THE WALKING DEAD Messes "Up"

Article originally published as TV Review: 'The Walking Dead' - 'Heads Up' on Blogcritics.

I was wrong.

I have to start my review of this week’s The Walking Dead episode “Heads Up” with that statement because of how vehemently and often I had asserted that Glenn (Steven Yeun) was dead. When last we’d seen the original cast member, he is lying on the ground, seemingly being ripped apart by a huge crowd of Walkers. I was sure he could not have made it out of the alley alive. “Heads Up” reveals that apparently he did.

Now, I’m torn as to how much to go into the way Glenn is brought back, because I run the risk of sounding like sour grapes. I do think, however, that the way The Walking Dead orchestrated his survival is as unrealistic as the show has ever been. Usually, it’s a series that stays as grounded as possible, despite the central, highly unrealistic conceit of a zombie apocalypse. But in this case, they break that trend and go into superhuman territory.

A popular theory floated on the internet and by friends of mine in the wake of his ‘demise’ is that Glenn is safe under Nicholas’ body and manages to crawl under a dumpster, waiting out the Walkers until they leave. I dismissed that scenario because there are a LOT of Walkers in the alley and there is no realistic way they would only tear at Nicholas. They would have ripped into Glenn as well, if not immediately, as soon as they’d eaten their way through Nicholas. Instead, the crowd isn’t so tight that Glenn can’t slip between their legs and under the dumpster, which makes no sense given what viewers previously witnessed. It also doesn’t make sense that within the very small space, in which Glenn is able to maneuver, Walkers don’t crawl under and get him. He can’t defend all sides at once, and there’s enough of them that he should not be able to fight them off, especially not for the day or two in which he’s hiding.

If The Walking Dead had presented a believable way for Glenn to make it out, I’d readily admit I’d been fooled by the shot of the pocket watch and the set up that left no doubt he should be dead. I’d heap admiration and respect towards The Powers That Be, happy to be proven wrong. That would have been brilliant writing. Instead, I feel a bit let down by the show itself. The series failed to meet the high expectations I’d formed based its past excellence. So I am absolutely wrong, not because I misread the situation as it unfolded on screen, but because I trusted writing that did not live up to that trust, which is kinda depressing.

To make matters worse, shortly after Glenn gets out from under the dumpster, he comes across the Walker body of one of the Alexandrian party. This guy hadn’t even attempted to hide when he was attacked (not that there was any way he could have). He is smashed against a fence where a bunch of Walkers were pressed against him. How is enough intact to be recognizable? This makes no sense for the world of The Walking Dead. He would have surely been devoured or at least completely unrecognizable!

Thankfully, the rest of “Heads Up” is up to the usual standards of the show. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is starting to realize the Alexandrians are part of his family now, as some of his group, like Tara (Alanna Masterson), already accept. Carol (Melissa McBride) catches Morgan (Lennie James) hiding his prisoner, which is going to result in bad stuff. Morgan boosts the confidence of Dr. Cloyd (Merritt Wever) in a very sweet moment. Ron (Austin Abrams) is so plotting to make an ill-advised move against Rick and/or Carl (Chandler Riggs).

I think Michonne (Danai Gurira) realizes that Deanna (Tovah Feldshuh) doesn’t plan to live long, and I will be surprised if she makes it past next week’s installment. And the moment with Spencer (Austin Nichols) on the wire teases that some of the things in the comic book will probably repeat on screen next week, though likely with some twists. These are all really great scenes that further character development and set up what is sure to be an exciting finale. Almost enough to make me forget the missteps at the start of the hour, and enough to keep The Walking Dead in my “favorite TV show currently airing” slot.

Plus, we get a really sweet plot between Glenn and Enid (Katelyn Nacon), in which our miraculously resurrected hero convinces the girl to come home, saving another soul and reinforcing that the reprieve he has been given is probably temporary, as the moral center of the show never lives long. Glenn’s impending death will right the mistake made, though I still doubt that (SPOILER ALERT!) Glenn will meet his fate the same way he did in the comics, as perfectly moving and disturbing as that is.

The Walking Dead concludes the first half of its sixth season next Sunday at 9 p.m. on AMC.

"JSS" THE WALKING DEAD

Article first published as THE WALKING DEAD Review "JSS" on Seat42F.

