The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 3 Review: ‘Warning Signs’

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The Walking Dead

Season 9, Episode 3

By Garrett Yoshitomi

Things are really starting to pick up for The Walking Dead’sninth season, as it delivers one of its best episodes of all-time, in this week’s “Warning Signs.” Episode three gives us a nice blend of dramatic tension, satisfying action scenes, and just the right amount of whodunit sprinkled into a well-paced hour that moves the story along, and manages to touch on all of the important players this season, including several supporting characters. The Saviors are still public enemy numero uno, as construction on the bridge comes to a screeching halt once they realize that someone’s been hunting Saviors in the middle of the night.

I’m usually not a fan of shows recycling the same group of villains over and over again, but so far, this arc is shaping up to be one of the show’s best. New showrunner Angela Kang has breathed new life into the Saviors by humanizing them- giving them motivations beyond just being evil- and centering their conflict with Rick’s group inside a wider, complex narrative. The storyline itself is rather simple, and I think having a straightforward story is important when dealing with a layered plot that affects a large ensemble cast of characters in different ways. You want the sequence of events to be easy to follow, and the character development to feel authentic, so that the overall thematic importance seems cohesive and logical.

After being spared at the end of the war, the Saviors have been brought into the fold by Rick, but the rest of the communities aren’t all that interested in playing nice. However, because of the deal Maggie struck with Rick, the Saviors make up the bulk of the work force for the bridge project, so for the time being, they’re a necessary evil. Relations with the Saviors have been cool at best (thanks largely to Rick’s efforts), but tensions have been bubbling at the surface for a while, and now that Saviors are being mysteriously murdered left and right, this relatively peaceful coexistence finds itself turned upside down.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

This friction eventually builds to a full-on standoff between the Saviors and the rest of the bridge camp. With their members being rapidly picked off, and no way to defend themselves, the Saviors decide that vengeance is the next best choice, setting their sights on Daryl as the likely angel of death. What separates this conflict from a typical Savior showdown is that it’s motivated by more than, “the Saviors are the bad guys, Rick’s group are the good guys, let’s have them fight.” The Saviors are fighting for their own self-preservation, not some contrived, feudal warlord desire to subjugate people for their personal gain. This is a humanizing desire for a group of characters who are usually depicted as anything but. And, while it doesn’t earn them any sympathy, it certainly raises the stakes of their situation, and gives the entire feud a more grounded, realistic feel.

The entire face-off itself is incredible. It’s intense, well shot, and one of the most captivating scenes of the entire series, without even a single bullet being fired. The dramatic tension and the rising exchange of aggressions, with each side getting closer and closer to blows, kept my eyes glued to the screen in a way this show hasn’t managed to do in a while. It feels so natural seeing Daryl and Carol steadying their troops like hardened field generals. Daryl standing above the rest of the group, scanning the Saviors’ ranks like a hawk, and the rest of the group drawing their sidearms on Carol’s mark, feel like the kind of roles we missed out on for these two during the All-Out War saga. Although it’s a season too late, I’m glad we’re getting to see these two OG characters really strut their stuff, and I can easily see them sliding into the central leadership role, once Rick departs the show.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

I think what really makes this whole storyline hum is how well the writers have managed to incorporate several minor characters, in a way that feels organic and genuinely interesting. For the first time almost ever, the Saviors feel like actual compelling villains, but if I had to tell you even one of their names, without looking them up, I couldn’t. Even with names, none of these bit characters have anything close to something resembling a backstory. Named Saviors like Arat, Laura, and Regina have received a moment or two in the sun, only to be inevitably relegated to background roles, popping in and out when the story calls for a smirking lackey or two.

So far, the writers have ignored the criminal neglect these minor characters have received in seasons past, reincorporating them into the story in a very central way. And, because of how straightforward this overall storyline is, it doesn’t really matter that we don’t know who these redshirt Saviors are. While individual characterization is important, it’s not required to understand the Saviors’ motivations- members of their group are being killed, and they want to do something about it. However, what turns this storyline from an entertaining, multi-episode A-plot, to a series-wide turning point, is the full exploration of its effect on characters both major and minor.

It’s amazing to see the events of this episode fuel the ideological, soon to be physical, conflict between Rick and Maggie and Daryl. We’ve seen members of the group feud in the past, but this upcoming clash between longtime friends feels like it will have major, much more permanent consequences. Based on typical Walking Deadplot progression, it’s pretty surprising to see this storyline play out so quickly. If this were a season ago, we would have spent the next four episodes building up to Maggie’s eventual visit to Alexandria. Granted, this could all be getting sped up for the sake of RICK GRIMES’ FINAL EPISODES, but I’m willing to bet that keeping the plot moving is all part of Kang’s plan to retool the show.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The impact of this storyline goes beyond the main characters, though. What really gives me high hopes for this show going forward, is how the Oceanside women, a heavily underutilized group of minor characters, are so seamlessly incorporated into the episode’s main plot. Prior to this episode, the Oceanside community had been relegated to nothing more than a convenient plot device. The community’s tragic origin story helped to further demonize the Saviors, while their refusal to give Alexandria their giant stash o’ guns gave Rick’s group a nice softball of an obstacle to overcome in the back half of season seven. The women of Oceanside do ride out to the Hilltop’s aid at the end of season eight, but the focus was more on how this benefitted the overall war effort, rather than the impact this decision had on Oceanside. For the most part, in the two seasons since they’ve been introduced, there’s been very little substantial character development for the Oceanside women.

This dynamic gets turned on its head, though, as Oceanside features heavily into this episode, shaping its outcome, and displaying the kind of agency that few supporting characters on The Walking Deadget to have. When all of the puzzle pieces start to finally fall into place, the backstory and characterization that Oceanside had previously only received in passing comes full circle to provide their arc with a natural sense of closure that also serves as a building block for the show’s wider narrative. This scene plays out beautifully, and is incredibly well acted by Sydney Park, who plays teenage Oceanside leader, Cyndie. Park gives a haunting monologue that truly captures the heart of what I think can make The Walking Dead a great show- the importance of loved ones, both lost and alive, and the emotional impact they have on even the most apocalypse-hardened characters.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

In a large ensemble show, characters and their relationships are king. While having more characters than you know what to do with is usually a burden for The Walking Dead; in the case of “Warning Signs,” it’s a strength, as Kang is able to swiftly and purposefully move her multitude of chess pieces across the board, engaging them in shorter term storylines, all while getting them positioned for the bigger picture ahead. If you’ve felt less invested in The Walking Dead in recent seasons, or have given up all together (although, if that’s true, I’m not sure you’d be reading this), I’d give the veteran show another chance. The early returns from season nine have been very promising, and “Warning Signs,” in particular is a strong enough offering for this longtime Dead critic, even longer time fan, to admit that this show is definitely worth your time. It’s a new world, indeed. And in this new world, The Walking Dead is back.