Alexandria has fallen.
After a harrowing few days, the walls of our survivors’ home have come crumbling down.
Thanks to a weakened tower finally giving way, the undead are pouring into the town, leaving only death in their wake.
With many of the group separated in the various homes left standing, there’s an extreme sense of peril looming over the group that hasn’t been seen in over a season.
While this mid-season finale proved overall to be a stepping stone towards the second half of season six, here are the most important things to look over on this installment of “The Walking Dead.”
A Sigh of Relief
Last week we were granted a small sliver of relief in the midst of all the chaos that has transpired lately in and around Alexandria.
Glenn [Steven Yeun] is alive and well, having hid underneath the walker surrounded dumpster that we all assumed was to be the fan favorite’s final resting place.
Making his way back to Alexandria alongside the reclusive Enid [Katelyn Nacon], they finally come across the town after the Wall has already fallen, foregoing any chance of seeing Glenn and his pregnant wife Maggie [Lauren Cohen] reunited at long last.
It’s a relief to see Glenn alive but I feel as if his time is even more limited now that he has come back into the fold. In terms of the show’s parallel with the comics, his date with destiny is coming up soon and it’s only a matter of when before he meets his fate.
However, this welcoming sight doesn’t come lightly, the hordes of the undead have engulfed the town and trapped the survivors inside their homes, proving to be one of the greatest challenges they’ve faced yet.
No Way Out
As the walkers swarmed through the ruins of Alexandria, the group was separated into different homes, locking themselves inside for their own safety.
Rick Grimes [Andrew Lincoln], Jessie [Alexandra Breckenridge] and Deanna [Tovah Feldshuh], hid away in one house while the rest of the group was separated among different buildings in the town.
Deanna, having been bit and knowing the group’s safety is of the utmost importance, tells the others to go before she guns down six walkers pouring into the home.
Her sacrifice is a fitting end for the former leader of the Alexandria colony, showing her concern for the other survivors being her top priority until the very end.
Meanwhile Jessie’s two sons continue to cause unrest within the home they’re trapped in together. Ron [Austin Abrams], Jessie’s older son, fought and attempted to kill Carl Grimes [Chandler Riggs] who he blamed for the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend Enid. He also pinned the responsibility of his father’s death on him, who was in fact killed by Rick.
However Jessie’s youngest son, Sam [Major Dodson], is much stranger than the rest.
Listening to a haunting version of Tiny Tim’s “Tip Toe Thru The Tulips,” he immerses himself in a world of pretend to escape the ‘monsters’ he fears are all around him. He, in a way, is the essence of the naivety and innocence of the Alexandrians who haven’t been exposed to the outside world.
“Pretend you’re someone who’s brave,” his mother says as they make their escape, coating themselves in walker guts to mask their scent.
As the episode draws to a close, he calls out to his mother, blowing their cover and alerting the ravenous herd of walkers to their presence.
The problems stemming from the group itself are proving to be more of a problem than the walkers themselves.
The Oncoming Storm
While this mid-season finale certainly had its fair share of drama and entertainment, it left me desiring so much more.
The episode itself presented a conflict with these walkers surrounding the town, but all it did was prolong any resolution until the second half of season six.
I understand this walker threat is going to play a dominant part in the next half of the season, but the preview that AMC aired during “Into the Badlands” made me wish February could come sooner.
In the preview, Daryl [Norman Reedus], Abraham [Michael Cudlitz], and Sasha [Sonequa Martin-Green] encounter a roadblock set up by a gang of gun-toting survivors.
“Your property now belongs to Negan,” he tells them, ordering them to turn over any and every item they have in their possession.
Negan, one of the deadliest villains from “The Walking Dead” comics, along with his own group of survivors known as the Saviors, are going to leave a major impact on our heroes and what remains of Alexandria.
Without revealing any key plot points from the comics regarding him, the next half of season six is going to tear our survivors apart. In the comics, Negan is one the most violent and awful human beings Rick has ever come across.
He’s merciless, he’s relentless, and he’s unforgiving.
With Jeffrey Dean Morgan cast in the villainous role and Lucille (his barbed wire covered baseball bat) by his side, these eight remaining episodes in the sixth season of “The Walking Dead” will prove to be the ultimate breaking point for everyone left alive in Alexandria.
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