“JSS,” the title of this week’s installment of THE WALKING DEAD on AMC, stands for ‘just survive somehow.’ This seems an apropos title when The Wolves attack Alexandria and lots of people are dying left and right. The world in which this series takes place in is very, very dangerous, and all anyone can be expected to do is to try to stay alive. Unfortunately, that is much easier said than done.

“JSS” begins with a girl in a vehicle with her parents. It’s Enid (Katelyn Nacon), whom we’ve seen living in Alexandria. As the next few minutes pass, viewers witness how Enid loses her parents, survives on her own, and eventually makes her way to the settlement. It’s a brief character profile that certainly tells us more about the girl, how she has toughened herself in order to stay alive, which is also why she has trouble getting close to anyone, trying to avoid going through that pain of loss again.

It’s not unusual for THE WALKING DEAD to begin quietly, even after a cliffhanger like the one in last week’s season premiere. What is unusual is that the cliffhanger is not picked back up upon during the hour. One could argue the horn honk is to let us know about the attack on Alexandria, and it does. But it also turns an entire hoard of walkers towards the safe zone, and “JSS” doesn’t show us what happens with that yet. It’s basically a real-time event that takes place during the season premiere.

THE WALKING DEAD is terrific at teasing and drawing things out. It will eventually give us a satisfying resolution to the huge action sequence promised, but it will not be rushed in getting there. There is more story that needs to be covered first, and the show is structured in such a way as to expertly build drama until it can be built no more. It may be frustrating for some viewers to have to wait until episode three to get a promised battle between humans and zombies, but given just how good “JSS” and “First Time Again” are, I feel like there’s no room for complaint. Anticipation only continues to build, and the events of “JSS” leave our heroes much less prepared to deal with the coming zombies.

“JSS” sees The Wolves attack Alexandria, and as Rick (Andrew Lincoln) predicted, the people who have been living behind the walls don’t know how to defend themselves. Most of our main contingent is away, as we see in the premiere. It’s basically left to Carol (Melissa McBride), Morgan (Lennie James), Rosita (Christian Serratos), and Aaron (Ross Marquand), who isn’t one of Rick’s group, but has spent a lot of time in the outside world, to defend everyone else from a band of armed marauders. This isn’t a large force, but thanks to their experience and smarts, they are able to do so.

Now, not every Alexandrian is helpless. Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) does take out one woman when her family is threatened. This is clearly because of Rick’s influence, since she previously couldn’t bring herself to stand up to an abusive husband. Now, though, she’s growing quickly, and finally seems prepared to contribute.

But a lot of other Alexandrians lose their lives. Mrs. Neudermeyer (Susie Spear Purcell) is one of the first to go. Olivia (Ann Mahoney) and Denise (Merritt Wever) cower in fear, content to let others do the work for them. Spencer (Austin Nichols) helps from his tower, but then doesn’t directly counter attack on the ground.

Now, Rick has a plan, and he will be helping them get better at surviving. Some, like Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), are willing to learn, thankfully. Others are not so eager. As THE WALKING DEAD has shown us, those who do not step up and become capable of defending themselves will die. So it seems the community could end up being mostly Rick’s group when this is all over.

Morgan is a big question mark, though. He clearly abhors violence, and tries to only disarm The Wolves, not kill them. Is this an attitude that will work for him? He encounters The Wolves prior to this, and if he had killed the two he ran into then, at least the attacking group would have been slightly smaller. Can he really afford mercy in this day and age? I have serious doubts that he can, and he’ll either have to adapt or put the group at risk.

Thankfully, we’ll always have Carol. Her cover as a timid housewife may be blown, at least with Olivia, and she’s not able to save everyone, but she does a lot, arguably more than anyone, to defend the place. Carol is highly capable, and a good example of what Jessie might become in time, their histories being so similar. Yet, Carol isn’t cold, either, much as she might appear to be, as we see her holding a dying neighbor in her arms. Carol has found the right balance, just like Rick, that is needed in this world.

“JSS” ends with Enid running off. Will she be back? She is the one that tells Carl (Chandler Riggs) to just survive somehow, and that is certainly easier to do in a group, especially with some of the strong people around to help protect her. She’s a capable girl, but I hope she changes her mind before she becomes walker food. She definitely isn’t the only Alexandrian that needs help.

THE WALKING DEAD airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.