The Walking Dead ended. Well, the touchstone Image Comics title, The Walking Dead came to its conclusion with issue #193. I assume it’s going to crawl out from under the dumpster for a few more “surprise” issues only to end for real at #200. Jokes aside…

Damn. Good for Kirkman.

“The Walking Dead has always been built on surprise. Not knowing what’s going to happen when you turn the page, who’s going to die, how they’re going to die … It’s been essential to the success of this series, Kirkman wrote. “It just felt wrong and against the very nature of this series not to make the actual end as surprising as all the big deaths.”

(Spoilers Ahead)

The conclusion, which serves as an epilogue for the Rick Grimes story, came with little to no warning, but Kirkman claims its time had come. In a day and age when everything is spoiled, this is actually a great move. To just respect the reader enough to let them experience an actual shock is pretty impressive. It might not work for everyone, but to kill off a 16 year old character without warning is almost unheard of these days, and worthy of some respect that it does fit so well with the history of this story. 

“Surprise!”

“I hate surprises, you suck! This whole thing was a shitty stunt and marketing driven!”

“But…if the market didn’t know about it how was it…oh never mind.”

In what effing universe is it wrong for a creator to end their art?

I know, I know. What a massive middle finger to the retailers that have supported the book for years. I’ve heard the chatter, TWD is still one of the best selling comics in the US, and suddenly with one day’s notice, retailers are getting left with the short end of the stick.

Think of it this way. This is more akin to advertising a trilogy of movies. When the second movie comes out, it turns out they finish off the story unexpectedly. Even though movie theaters thought the third movie would be coming out, they never ordered prints or posters or anything yet so the only money they lost is the imaginary money they would have gotten if they had sold tickets. The movie theater still has a blockbuster on their hands — probably more so due to the surprise of it — they just won’t get another one next summer. See also: Second and third printings, Trades, Hardcovers, etc.

It also isn’t the first time this has happened, by the way. Way back when Malibu was publishing the Ultraverse, they solicited about six issues of a book called called The Exiles...except the book actually came to an end with issue #4 when nearly all the characters die. In order to preserve the surprise, Malibu did the exact same thing Kirkman did: solicited fake issues with fake covers.

I hope fans get a conclusion they like, and that Kirkman sticks the landing like he did on Invincible. I can’t imagine the amazing catharsis he must feel ending two gigantic series’ within the last year. And hopefully, Kirkman uses some of that zombie money to make Invincible as a live action movie.

-Dagobot

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‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 6.16 “Last Day on Earth” (9.5 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Lennie James, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

The blood on Lucille isn’t even dry yet, and I’m already feeling that Walking Dead post-season malaise setting in. Much of that malaise is a result of me wanting to see more of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s grinning, demonic take on Negan. The buildup to such an iconic character was getting difficult to bear, but Morgan’s final scene was definitely one for the books. Major spoilers ahead!

Morgan and Carol

Before we discuss that chilling final scene, let’s get caught up with Carol (Melissa McBride) and Morgan (Lennie James), who, despite the greater threat of the Saviors, managed to get into some interesting territory of their own.

When Morgan finally caught up to Carol, she shed some more light on her decision to leave Alexandria, which had been bugging over the course of the last few episodes. She still doesn’t strike me as the type of person who would run away from the possibility of seeing a loved one die, but McBride makes us believe that Carol has reached a point of absolute exhaustion. Morgan’s determination to protect her also caused him to renege on his vow to not kill anyone who hasn’t been previously zombified.

The scene in question finds Carol cornered by one of the Saviors that she shot last week, who shoots her in the extremities in order to watch her die slowly. Morgan arrives to see the Savior with a gun pointed at Carol’s head and we immediately see one scenario in which leaving someone alive would surely result in the death of someone else. Morgan sees this too, and executes Carol’s captor. Initially, I thought that this was a bit inconsistent (why didn’t Morgan just shoot the Savior in the kneecap?) but, the more I thought about it, Morgan still kept it real. Carol had given up. She no longer valued her life, which is a concept that Morgan will have none of. The only way that Morgan could prove that Carol’s life still mattered was by breaking his vow in order to keep her alive. What it means for Morgan’s future encounters with the Saviors is still up in the air, but, in a weird way, Morgan still kept it real with his ideology. Plus, I like it when Morgan and Carol are on the same team.

Oh, and those two armored dudes who came upon Morgan and Carol? The spears and horses make me think that they’re from the Kingdom, another community that unites with Alexandria and Hilltop to fight the Saviors. This was a cool way to open up that storyline, and here’s hoping that Ezekiel will still have a trained tiger as a pet.

