The Walking Dead returns and shows us why we fell in love with the show
*Warning Spoilers*
Anyone who has been watching The Walking Dead knows that the first half of Season 6 started out promising, with an interesting premise that everything was happening over the course of one day. Walkers were attacking the safe haven of Alexandria, the mysterious group of Wolves attacking, and characters in constant danger.
Then, it all seemed to slow down. A season that hit hard out of the gate now hit the brakes and the last few episodes we saw last year were painful to slog through. It all ended on a massive cliff hanger that I didn’t feel was well deserved, and it made the past few months a frustrating wait for fans.
Well last night Season 6 returned with “No Way Out,” a promising episode that featured everything we have come to love about.
The Walkers have overrun Alexandria, a town that didn’t know how awful conditions outside the walls are–until now.
Rick, Carl, Jessie and her kids are walking through the hoards covered in Walker guts. Sam, the youngest, freezes in a panic attack and the Walkers descend on him. His mother stands screaming in horror as she watches. Her sounds make the Walkers descend on her too, while her son Ron watches. He points a gun at Carl, who he tried to kill in the last episode. Michonne gets to him first, but not before he gets a shot off at Carl in the eye. It is a scene straight out of the comic book pages.
That scene and many more were the reason I loved this episode so much. It had more than a few moments that made me yell out in shock and left me wondering who will make it out by the end.
Of course, this show hasn’t had the guts to kill off big characters for a few seasons, as shown by Glenn’s fake out death scene. Which was effective, but when we all realized he was alive it took the wind out of the sails for the last few episodes. Knowing this takes the threat out of future scenes where main characters are in danger.
Still the episode was very well directed and probably the most horror-filled episode we’ve seen. Creative editing, and a fantastic climax, made it look like it was straight off of a comic book page. It had me on the edge of my seat and that’s all I really wanted from it. I wanted the show to return and hit the ground running, but I’m still hesitant. This is a moment we have seen from this show many times, it slows down to a painful pace and then picks up again to keep us invested.
With the teasing of Negan, a villain whose name strikes fear to the comic readers, the apparent salvation of Alexandria, and Carl lying in bed injured, but alive, this episode gave us a great set up to what could be the most intense season ending TWD has had.
I’m still skeptical, but after 6 years and countless hours invested in these characters, I’m in it till the end. Hopefully, they don’t let us down.
Timothy Page is a second-year ACC student. He loves all things movies, as well as his Saint Bernard, Nesta. His favorite movie is "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." He hasn't seen as much of Alfred Hitchcock as he would like. But...
