This has been a tough season for Team Rick, what with the walker cattle drive that went horribly wrong, to an attack on Alexandria by the Wolves. Our joy of a new baby on the way was squelched by Glenn’s supposed death and, we had to suffer through teenage angst and the parting of ways between Ninja Carol and Sensei Morgan. On the last episode of “The Walking Dead” Team Rick is forced to literally tip toe through the walkers, while Abe, Daryl and Sasha are accosted by Negan’s mercenaries. Is there no way out for our team?
Roadblock
I’ll have to say, that I was dreading the opening of episode nine. The previews showed the smooth talking mouthpiece for Negan, Mr. ‘Nibble on this’ about to shoot Abe and Sasha. I had to down several TUMS before getting ready for the show to begin… but silly me… did I really forget how awesome Daryl is.
A bazooka does wonders to ending all types of roadblocks. But, my little walker snacks, we’re not out of the woods, yet. We have a baby and she might do what babies eventually do; cry. Did anyone else freeze when Gabe offered to take little ass-kicker with him to the church. Team Rick has to change their plans because there were just too many walkers and, the armory was too far away. Team Rick is facing its own roadblock of shuffling dead, but there is no bazooka in sight.
Denise
While Rosita, Tara and Eugene check on Carol and Morgan, Denise is in the hands of our crazy Alpha Wolf, but there is a side of him that surprises us. Why is he being so nice to Denise? Is it only because she’s the closest thing to a doctor and, he’s badly sick… or is it more? Alpha Wolf, played frightfully great by Benedict Samuel, tells Denise that he wasn’t always the sociopath and he wants to change her. Did Alpha care for Denise’s safety because she showed him kindness? Did Morgan’s Zen philosophy rub off on the big bad wolf?
Carol’s look of defeat when she sees the endless sea of walkers outside, reminds us that our favorite Ninja has a breaking point. We can almost hear her thinking, “Enough is enough! Morgan got no sympathy from Carol. His Zen life was not cutting it with her. It’s time to go Ninja, Morgan.
Sam
We knew this kid was a walking snack from the get go. He was a child that was abused by his father. His faith in adults was pretty much shaken, and then, Carol made him a cookie offer that he knew not to refuse.
Why didn’t Jessie order him to go with Gabe? She sealed their fate by taking the boy with her. She knew he was fragile, but like most moms, she was fooled into thinking she was enough to keep him safe.
Glenn
How freaking lucky is Glenn? This kid is living on borrowed time and keeps bouncing back. I really enjoyed his explaining to Enid why she should never give up. Her staying alive gives tribute to all those who died. How many of you thought that Glenn’s luck ran out when he and Enid went to rescue Maggie?
Conclusion
The past week, Twitter and Facebook were ablaze with theories on who was going to die in tonight’s episode. My fear that it would be Daryl, Abe, or Sasha was put to rest after a few unsettling moments. What I didn’t expect was for me to feel sorry for the Alpha Wolf played so well by the very handsome Benedict Samuel. Did he take Denise because she was a doctor, or did she touch something inside his heart that he thought dead? We’ll never find out because Carol had had enough of this wily character. She didn’t witness his saving Denise. I wished we’d had learned more of this character’s backstory before he died.
Gabe came through with baby Judith and got her safely to the church, but he surprised us by finally growing a pair. He could have stayed in the church and watched his friends be overtaken by the horde, but he didn’t. Did Gabe’s bravery spark a flame under the other townsfolk who hid behind closed doors while Team Rick took on the entire horde?
We knew it was coming. Ron had it in for Carl and maybe he would have eventually gotten over his teenage angst if he didn’t witness his mother and Sam devoured by the horde… maybe it was seeing Rick hack at his mother’s wrist to save Carl. Ron did the unthinkable. He attacked the Team and Michonne took him down, but not before Ron shot Carl.
Faith without works is dead! Enid learned that she was a combination of the people who loved her as was Glenn who credit his parents, Dale, Hershel and Tyreese for keeping him going. Faith without works is dead! Rick stood frozen as Sam and Jessie died. We all did. To save them would bring the walkers’ attention onto him, but Carl was trapped in Jessie’s death grip.
After getting his badly injured son to the infirmary, Rick and his team are left to fight the walkers on their own until something magical happens. The townsfolk of Alexandria finally understood what Rick was trying to teach them and they came out fighting. Even Eugene joined the troops.
I enjoyed this episode and think it was one of the best for this season. Kudos to Greg Nicotero for this treat. Glenn was saved by Daryl and his bazooka and, the never ending walker brigade was sent to a fiery grave. Morgan finally put his Zen to the side when he dispatched the walker Alpha Wolf. Rick promises the unconscious Carl a new beginning and hopes of a new world… but that new world might include a madman named Negan.
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