Negan and Lucille

Knowing that this episode was going to end with the arrival of Negan created this sense of impending doom for our heroes as they tried to get Maggie (Lauren Cohan) to the doctor at Hilltop. Every road they took was blocked by Saviors, or a ragged chain gang of zombies, or a burning wall of logs. Eugene (Josh McDermitt) gets the bright idea to send the crew on foot while he drives the RV around, thinking that the Saviors will be distracted, but no such luck. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and every primary character aside from Morgan and Carol end up on their knees, surrounded by Saviors and awaiting the appearance of Negan.

The way that the showrunners built up to Negan’s first appearance definitely made things difficult for newcomer Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Negan’s such a powerful character in the comics, striking an odd sort of harmony between a sadistic tyrant and charismatic leader. So, how did he do?

It was fantastic.

That final scene is one that will go down in TWD history. Morgan’s monologue before our subjugated heroes was darkly comic, filled with malice and sarcasm. Like most fans, I was excited to see that Morgan was cast as Negan, but he totally crushed it—pun intended.

Verdict

I was chewing nervously on my knuckles for the duration of Negan’s scene. Someone definitely bit the dust tonight, but we’ll have to wait until next season to find out who it was (my money is still on Glenn (Steven Yeun)). Whoever it was, the audience got to experience what it would be like to be beaten to death with Lucille—the entire bloody ordeal was filmed POV style with the episode fading out to the sounds of a head getting splattered all over the place.

I don’t love the fact that we have to wait until next season to see Negan’s victim, but I’ll have faith in the process. I just wanted to have six months to properly grieve, since I really like every one of Negan’s potential victims.

I have totally drunk the Walking Dead Kool-Aid, so it’s no surprise that I really liked season six. But there is a reason why so many people are in love with this show. For six seasons, it’s managed to find new ways to explore the zombie-apocalypse scenario. It’s now getting into territory that is less about zombies and more about rebuilding civilization, and it serves as a harsh reminder of all the blood and savagery that went into creating the country that we call home. None of this would be possible without Robert Kirkman’s great source material, which managed to reinvent the zombie story well before it was popular to do so. With that, I’ll catch you all at the beginning of season seven! Feel free to comment with your theories and speculation about who was on the receiving end of old Lucille.

Peace out, Deadites!

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 6.15 “East” (8 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Lennie James, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

With only one more episode to go in season 6, TWD has just gone and dropped another bomb on us. It was a helluva way to leave us all hanging in anticipation for the season finale, and I have a sinking feeling that all of that cocksure badassery that Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) has been throwing around is about to get a serious reality check. Spoilers ahoy!

Carol Is a Death Machine

Last week, we learned that Carol (Melissa McBride) was planning on leaving Alexandria because she could sense blood on the horizon and didn’t want to be a part of it. Ironically enough, her road away from Alexandria leads her to one of the bloodiest encounters of her career as a zombie killing shock trooper.

I use the word “ironically” to cover for some possibly shoddy plotting—why would Carol think that she would have to kill less people if she struck out on her own? I also thought that this little wrinkle didn’t make a whole lot of sense with Carol’s character. If we had some more insight as to why she didn’t want to kill any more people, it would be more believable. Since we didn’t get that, we have to assume that she ran off in order to satisfy some upcoming plot development, most likely involving Morgan (Lennie James) who ended the episode sending Rick back home so he could trail Carol on his own.

Aside from the eyebrow-raising that I was doing as I thought about the writers’ decision about Carol’s future, watching her straight up execute five Saviors was very satisfying. Even though the tide of the battle seems to be turning in the Saviors’ favor by the end of the episode I love thinking about how Rick and the Alexandrians have been creating some serious vacancies in the Saviors’ ranks throughout the season. Nothing is more thrilling than watching a bunch of mean, smug bikers get slaughtered by the folks that they’re trying to subjugate.

Daryl Screws Up

The episode opens with Daryl (Norman Reedus) solemnly looking at a keychain that belonged to the late Denise (Merrit Wever) and then tearing off into the zombie and Savior infested wilderness. This prompts Glenn (Steven Yeun), Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Rosita (Christian Serratos) to follow him as the audience collectively gasps at all of the horrors that could assault these beloved characters when we’re right on the verge of the season finale.

The soul of this development is during a conversation between Glenn and Daryl in which Glenn utters the words “Things will go wrong out there” which gives Daryl a bit of pause. He’s never one to be deterred from whatever it is that he’s tracking, but this phrase makes him at least consider the peaceful alternative—but he still doesn’t give up on his quest for revenge. It’s precisely this quest that puts Daryl into a deadly situation in which Dwight (Austin Amelio) may or may not have killed Daryl with a gunshot wound to the head. In an interview with “Entertainment Weekly,” Norman Reedus did confirm that it was indeed Daryl’s blood that we saw, but even if that’s the case, I’ve learned from both “Kill Bill” and season two of “Daredevil” that a gunshot wound to the head is not as fatal as it once was.

