The Walking Dead S9E16: The Storm

I am convinced that season nine of The Walk Dead will go down as one of the best seasons in show history. Maybe the best, except a contingent of zombie fans who stopped watching early on will forever insist that the first season is the most true to form, despite having seen nearly nothing else of the show. But I digress; both critical and viewer reviews are drastically up this season as the show seems to have found it’s footing again, delivering strings of solid episodes in a row. The finale, unfortunately, is not one of those.

Surely after Alpha delivered such a threat as we saw in S9E15, our group would not whimper quietly into the corner in which they were being placed. Surely they would fight their enemy, finding some way of discerning between the dead and the Whisperers. These were the same people who continually defied Negan, who fought face to face with the Governor, and who established strong, peaceful communities despite all the trials. Now Alpha, masked in death and leading an unnumbered yet loyal group of deviants, appears to have brought them to their knees.

Months have passed since Alpha declared her borders using the skewered heads of beloved Alexandrians, Hilltoppers, and Kingdom members. Winter is beginning to set in, and the infrastructure of the Kingdom is failing. Fires and broken water valves drive Ezekiel and his people out of the Kingdom to seek shelter at Hilltop. The path there, however, goes through Whisperer territory. Back at Alexandria, they have their own struggles. Heaters have stopped working, and with the solar panels covered in snow they’re forced to share the three remaining fireplaces in the community. This means tight quarters. It also means Negan is out of his cell.

I saw the episode titles in advance, and when I saw the paired titles for episodes 15 and 16 my eyes lit up. These titles, “The Calm Before”, and “The Storm”, read like an out of control, action-packed ending to cap off a terrific season. It never occurred to me that “The Storm” was referring to a literal snow storm in all its white boredom. Very few items of consequence happen in this episode. So few, that I noted halfway through that this doesn’t feel much like a season finale. Typically things come to a head, or major revelations happen with season finale’s. Something to get you looking forward to the next season. Unless you’re just super curious why Beta was enacting punishment on Alpha, there isn’t much here that has the audience looking forward. Be that as it may, there are a couple of character developments that are worth spending some time on, especially as they relate to redemption and forgiveness.

Redemption Sought

As much of the council at Alexandria gathered with Negan and others in a home, it is discovered that the chimney flue is clogged and dangerous to use. They must risk the weather and head to another house. While making this trek, Judith hears Daryl’s dog barking and goes after him. Negan follows, worried that she will get lost in the snow storm. Over the years, Judith has managed to carve out a soft spot in Negan’s heart. He helps her with homework, gives her decent (dare I say fatherly) advice, and even watches his language around her. Here, he does the least Negan thing imaginable and risks his life for hers.

Michonne takes note, and begins to open herself to the notion that Negan has changed, even if only a little. Ever since his breakdown face to face with Maggie, Negan has undergone a change. The veil of his authority and intimidation had been torn, and he was reforming himself into someone worthy of trust. His return to Alexandria after escaping is evidence of that, and his saving of Judith brings full circle his desire to be redeemed, even if he doesn’t come right out and say it. Michonne recognizes the change. No one would fault her for remaining steadfast with Negan’s imprisonment, but my money is on his eventual release for good behavior.

Forgiveness Given

Lydia’s introduction to the Kingdom brought almost nothing but destruction and heartache. Henry’s desire to bring her under the protection of the Kingdom resulted in enemies gained and lives lost. During their trek to Hilltop, the tension between Lydia and the community is heavy. Alden pulls no punches in ridiculing her, and Daryl steps in on her behalf. The guilt and judgement became so heavy for Lydia that twice she tries to take her life; once by allowing a walker to bite her, and again by insisting that Carol stab her with a spear.

Carol has as much reason as Alden to hate Lydia. Because of her, Henry died a terrible death and was used as a pawn by Alpha. Carol’s brutality is well-known, and I half expected her to follow through with Lydia’s request. But she doesn’t. Instead of continuing the violence, Carol affirms Lydia and takes her hand. She tells her, “you’re not weak”, when Lydia repeats the regular critique from her mother. She recognizes, as Daryl told her earlier, that Lydia is a good kid. The fact that she would feel such a burden to the point of death over what has happened is evidence of that. Carol extends forgiveness to Lydia in this moment, and reflects the trend of unity that the communities decided upon before the devastation brought upon them by Alpha.

My Rating: D

Despite the quality depictions of redemption and forgiveness, this episode was a snoozer. The “storm” is a major letdown because it is literal rather than figurative, and precious little about the plot moves forward. There are no significant revelations, no dropping of the other shoe. Save for the last final scene, the series could end right here and I would just assume that people lived their lives in relative peace with some occasional skirmishes. This is a textbook failure of what a finale should do, from beginning to end.