After being absent for a couple of episodes before returning last week all conflicted and emotionally confused, this week Melissa McBride takes center stage and delivers another bravura performance. Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) there too, and also has her own moments to shine. In fact, this episode is almost entirely about women dealing with the apocalypse, and guess what?
It’s pretty shitty for them, too.
But that title isn’t really about that (really), but instead serves to highlight that both the captives and the captors are essentially one bad day or one good day away from turning into each other – provided we accept that people can be redeemed. That question is weighing heavily on Carol’s mind as she struggles with what she has turned into.
Sure, to the fans, Carol is an unstoppable killing machine who is pretty much the best character on the show. But she’s become almost too unstoppable – too right all the time. It’s hard to be sympathetic to a character that never hesitates or doubts themselves, especially when the narrative reinforces their moral authority. So the introduction of Morgan to their world is turning out not to be about contrasting him with Rick, but with Carol.
This is an excellent approach since we know almost 100% that Rick (Andrew Lincoln) cannot be killed while everyone else is potential meat for the grinder – even fan-favorites like Daryl (Norman Reedus), Glenn (Steven Yeun), and Carol. This means that a character can pay the ultimate sacrifice for a philosophical or moral point that can send shockwaves through the other characters and the fans.
And we all know that once a character on this show starts questioning their belief in apocalyptic morality – especially if said character then gets emotionally involved with another character – they are not long for this world. So last week set us up to expect the worst for Carol this week.
Luckily the brains behind the show were just messing with us.
This time.
Instead of sacrificing her life, she ends up sacrificing more of her humanity to keep Maggie from doing the same. It really helps drive home the point after Maggie was told that “You’re not the good guys.” And burning the Saviors alive doesn’t help either.
Alicia Witt‘s turn as Paula was a little too short-lived for my tastes. It would have been nice to have her stick around and be a thorn in our heroes’ sides, if only because I love the idea of Carol facing off against little Alia Atreides in a “who can be harder” competition. But Carol wasn’t the only one paired up with an “alternate-reality” version of themselves as Maggie is left face-to-face with Michelle (Jeananne Goossen). Michelle wanted a family but was stuck with a crapsack for a father (you know, the guy Daryl blew up weeks ago). In this combination, though, seeing what her life could have been, undermines her attempt to interrogate Maggie.
Seriously. That was about the worst interrogation ever.
The rest of the Saviors’ merry band are fairly unpleasant and when everyone comes to a sticky end, it’s a bit of a relief. I don’t know how much longer I was going to be able to take Molly’s (Jill Jane Clements) hacking cough or Donnie’s (Rus Blackwell) incessant whining. And while they got the drop on our heroes last time, when push comes to shove, the Saviors we’ve met so far aren’t really all that much of a threat.
I know that’s going to change, especially with the revelation this week that Negan is both a person and an idea, apparently. We don’t get a real explanation as all the captors are dead in the end and Quick Draw Rick McGraw puts a bullet into Primo’s (Jimmy Gonzales) head before Carol can stop him. I can only assume that it’s another way of putting viewers off-balance. Our heroes still think this is Negan’s actual home rather than an outpost, and I’m pretty sure a large swath of the audience (mainly those who haven’t read the comics) think the same thing.