What was a bit scarier for me was Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) final scene in the episode where something has apparently gone wrong with her baby, which ended up sparking a conversation between me and my wife about the ramifications of a stillbirth in the zombie apocalypse. There’s some nightmare fuel for you.

Verdict

Outside of the sucker punch to the face during the last few minutes, this episode felt like it was killing time before the season finale. I get that—we want to make sure that the final episode is appropriately awesome—but the bulk of the episode was spent following characters as they wandered around the woods. I was intrigued by whoever Morgan and Rick found at the barn—was he a Hilltop fellow? Or maybe a scout from another community?

Regarding Daryl’s possible death, I’m not really feeling it. The scene felt very much the same as Glenn’s possible death earlier in the season, so I’m expecting Daryl to be injured but not deceased. Again, my money’s on Glenn meeting Lucille next week, so I’m viewing Daryl’s headshot as a red herring.

But we’ll see, won’t we? Only one more week until it all goes down the tubes! 

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 6.14 “Twice As Far” (9 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Lennie James, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

Every season of TWD thus far has thrown an “eye of the storm” episode our way right before things get dicey in a season finale. Based on the first three quarters of tonight’s episode, I thought that’s what we were getting.

I was totally wrong.

Spoilers ahead!

Eugene and Denise

By and large, tonight’s episode revolved around Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and Denise (Meritt Wever)—two characters that don’t seem to fit in with the Daryls and Michonnes of the zombie apocalypse. Even though their teammates seem to enjoy reminding them of this reality, both of these characters have demonstrated that they’re just as adept at survival as anyone else—they’re just not confident enough to see it. Even though he was full of crap, Eugene managed to find two of the baddest asses to protect him, and Denise forced herself to be a doctor under extreme duress. They wouldn’t be my first pick to take on a trip to take down a Savior compound, but let’s just be clear: Tonight’s episode wasn’t about these two becoming survivors, it was about them realizing that they were survivors all along.

It took Eugene a bit longer than Denise to have his moment of self-realization. We’ve seen sporadic scenes that show him taking more of an interest in combat training, and he’s offered up some very proactive solutions to big picture problems (sorghum, anyone?). Tonight, he takes Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) to an abandoned factory in the hopes that he can convert the place into a bullet manufacturing plant. In some of the best dialogue that I’ve heard on the show thus far, Eugene breaks up with Abraham, telling him that his “services are no longer required.” What I love about TWD is that these big character milestones often happen because of a zombie-related conflict—in this case, it was a zombie that had molten metal harden on its skull, thus preventing the usual “death from above” method of attack. Abraham emasculates Eugene by dispatching the zombie himself, which becomes the catalyst for their calling it quits. It’s a fantastic scene—both actors have developed a very fraternal chemistry and they played this scene out perfectly.

In a similar subplot, Denise asks Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Rosita (Christian Serratos) to accompany her on a salvage run to an apothecary that might still be packed with medicine. Yes, it’s a bit of a cop out to have both characters embark on essentially the same journey, but the chemistry among Denise, Daryl and Rosita is different and interesting enough to make me forget about that. All three of them are like lost junkyard puppies who have found kindred spirits in one another, and that was fun to watch. It was even more fun to watch Denise launch into a spiel about how big of a deal it was for her to kill a zombie on her own—even though it was only for a six pack of soda. Know what wasn’t fun to watch? The freaking arrow that burst through her eyeball just as her speech was getting good.

The Saviors

Back in episode six of this season, you might remember Daryl’s encounter with three survivors that ended up with them stealing his crossbow. That arrow that killed poor Denise? Yeah, it was from Daryl’s crossbow, now wielded by the dude from episode six (Austin Amelio). As it turns out, the show has turned him into Dwight, a canon character from the comics who wears Negan’s wrath in the form of a nasty facial burn. Serious props go to Eugene who delivers one of the most painful diversions that I’ve ever seen. Let’s just say Dwight’s nether region will never be the same. It’s another well-choreographed gunfight scene—Abraham arrives in time to create enough surprise for Daryl and Rosita to start blowing folks away. Eventually, this Negan guy has to realize that, since his people keep getting brutally murdered when they encounter the Alexandrians, it might be time to leave them alone…right?

Verdict

My biggest issue with tonight’s episode was the further exploration of that schism between those who can handle this savage world and those who can’t. I figured that after the Alexandrians took up arms and slaughtered that herd of zombies, we’d be able to see them as capable humans that can take care of themselves. But the original team still has this superiority complex that really needs to start going away.

