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!!!
http://www.WalkingDeadFamily.com
No comments:
Post a Comment