The Walking Dead Season 6 Returns

One of the things I was looking most forward to continuing once the merger of Let There Be Movies with Reel World Theology was complete, was my reviews of each episode of The Walking Dead. Mikey has produced a podcast on the show, but there is typically a lot to chew on in each episode and I’m excited to pick that up again when season 6 returns in just three days!

If you’re unfamiliar with how I review the show, here’s a quick introduction: I’ll typically have each review up on Monday mornings. I give a grade to each episode where I look at not just the themes of the episode, but some choices made with visuals and dialogue. Many folks aren’t fans of the slow-burn that TWD has become known for, but I don’t really mind it. I think some of the best interactions and character building can occur when we slow down and aren’t just running from walkers or other groups of people. I am not a reader of the comics so you’ll find almost no references to the graphic work. Although that’s something I hope to remedy in the next year or two. I LOVE talking about this show, so I welcome any and all comments on my review. Even if you think I completely missed something or I’m way off in my grading.

Obviously we’re jumping right into the middle of season 6 as we begin this series on Reel World Theology. With Let There Be Movies I reviewed all of season 5, and the first half of season 6. For my full reviews of each episode of season 6 thus far, click here. Otherwise, here’s a quick rundown of my thoughts and grade for each episode. Spoilers ahead!

S6E1: First Time Again – B+

Not the best season premiere in show history, but still solid. Nicotero’s visual cue of past events in black and white and current events in color made a somewhat dull plan become more succinct.

S6E2: JSS – A-

The Wolves wreak havoc in this episode. Beforehand we get some background on Enid and some interaction with Carol and some other ladies of Alexandria. When it hits the fan, Carol has to be careful not to blow her cover while also kicking some butt. She does, and also confronts a deep philosophical conflict with Morgan.

S6E3: Thank You – A+

Oh Glenn, you almost had us. This episode may go down as a top five most memorable in show history. Not a single breath of dialogue is wasted and virtually every character has a “moment”. I felt genuine suspense at the necessary moments, and genuine heartbreak at others.

S6E4: Here’s Not Here – A-

The pace of the season slows way down in this Morgan-centric episode. Opinions were very split on this one. People either loved it or hated it. I really appreciated a peak into how Morgan went from delusional to peace-maker, and if you can do that while working in John Carrol Lynch, I don’t know how anyone can dislike it.

S6E5: Now – C

This episode leaned heavily on relationships, specifically between Rick’s group and the Alexandrians. Unfortunately only about half of them worked. . In most cases I either don’t care about any of those relationships, or what I did care about was ruined by poor dialogue and acting.

S6E6: Always Accountable – C+

The absence of any significant screen time for fan-favorite Daryl was becoming distractingly noticeable. We finally catch up with him, Abraham and Sasha in this episode. Unfortunately the best description of it is that it was just there.

S6E7: Heads Up – B+

We get back to some good depth in the characters in this episode, and of course we find out that Glenn isn’t actually dead. I had some problems with this which I explained in my complete review. Also, Glenn being alive has got to mean disaster for Maggie from a show-running standpoint, right?

S6E8: Start to Finish – B

A pretty ‘meh’ midseason finale. I don’t know of many that cared that Deanna died, but the way she went was alright. The confrontation between Morgan and Carol over the Wolf was predictable but tense. Sam has got to be the most annoying kid yet on the show, but his calling out for his mom could spell disaster. Some ups, some downs, but I would’ve liked to see at least one of these cliffhangers begin to play out a bit more.

You may have noticed a stark contrast in my rating of the first four episodes with the final four. My lowest in the first four was a B+, but that was my highest in the last four. In my opinion there was a pretty stark difference in the first quarter and the second quarter of the season. I think the key in the second half will be trimming the fat. We have a LOT of characters asking for their own space in the story and the fact is that about ½ to 2/3 just aren’t interesting. I really liked Sasha in season 5, especially the second half, but she’s becoming less interesting by the episode. Eugene, Tara and Rosita feel completely expendable. I’d love to see Abraham showdown with Negan but I’m afraid I just won’t care about him once we get there. Maggie is becoming Deanna 2.0, boring. Aside from Aaron I can’t think of a single Alexandrian that I would mind if they were gone. Gabriel could be coming around, but I’m not confident he’ll be used in any substantive way.

For many fans, seasons 4 and 5 drug on and on. They didn’t like the time at the prison, they didn’t like time spent on the tracks going to Terminus, they didn’t like the meandering around aimlessly after Terminus was destroyed, and Alexandria has been less than stellar. I personally enjoyed a lot of that, hence my desire to review every episode, but I can understand the complaints. There are some intriguing new characters on the horizon that seem to be moving toward some very serious conflicts. If the show wants to maintain its spot as one of the best shows on television, it will need to make us care about more characters so their deaths mean something.

If written reviews aren’t your thing, might I suggest the Memento Mori podcast. Host Owen Paun discusses The Walking Dead and Theology. He’s playing some catch-up right now but he plans to get back to reviewing each episode. Look for me as a guest on a past episode where we discuss the spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead, and perhaps on some future episodes as well! I can’t wait to get the second half of season six started, and get into some good Walking Dead discussion!