What a day
What a lovely day
episode synopsis: two stooges on a run to get food
how did they survive so long while being so stupid? get the truck and head back home, easy as that, don't chase some asshole around a field in a car that is so valuable to you!
How rare is it to see people on The Walking Dead be happy? Sure, the show gives its band of survivors the occasional moments of triumph, or simple sweetness, but how long do we really get to see the atmosphere around Rick and Darryl and Carl and Michonne just be pleasant?
It's not often. And there's a reason for that. Happiness and stability are nice; it's comforting for the audience to see the characters they've gotten to know over the past several years catch a break here and there. And yet too much happiness or too much stability over the long term is boring. Storytelling is fueled by conflict. As shows like Parks and Recreation have shown, that conflict doesn't necessarily have to be dark or dour, but you need real, meaningful obstacles for the characters to jump over or everything feels too slack to be truly engaging.
And yet it's been a harrowing season, if not a harrowing series, for The Walking Dead that it was incredibly refreshing to have an episode where, more or less, everything was okay. After the deaths and fireworks and bombast of "No Way Out", this was a quiet episode, that let our heroes enjoy their victory for a little while before the next big challenge (Negan?) rears its ugly head. We get to see them enjoy a little peace; we get to see Rick and Darryl feel like buddies rather than brother's in arms; we get to see Michonne and the Grimes coalesce into a family; and we get to see Alexandria seem like a town of hope rather than a tinderbox waiting to catch fire.
Despite that sense, and despite the sleepy, gentle piano-heavy score that flitted around behind many of the scenes, there were still obstacles to be jumped over in "The Next World," the most obvious of them being Rick and Darryl's cat-and-mouse game with that crafty Jesus fellow.
That part of the episode wasn't perfect necessarily. For one thing, we've seen the two of them go back and forth on the "every man for himself" versus the "all for one and one for all" spectrum so many times that their debate over whether to take in Jesus feels a bit trite. Their shifts are well-motivated, with Rick seeing Alexandria rise to the occasion in the prior episode with Denise saving his son's life and thus giving him faith in the kindness of strangers once more, while Darryl has twice been accosted by folks he met out in the wild since he and Rick's last conversation in this vein, and in one instance, he stuck out his neck for a group of people and was taken advantage of. Still, we've played this same game with these same characters so often than it just feels a little tired.
Likewise, the truck with badly needed supplies falling into the lake while Rick and Darryl are unnecessarily going after Jesus feels a little too on-the-nose for a metaphor. We get it. We spend so much time fighting each other, and so much time fighting the external zombified threat that we neglect the tools for basic survival we so badly need when there's plenty to go around if we could just stop screwing around and share with one another.
But you know what? I can forgive all of that, every last bit of it, because the scenes with Rick and Darryl were just so much fun. We've seen the two working together for nearly the whole show by this point, and there's a clear rapport between the two of them, that their storyline in this episode feels like something of a strange, sort-of-breezy buddy cop movie, with Daryl getting annoyed by Rick's choice in music, and the pair's laugh-worthy response to Jesus inquiring whether or not their guns are even loaded, and the delightfully staged and shot scene where the two of them look like they're basically playing freeze tag with Jesus near that barn.
The Walking Dead is many things. It can be an onslaught of bloody spectacle, a meditative show about mortality and human nature, an overwrought prime time soap opera, but rarely is it this freewheeling and yes, fun. So give me Rick and Darryl palling around together, with an amusing wildcard like Jesus to chase around for good measure, any day of the week.
The other half of the episode, featuring Carl, Enid, Spencer, and especially Michonne dealing with the reanimated corpse of Deanna wasn't nearly as fun. These scenes were a lot slower, a lot more contemplative and deliberate than the scenes concerning Rick and Darryl's adventures. And in truth, there were problems there to.
For one thing, it strains credulity that Deanna made it out there and somehow wasn't killed in last week's fray. But as I've said before, TWD is a show that runs on theme instead of logic, and that simply is what it is. What was more bothersome is another "it's too hard to kill the zombie of a loved one" story. The Walking Dead has been doing this type of shtick since literally its first episode (with Morgan and his wife), and while there's a certain amount of realism to the idea that the issue would come up more than once in the universe of the series, there wasn't much of a new take on with Spencer in the moment to make it feel fresh or different.
