Here we are, 11 weeks after the snore-fest that was the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead. Honestly, the first half of this season has been incredibly frustrating on many levels, the biggest of which was the “Is Glenn dead or not?” storyline that dragged on for far too long. “No Way Out” leaves us right where we left off, and it mostly succeeds in moving the story forward.
We’re already a third of the way into the first season of Into the Badlands, and while things are starting to take shape, the pacing is still a bit off. We’re introduced to a few new characters, and though the dialog still could use some work, “Fist Like a Bullet” gives us a couple of excellent fight scenes once again.
It seems as though my complaints of the last couple weeks of The Walking Dead were heard. After some of the worst episodes in a long time, the show finally got back on track with a big non-surprise moment as well as getting back in the mix with what’s going on in Alexandria. “Heads Up” certainly helped pave the way for what should be an interesting mid-season finale.
AMC has been touting their newest show, Into the Badlands, for several months now. Described as a post-apocalyptic martial arts drama, the show’s timeslot after The Walking Dead makes sense, in terms of ratings, etc. Is this show worth it? The short answer is, I don’t know. “The Fort” brings the world to life with really good action, but gives us characters who are pretty bland and one-note so far.
After last week’s boring episode, I was hoping The Walking Dead would get back to either some good character drama, or at least some good zombie action. The preview promised we’d catch up with Daryl, Sasha and Abraham as they continued to move half the herd away from Alexandria. Despite being better that “Now”, “Always Accountable” felt like it missed the mark again, which has unfortunately become a trend this season.
I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. The Walking Dead finally had a bad episode after a long stretch. Scratch that, it wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was boring and uneventful. Last week’s Morgan filled episode was a bit slow, but it was necessary in the big scheme of things to show us how his character progressed to a stable man from when we last saw him.
ever afraid to shy away from doing something to advance the overall narrative, The Walking Dead has killed off its share of main characters (loved and hated) throughout its five seasons. Last season was particularly rough with the deaths of Beth, Noah, Bob and Tyreese. While we’d grown to like those characters in some capacity, it’s been a long time since we’ve lost a character fans become so attached to. All that changes with “Thank You.”
After the events of last week’s episode, and uncertainty about Glenn’s fate still fresh in our minds, The Walking Dead takes a step back and slows it down. “Here’s Not Here” gives us a 90-minute summary of what happened to Morgan from when Rick last met up with him to when we saw him following the tracks to Terminus.
Balancing the character drama along with action has been a delicate proposition for The Walking Dead. Early on fans complained there was either too much drama or too much action. The last couple of seasons really brought that balance to life. While the season premiere had some action, it also seemed to be devoid more so than what we’re used to. Tonight’s episode, “JSS”, brought the action balance back, but also had some character development as well.
The return of The Walking Dead is like catching up with an old friend after being apart for several months; you just pick up right where you left off like nothing changed. That’s exactly how the season six premiere felt, though with some bumps along the way.