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EPISODE 2: The Well
THE HOOK: Morgan and Carol consider their options whilst enjoying the splendors of The Kingdom, and its unconventional ruler, King Ezekiel.
The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode
THE LOWDOWN: It’s funny, I started watching Z Nation (one of TV’s guiltiest pleasures) to keep The Walking Dead more grounded in reality. I know, I told you, it’s a funny sort of logic, but tonight’s episode is a prime example of why. It’s like Robert Kirkman hit issue 100 and thought, “F*ck it, it’s time to go all out.” An over the top villain in Negan, an eccentric as hell protagonist in Ezekiel, and hell, let’s just throw in a tiger. Personally, I love it.
Sure, the tone of the episode was rather laid back, but such is usually the case following a huge upset or death, and it works. Morgan and Carol are still very important characters in my book, so I wanted to know what was up with them. The Kingdom seems like a great spot to hang one’s hat, but the audacity of Ezekiel’s charade can be summed up by Carol’s blunt response upon meeting him (her entire reaction, before, during and after are all hilarious). The resulting relationship is the oddest to come out of this, but also the truest and most honest. I loved their quiet talk in the garden, loved every inch of Ezekiel’s backstory. The entire thing was brilliant. People were excited upon Jesus’ arrival, but he’s got nothing on Ezekiel and Shiva.
As for Carol, I really hope this episode puts her pity party to bed. I don’t like ‘mopey, want to die’ Carol. She’s no fun at all. Morgan, on the other hand, seems to be right where he needs to be (mentally). He’s in good with the King, teaching the kid how to kick ass, and mingling well with all the locales. At first, I was thinking they might not want to leave, but then the Saviors show up to reinvigorate all that suppressed hate. The fattening up of the pigs made me smile. Not sure how that affects the meat, but that’s Negan’s problem, not mine. It is clear The Kingdom isn’t very far away from Alexandria or The Hilltop, but the real question is, how far is Negan’s reach?
THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 7’s second episode opens up our crew’s world even farther, and it’s all good from this angle. I like the idea of diversity. I like seeing more characters who are actually worth a damn (love this show, but let’s be honest, there are just as many throwaway characters are there are good ones). How does this all feel to me? I’d say it’s looking like a banding of groups down the line, with Alexandria, Hilltop and The Kingdom possibly rallying together to take out The Saviors. I’m sure there’s much more to it, and a hell of a lot of obstacles in the way, but all in all, I like where this is headed and still feel we’re in for a strong season.
ZOMBIE KILL OF THE WEEK: A zombie gets the front of his face sliced off at the beginning of the episode by a dude on horseback. I approve.
BLOOD AND GORE: There’s some zombie bashing, pig skinning and a short fist fight. Nothing crazy, but I think that’s okay for tonight.
COOLEST SCENE: Ezekiel is a scene stealer, plain and simple. His introduction is priceless, but the shared moment of realism with Carol in the garden was fantastic.
FINAL VERDICT:
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