Review: #TheWalkingDead S10x07 OPEN YOUR EYES #TWD #TWDFamily

Previously:
Review: S10x06 BONDS

Written by Corey Reed
Directed by Michael Cudlitz

Wow!!! 😲 An episode of so many unexpected developments, ending with the plot twist to end all TWD plot twists—my mouth actually dropped open. 😱  I take my hat off to you, Messrs Reed and Cudlitz, and everyone else involved; Open Your Eyes ticked every box.  An atmospheric and emotive masterpiece of suspense with perfect dialogue, and totally unpredictable.  This is what TWD is all about :)

Just when I was thinking that all the theories about Siddiq having 'bought' his freedom from Alpha would have made a much better storyline than him having PTSD, the far more shocking truth was revealed—and this is surely the most sinister of all TWD villainous plot developments to date: because he is walking around Alexandria, respected and undetected.  More worrying still, Dante is now their only doctor—who will, presumably, cook up a tale about Siddiq having killed himself.

'Keep everyone hydrated' ...even more dangerous than the enemy you can't see is the one you have yet to recognise—that we know who the baddie is but our gang don't is a brilliant, previously unexplored slant.  And there was me, finding his 'You're my friend' to Siddiq almost as touching as Rick's 'You're my brother' to Daryl.  Though he did display genuine remorse when he killed him ... hmm.

😱😱😱

The conversations between Siddiq and Rosita were a delight, and made my eyes water—I should have remembered that characters always have some exceptionally moving scenes before their demise...at least, I assume he's dead, but if Glenn can reappear from underneath that Walker swamped wheelie bin...

Most scary of all: if he's dead no one will know about the water... nah, Michonne will suss it out.  She's good like that :).  And Rosita's as sharp as hell, too; surely she will know what Siddiq wouldn't have killed himself?  Not when he had Coco.

Elsewhere, Carol did her Carol-ish stuff once more, storming in there like the all-seeing angel of don't fuck with us that she is.  Running alongside the potential for danger and death in a way we have not seen before (still can't get over how awesome the Dante plot development is!) is one of hope; now that Gamma knows Lydia is alive, she will see Alpha as weaker.  She was already confused, of course; her guilt about her sister was all too apparent.  When Alpha said (about Aaron), 'He will tempt you with his lies.  Do not be seduced', Gamma's face told us that she wasn't entirely sure who was doing the lying and seducing.

Carol always sees several steps ahead, and knew that the key was the Whisperers knowing that Alpha had lied to them about her great sacrifice ... I'm guessing her plan developed earlier, when Lydia made the point that the survival of a settlement like Alexandria is a threat to Alpha. 'An idea like that is dangerous.  It would spread, and there's nothing my mother could do to stop it'.  Remember some of the other Whisperers talking about how fabulous Hilltop was, when they first saw it?

😱😱😱

This episode was masterfully constructed, with every little thread absorbed into the whole, such as the hemlock that was Dante's way of ensuring that the hostage didn't talk (probably?).  Little twist after little twist; Carol's tray of what one assumed to be torture implements turning out to be afternoon tea....

...then the hostage gobbling down his first piece of bread and jam for years that ended up all over Carol's face—and he saw the side of her that isn't all beet and acorn cookies.  Remember, all who would cross her: this is the woman who killed Karen and David.  And lured men to the Kill Floor.  And burned Jed and his band of rogue Saviours alive.  Don't mess with her.

 
Why else was this episode so stunningly good?  A shirtless Daryl earns a 👍 every time, of course; another one for him having some quality time with Dog, and looking wistfully at the acorns that he appears to have saved as a memento of his and Caryl's day out.  That's how I saw it, anyway!  That aside, it's one I know I will return to again and again, probably seeing a little more in it with each watch. 😉  

Other thoughts:

• Carol's face when Lydia walked off into the night—I've thought since The Storm that Lydia could become another Sophia replacement ... did Carol think of Henry walking off, when he was young, and when Sophia ran off, all those years ago? And she saw Gamma crying; will she, too, end up under Carol's fiercely protective wing?  Tobin was so right when he said what he did about her back in S6—'You're a mom.  And it's not about the smiles or the cookies.'
• Alpha ticking off Gamma for killing a Walker ('one less Guardian for our hoard') makes me think we're going to get a fabulous Walker herd episode before the end of Season 10!
• Note to self: stop reading theories about what might happen, and just wait ... of course Rosita wasn't going to be killed off.  I don't imagine the writers saved her from Alpha's spikes (in the comics, she was one of the heads) only to have her die from drinking water.  Hope I don't have to eat my words!
• When do we get to see Michonne again? 
• I liked how Gamma and the hostage both muttered the Whisperers' Chant to give themselves strength.  I read that this originated from Ryan Hurst; it's something he would recite to get himself in character, was heard and included into the show.
• Rosita has definitely gained a more mellow side ... not just since motherhood, but since Sasha died. 
• When do we get to see Michonne again?

 

Review: #TheWalkingDead S10:05 WHAT IT ALWAYS IS #TWD #TWDFamily

Previously:
Review : S10:04 SILENCE THE WHISPERERS

Written by: Eli Jorne
Directed by: Laura Belsey

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'

A slower episode with some outstanding moments, the best of which centred around Negan.  'Can't say that I ever remember rating Walkers on hotness—besides, she's clearly a 3.' 😆😆  Made me laugh out loud!