At the same time, Carl and Enid's teenage adventures continue to hew a little too far toward Dawson's Creek-meets-Night of the Living Dead territory for my tastes, but again, the show seems committed to the idea of the two of them, and I'm willing to give them some leeway to see where they're going with it, even if I don't necessarily have high hopes.
But the place where those two parts of the story converge, and then dovetail with the aftermath of Rick's adventure, was one of the more emotionally resonant and earned finishes that The Walking Dead has managed to pull off.
"The Next World" leans in a little hard into the Michonne-as-mom motif here, with the opening little domestic scene with her and the Grimes boys. But the moment when, taking on that maternal role, she scolds Carl and questions what he was doing out there, why he was taking those risks by not killing Deanna, and then melts upon hearing his explanation that not only was it because he believed that someone who loved her needed to do it (as he had to do with his own mother, in a nice touch), but that he would do the same for Michonne. And she embraces him, and the look on her face conveys everything about how touched she is to hear this that we don't even need to hear her say that she would do the same for Carl, as an act of kindness.
Like Carol, Michonne has had one of the more interesting arcs over the course of the series. From her introduction as a nigh-mute, frosty assassin who seemed to have little to no interest in making friends beyond Andrea, nor really in anything beyond mistrusting The Governor, she gradually warmed to this group, and slowly but surely found that it was the place she belonged. "The Next World" is the culmination of that, and it's one of the best slow burns The Walking Dead has done.
She's particularly warmed to the Grimes children. Her and Carl's adventure together back in Season 3's "Clear" is one of the first time we see Michonne smile. The first time we see her cry and have hints at the past life she's lost was when she was holding Judith. And those connections have grown stronger and stronger, with nice character beats like her quick kiss for an unconscious Carl in "No Way Out' before storming out to help Rick. She has become family to Carl and Judith, and not suddenly either, which makes Carl's affirmation all the more sweet and meaningful.
But, of course, the affection doesn't stop at Carl, and the final sequence in the episode pulls the trigger on a romantic relationship between her and Rick. That too feels as earned as it is a bit surprising. In the great scattering of Season 4, where Rick, Michonne, and Carl were grouped together, there was an easy bond between the three of them forged in their joint survival. And in the last season, when Rick started to lose his marbles a bit in Alexandria, Michonne was the steady hand, there to protect him, from the rest of the town and more importantly from himself. Their relationship, though not romantic until this point, has been built and built over the past few seasons, to where their taking it to the next level feels organic to that growing bond.
And when they sit on the couch together after a pair of exhausting events of the day, and each asks the other how their day was, and they make casual jokes about silly things like breath mints in the way that people who are close do, the romantic development feels like a natural progression. And once again, Michonne laughs. She's thought about what Deanna said, about what she wants from this world, and realizes that she's already found it; she just has to give into it.
Like I said, The Walking Dead is not an especially happy show. Take away the undead shuffling at the gates, take away the horrific deaths that seems to crop up every third episode, take away the bleak remnants of humanity, and you still have a show about people constantly struggling, with trust, with survival, and with each other. But if there's a silver lining to all of that misery, it makes the episodes like "The Next World", that take the time to show some of the show's best characters enjoying a measure of peace and tranquility and, yes, even love, shine like a beacon in the darkness. There's sure to be more pain and more misery around the corner, but for now, it's enough to enjoy that happy stillness, even if it's just for a little while.
Rick and Daryl's looting and chasing escapades were pretty cool. But all those goods getting wasted at the bottom of the lake bugs me so fucking much. Rick and Michonne getting it on is weird. Their friendship's awesome but anything more is just weird. I don't even know why. I'm still stuck mid-cringe.
Jesus is finally making his entrance, and what an entrance it is!
One of the best episodes ever if not the best. Romantic (the kind we have been waiting for like what 3 seasons?), Action packed, New Locations, New interesting characters.
Best moments:
When Rick and Daryl were TRYING to catch Jesus, so much fun!
Richonne.
When Daryl gave Rick half a snickers
I'm shocked at the amount of love being shown for this episode. EVERYONE acted like complete idiots. I thought for about a quarter of the episode that they flashed forward a few months or years, and that explained everyone's state of relative relaxation. Then I realize it's only been a few weeks? People are hanging out in unsafe locations for no apparent reason, they're letting their guard down, they're focusing on completely innocuous things... what the hell was that? It felt like an episode from a completely different show.
