The Walking Dead: Lines We Cross (10x01)

I did not actively dislike watching this, which is about as good as it gets for me when it comes to The Walking Dead. Objectively, this was a pretty good premiere!

Cons:

I do not blame the child actor for this, but the little boy they have playing RJ is... bad. I know some people who say Chandler Riggs was bad as Carl, but I always thought he did a serviceable job, even in the early seasons when he was just a little kid. But RJ is just wow. Distracting. Every line delivery stilted and strange. Especially when he's compared with the girl playing Judith, who actually does a pretty good job.

I have a theory about the Carol/Daryl situation. At the end of last season, they signaled romance between the two of them very hard. But in this premiere, they seem to be splitting the difference, trying to cater both to the shippers, and to those who see them as only friends. There was an almost sibling-like banter to Carol and Daryl for a lot of this episode, as Carol makes fun of Daryl for calling her his "best friend." But then the language shifts to them talking about "running away together," which is pretty romantic, no matter which way you look at it. I feel like they're trying to have the best of both worlds, falling into the classic TV trap of "will they, won't they" to keep audiences on the hook. This is Season Ten. It's time to stop messing around with long drawn out character arcs that make so little progress you can barely see them moving.

Pros:

Honestly, though, for the most part I found this premiere invigorating. Well, relatively speaking, anyway. The opening scene was a great way to start out, as we see a bunch of our characters on a beach in military formation with archers and infantry and shields, all practicing on a group of beach Walkers that are trapped in an isolated location. It was cool to see an organized force, and nice to see them practicing. They're doing what they should have done back in the prison, or when they first got to Alexandria - really preparing people for the realities of their world. I also continue to be impressed with new creative Walker designs. The driftwood zombie at the start of this episode was really creepy and well done!

There's something inherently comical about Rosita and her three men raising her new baby together. I'm fully prepared to hate this plot line later on, as it might turn in to something unbelievably stupid. But for now I like the interplay of Gabriel being all serious and dead inside, and Eugene charting everything about the baby's behavior, and Siddiq sliding in and out of pretty severe PTSD while trying to adjust to fatherhood. This is a plot thread to watch out for - it could break either way, but I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.

Sometimes I think to myself - what the heck is Negan doing here? But then Jeffrey Dean Morgan is an undeniably charming guy, and in some ways I get why he's still around. I still wish they would have killed him off, and I think that letting him live made the final confrontation with the Saviors much weaker. But if we're taking the long view, having Negan here is like having a human symbol of the future Carl and Rick were fighting for. He's still sleeping in a cell every night, he's still being watched by a guard, but he has somewhat integrated into society, and helps out in the gardens. With time, maybe he really will "pay his debt to society" or whatever, and integrate even more.

Despite the poor boy playing RJ's unfortunate performance, I really liked the scene where Judith told RJ the story of Rick's (supposed) death. Judith has actually been a lot of fun. The actress does a great job, and she also acts as yet another symbol of the future, of what a kid can look like in this world. She has never known a life before the zombie apocalypse, but she's still a kind and caring kid who goes to school and looks after her little brother. She's also a bad-ass who gets to come out on training assignments and kill Walkers with the grownups. This show has killed off some characters over the years that I never thought they'd kill off, but the main examples are Carl and Henry. I thought the show needed a child at its center, a symbol of what everyone was fighting so hard to achieve. I hope they don't kill off Judith, as she has become that symbol, and I think it's something that is sorely needed.

As I mentioned, I'm feeling ambivalent about Carol and Daryl and the direction they're going. I want romance, but I think they're going to tease us to the point of irritation. That said, I really liked their scenes together. Carol is acting almost too chipper, having taken to spending her time out on the sea, running errands for Oceanside and Alexandria that keep her away from the greater community. This is clearly a coping mechanism over losing Henry, and while she does seem content, there's always the very real chance that it's going to come crashing back around her now that Alpha appears to be returning. And Daryl is coping in his own way, stuck somewhere between being a loner and being part of the community. We see how happy he is to see Carol. We see him and Michonne reminiscing about Rick, as they talk about how nice it was to bring the kids to the beach. We see him learning some clumsy sign language to communicate with Connie. (If it weren't for Carol, by the way, I'd totally be on board for a Daryl/Connie romance, and I don't think I'll be all that mad if that's where they're going with this).

There are other things going on in this episode, little plot hooks that will be tugged on later - Aaron's isolationist and bleak world-view contrasted to Michonne's hopefulness. Ezekiel trying to find new purpose in his life. Connie's sister having trouble with her hearing, threatening Connie's ability to communicate without her interpreter. A satellite crashes to Earth and Eugene is interested in the potential technology. But all of these threads will develop more fully a little later on. I'll end this review by turning to the looming threat of the Whisperers.

We see our communities getting on with their lives after the painful double-disaster of the Whisperers' attack, and the big snow storm, several months ago. There are hints that they are well aware of the potential threat of the Whisperers returning, but they are mostly just doing their best to stay out of their territory and keep calm and carry on. As the episode ends, the satellite falling causes a fire and forces them into the Whisperers' territory in order to prevent that fire from spreading, and as the episode ends, we see Alpha staring up at Carol, the enmity bright in both of their eyes.

I'm pretty excited for this show-down. Alpha killed Carol's son, and from Alpha's perspective, Carol stole Alpha's daughter. The Whisperers were a really interesting and different villain last season, and I hope they don't overstay their welcome the way the Saviors did. But for now, I'm still on board.

That's that! I know a lot of people have been talking about the new show runner, and what this means for reinvigorating The Walking Dead. Speaking for myself, I have definitely felt disenchanted with the show for several years now, even as there have been moments, episodes, or characters that still intrigued me. I am excited for the show to improve, even while I privately feel that it should probably bow out before too much longer!

8.5/10