Yes, it's a long time since the Sanctuary... and Negan is one of the few (like Carol, and Judith, of course!) whose appearance shows that seven harsh years have passed since the war ended.

When he was reminiscing about pre-Walker days with the boy on the bus, I noticed how the lad scarcely spoke, which made me think about the generation who've known no other life, and haven't managed to find an Alexandria or a Hilltop.  Nowhere to learn the communication skills that most kids pick up automatically: no TV, no school, no peer group with whom to exchange information and views ... if you've ever wondered how Alpha gathered her tribe, I'm guessing they must have been people like this boy and his mother—wearing the masks of the dead being preferable to becoming one of them.

I was glad this was a 'light' episode, not one of those taking place mostly at night that have me peering up close and rewinding to be sure of what's going on (and that's on a 55" screen).  During, it was the first time I really got the feeling of this being a way different show from the first five seasons, with it featuring no Michonne, no Carol, no Rosita, no Gabriel, scarcely any Eugene or Aaron and not a great deal of Daryl.

Negan was totally the star—and Blaine Kern III played an absolute blinder as Brandon, the Negan-in-Waiting.  I was amused by how the stories of Negan's glory years have become embroidered over time, with Brandon thinking that he actually had cut off Carl's hand, then shot him.  Of course, though, Negan would never kill a kid, ohhh no.... yes, I know this was on last week's review, too, but we need to remember!  It's true that his mellowing seemed more convincing this week, but...

I know Negan had to get rid of his 'pasty, creepy-ass face' (😆😂!!) for the sake of the plot, but what a shame.  Should've kept him and got rid of boring Yumiko instead ... feels like she's just another tick in the Strong Female Lead box, but with a likeability factor bypass 😴; she's no Michonne, Carol or Rosita.  And I don't get why the guys at the Hilltop appeared to be deferring to her; she's only been there five minutes.  I get that she's one of the main fighters and the place is in disarray because poor Ezekiel has other stuff on his plate (like heartbreak and thyroid cancer) and so probably isn't running it as efficiently as Maggie or Tara did, but...?

TWD: please stop killing off the good characters, and please allow what's left of the group from the first five seasons to stay alive!

Talking of Ezekiel's illness, this is possibly the first time we've been shown this so starkly—that in the new world life expectancy is much shorter, even without the Walkers.

 

Talking of newer characters, it was good to see a bit more Kelly this episode; I like her and Connie, and Daryl's Merle fishing story was a nice little extra for those who hope him and Connie will get together.  You can definitely see something there... not the deep, deep connection that he has with Carol, but something new and good for him.  I'm still 80% #Caryl—though I strongly suspect that it will be a long time before Daryl has a real love interest, if ever.

Now, Aaron and Gamma... with the latter being instructed to respond to the Man With The Metal Arm in a way that will convince him that's she's maybe not so Whispery after all.  Doesn't bode well.  Then again, she is still haunted by the killing of her sister, and who can resist the lovely Aaron?  Maybe this part of Alpha's long game of little 'nicks' won't go as smoothly as she hopes.

I liked seeing more of the world outside the walls of Hilltop and Alexandria in the light; the way everything is damp, overgrown, and as nature intended. The aerial shot of that bus and the vehicles beside it showed how rusty and useless the old vehicles are now, relics of a lost world, with vegetation growing around and through them.  

Other great moments:

• How poor Ezekiel couldn't speak to Carol, in the end.  His pain was etched all over his face.
• Daryl to Magna when he discovered that she'd been thieving from Hilltop's stores: 'All you're good for is talking shit'.
• Negan walking off in his new leather jacket, with Lucille Mark II over his shoulder....
• Oh yeah: Alpha's face when she showed the dissenting Whisperer exactly what a little 'nick' can do - perfect! 
• 'The smart ones will know where to come to stay safe' —seems like a bit more of an indication of Alpha's plan.  One nick at a time.

Most of all, of course, the final scene—Negan and Beta meet at last!  'Alright, you big-ass freak, let's do this'.  Excellent!  But will they be friend or foe?  I'm not even going to guess (ps, okay, I think he'll pretend to be on board with them, but really take them down!)

Somehow, though, I feel like I'm still waiting for this season to get started; will it all kick off now?  I loved the first two episodes, but (Negan aside) the last two, and parts of this one, have not quite enthralled me as did every episode of Season 9.  I've liked them a lot more than those early episodes of S8 (which I consider to be the show's lowest point), but for me the weak points have been too weak. But what the hell; after nearly a decade you can't expect to adore all of every episode—and, on rewatching, I whizz through the Lori hallucinations in S3 and Beth's suicide attempt in S2, for goodness sake!

My favourite seasons are 4, 6 and 9, by the way, and most of 3; I'd be interested to hear which are yours.

However, I'm confident that there will be more great stuff to come; all the signs indicate brilliant storylines.  I just hope that the Whisperers thing is not stretched out for a half season too long, like the Saviours War was, and enough screen time is given to the characters we know and love.  And Earl, for instance, could become a Hershel Mark II, Alden hasn't had enough development yet, it's time Rosita got to strut her stuff again, and what about this Dante guy?

Okay, I'm just missing Rick 😢.