The Walking Dead: Acts of God (11x16)

I feel like I paid even less attention than I normally do to this episode. Ha. Maybe I don't like this show very much.

Cons:

There are shows that can get me to stop and really, really pay attention during long stretches of suspense or action with no dialogue. This show is often not one of them. So this episode features a lot of Daryl running around, a lot of Maggie running around, you've got characters getting injured, but nobody that we care about is injured bad enough for it to matter, and long stretches of just running around, dealing with violence, dealing with Walkers, and I can't tell you how bad my brain zoned out during most of it. This is partially the fault of me, the reviewer, but I think it also speaks to how repetitive and predictable this show has become over the years.

This episode also just speaks to how utterly pointless Leah was as a character. This should have felt like a serious blow, something heartbreaking and real and tragic, the fact that Daryl killed her to save Maggie's life. Daryl loved her, didn't he? That's supposed to be something with emotional resonance, and I felt nothing. That whole tense standoff between Maggie and Leah, where Maggie acknowledged that Leah would want revenge on her... these two women have taken so much from each other, but there's not a proper buildup or understanding of character or anything, that would make this moment land.

Pros:

I feel I might be alone in this, but seeing the little rebellion stuff back at the Commonwealth is kind of charming to me? Like you've got Max and Eugene and Connie and Kelly, they recruit Ezekiel, they start spreading the words... it's all a lot of fun in a strange way. We see how things go wrong by the end, that the Commonwealth will not be easily cowed, but I think it's fun to watch our heroes give it a try. Seeing someone try to overtake a corrupt government without resorting to violence as the first and only option is a breath of fresh air!

I especially liked the little scene with Pamela and Max, where Max suggests using surplus funds to help less fortunate members of the community, but Pamela shoots her down. We see more and more how much of a hypocrite she is, that she'd really rather keep the extra money and knows she can get away with it, so why would she want to do something kind or charitable instead?

And while I was unimpressed with most of the running about and action in this episode, I will say Daryl is always a highlight whenever he gets to show off a little. He's such a bad-ass, and the fact that he showed up to save Maggie at the last second kind of worked for me, even if that scene should have been so much more than it was. Cool fight choreography between Maggie and Leah, too.

I'm surprised to find myself in this situation, but I actually thought the Maggie and Negan moments were kind of intriguing. Good performances, and Maggie saying she's starting to trust Negan was compelling, if kind of bizarre given the reality of what actually happened in her past. Still, I won't deny that seeing these two play off of each other is more interesting than a lot of what else this episode had to offer, so there you go. A ringing endorsement.

You can't beat some good fun fascist imagery, there at the end... I'm definitely intrigued by the fates of our characters, and actually a little bit excited to see the last batch of episodes. But I think I might be more excited that it's finally coming to an end, than I'm excited to actually see it play out. I missed Carol this week!

6.5/10