet terrified) to finally toss Negan into the mix.

8.5/10