[7.5/10] This was The Walking Dead’s usual mix of some very good stuff and some very meh stuff. But there was also a distinct lack of very bad stuff, which is a win for this show in my book!
My favorite part of the episode was the storyline involving Princess, the pink-haired motormouth who Eugene, Ezekiel, and Yumiko run into on Eugene’s romantic quest. For one thing, I just really enjoyed Princess even before we got her backstory. So many characters on this show end up feeling kind of grim and drab, so having someone with so much personality, in her look and her attitude and demeanor, felt like a breath of fresh air, so I hope she becomes a regular part of the show.
That said, I envision her being a little polarizing. Her “Luis from Ant-Man” meets Lilo and Stitch vibe is right up my alley, but it’s also distinctive and different, which can be a lot for some people. Still, I love the way that works with the plot and with the character’s emotional backstory. From a sheer narrative standpoint, our heroes having to make through an unfamiliar place with the help of a potentially unreliable guide is a good story engine. The mix of Yumiko’s mistrust, Ezekiel wanting to believe her, and Eugene as the pragmatist in the middle makes for a good dynamic, and the prospect of getting some “wheels” and having to go through a minefield motivates and dramatizes the conflict well.
I especially like where they end up. Princess is not perfect, but she’s sympathetic, and her story of loneliness before and after the fall of civilization, replete with the “hard to love” label hits hard. The character writing here is really strong, with the show finding good connections out of that story. Eugene is, by his own admission, someone who knows what it’s like to lie and have a different speech pattern and worry about being alone, so he’s the first to forgive and extend the hand of friendship. The episode also suggests that Yumiko is maybe projecting some of her frustrations with Magna onto Princess in subtle ways. Plus, the actress who plays princess does a great job of selling both Princess’s outsized qualities and her moments of realness in a convincing way.
I also enjoyed the Daryl/Judith story a lot. At some point, Norman Reedus deserves real recognition (along with Melissa McBride), for being the foundation of this series and elevating its material above anywhere it has any right to be for ten years. I appreciate the show continuing to deal with Judith processing the notions of real death in a way that hadn’t left a mark on her despite growing up in a world full of it. The way that melds with her fears of losing her family is outstanding, and Daryl is incredible as her rock and protector through all this. His simple speech about people who’d do anything to take care of her, and how one day she’ll want to do the same, hits just as hard and stands out as one of the most heartening moments in the show. The pairing really works.
The rest of the episode is mostly a big meh. Beta’s “I hear voices” routine isn’t especially interesting, and while the march of “guardians” toward are heroes makes for some good visuals, the “he’s losing it” angle has been done many times before on this show, and a lot of the tactics and motivations and even the actual words are hard to comprehend. I also find it hard to care about Aaron and Alden getting captured. Why the Whisperers didn’t find them in the windmill of Hilltop, god only knows, but whatever. They just feel like pawns in the larger game being played by the episode that I can’t really bother to gin up any interest in.
The same goes for Negan and Lydia. There’s a good tack there, with Negan continuing his sympathy for kids, feeling responsible for separating a mother and child. But the execution of it just doesn't move me. I don’t know why. Both actors do a good enough job. I just haven’t really been that invested in Lydia’s storyline from the jump, and Negan’s whole secret agent routine still feels kind of strained, so while the emotions are good, the root cause they’re reacting to just can’t sustain it for me.
The same goes for Carol and Kelly. I’m frankly glad that the episode takes some time out to have them hash it out over Connie; both actors do well, and there’s an optimism to the ideas at play which is refreshing. But the whole cave situation just felt so oddly contrived in the first place that it’s hard to take the outgrowths off it seriously.
Overall though, this is still a nice meat and potatoes Walking Dead episode. Who knows when we’ll get the finale, but this is a nice note to go out on during the unexpected break.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-04-12T22:04:44Z
[7.5/10] This was The Walking Dead’s usual mix of some very good stuff and some very meh stuff. But there was also a distinct lack of very bad stuff, which is a win for this show in my book!
My favorite part of the episode was the storyline involving Princess, the pink-haired motormouth who Eugene, Ezekiel, and Yumiko run into on Eugene’s romantic quest. For one thing, I just really enjoyed Princess even before we got her backstory. So many characters on this show end up feeling kind of grim and drab, so having someone with so much personality, in her look and her attitude and demeanor, felt like a breath of fresh air, so I hope she becomes a regular part of the show.
That said, I envision her being a little polarizing. Her “Luis from Ant-Man” meets Lilo and Stitch vibe is right up my alley, but it’s also distinctive and different, which can be a lot for some people. Still, I love the way that works with the plot and with the character’s emotional backstory. From a sheer narrative standpoint, our heroes having to make through an unfamiliar place with the help of a potentially unreliable guide is a good story engine. The mix of Yumiko’s mistrust, Ezekiel wanting to believe her, and Eugene as the pragmatist in the middle makes for a good dynamic, and the prospect of getting some “wheels” and having to go through a minefield motivates and dramatizes the conflict well.
I especially like where they end up. Princess is not perfect, but she’s sympathetic, and her story of loneliness before and after the fall of civilization, replete with the “hard to love” label hits hard. The character writing here is really strong, with the show finding good connections out of that story. Eugene is, by his own admission, someone who knows what it’s like to lie and have a different speech pattern and worry about being alone, so he’s the first to forgive and extend the hand of friendship. The episode also suggests that Yumiko is maybe projecting some of her frustrations with Magna onto Princess in subtle ways. Plus, the actress who plays princess does a great job of selling both Princess’s outsized qualities and her moments of realness in a convincing way.
I also enjoyed the Daryl/Judith story a lot. At some point, Norman Reedus deserves real recognition (along with Melissa McBride), for being the foundation of this series and elevating its material above anywhere it has any right to be for ten years. I appreciate the show continuing to deal with Judith processing the notions of real death in a way that hadn’t left a mark on her despite growing up in a world full of it. The way that melds with her fears of losing her family is outstanding, and Daryl is incredible as her rock and protector through all this. His simple speech about people who’d do anything to take care of her, and how one day she’ll want to do the same, hits just as hard and stands out as one of the most heartening moments in the show. The pairing really works.
The rest of the episode is mostly a big meh. Beta’s “I hear voices” routine isn’t especially interesting, and while the march of “guardians” toward are heroes makes for some good visuals, the “he’s losing it” angle has been done many times before on this show, and a lot of the tactics and motivations and even the actual words are hard to comprehend.
I also find it hard to care about Aaron and Alden getting captured. Why the Whisperers didn’t find them in the windmill of Hilltop, god only knows, but whatever. They just feel like pawns in the larger game being played by the episode that I can’t really bother to gin up any interest in.
The same goes for Negan and Lydia. There’s a good tack there, with Negan continuing his sympathy for kids, feeling responsible for separating a mother and child. But the execution of it just doesn't move me. I don’t know why. Both actors do a good enough job. I just haven’t really been that invested in Lydia’s storyline from the jump, and Negan’s whole secret agent routine still feels kind of strained, so while the emotions are good, the root cause they’re reacting to just can’t sustain it for me.
The same goes for Carol and Kelly. I’m frankly glad that the episode takes some time out to have them hash it out over Connie; both actors do well, and there’s an optimism to the ideas at play which is refreshing. But the whole cave situation just felt so oddly contrived in the first place that it’s hard to take the outgrowths off it seriously.
Overall though, this is still a nice meat and potatoes Walking Dead episode. Who knows when we’ll get the finale, but this is a nice note to go out on during the unexpected break.