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| ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 Midseason Finale: Congrats for Winning, but ... | ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 Midseason Finale: Congrats for Winning, but ... |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| “The Walking Dead” went into its winter break on Sunday with an exciting episode that felt even more so after the mostly forgettable ones that led up to it. | “The Walking Dead” went into its winter break on Sunday with an exciting episode that felt even more so after the mostly forgettable ones that led up to it. |
| It was 90 minutes (naturally) of broken bonds, thwarted plans, calculated cruelties, betrayal and, finally, awakening, much of it underlined by a fateful sign: “Congrats for winning, but you still lose.” | It was 90 minutes (naturally) of broken bonds, thwarted plans, calculated cruelties, betrayal and, finally, awakening, much of it underlined by a fateful sign: “Congrats for winning, but you still lose.” |
| The message was a vulgar final kiss-off — check out the accompanying art — from a doomsday prepper for whomever found his stuff, one that ultimately also inspired Rick to consider the quality of the life he’s spent the past seven weeks preserving. | The message was a vulgar final kiss-off — check out the accompanying art — from a doomsday prepper for whomever found his stuff, one that ultimately also inspired Rick to consider the quality of the life he’s spent the past seven weeks preserving. |
| But for viewers it also described much of Season 7 so far. As in “congrats for finally finding out who Negan killed, after we strung you along last season, but you still get to slog through his posturing along with lengthy, airless installments, like the Hilltop, Tara, Kingdom and Dwight episodes, that could easily have been condensed and combined.” The season premiere ended with the core group of Rick and his compatriots shattered by the deaths of Glenn and Abraham, and struggling to accept Negan as their new overlord. Going into the midseason finale seven weeks later, things stood more or less in the same place, in the big picture. | But for viewers it also described much of Season 7 so far. As in “congrats for finally finding out who Negan killed, after we strung you along last season, but you still get to slog through his posturing along with lengthy, airless installments, like the Hilltop, Tara, Kingdom and Dwight episodes, that could easily have been condensed and combined.” The season premiere ended with the core group of Rick and his compatriots shattered by the deaths of Glenn and Abraham, and struggling to accept Negan as their new overlord. Going into the midseason finale seven weeks later, things stood more or less in the same place, in the big picture. |
| The good news: That’s all behind us now. Because after Rick and everyone else realized that winning, by keeping everyone alive, is still losing when it means placing your fate in the hands of a mercurial tyrant (plus people die anyway), the gang’s finally back together and ready to fight. In the end it only cost us Spencer and Olivia, Eugene (for now at least), Rosita’s cheek, Aaron’s face, Rick’s clean kitchen, more Neganing, a disembowelment, one implausible bullet block and five or six draggy episodes over the past couple of months. | The good news: That’s all behind us now. Because after Rick and everyone else realized that winning, by keeping everyone alive, is still losing when it means placing your fate in the hands of a mercurial tyrant (plus people die anyway), the gang’s finally back together and ready to fight. In the end it only cost us Spencer and Olivia, Eugene (for now at least), Rosita’s cheek, Aaron’s face, Rick’s clean kitchen, more Neganing, a disembowelment, one implausible bullet block and five or six draggy episodes over the past couple of months. |
| We’ll deal more with the draggy bits in a minute — for now let’s go with “better late than never” and be thankful that the narrative appears to be back in motion. | We’ll deal more with the draggy bits in a minute — for now let’s go with “better late than never” and be thankful that the narrative appears to be back in motion. |
| Like last week, Sunday’s episode brought a broader look at the various goings-on among the core components. Sasha and Maggie continue to thrive at the Hilltop, where they’ve emerged as folk heroes after the tractor pull and have essentially taken control of the colony from Gregory. (Maggie, pregnant and hungry, celebrated with an apple pie.) Rick and Aaron braved pond zombies as they cleaned out the houseboat, picking up guns and other supplies, as well as the sign. | Like last week, Sunday’s episode brought a broader look at the various goings-on among the core components. Sasha and Maggie continue to thrive at the Hilltop, where they’ve emerged as folk heroes after the tractor pull and have essentially taken control of the colony from Gregory. (Maggie, pregnant and hungry, celebrated with an apple pie.) Rick and Aaron braved pond zombies as they cleaned out the houseboat, picking up guns and other supplies, as well as the sign. |
| In the Kingdom, Carol — seen far too infrequently this season — has come around to pomegranate but is still avoiding people, she says. She and Morgan spent the episode rejecting the invasion plans of the more militant Richard, who sought solace afterward in his crying camper. (Keep your chin up, my Al Bundy-ish friend. Things will be different in the second half of Season 7.) | In the Kingdom, Carol — seen far too infrequently this season — has come around to pomegranate but is still avoiding people, she says. She and Morgan spent the episode rejecting the invasion plans of the more militant Richard, who sought solace afterward in his crying camper. (Keep your chin up, my Al Bundy-ish friend. Things will be different in the second half of Season 7.) |