If this is to lull us into a false sense of security, maybe this will make sense dramatically in the future. But for now? Worst episode of the series.
Such a great episode – intense and funny!
Loved Jesus! Can't wait to see more about him (btw, where's Daryl if Jesus has got his way to Rick's house?!)
And my OTP became canon – Richonne ❤
I've waited for this ending 3 seasons. Thank you! :)
Wait, Rick and Michonne???!!! WTF!!!!
Surprised that Jessie's death wasn't even acknowledged. She obviously meant a lot to Rick, but except for the initial shock while she was being devoured by walkers he didn't even mention her AT ALL. In fact, no one has mentioned her ever since, like she was just an extra, like she didn't even exist.
that's the kind of intense TWD we need
Been the best episode this season and possibly the whole series
Well this was a great episode. I was waiting for Jesus' first appearance for a while now. :)
Not bad. A light-hearted drama episode with enough tense near the end. More character development of Carl, Rick, and Michonne. Deanna's son overcoming his ineptitude. And the unusually funny introduction of Jesus.
Those so called 'fillers', I like them, to be honest. Good character development and some light hearted moments for a change. I know it's a different mood, but reminded me to the 6x04 in a way, very enjoyable overall
This was a really good episode... I've missed these. Dialogue wasn't melodramatic, they introduced an interesting character in a great way that showcased him well, relationships were detailed well, so much more. The only thing making this ep bad was that it came after many bad ones that didn't build up to it well.
My 2nd favorite episode of the whole show.
Pretty shit compared to last week
That was the happiest episode in the entire show and I loved it
"Rick and Michonne fuck." loool
Very tense with some nice humour thrown in, enjoyed it.
Glenn better die dramatically and with a ton of gore to live up to the comic, and goddamn the comic did it perfectly.
Oh Jesus!! Looks like there will be more action about to come bring it on!
something is happening, at least, for once.
I don't understand how people loved this episode. It's simply a filler!
Been a great reset since the mid point delay! Hope this keeps up!!
One of the best episode !!!
I really liked the lighter feel to it, without feeling like a filler.
Ohh I like Jesus already! He seems like a super fighter... kind of like a ninja based on his moves against Daryl and Rick, and also very street smart with pickpocketing the key of the truck. I am really curious to see what he is up to.
I thought it was so funny seeing how awkward Denise was explaining the request for the soda to Daryl LOL It even felt like he was making fun of all her hands gesture.
Speaking of Daryl... it's interesting how in the beginning of the season he was all hopeful towards people still being good, and after that encounter where those people who double-crossed him he is the one that doesn't want to bring new people in... while Rick has had a change of heart. Good balance, but horrible timing for these two LOL
Rick is way more interesting when he has hopes. Probably why he and Michonne got together now... They're both in a very positive place.
Rick/Michonne getting together was something very natural! I think it was done really well for the characters. I can't imagine them both discussing relationship, the feeling were there so they just acted upon it.
I just feel like it was too soon after Jessie... And I get that time has passed by because Carl is already recovered and all, but still as a viewer it seems like Rick really wants to hook up with anyone LOL. I think that the mid season premiere should've been the mid season finale... that way time would've passed both for viewers and in the SL to give us time to put Jessie behind.
All those goods... What a freaking waste -_-
Why do you try to fight with Jesus with you bare hands when you have guns? Why do you drive with that truck into a field, where it can get stuck or even better drive into some pond. Congrats for wasting valuable resources, idi*. And really, Michonne and Rick, when did this happen? They never looked at each other. And what was those dramatic slow motion shots when Jessie was dying last episode? Did they just got slow-mo camera and wanted to use it? Because obviously she meant nothing to Rick, when he's already laughing and fuing Michonne. Terrible episode.
Very funny episode! This Jesus guy seems cool. Rick + Michonne! YAY!
Everybody feeding the Grimes is such a big mood
Very hopeful episode which was great after the last dark and tense episode...
Player Jesus joins your party
Not as good as last weeks in my opinion but still not bad.
Walkers are attracted to sound; my only thing... Why play the music so loud?
So much is packed into every episode, the edge of my seat is worn out!!
Not my favourite episode. R & D would never have made those decisions. Seemed a forced way to get Jesus in.
Rick taste diferents flavors. Strawberry, Chocolat...
Shout by DeletedBlockedParent2016-02-15T16:16:59Z
This is the best episode of The Walking Dead.