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Monday, December 12, 2016

The Walking Dead: Season 7 Episode 8 WDF Review

Episode 8:  Hearts Still Beating

As we enter our time of mourning (aka the mid-season break), we have a lot to think about.  This mid-season finale was not the most riveting that has ever been made (thinking of the Fall of the Prison and how season four was so slow paced leading up to it we weren't expecting it just then), but it was heartily satisfying all the same.

We've said it before that it would be an odd shift in story-telling style to mix up the story lines in a single episode rather than have character-centric episodes (focused on one group or character) as that style has been so heavily used in the past.  The Woodbury story line was done almost entirely that way which as we've mentioned drove us crazy due to spending whole episodes with characters we weren't all that excited about.  Welp, we were wrong.  Despite major worries throughout the fandom that the writers would handle having four different camps to catch up with in a very similar fragmented style as Woodbury, this mid-season finale proves they are capable of touching base with multiple groups of characters in a meaningful and fluid way, and all in one single episode (albeit an extended one).

Obviously we spent a good deal of time back in Alexandria since when we last saw them Negan was still there waiting for Rick, but we also checked in with Hilltop, Daryl at The Sanctuary, and Carol/Morgan.  So, really, we hit up all four camps in one episode.

Carol is still determined to live off by herself, though close enough to The Kingdom to have an eye kept on her and produce delivered.  Daryl finally escapes The Sanctuary on the back of his Frankenbike with Jesus, headed toward Hilltop to drop him off at home.  Maggie has become a human vacuum cleaner and can smell pie through a closed door.  But of course, it's Alexandria that gets the punch in the face.  We lose two original Alexandrians in this episode thanks first to an attempt by Spencer to stage a coup to unseat Rick as leader with what he hoped would be Negan's help (not so much), and another "random shooting" as payment for Rosita having finally taken her shot at Negan (which Lucille ends up taking).  All of Team Family survives the episode, thankfully, since we lost two already this season, though Aaron certainly took a beating and poor Eugene did get taken to The Sanctuary to be Negan's new bullet maker when it is revealed that he made the bullet Rosita used to shoot Lucille.

We end the episode with everyone gathering at The Hilltop (except Carol and Morgan), reuniting Daryl, Sasha, and Maggie with Team Family for the first time since the Lucillings.  Daryl and Rick share an extended emotional embrace while everyone hugs Maggie in congratulations that she and the baby are well.  While there is nothing too terribly surprising in this episode as a whole, it had a heartwarming reunion ending reminiscent of the scenes immediately after the escape from Terminus... but it was a great way to end the mid-season and set us up for lots of prep-work in the back half for All-Out-War.  We can't wait, can you?!

We will more than likely be taking the hiatus off from updating the website as well, so we'd like to wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season, and a prosperous, healthy New Year.  See you in February!!!

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Monday, December 5, 2016

The Walking Dead: Season 7 Episode 7 WDF Review

Episode 7:  Sing Me a Song

Well my, my, aren't we just as excited as we could be about all these extended episodes this season?  If you haven't heard yet, 7.7 was another 90 minute episode, following up on Carl sneaking into The Sanctuary.  There was a lot for Carl to be affected by there so we needed an extra half hour to cover it... and the aftermath of his visit back at the ASZ.

Just as he did in the comic, Negan has quite a man-crush on the spirited Carl, who seems determined to defy him at every turn.  Negan takes him on a tour of his inner sanctum, allowing him to be witness to some of the drama inside his harem before taking him to his private quarters to relax... or not.  Here we see a slightly different, albeit just as menacing, method for whipping Carl into submission... using his teenage angst and vanity against him.  Some people may think Negan is not as menacing as he should be, but he's got that coercion thing down pat.

We finally see what Carl's eye looks like under the bandage, and have the cringe-worthy response to Negan's proposition that he be allowed to touch it... eeeeew ew ew!  He forces Carl to sing, though it's not apparent why and feels sort of forced into the story just to make it walk in lock-step with the comic, but otherwise the scene is an example of expert manipulation.  Soon enough we're off to iron off someone else's face and watch Daryl be commanded to mop up the ironee's urine after he appropriately messes himself and the floor.  While Daryl is shown to be a perfectly whipped little puppy, in the style well known for Daryl at this point, he does give Carl a few knowing looks to let the audience know he's not too far gone... yet.

By the end of the visit, Carl is completely familiarized with how things work at The Sanctuary, and sets off in a truck with Negan headed toward home.  When they get there, Negan acts like that obnoxious relative you wish hadn't shown up for an unexpected visit... nosily insisting on a tour of the house and barging into Judith's nursery despite being asked not to enter the room.  He basically makes himself at home, intentionally stepping into Rick's role as head of the house, coddling Judith while Olivia and Carl look on uncomfortably.  It's just as awkward as you'd ever hope it to be, like the ever-present feeling of a splinter you just can't get out of your thumb no matter how hard to work it.

Meanwhile Rosita and Eugene are off to make a bullet while Spencer and Gabe head off to scavenge.  In a moment of particularly rare levity for Gabe, he lets Spencer know exactly what he thinks of him before letting himself out of the car to walk home rather than endure his company any longer.  It was nice to see these two subplots worked into the Carl/Negan Date Night story line to break it up a little and get those four ready for what we hope is a very compelling mid-season finale.

*Sigh* yes, that's right folks, it is already upon us believe it or not.  After this coming Sunday's episode we'll have two months to wait before we see what goes down in the back half of 7.   Based on what we've seen of the Mid-Season Finale so far, there are so many questions that will be left unanswered until then.  Will we be ready in time for All Out War to begin or will we be left to languish in this submissive hell for five months waiting for Season 8 to begin?  That's the burning question we all want to know.

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