The Walking Dead: Dead or Alive Or (8x11)

This is one of the better episodes of The Walking Dead in quite some time, and my reason for saying that comes from a pretty surprising source.

Cons:

There's still a lot of boring repetition to slough through. We see Maggie continue to struggle with dwindling supplies and restless prisoners at Hilltop. We see Daryl, Tara, and Rosita escorting their gang to Hilltop, all while trying to decide what to do about Dwight. We see Eugene and Negan continue their little song and dance where we wonder how much longer Eugene is going to be useful to his current protector. And while all of those plot threads offered some gems, there was also quite a bit of dead air, and when you get to the end of the episode, the unmistakable impression is that this was mostly filler.

Pros:

So, to break down the plot threads I mentioned above, I will say that I thought the stuff with Dwight was quite interesting. Tara obviously wants him dead because of Denise, and I will admit that despite my utter disgust at the number of queer characters that this show thinks it's okay to kill off, I'm happy that Denise has not been totally forgotten or removed from the narrative. I don't know if Dwight is trustworthy. I don't think he's deserving of total forgiveness. But the most important thing is... I'm not entirely sure what he's up to. The moment when he leads the Saviors away from Tara and the rest of the group is interesting. Is he saving them? Is he just saving himself? Does he plan on killing his erstwhile companions and returning with the gang to Hilltop, and if he does choose that path, will Daryl and Tara let him? Lots of interesting stuff going on here.

Eugene has never been my favorite, but I do always enjoy scenes with Negan and Eugene, because you can tell that Negan is just toeing the line between amused and irritated, and you're always waiting for that moment when he'll snap. There's a lot of dramatic tension on Eugene's strange ramblings, because you can't quite tell when he's going to step over the limit of Negan's indulgence.

The reason this episode gets such high marks from me, however, is because of Father Gabriel and Dr. Carson. I know. Weird, right? Their plot thread is in many ways completely typical fare. Characters with differing philosophies go on a harrowing journey together and over time they debate their positions. Gabriel is convinced that God is leading the way, even as he and Carson get lost, and Gabriel begins to lose his eyesight. Things reach an extreme when Carson gets caught in a trap and nearly killed by Walkers, but Gabriel, miracle of miracles, is able to shoot the Walker in the head from a distance, even though his vision is almost entirely gone. Carson, who is initially skeptical of Gabriel's faith and optimism, can't help but be awed by their discovery of antibiotics in an abandoned cabin. They also find keys, and a map to a safe place. A miracle, right?

But then... the Saviors find them, no doubt drawn by the sound of Gabriel's gunfire. Right in front of Gabriel, Carson is shot and killed, and as Gabriel is taken back to Negan, he sits in the back of the truck, a mournful mantra of "no" repeating itself along the way. This was some powerful stuff let me tell you. Watching a man with such a serene sense of purpose totally just lose his faith, watching it break right in front of him... let's just say, after seasons of basically shrugging whenever I see Gabriel onscreen, this moment was enough to make me appreciate the power of the character in a whole new way.

Dr. Carson's death was an unexpectedly heavy blow - but the good news is, the Hilltop has got a brand new doctor to help them out. Not sure he's worth the price of Carl's life, but it looks like more and more of our gang are reuniting at Hilltop and getting ready for some kind of final showdown. I'm ready to get the ball rolling!

8.5/10