Also, the episode ends with a short voice over from Carol (Melissa McBride) who has left a note explaining that she can’t stick around anymore because she’s suddenly grown a conscience. This felt a little weird to me—almost like the writers couldn’t think of a better reason for Daryl to zip off on his own next week. Carol was conniving and manipulating her way out of a dire situation last week, so to have her suddenly become stricken with guilt about all of the blood she’s spilled seems lopsided somehow. Why not just go hang out with Morgan (Lennie James) and learn the ways of the peaceful warrior?

Other than that, I really enjoyed the range of emotions that this episode inflicted on me, and honestly, can we get more scenes with Abraham and Eugene? Those two were amazing tonight.

Only two more episodes until we get some Negan terror! I can’t wait!

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 6.13 “The Same Boat” (9 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Lennie James, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

I’m still hashing things out in my head at this point, but I think I might have actually felt sympathy for the group of Saviors that was systematically massacred on tonight’s episode. If you know who/what the Saviors are, it’s easy to write it off as a necessary evil. For those who don’t have that background knowledge and take a look at Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) death squad approach to this Savior outpost, it’s hard not to feel a little frightened by our heroes. Spoilery spoils ahead!

Hostage Crisis

We left last week expecting a hostage negotiation, and that’s what we got—but it was ramped up on TWD’s trademark stimpack of moral ambiguity and visceral bloodshed, not to mention some amazing performances from a great supporting cast. In between all of that eye candy, this episode was also playing with some interesting subtext—one that didn’t have a set of gonads to trip over.

We soon learn that the Saviors who captured Maggie and Carol consist of three tough women and a whiny-ass guy. Right off the bat, it’s clear that tonight’s episode belongs to the interplay among a cast of complex and equally terrifying ladies. In some cases, it might be trying a teensy bit too hard to throw this dynamic into the audience’s face—quotes about how men can’t handle pain and Polly’s (Alicia Witt) pre-apocalypse tale of corrupt patriarchy detract from an episode that just needed to let these ladies perform. When they do perform, what we see is a clever game of manipulation and cunning play out within the dingy confines of the Saviors’ facility.

Getting back to my aforementioned Savior sympathy, I can’t think of two scarier people to have backed into a corner. You’ve got Carol, who has become eerily adept at finding the good in someone only to horribly exploit it, and Maggie who, like any soon-to-be mother, will rip her way through anything that could potentially harm her baby. From the moment Carol started her hyperventilating act, I knew that this group of Saviors was in trouble. Carol uses Maggie’s pregnancy to get into their heads, and the two of them systematically execute their way out of the compound back to Rick.

Since I’ve grown to love all of our heroes, I was totally stoked to see Carol and Maggie tag-team for a bloody victory over their captors. But when I think of things from their perspective, even though I know the Saviors are evil, it’s pretty messed up. There you are, minding your business when a group of well-organized killers descends upon your safe little compound in the middle of the night, burying their knives into the temples of your compatriots as they sleep. You manage to take two of these attackers hostage thinking that it might somehow preserve your life, only to have them manipulate the hell out of you and feed you to the undead. Is it even safe to call Rick and company good guys at this point? Heroes, maybe. Heroes sometimes have to do the terrible things that no one else wants to do. I guess they still have the fact that they dole out death and destruction without really enjoying it—almost like they’re taking out the garbage. Either way, they’re still engaging to watch.

Verdict

This was an episode that was only as strong as its actors, and everyone did an amazing job tonight. The Saviors were sufficiently pissed off, with just enough sympathy to allow Carol to weasel her way into their heads. Lauren Cohan had some great action scenes—I’m still thinking about the look on her face as she pistol whips a Savior to death. It was one of those moments in TV that remind us how refreshing it is to see stories that are driven by complex characters who happen to be women. An episode that could have been generalized by depicting a bunch of tough characters making tough threats became elevated by adding an element of primal motherhood into the mix. Only three episodes left! Eeeeeep!  

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 6.12 “Not Tomorrow Yet” (9 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Lennie James, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

After the events of last week’s episode, I thought we’d at least get one episode’s worth of planning out how to take the fight to Negan, but things escalated a mite quicker than that—not that I’m complaining. Spoilers ahead!

Love is An Acorn Beet Cookie

Cookies have come to represent many things on TWD. Tonight, the opening scene depicted Carol (Melissa McBride) preparing and delivering cookies to her neighbors. Set to the bouncy, alt-country tune “Weeds or Wild Flowers” by Parsonsfield, it’s got an almost sitcom feel to it. It’s interesting to have this scene center on Carol—the scene conceals the true nature of TWD in the same way that those flowery blouses and pink sweaters conceal hers.