| Daryl busted out. Michonne aborted her plan to kill Negan. Along the way both signaled a more merciless way forward, with Michonne executing her hostage and Daryl killing Fat Joseph, who begged for mercy because “I’m just trying to get by, just like you.” | Daryl busted out. Michonne aborted her plan to kill Negan. Along the way both signaled a more merciless way forward, with Michonne executing her hostage and Daryl killing Fat Joseph, who begged for mercy because “I’m just trying to get by, just like you.” |
| “It ain’t just about getting by here,” Daryl told his corpse. “It’s about getting it all.” | “It ain’t just about getting by here,” Daryl told his corpse. “It’s about getting it all.” |
| The matter-of-fact killings represent a bloody shift in the overall policy toward the Saviors after weeks of appeasement — another promise that starting in February, things will be different. Any remaining doubts about the necessity of such coldblooded actions were erased in Alexandria, where a couple of Saviors pummeled Aaron for sport, and that was only the appetizer. | The matter-of-fact killings represent a bloody shift in the overall policy toward the Saviors after weeks of appeasement — another promise that starting in February, things will be different. Any remaining doubts about the necessity of such coldblooded actions were erased in Alexandria, where a couple of Saviors pummeled Aaron for sport, and that was only the appetizer. |
| Because a few blocks away, at the same time, Spencer was doing his best Harry Ellis impersonation with Negan. (The “weaselly character tries to cut a deal with the villain” routine never works out.) I know you think Rick is working for you, Spencer says, but you can’t trust him. Make me the leader instead, and it will be smooth sailing. | |
| Unlike the feckless Spencer, viewers have observed that for all of Negan’s flaws, he does have a genuine respect for people who, again, unlike Spencer, have some grit and integrity. Sure enough, Spencer’s intestines were soon spilling out in the street, giving us one last revolting vision to remember during the holiday break. After Rosita’s predictably ill-fated assassination attempt — my eyes rolled harder when the bat caught that bullet than Glenn’s did when the bat caught him — her face was sliced, Olivia met the end she’s always had coming, and Negan left with Eugene, tossing off more threats on his way out of town. | |
| The upshot: Rick is done with appeasement. We next saw him pondering both the magical sign and his hatchet, before Michonne returned to give him the last hit of courage needed to push him over the top. | The upshot: Rick is done with appeasement. We next saw him pondering both the magical sign and his hatchet, before Michonne returned to give him the last hit of courage needed to push him over the top. |
| “We’re the ones who live,” she said. “That’s why we have to fight.” | “We’re the ones who live,” she said. “That’s why we have to fight.” |
| I’d been wondering whether Rick’s servant act was just that — an act — or if he actually believed he was doing the right thing by working for Negan. It seems clear that he truly did, but those days are just as clearly over. | I’d been wondering whether Rick’s servant act was just that — an act — or if he actually believed he was doing the right thing by working for Negan. It seems clear that he truly did, but those days are just as clearly over. |
| In the end he didn’t even need his hatchet — Daryl retrieved Rick’s pistol from the Sanctuary, presenting it to him in a scene that reconnected Rick to his weapon, his friends and, symbolically, his inner warrior. (Perhaps a more enlightened version of his old Ricktatorial self.) | In the end he didn’t even need his hatchet — Daryl retrieved Rick’s pistol from the Sanctuary, presenting it to him in a scene that reconnected Rick to his weapon, his friends and, symbolically, his inner warrior. (Perhaps a more enlightened version of his old Ricktatorial self.) |
| Suddenly the Hilltop was lousy with reunions and renewed understanding — Rick and Daryl, Carl and Enid, Rosita and Sasha, Jesus and everybody, dogs and cats, living together. | Suddenly the Hilltop was lousy with reunions and renewed understanding — Rick and Daryl, Carl and Enid, Rosita and Sasha, Jesus and everybody, dogs and cats, living together. |
| “You told us to get ready to fight,” Rick said to Maggie. “I didn’t listen. I couldn’t. I can now.” | “You told us to get ready to fight,” Rick said to Maggie. “I didn’t listen. I couldn’t. I can now.” |
| It was a rare triumphant moment in a season defined by misery and dread. It called for celebration, but Gregory already gave away the Scotch and Maggie ate all the apple pie. | It was a rare triumphant moment in a season defined by misery and dread. It called for celebration, but Gregory already gave away the Scotch and Maggie ate all the apple pie. |
| The openhearted conclusion (along with the second half preview) made clear that we’ll soon see the anti-Savior rebellion we’ve always known was coming. But it also made one consider, again, what we’ve been watching for the past eight weeks. | The openhearted conclusion (along with the second half preview) made clear that we’ll soon see the anti-Savior rebellion we’ve always known was coming. But it also made one consider, again, what we’ve been watching for the past eight weeks. |
