The Walking Dead: The Rotten Core (11x14)

A decent installment in many ways, but I still can't help but feel that so much of this season has been treading water. We know shit is going to come to a head with the Commonwealth, we know these are bad people at this point, so... I don't know. Sometimes I wonder what we're even doing here.

Cons:

I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a good actor. I find his performance moving, as long as I don't think for longer than a couple of seconds about the truth of what he did. Apparently he feels very guilty. Apparently he's a new man now. He's got a wife, which is just wild to think about. But he didn't just kill Glenn and Abraham and countless others. He did it with glee. I know he's got a tragic backstory, but I can't ignore the truth of that.

Hornsby and Sebastian both have a similar problem as villains in that they seem kind of cartoonish? Like, wouldn't they be even a little self-aware about how their words and behaviors might be received? Willing to sacrifice countless lives to get to a stash of money... that's some Disney villain shit. I wish their justifications felt a little more thought out, or they wrestled with some discomfort, or maybe they are completely immortal and don't even try to justify it... I'm not sure what exactly I wish was different, just that things weren't so ridiculously clear-cut in terms of who we're supposed to hate. The vast majority of citizens of the Commonwealth seem happy and secure. Is the real evil here that at any point that security might be stolen from you? If so, let's get into it from that angle!

Pros:

I actually really liked Rosita and Daryl's journey in this episode. Sebastian sends them out on what could have been a suicide mission to retrieve a stash of money. I loved Daryl being a bad-ass and going all angry dad when Sebastian mentioned the kids, but of course ultimately he does as he's told for the sake of the people he loves. It is delightful to me that Carol shows up to rescue them because Daryl stood her up for their lunch date, so she knew something must be wrong. I'm in love with their love, y'all.

And the story of what Sebastian had been doing to these poor people, exploiting those who had broken rules or just weren't living the way the Commonwealth wanted them to, enticing them with the promise of a cut of the profit... it's so evil. I did like the one-two punch of finding out that Hornsby is well aware of what Sebastian has been up to, and indeed approves.

In other news, it's a big old hide from the bad guy fest with Negan's crew. Lots of tension, lots of waiting around, lots of unspeakable violence. I do like how we're in this apocalypse landscape where sometimes just having a history with someone is enough to form an unshakable bond. Like, Maggie isn't exactly thrilled to see Negan, and while she hates the idea of him being the one to protect Hershel, she also believes that he's no throat to her son. You have to trust people at a certain point, and in certain situations, despite the complexity.

I feel like I'm really slacking on my reviews for this show this season, but this is mostly supposed to be a fun exercise for me to get my thoughts out, and this show doesn't make me think very many thoughts these days. Just two more episodes left before another hiatus. They're really milking this final season for all it's worth!

8/10