It sets up two interactions that add some new wrinkles to Carol’s character. The first is with Morgan (Lennie James), revealing that Carol has decided to keep their little snafu with the Wolf quiet. We see that the two of them may have buried their ideological hatchet, but there’s still some ice between them. The second, and more adorable (but still badass) takes place with Tobin (Jason Douglas). The two of them have apparently been stoking a bit of a romance, eventually sharing a kiss before the episode’s main event. The reason it was badass was because Tobin has Carol figured out. She’s the type of woman who can bake cookies and slit throats because she’s a mother, and only mothers have the capacity to love and protect with such ferocity. Beautiful stuff, really.

On the flipside of the relationship coin, Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) called it quits with Rosita (Christian Serratos) with a particularly harsh choice of words—“When I first met you, I thought you were the last woman on Earth. You’re not.” This brought some of the events from last week’s episode back into focus for me, though it’s tough not to feel bad for Rosita. Even Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and his “Virginia is for Lovers” t-shirt couldn’t lighten the mood for the poor girl. However, it does raise some interesting speculation as to whether or not Rosita and Eugene will hook up like they do in the comics.

Where’s Negan?

The bulk of this episode is dedicated to some pretty spectacular gunfights, all perpetrated towards Negan’s crew. The planning session was a little bit short—not a great idea to plan an assault based on two bad sketches and three zombie heads made up to look like Gregory (Xander Berkeley). Regardless, the plan goes pretty well right up until the episode’s conclusion. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his conflict resolution team rescue the Hilltop dude and handily mop up every last one of the onsite Saviors. It’s one of the more action-packed set of scenes that we’ve seen so far. I’ve gotten so used to humans vs. zombies that it’s thrilling to see a gunfight in such close quarters. Overall, it’s a clean operation—except for the part when Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Carol getting captured. That’s not great.

I’ve become a little bit obsessed with Glenn (Steven Yeun) and his potential fate. There was a moment tonight that caused me to move Glenn’s doomsday clock a little closer to midnight—let me elaborate. It’s a well-known fact that Glenn has yet to kill a non-zombie humanoid. It’s pretty impressive, and I love how he’s become this shining example of how one can take the high road in the zombie apocalypse and still be a badass. However, tonight, our Glenn broke his streak by stabbing two Saviors in the eye with a knife and then gunning down a whole bunch more later on. By the end of this episode, Glenn is a Savior-killing machine. Side note: there was something heroic but melancholy about how Glenn stepped in to avoid Heath (Corey Hawkins) from getting blood on his hands. Anyway, there are all kinds of things wrong with this. First and foremost, is that Glenn has broken a pretty admirable nonviolent streak (Morgan would be proud), and he’s clearly messed up over it. On a metaphorical level, this foray into the dark side could be considered karmic grounds for arbitrary violence to come and whack him in the face with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. I could be wrong, but every episode is making Glenn’s horrifying death seem more and more inevitable.

Verdict

Fantastic episode. Watching Rick and his team comb through that compound and destroy a bunch of Saviors was great TV. I know that there’s some scuttlebutt about how Rick should have done some more investigation regarding the Saviors, but that makes no sense to me. After Daryl, Abraham and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) made the judgement call to blow up Negan’s men with a rocket launcher, I figure Rick had enough info to peg them as psychos. I also thought that Morgan’s scenes were a little forced—we get that the dude doesn’t like killing (although, he seemed to be working pretty hard on something deadly at the end there), but given the gravity of this situation, one would think that he’d be a bit better at enunciating his point of view. I blame shoddy writing for that, not Lennie James, who can do no wrong in my book. Each episode is building nicely to what promises to be an epic conclusion—let’s just keep our fingers crossed for poor, possibly doomed Glenn.  

The Walking Dead: Michonne, “In Too Deep” Episode 1, 7 out of 10: Rated M for Mature is available now on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Kindle Fire HDX, iOS and Android.

This just in…The Walking Dead franchise won’t be going away anytime soon: the TV show by AMC is just as popular than ever, and so are the comic books upon which the show is based. Telltale Games has also contributed to the franchises success with point and click adventure games based on it. The Walking Dead was the game-changer for Telltale Games, pushing them into the spotlight and winning over 90 Game Of The Year awards in the process. 

This game was the first Telltale project to introduce the idea of Player Choices, forcing you to make split-second decisions with no second chances, such as which character to save from death. This no-turning-back concept turned the game into an even more engaging experience, forcing every decision to be a crucial, game-changing moment. Importantly, The Walking Dead made you feel emotionally connected to the two main characters, and the amount of people that shed a tear-or-two at the game’s heartbreaking finale was an indication of how captivating the experience really was. 