| The “Walking Dead” producers talk often about wanting to put the audience figuratively in the shoes of Rick and friends. They used that rationale to justify last season’s Glenn-anigans as well as the much derided culminating cliffhanger. Similarly, I suspect both the predominance of Negan thus far this season — both in the story and in the marketing — and the emphasis on separating the main characters — both narratively and by using narrowly focused episodes — was meant to instill in viewers a sense of helplessness and isolation. | The “Walking Dead” producers talk often about wanting to put the audience figuratively in the shoes of Rick and friends. They used that rationale to justify last season’s Glenn-anigans as well as the much derided culminating cliffhanger. Similarly, I suspect both the predominance of Negan thus far this season — both in the story and in the marketing — and the emphasis on separating the main characters — both narratively and by using narrowly focused episodes — was meant to instill in viewers a sense of helplessness and isolation. |
| If so, this tactic was viscerally effective: In addition to the thrill of seeing everyone back together at the end of Sunday’s episode, I felt a palpable sense of relief. But it strikes me more as another manipulative ploy than good storytelling — I still had to sit through several plodding or otherwise subpar episodes, at least two of which were 90 minutes long (seriously, enough with that noise). It also doesn’t exactly refute claims, which gathered steam during last season’s gimmickry, that the show displays insufficient regard for its audience. Rather, it seemed to take for granted that viewers would just stick around while the writers expanded the story’s universe in a string of poorly paced, overlong installments. | If so, this tactic was viscerally effective: In addition to the thrill of seeing everyone back together at the end of Sunday’s episode, I felt a palpable sense of relief. But it strikes me more as another manipulative ploy than good storytelling — I still had to sit through several plodding or otherwise subpar episodes, at least two of which were 90 minutes long (seriously, enough with that noise). It also doesn’t exactly refute claims, which gathered steam during last season’s gimmickry, that the show displays insufficient regard for its audience. Rather, it seemed to take for granted that viewers would just stick around while the writers expanded the story’s universe in a string of poorly paced, overlong installments. |
| That didn’t exactly go as planned: After a near-record 21.5 million viewers watched the season premiere (counting delayed DVR viewing), the show shed viewers nearly every week until ratings eventually fell to their lowest point since Season 3. Sunday’s ratings will no doubt rebound — the finales always do — and even mediocre “Walking Dead” numbers surpass most other shows’ peaks. But that fact remains that literally millions of fans bailed on the show over the past seven weeks. | |
| Put another way, “The Walking Dead” is winning but it still lost this season, at least temporarily. Here’s hoping it takes a cue from its own story and remembers how it got here. | Put another way, “The Walking Dead” is winning but it still lost this season, at least temporarily. Here’s hoping it takes a cue from its own story and remembers how it got here. |
| • Olivia probably deserves more than my earlier brushoff but she’s felt pretty doomed for awhile now, right? And my word, the woman could not be left in charge of anything. I’ve seen public restrooms that were more secure than the armory was on her watch, and no sooner had she started babysitting Judith than the poor girl was bouncing on Negan’s knee. | • Olivia probably deserves more than my earlier brushoff but she’s felt pretty doomed for awhile now, right? And my word, the woman could not be left in charge of anything. I’ve seen public restrooms that were more secure than the armory was on her watch, and no sooner had she started babysitting Judith than the poor girl was bouncing on Negan’s knee. |
| • Anybody out there want to mount a defense of Spencer? He’s always been pretty ineffectual — remember his inane wire crossing last season? — but his heel turn this season was pretty dramatic and perhaps not entirely fair to him, as a character. | • Anybody out there want to mount a defense of Spencer? He’s always been pretty ineffectual — remember his inane wire crossing last season? — but his heel turn this season was pretty dramatic and perhaps not entirely fair to him, as a character. |
| • Wouldn’t those pond walkers have been mostly chum by now? | • Wouldn’t those pond walkers have been mostly chum by now? |
| • Anyone catch the significance of that figurine Daryl noticed during his Sanctuary breakout? I couldn’t place it. | • Anyone catch the significance of that figurine Daryl noticed during his Sanctuary breakout? I couldn’t place it. |
| • “You like watching, haircut?” a charming Savior asked Eugene. His response: “Yes.” I swear, Negan, if you touch one majestically billowing hair on that man’s head … | |
| • So what did you think? Did the midseason finale make up for everything that came before it? Am I being too hard on the season so far? Please share your thoughts in the comments and, as always, thanks a ton for reading and commenting this season. I don’t take you for granted, I promise you that. See you in 2017. | • So what did you think? Did the midseason finale make up for everything that came before it? Am I being too hard on the season so far? Please share your thoughts in the comments and, as always, thanks a ton for reading and commenting this season. I don’t take you for granted, I promise you that. See you in 2017. |
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