TV Review: The Walking Dead (Season 6, Episode 1)

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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EPISODE 1: First Time Again

THE HOOK: Tension builds in Alexandria as Rick conceives a dangerous plan to deal with an overwhelming horde of walkers.

The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode

THE LOWDOWN: And just like that, Sunday night is once again my favorite night of the week (sorry FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, but you can’t hold a candle to the real thing). There are a lot of things to appreciate in tonight’s episode, the visuals, the scope, the madness, it’s all there. I enjoyed the black and white interwoven backstory leading up the all-out bonkers game of ‘red light, green light’ with the largest herd of walkers to date. When the camera first panned out over the cliff I was blown away by what I saw. At first I thought Rick and the group blocked them all down there, or maybe they’d stumbled onto another Wolf trap…nope, turns out a group of people were dumb enough to make a camp down there. Well, they all died, surprise, surprise. But again, the sheer scope of this plan (and all its moving parts) is downright magical to watch in action. That, and as always, the walkers look ‘shit your pants if you saw them coming’ phenomenal.

Now let’s talk intensity, we got that in spades. Everything starts with a bang as the dry run of their plan turns into go time. That said, most of the episode is spent showing how everything escalated to that point, this of course, picks up right where the finale left off, with Rick shooting Pete. Everybody’s still spooked, I get that, but damn if this Carter jackass isn’t Pete 2.0. This guy has no idea whatsoever, but you’d think he would, seeing how Rick VS. Pete ended. Nope. Let’s just openly argue with Rick’s every point…yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Oh, and then form a little task force to try and take him out. Leave it to Eugene of all people to get caught eavesdropping on that fiasco. Rick handled that situation beautifully, but it wasn’t until he talks to Morgan about it that we see just how lucky Carter is. Or, was, I suppose. Pure WALKING DEAD irony, seeing him get bit in the face five minutes after him and Rick make up. Can’t say I’m sorry to see him go though.

One of the most interesting dynamics of the season six trailer was how they made it look like Morgan and Rick were at odds. I didn’t believe that for a second, and after their talk on the porch I know I’m right when I say Morgan will most definitely not turn on Rick. Sure, he may not agree wholeheartedly with everything Rick does (like putting a knife in Carter’s head), but I believe they’re on the same page and will remain so. Other than Rick and Morgan bonding, we get some weird Sasha/Abraham banter, Tara and Maggie come to terms with Nicholas not being dead—which as much as I hate the guy for what he did, Glenn whipped him into shape pretty good. Dude’s actually a viable member of the team now. Very impressive. Father Gabriel isn’t forgiven, nor should he be, but the character I’m most worried about is Deanna. She’s a walking husk right now, and Glenn was right, they need to change that.

THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 6’s first episode is nuts, but the good kind. It’s every bit as explosive as I hoped it would be. Again, the scope of that plan is amazing, it sucks that after all that damn work someone sabotages it with a foghorn from hell which sends the zombie horde toward Alexandria. Was it The Wolves? To be honest, that’s what had me on pins and needles the entire episode. I kept thinking, they’re out there, watching, waiting to throw a wrench into this plan. At one point, Rick talks to Daryl about The Wolves, and although the plan needed to be executed when it was, I personally would have at least included a warning about this new enemy possibly lurking about when I was giving the big speech to everyone. I guess we’ll see next week. One thing’s for certain, this was one of the best premieres of the series and everyone here is taking their roles seriously. Their hearts are definitely in it. We can’t ask for much than that. Welcome back guys.

ZOMBIE KILL OF THE WEEK: How about walkers killing themselves by banging their heads into the metal sheets as they’re being horded around corners. That was pretty damn priceless to watch.

BLOOD AND GORE: Lots of that tonight as many of these zombies are looking ripe. There’s head shots, heads being mashed, bodies being ripped apart, face biting, it’s all here.

COOLEST SCENE: The coolest scene by far is when Carol brings Morgan some water and she realizes that he sees through her ruse. It’s a glorious moment. Carol doesn’t know what to say, but Morgan is no fool and he’s not buying the act for a second. Just one more reason he’s a welcome addition to the group.

FINAL VERDICT:

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