‘The Walking Dead: Michonne’ is a three-part miniseries by Telltale Games that fleshes out some of the fan favorite character’s past that is not explored in the TV series or comics. 

Having lost what’s truly important, and constantly paining herself over the loss, Michonne has no intention of getting closer to the crew of The Companion, a group cruising the coast for supplies and survivors that saved her from herself and her ghosts, and this is reflected in how players can interact with them. The game doesn’t really do a good job in making the player care about the crew of The Companion, but this is probably intentional, reflecting Michonne’s attitude towards others at this point of her life. Pete is the only member of the crew who appears in more than just a few sequences and his bright, positive attitude creates a nice contrast which Michonne’s. Soon enough, players will also have to interact with some despicable individuals that do manage to be a bit more memorable than the survivors’ crew, although they’re not exactly remarkable. If you are a fan of The Walking Dead, you definitely won’t be surprised by the behavior of some of these people.

The script and voice acting (‘Orange Is The New Black’ actress Samira Wiley voices Michonne) are top notch as usual. One standout example is when Michonne is dealing with a hostage situation. How she handles the situation is largely up to the player, and trying to smooth-talk through the situation feels strategic and important. Of course, staying silent and seeing what happens is a valid option as well. In any case, the scenario is definitely one of the more engaging conversations in a Telltale game. For the first time, it feels like the silence option is the most suited for the main character, as Michonne isn’t generally very talkative. Choosing it not only feels appropriate, but it also leads to some interesting results. Also, one specific sequence will morally challenge players in a very unique way, making them choose between telling the truth or lying, only that the truth is hard to believe. A dilemma with no clear right answer that will definitely get players to think. 

‘The Walking Dead: Michonne’ is definitely engaging, making it a very strong start for this new series. Some of what may be perceived as shortcomings are most likely a precise design choice that goes hand in hand with how the main character sees the world around her. I am excited to see what happens next. “In Too Deep” ends on a solid cliffhanger that will leave players in suspense until the next episode drops later this month. 

-Dagobot



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‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 6.10 “The Next World” (9 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Lennie James, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

This was the right way to come down from that adrenaline-filled mid-season premiere. After getting to see the Alexandrians finally represent, they’ve had a relatively peaceful couple of months. I said this last week, but I’m really glad that our heroes are starting to catch a few breaks. Tonight’s episode not only maintained that momentum, but quite possibly broke the Internet with its concluding scenes. Executive-level spoilers ahead!

Rest in Peace

Spencer (Austin Nichols) has been acting weird—watching your relatively safe community slowly crumble to the point where you wake up one day and your whole family has been killed will do that do a guy. Michonne (Danai Gurira) notices that this weirdness has been causing Spencer to take long, wistful walks into the woods by himself. In what I thought would be a fairly angsty storyline involving Spencer wandering into the woods to take out his rage by killing zombies (most everyone seems to go through this phase), we actually got a decent story about reconciliation. Spencer and Michonne’s little adventure leads them to cross paths with Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Enid (Katelyn Nacon), who appear to be wrangling a zombie rather than killing it—curious, right? As it turns out, Spencer was combing the woods for the zombified version of his mother Deanna (Tovah Feldshuh) so he could regain some closure for her death.

When Spencer and Michonne put Deanna’s zombified corpse out of her misery, we can’t help but think of that moment way back in season three when Carl had to put his own zombified mother to rest. His cursory involvement in this scene was a cool little footnote—he understands what Spencer was going through better than most anyone else, and Chandler Riggs nailed it when he and Michonne debriefed the situation. The relationship between Carl and Michonne is one of my favorite things about the show, and this scene between them was beautiful.

Rick and Daryl Find Jesus

It’s been some time since we’ve seen Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) get some one on one time, and their bromantic road trip was great for several reasons. Perhaps my favorite thing about seeing Reedus and Lincoln share the screen together is how much of their connection comes from their ability to communicate without any words. Daryl’s grimace as Rick starts off their supply run with some godawful honky tonk music is a perfect example of this.

While trying to bust open a vending machine for a few sodas, they meet a suspicious fellow named Paul (Tom Payne), but whose friends call him Jesus. As far as the comics go, Jesus is from another community called Hilltop, and his appearance in the show implies that the show is planning to follow Kirkman’s original narrative.

His introduction on tonight’s episode was slightly different than it was in the comics. He leads Rick and Daryl on a Benny Hill-like chase through the Georgian wasteland after conning them out of their stocked supply truck. While these scenes maintained the show’s trademark grit, there was something lighthearted about the whole encounter—much of which was due to Payne’s portrayal of the character. All three of these actors played well off of each other, and I’m happy with the decision to cast Payne in the role of this beloved character.

