‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 6.2 “JSS” (9 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.
When we last left our heroes, a blaring horn coming from Alexandria threw a major wrench in an otherwise well-executed plan to divert a zombie herd away from the town. Tonight’s episode explores who exactly was responsible for such inconvenient horn honking, and a whole lot of blood is spilled in the process. Spoilers ahoy!
Kid Stuff
The pre-credits scenes are all about Enid (Katelyn Nacon), and a few of the traumas that she endured before showing up at Alexandria (she ate a turtle! Gross!). After every subsequent victory over the undead and the elements, she scrawls ‘JSS’ into some surface. But what does it mean? Just Sit Still? Jump Start Satan? Juice Shack Shooters?
All nonsense aside, we get some deeper insights into the show’s younger cast members during this episode, and it’s actually pretty well done. My experience as a high school English teacher automatically deducts a ten-point minimum from any child actor’s charisma level, but TWD has done a pretty good job casting its JV lineup (I know people hate Carl, but I’m cool with him. Plus, I met Chandler Riggs once, and he seems like a nice kid). Enid and Carl have their cold survivalist thing going, and that moment that they shared inside a tree last season planted the seed for some possible romance between the two. Enter Ron (Austin Abrams), filled with beanie-wearing, haircut-refusing teen angst. This relationship becomes complicated when Carl sees Ron and Enid share a quick hug, presumably because Ron’s dad was outed as an abusive porch-dick and subsequently executed by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). Obviously, Ron and Carl aren’t going to be buddies, but there’s something mysterious about Enid’s revelation that she’s planning on leaving Alexandria—especially since she makes this announcement on the eve of an attack by the Wolves. Her goodbye note reveals the true meaning of JSS, which is “just survive somehow,” a nice mantra to have during the apocalypse.
There’s something refreshing about the interactions among these characters. They’re still believable as teenagers, but it’s nice to see teenagers portrayed on TV without the added annoyances of tropes like high school, social media and all that other garbage that makes us think that young people are insufferable morons.
Out Come the Wolves
The Wolves’ attack on Alexandria doesn’t happen with a lot of fanfare. Carol (Melissa McBride) puts in a casserole, sets her timer and looks out the window to see one of her frenemies get unceremoniously butchered with a machete. Carol ditches her harmless housewife disguise and goes into code red—which is amazing to watch. As she dispatches the city’s attackers with emotionless precision, Morgan (Lennie James) prefers to give them a chance to escape. It’s an interesting juxtaposition to watch—Carol and Morgan are protecting the city, but in ways that are in direct opposition to one another. Both McBride and James deliver spectacular performances tonight. Both actors convey their characters’ divergent methods without saying anything, and the scene in which the pair walk towards the city center only to wordlessly pass one another is pure cinematic beauty.
Verdict
I was a bit torn about the Wolves’ first attack. While I really liked the way they just crept into Alexandria and started butchering people (it reminded me of watching Leatherface’s first kill in Tobe Hooper’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), I felt like their attack didn’t have the freneticism that I was hoping from their first big appearance.
The best parts of tonight’s episode belonged to Carol and Morgan. Seeing Carol disguise herself as one of the Wolves only to pick off her attackers one by one solidifies her role as one of the most dangerous members of the team, and Morgan’s evolution into a spiritual warrior monk brings an interesting new perspective into the show.
It’s sure gonna suck when Rick and his away team arrive to see a wrecked city on one side and a horde of undead on the other. And it’s only episode two!