[Cali Panthers Fan]

Ok, I binged this half season and here are my thoughts:

1st episode: That felt like a palate cleanser. Spent a long time dealing with whether or not the Alexandrians are ready, and lots of internal conflicts in the group, and then resolved it all in one episode. I know they offed Deanna last episode, but it truly became Rick's group again after everyone chips in to rid the town of zombies and take back their town. Rick's long love story that nobody cared about is kaput, along with both her kids who are annoying. Great! Now we can move the story forward. That's what that episode was all about: Establishing how Alexandria was going to survive moving forward, and that it will indeed survive because everyone wants it to and is willing to do the hard stuff to make it so. Zombies are essentially a distraction now.

2) Sleepy episode that introduces us to a fantastic new character (Jesus) who is apparently a ####ing ninja. Awesome. We've had a samurai for a while now, and now we get a bonafide ninja! That should come in handy. Plus, he's a super mellow and nice guy who belongs to a group that will expand the universe. Create lots of good news for members of the group just to keep people invested in their survival.

3) Meet the new group and discover that they're essentially Alexandrians with much better food resources. They should have been offed a long time ago, yet have survived by cutting a deal with a menacing group. Instant kinship between the Hilltoppers and Alexandrians, even if their leader is a bit of a dick. The beginning of a coalition that could lead to several more groups joining forces for the benefit of all.

4) HOLY ####BALLS! That episode was dark, cold-blooded, and altogether necessary to progress the story line. Yes, that was Glenn's first kill of an actual human. Loved the pathos there. It's become evident that Rick's group might be the most vicious and calculating of all the groups out there, simply based on the need to survive. I enjoyed seeing Gabriel transition into a warrior-priest, rather than just a pacifist-priest. For those that don't like Morgan, he remains as the lone moral objection in the show that asks us to reconsider whether this is right or necessary. Remember the whole episode where he comes back to humanity because of the compassion of a stranger who refused to kill him? From there, everything else is possible for him, "as long as there is life". That kind of experience will deeply change someone and I doubt he'll ever quit being that voice. Perhaps he will become the only reasonable voice at some point and it might change things in a meaningful way.

Basically, the show has no use for zombies anymore as an antagonist. They can be disposed of even if there are massive hordes that seem overwhelming. The story has now become one of tribal warfare, and gives indications of what conditions may have looked like at the beginning of mankind and society. Pretty interesting stuff, and very entertaining to boot!