Shipping News

In what will soon come to be known as a historic moment on “The Walking Dead,” fans who have been shipping Rick and Michonne were treated to one of the most—dare I say romantic?—scenes in the show’s entire run. The show hints at the possibility of this relationship with the opening scene that finds a post-shower Michonne asking to borrow Rick’s toothpaste, but there’s something about the low-five that they give each other in passing that hints at their mutual residence in the friend-zone. At the conclusion of the episode, when Rick and Michonne sit on the couch and talk about their day while their fingers timidly intertwine over a roll of mints, the collective sighs of all zombie-lovers could be heard worldwide. Did I mention that all of this adorable hand-holding ends with Michonne naked and armed with her katana? I tell you, there’s something for everyone in this episode.

Verdict

I know it’s going to be short-lived, but I am totally loving the happiness that I’m seeing so far. It’s refreshing to see a show that has found new ways to make beauty out of grit, gore and grief let its cast take a breather. Plus, the zillion people that were pulling for #richonne got a hell of an eyeful tonight. Not only was it beautiful to see these two characters slowly come to the realization that they could be amazing together, but having Rick and Michonne seal the deal means the writers have to commit to this romantic storyline. No more having a main character strike up a romance with someone only to have them lazily killed off before it goes anywhere. If Rick and Michonne don’t end up working out, they can’t simply have a walker shamble in and eat one of them. As the episode ended on a cliffhanger that featured both Rick and Michonne naked and armed, next week’s installment promises to be one of fractured timelines and a bit more exposure for the mysterious man known as Jesus. See you then, zombie-friends!

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 6.9 “No Way Out” (9 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Lennie James, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

After a fairly lukewarm mid-season finale, tonight’s episode felt like a solid gold kick to the face—and I mean that in the best possible way. From an explosive pre-credits scene to an epic montage of unity through zombie-slaying, we got a little bit of everything that makes “The Walking Dead” great tonight. Spoilers ahead!

Who’s Negan?

The season picks up with that scene involving Daryl (Norman Reedus), Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Sasah (Sonequa Martin-Green) having a standoff with a biker gang who are fixing to relieve the trio of their weapons and render them to Negan. It’s a cool scene to watch—those who are familiar with the comics know Negan as one of the most brutally evil characters in comic book history. But to our three survivors, he’s just a name.

Based on the tone of the last few episodes of season six, I was positive that we would lose at least one character before this episode even started. I was delightfully shocked to see the moment that the gang leader (a sickly polite Christopher Berry) pulled his newly-acquired pistols on Sasha and Abraham quickly become the moment that Daryl immolated the whole gang with a rocket launcher. Not only was this a spectacular way to start off a mid-season premiere, but it provided a much-needed overture to an episode where our heroes start kicking ass as opposed to having their asses kicked.

The Alpha Wolf

While this episode was full of explosions and a whole lot of zombie carnage, we also got a thoughtfully constructed character arc involving Denise (Merritt Wever) and a character known as Alpha Wolf (Benedict Samuel). Recalling the last episode, Morgan (Lennie James) and Carol (Melissa McBride) got into a scuffle, allowing Alpha Wolf to escape with Denise as a hostage. Though the two occupy about ten minutes of screen time, it’s some of the most well-executed character development that we’ve seen on the show so far. Benedict Samuel dug deep into the character’s duality—the Wolf claims that he wasn’t always a killer, but the world he lived in required him to become one. When Denise calls him on his violent cynicism, it seems to make enough of an impression for the Wolf to sacrifice his arm to save her from a zombie attack. Despite the fact that Carol shoots the Wolf as soon as they reach the infirmary, his death meant a whole lot more because of these expertly constructed scenes. And props to Merritt Wever, who is making Denise into a soft-spoken badass.

That Escalated Quickly

 On Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) side of the zombie attack, he, Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are attempting the zombie entrails poncho trick to get Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), Jessie (Alexandra Breckinridge), and her two kids out of the horde. This risky gambit ended with Jessie and Sam (Major Dodson) getting eaten, Ron (Austin Abrams) trying to shoot Rick but instead getting fileted by Michonne and Carl getting his eye shot out. A lot of people are hating on Sam for freaking out, but let’s not forget that the reason he was freaking out was because Carol got into his head way back at the beginning of the season. Her vivid descriptions of how zombies kill and eat people caused him to freeze up, leading to the eventual deaths of his entire family, so nice one, Carol. It was sad to see Jessie go—I liked Alexandra Breckinridge, and I thought she gave the character of Jessie some real gravity—but her two kids were just time bombs waiting to explode, and I’m glad that happened sooner rather than later.

