Photo: Jace Downs/AMC
In last week’s synopsis, I wrote: “Ever feel tense watching The Walking Dead? Does the TV show ever really surprise you anymore? I’m pretty sure it’s been quite a while since TWD made me feel like a character was in real danger, or did anything that made me wonder what was going to happen next.” I’m excited me to tell you that tonight’s episode surprised me, scared me and made me wonder what’s coming next week.
Given that next week’s episode of The Walking Dead is also the series finale, you have every right to think it’s way too little and way too late. But I’m grateful that the show is finally feeling a bit like a series finale, as opposed to business as usual. As “Family” begins, Alexandria has been completely liberated by occupying Commonwealth forces after last week’s episode – which might count as an interesting hour on TV, but apparently not – and all the protagonists who aren’t stuck in Alexandria ( Eugene, Yumiko, Max and Mercer) or trapped in a zombie horde (Aaron, Lydia, Jerry, Ezekiel, Lucas and Jules) arm themselves, board the train and head to the Commonwealth to rescue their children and get Pam out.
Before, during, and after their train ride, characters engage in emotionally meaningful conversations that just reiterate the storyline or recreate the same old character beats. Judith has a good case for being allowed to join the attack to honor her father Rick, mother Michonne, brother Carl, and even her birth mother Lori, who she never met, and to help them find a peaceful one , intended to secure a better future (…sometimes). Later, Daryl promises to tell her “all the stories about everyone who’s ever loved you,” which made me pretty good. Negan confesses to Ezekiel that he’s aware that everyone he rides with is a better person than he is, and if Ezekiel can’t see that, well, someone wasn’t paying attention.
Photo: Jace Downs/AMC
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Perhaps the best line in “Family” comes from the train. As the Commontroopers drive the zombies toward the Commonwealth, Aaron, Jerry, and Lydia manage to sneak into an abandoned RV, but Elijah, Luke, and Jules are swept away before they can enter. Lydia tries to drag her friend Elijah in, but only manages to get bitten on the wrist by a zombie. Yes, a zombie actually bit one of the protagonists! Of course, her arm has to be chopped off to avoid becoming a zombie herself – something Aaron is particularly good at as the same thing happened to him. But instead, Jerry cuts while Aaron comforts her. Just before the blade came down, Aaron told her empathetically, “You are so loved, Lydia.” It’s beautiful, and I’m not sure if it’s true, but it’s a beautiful moment nonetheless.
Within the Commonwealth, people are rightly angry with Governor Pam, so she’s demanding a “B17” – ie having troops lead a massive horde of zombies to the city’s front gates so she can justify a city-wide lockdown. Unfortunately, nobody informed them about the variants, the smarter undead that can scale walls and eat the soldiers, one of which randomly lands on the “open gate lever” while being eaten, allowing several thousand zombies direct access to the living- and industrial estates of the Commonwealth. It’s bad news for everyone but the viewers: The Variants came back! They had a significant impact on the plot! They will probably come back next week too! Oh what an abundance of riches.
Photo: Jace Downs/AMC
Princess manages to contact Mercer from the train and tell him the plan, so Mercer withdraws his troops from the train station where Team Alexandria will sneak into. Unfortunately, Pam hears of the transfer, has Mercer arrested, and parks her armed goons inside for them to gun down the Alexandrians upon arrival. Curiously, Pam is also there to join the action, firing an assault rifle at Maggie, only for the adorable Judith to push her out of the way and get shot instead. Judith is down! Prepare for a riot!
As if the characters on the show knew that if Judith dies, the franchise will lose all of its remaining goodwill, the group band together, escape the station, and make their way to the Doctor of the Commonwealth. Even Pamela has the decency to be appalled that she shot a child and yells at the Alexandrians, “You did that!” to deflect blame. Pam escapes, only to be informed that a huge herd of zombies is coming to town. She instructs the Commontroopers to direct the zombies into the “Lower Wards”, also known as the poor part of town, and to protect the “Estates”, ie the homes of the wealthy people. It’s the most active and patently evil classism Pam has ever displayed, and it clearly doesn’t sit well with the army’s new leader, Vickers.
However, Vickers does at least partially as said and starts using troops to direct the zombies – and the party lands squarely between two barricades while the horde heads straight for them. The Alexandrians manage to fight off enough zombies to let Daryl, carrying Judith, escape down an alley, but the episode ends with the rest swarming with them.
Photo: Jace Downs/AMC
I have no idea how they get out of this and I love that. I’m sure the answer will be silly or require a bit of thought, but I love the feeling that these characters – especially Judith – are actually in danger, although they probably aren’t. I love that Lydia got bitten by a zombie because somewhere in my stupid TV-watching lizard brain I have a feeling that other characters might get eaten too. I love that the variant zombies turned a dire but limited situation into a total disaster and proved that they are far more dangerous than the zombies we’ve watched for over a decade, albeit with a bit of luck Side. I love not knowing exactly what’s going to happen next.
Check that out – I’m thankful for all of that. The episode wasn’t so great that I didn’t wonder how Pam controls half the Commonwealth army without Mercer somehow knowing about it, or how she has troops that totally and uniformly agree to leading thousands of zombies into her hometown or why she just won’t lie and tell people a herd of zombies has been sighted so martial law must be imposed instead of actually bringing zombies in front of her front gate – a gate, far enough from the city, as we see tonight, that it is highly unlikely that any civilian would ever find out whether the threat was real or not. It’s unnecessary, Pam. Do some rationalization!
However, my only real complaint about “Family” is that this episode should have aired weeks ago, or at least an episode like it. If I hadn’t spent so, so, so long watching and recaping this show, I’d honestly be a little disappointed that there was only one episode left. But since The Walking Dead was content to spin the wheels for much of the previous six episodes, I’m content that there’s only an hour left. I just hope it’s as good as this one.
Photo: Jace Downs/AMC
Various considerations:
- Oh I was upset when Mercer spoke of having legal grounds to remove Pamela from office. Look folks, either the Commonwealth has a working legal system that allows you to legitimately vote the bad rich lady out of office, or you can stage an armed coup d’état, but not both. Choose a track.
- I found it delightfully spooky to see Aaron and the rest of the zombie horde whispering to each other to avoid being spotted. Whisperer Techs, man – they were crazy, but they knew what they were doing.
- Speaking of which, another Commonwealth Jeep bites the dust off-screen. Has the budget shrunk for this final season, or…?
- Boy, it sure looks like Jerry’s dying, doesn’t it? Aaron and Lydia – even Jerry himself – made it sound like the last time they saw each other. Jerry even says, “See you on the other side.” But the reason he’s leaving is to help Elijah, Luke, and Jules, who are either dead, trapped, or still trapped in the horde, and a single person could not help you in any of these three situations.
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