Well, I've seen some people compare it to another Glenn dumpster moment but I don't really think that's fair. Obviously the show is acknowledging that Rick is leaving so we know he could die... but it isn't anywhere near the level of a scene being filmed with the intention making you think someone is being ripped apart when they actually weren't. But I digress.Yeah I didn't really like the last episode... at least I don't think I did.
For starters,the way the episode began just made last week's cliffhanger feel extremely shitty and pointless, not to mention that, based on the previous ending, zombies SHOULD've gotten to Rick before he got himself up.
That was offense nº1, and not a good way to start off the episode. Sure, we already KNEW he wasn't gonna die there/stay there the whole time, but at least they could've made it much more realistic... eh.
Yeah, the scene wasn't very realistic at all, but this is nothing new with TWD in recent years. Though, not as ridiculous as .50 cal bullets being fired into the engine block of a vehicle and it still running. Getting impaled like that through the abdomen means Rick would probably not have the strength to pull himself off of it without passing out from the pain... let alone the zombies apparently freezing in place or straight up ignoring him.
They were expected for me mainly because too much had been spoiled... from dead characters being announced to be returning, to just showing way too much in the trailer. Though I did like the nod to the Issue #100 variant cover with all of the bodies. And while the CGI was pretty bad, I thought the performances from Bernthal and Scott Wilson were pretty good personally. Sasha's appearance instead of other characters seemed a bit odd, but given how she talked about sacrificing oneself for the sake of the group, it was somewhat poignant given what Rick was going through. But her wig looked ridiculous...lolThe "hallucination" scenes were just as expected, nothing groundbreaking at all and felt a bit too cliché and heavy-handed to me.
It would've been fine for the most part, but of course those fucking horrible green screen effects - especially with Sasha - were downright unforgivable, and ruined what could otherwise have been some relatively good scenes.
They were using dynamite in episode 2 to distract the herd from the construction site but it makes NO sense that it would be on the bridge that supposedly could collapse at any moment...And then came the bridge scene, the explosion, and I was like "yeah, okay, I can see Rick dying like this, I'm fine with that if that's how he goes"...
And then of course he doesn't...
As soon as Jadis saw him down the river, I pretty much inner-facepalmed for the rest of the episode.
Using the song from the very 1st episode was alright, but I couldn't get over the fact that they didn't have the balls to kill him, instead they just fly him off into the horizon to never be seen/heard from again... at least by the main cast, I reckon.
That was so, so dumb.
I sort of wondered how the show could even work if he was just shuttled off somewhere. I didn't want to believe the helicopter plot because I thought it just wouldn't make sense that these characters would give no care to where Rick was all those years. The audience would always be wondering where Rick was and would be frothing at the mouth looking for any indication that he was returning. And that sort of thing could overshadow the actual show in a really shitty way. But I think them making it so they think he's dead is actually pretty smart for the sake of this story. Especially when it comes to future plotlines from the comics, if they go that direction, that is.
And now the audience isn't left wondering about his fate either since that was addressed as well... of course they might await his return at some point but at least there will be plausibility given whatever the narrative is in the movies.
Yeah, that scene could have been executed so much better. I don't have a problem with the concept, but have her use a 9mm or something, not Rick's fucking Python... The notion that an 8 year old could lift and fire a Colt Python from a football field's length, never mind AT ALL. Ridiculous.And let's not even speak about that Judith ending picking up the hat and ugh, extremely cringy and pointless, but I guess subtlety has never been a characteristic of the writers.
And of course, as soon as the episode is over, news come out with these official statements:
'Walking Dead' Expansion Plans Revealed: Andrew Lincoln to Lead 3 AMC Movies
Ugh, I hardly see this working out the way they expect it to.
I'm still gonna see the rest of the season and all, curious to see how it does until the very end, but I don't know about future seasons. Might binge them once they're over or something.
I'm actually way more into seeing where the story goes now than I thought I would be. The Whisperers Arc has A TON of potential. Of course it'll probably still be hit or miss, but in all honesty I've been pleasantly surprised overall with this season, at leastcompared to Seasons 7-8. Angela Kang has improved this show IMO.