The moment in which Carl gets his eye shot out happened a bit too quickly for me to really register what happened, but I think that was the point. Rick watching half of his immediate companion pool get mauled by zombies only to see that his son has been shot in the face was a lot for all of us to handle. It did, however, provide Rick with enough murder rage to start taking on the throng of zombies with nothing but a hatchet, a move that slowly started to inspire the Alexandrians to take up arms and defend their homes. Like the opening credits scene, we’ve been so used to seeing our heroes get screwed that it was exhilarating to see them finally channel some rage at the undead. Even the most irritatingly milquetoast characters like Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and Gabriel were chopping off all kinds of zombie heads, and the machine gun pacing of the film editing gave the episode a surprisingly cathartic conclusion.

Verdict

I don’t remember the last time an episode felt so short—I was so engrossed in the action that I didn’t even feel the hour-long runtime. There was no shortage of zombie carnage, we had some character-based moral quandaries, and someone finally put that rocket launcher to good use. If Glenn and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) had a more tearful and triumphant reunion, this episode would have had all of its bases covered. I know that this huge victory will be short lived, but I’m officially excited to have my Sunday night zombie fix back.

The fourteenth of February is many things to many people—an excuse to get a swank-ass dinner at Red Lobster, the scene of a final realization that your boyfriend just doesn’t “get you,” or perhaps it’s somebody’s birthday (Happy birthday, Neal.). Regardless of your Valentine’s day plans, I strongly suggest that you cancel them immediately and watch the mid-season premiere of “The Walking Dead” on AMC—or, at the very least, find yourself in a relationship with someone who promises to make zombies a part of the V-Day festivities. Since it’s been a few months since we last left Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Co., let’s take a few moments and review.

Rick, Michonne, Carl, Jessie, and Jessie’s Two Creepy Kids

In that last iconic shot of episode 6.7, we see the above mentioned characters slowly leaving Jessie’s (Alexandra Breckinridge) home with shattered looks on their faces, and zombie guts hanging on their torsos. It’s both awesome and melancholy as they see the streets of their once prosperous and zombie-free utopia now overrun with the undead. This scene is also a stark reminder that Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Ron (Austin Abrams) aren’t currently BFF’s—Ron tried to kill Carl in the garage moments before the town was overrun. Rick and Jessie have had a few too-weird-to-be-romantic interludes, so perhaps there will be more to come once the two of them find a babysitter for their traumatized children. Carol (Melissa McBride), perhaps.

Morgan and Carol

Speaking of Carol, she and Morgan (Lennie James) had a hell of a time deciding how to handle their Wolf prisoner. Carol and Morgan have come to be militant representatives of their chosen ideologies; Carol will kill you if you’re a threat, Morgan believes that all life is sacred. Ironically, it’s the physical fight between Morgan and Carol that let’s their currently dangerous prisoner escape, proving once again that a calm discussion is often the best way to solve a disagreement. I’d expect more axe grinding between these two before they final figure out a compromise in the last half of season six. Or maybe one of them gets killed, right?

Glenn and Maggie

Goldenboy Glenn (Steven Yeun) is still alive, though he and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) have yet to reunite. The only sign she really got was that poorly computer generated bunch of green balloons floating off into the sky. Based on the fact that Alexandria has fallen, I don’t get the sense that Glenn and Maggie’s anticipated reunion will be extremely happy, since, you know, zombies and stuff. Also, I’m still pursuing a theory that Glenn’s near-death experience was just a cruel trick to make the audience think that Glenn is safe from the upcoming swarm of evil that is Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). If you’ve read the comics, you’re thinking the same thing—don’t deny it.

Sasha, Abraham and Daryl

After these three had a zany adventure involving a rocket launcher and military dress blues, they came across a gang of bikers who demanded that they surrender their property to Negan. It was a post-episode scene that I remember having to sit through the first part of “Into the Badlands” to see, but it was potent nonetheless. I’m predicting a grizzled staredown as Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) reluctantly hand over their stuff (even though Abraham could have just rocket launcher’d the hell out of the bikers), and they’re sent on their way BUT I could also see them becoming captives and trying to escape.

New Cast Members!

A few months ago, we heard that Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) will be taking the role of Negan. The scuttlebutt is that he will only be mentioned by name throughout the rest of the season, with a big reveal in the finale. He will then become a regularly billed cast member for season 7.

More recently, it was announced that Tom Payne (HBO’s Luck) would be playing the character of Paul Monroe, aka Jesus. Not only will it be cool to see a fan-favorite character like Jesus come to life, but it also implies that we’ll be seeing colonies other than Alexandria in the upcoming episodes.

Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments section! Happy Valentine’s Doomsday!