The Walking Dead: Silence the Whisperers (10x04)

This was a good episode, but it's one that reinforces my desire for the show to end. Let me explain.

Cons:

There were so many good things about this episode, so many moments I enjoyed, interesting themes and character beats. But it's all in service to a story that has overstayed its welcome in a pretty major way. We have Ezekiel and Michonne sharing a moment, and that was nice in isolation, but it's just another story about a leader having problems leading in this crazy world. We've seen it. We've seen it with Michonne and Ezekiel in the past, in fact. We've got characters dealing with PTSD (Siddiq) and we've got a community turning even further against Lydia and Negan, setting up a cautionary tale against mob mentality. We've seen this before. We've got Aaron voting to execute Negan, as a formerly generous and kind man is turned hard by grief. Seen it. A kid wanting to be more useful, and a parent starting to accept their child's role in the world. We did this with Carl. Now it's Judith's turn.

And I could go on. So even as I praise many aspects of this episode, there's still the inevitable pull of ennui, as we retread over plot points that have been explored in earlier seasons. It doesn't mean it's bad now, it just means it's not fresh.

In more specific news, there were a few moments here or there that I wasn't thrilled about. Why did Luke get such a protracted goodbye with his buddies? If they kill this dude off before they remember to give him actual screen-time, I'll be annoyed.

I can also lodge the typical complaint about some hokey and overwrought dialogue. Lydia is a bit too eloquent and speech-y about her role in the community and what Alpha taught her about trusting people. The council is making thematic declarations left and right. The Walking Dead has always had a problem with feeling too scripted, even with the great performers they have available to them.

Pros:

I really like the idea of Negan and Lydia bonding over their isolation. It's interesting and complicated and I don't know exactly how to feel about it, or how I would react if I was in any of these peoples' positions. And that makes for compelling drama. Negan's advice to Lydia is to "kill them with kindness" which is basically what he's tried to do all these years. The thing is, Negan has been docile. And while he is still met with hatred, he's been able to live more or less peacefully among the other Alexandrians. It's not bad advice, but Lydia's situation is different. For one, she's young. Two, she's female. Three, she is actually not a direct murderer of any of these people's friends, but is just guilty by association. She's trying to form a place in this community, but how can she really be expected to do so? I like seeing her trying to navigate this. The moment where she skinned a rabbit at the table was pure genius.

And then there's Daryl. He's trying to be something of a father figure to Lydia, but his advice is to just avoid her tormentors. That's clearly not long-term thinking, but I also don't blame him for being bad at this - he's a gruff and uncommunicative man, trying to be pragmatic about Lydia's problem while also honoring how she's feeling. He doesn't have practice with this. It's sweet to see Daryl try with Lydia, and also see him as trusted caretaker of RJ, while Michonne and Judith are away. He really is a nurturing guy, even if it doesn't come naturally to him in some ways.

The scene where Lydia is attacked was actually very brutal, in an affecting, visceral way. Negan comes in and saves the day, and then Daryl is there to immediately comfort and defend her. It's interesting to see these two men do what they can for Lydia.

Negan escapes, and we're not clear on who let him go - this should be something interesting to explore in next week's episode, but for now I'll just say that mixing things up with Negan's character is a great idea. If he's going to stick around in the show, he needs to be more than a symbol of what Rick was trying to achieve.

In other story news... it looks like Hilltop has been attacked, but we're not sure exactly what happened, if this was actually the Whisperers or not. Ezekiel is at a moment of crisis, apparently contemplating suicide, but Michonne steps in and the two share a hug, and then a kiss, which despite Michonne rejecting him, isn't actually that awkward. I loved this moment where these two people could come together, share a moment of intimacy, and then move past it without it being a super big deal. It's also lovely to see Michonne practice compassion, and be able to help someone examine the darkness within. Michonne knows what it's like to get to a place of total hopelessness, and she uses her experience to help Ezekiel. We've been focusing a lot on Carol's grief this season, so I'm glad that we got this check-in on Ezekiel, too.

Judith wants to be helpful with everything going on, and Michonne seems willing to let her, in some ways. I think Michonne has probably learned from some of the mistakes that were made with Carl when he was younger. Of course she wants to protect her daughter, but Judith wants to be involved, and she will be, one way or another. This is her life. It's her world, in many ways more than it is for any adult who can remember how things were before. I'[m excited to see how this develops, and really hope Judith will stay safe!

There are a lot of other tidbits I could discuss here, but frankly I think I've made my point. This show has a lot of good material in it. I think that's been true even when it was at its worst. But with a new show-runner giving the epic tale fresh life, we might have to face the fact that the story by its very nature is becoming bloated and stagnant. If Season Ten isn't the end, I hope Season Eleven will be. I'm ready to say farewell.

8/10