After an explosive start to the sixth season of The Walking Dead, the writers decided to slow things down a bit this week as we jump back in time to witness Morgan's transformation from psycho to warrior.
Beginning in present day, we see Morgan walking into a cell room and exchanging words with a character off screen, who we later learn is the wolf that Morgan met in the season 5 finale and again in JSS. To anybody paying attention to Morgan's new philosophy, the reveal that the Wolf is not actually dead is not a surprise. I loved how Morgan echoed their exchange back in "Conquer" after the Wolf wanting every last bit. That serves as an excellent transition from present day to the past.
Over the course of the episode, we see Morgan even crazier than where Rick has gone in this series thus far, killing anything that gets close to him. Eventually, he stumbles upon an old wood cabin, complete with a wooden spear perimeter to protect from walkers...and a goat?? Things get even more bizarre when a guy named Eastman approaches Morgan in what appears to be a bathrobe. From there, Eastman attempts to train Morgan, recounting his backstory about how he was once in a mindset similar to Morgan's. The story at the table about the psycho that killed his family is among the darkest and heart-wrenching in the entire The Walking Dead series. Eventually, after Eastman is bitten by a walker and put down, Morgan stumbles upon a set of train tracks and discovers a sign that reads "Community for all, Sanctuary for all, Those who arrive, survive." We all know the horrors going on there. And thus, our understanding of Morgan's journey from season 3 to season 6 is complete.
Even this late in the game, The Walking Dead finds ways to invent creative new episodes; The Grove, What Happened and What's Going On, and this episode are the most prominent examples. And in this episodes, one thing is constant: the amazing performances and great writing. You know you've done a good job when the audience can relate with the plot in a heart-wrenching fashion. I've admired Lennie James as an actor since first meeting him in Days Gone Bye, and it's safe to say this is his best performance yet. If he doesn't get an Emmy for this episode, then I'm at a loss for what it will take for these actors to finally get the recognition they deserve.
I'm giving this episode a 10/10. Yes, you could argue that it was a bad decision for this episode to come right off the heels of three incredibly action-packed episodes, especially the latter of the three which delivered several cliffhangers, but it's important to realize that this newfound mindset of Morgan will affect the storyline moving forward. It's not a waste like the Beth/Daryl standalone episode in season 4. Of course, I'm sure this review will be followed by dozens of angry reviewers claiming it absolutely sucked. But it's one of the best standalone episodes in the series to me.
Beginning in present day, we see Morgan walking into a cell room and exchanging words with a character off screen, who we later learn is the wolf that Morgan met in the season 5 finale and again in JSS. To anybody paying attention to Morgan's new philosophy, the reveal that the Wolf is not actually dead is not a surprise. I loved how Morgan echoed their exchange back in "Conquer" after the Wolf wanting every last bit. That serves as an excellent transition from present day to the past.
Over the course of the episode, we see Morgan even crazier than where Rick has gone in this series thus far, killing anything that gets close to him. Eventually, he stumbles upon an old wood cabin, complete with a wooden spear perimeter to protect from walkers...and a goat?? Things get even more bizarre when a guy named Eastman approaches Morgan in what appears to be a bathrobe. From there, Eastman attempts to train Morgan, recounting his backstory about how he was once in a mindset similar to Morgan's. The story at the table about the psycho that killed his family is among the darkest and heart-wrenching in the entire The Walking Dead series. Eventually, after Eastman is bitten by a walker and put down, Morgan stumbles upon a set of train tracks and discovers a sign that reads "Community for all, Sanctuary for all, Those who arrive, survive." We all know the horrors going on there. And thus, our understanding of Morgan's journey from season 3 to season 6 is complete.
Even this late in the game, The Walking Dead finds ways to invent creative new episodes; The Grove, What Happened and What's Going On, and this episode are the most prominent examples. And in this episodes, one thing is constant: the amazing performances and great writing. You know you've done a good job when the audience can relate with the plot in a heart-wrenching fashion. I've admired Lennie James as an actor since first meeting him in Days Gone Bye, and it's safe to say this is his best performance yet. If he doesn't get an Emmy for this episode, then I'm at a loss for what it will take for these actors to finally get the recognition they deserve.
I'm giving this episode a 10/10. Yes, you could argue that it was a bad decision for this episode to come right off the heels of three incredibly action-packed episodes, especially the latter of the three which delivered several cliffhangers, but it's important to realize that this newfound mindset of Morgan will affect the storyline moving forward. It's not a waste like the Beth/Daryl standalone episode in season 4. Of course, I'm sure this review will be followed by dozens of angry reviewers claiming it absolutely sucked. But it's one of the best standalone episodes in the series to me.