 |
| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
The Walking Dead
Season 9, Episode 5
By Garrett Yoshitomi
Usually, when a show writes off its main character, it signals that the end is near. Whether it be a Michael Scott or a John Dorian, the vacuum left behind when a series lead departs is just too wide for any cobbled together group of replacements to realistically fill. But sometimes, main characters depart, new characters are added, returning characters shift their roles, and a show is able to pivot and find a new path. With Rick Grimes riding off into the sunset, Scott Gimple, Angela Kang, and the rest of the folks over at AMC are hoping, possibly praying, that The Walking Dead will fall into the latter category, rather than the former.
For a show with as much turnover as The Walking Dead, you’d think that it, among all other shows, would be best equipped to handle the departure of its main character. However, this ain’t no Shondaland production. While, The Walking Dead successfully follows its comic book source material, killing off characters in increasingly brutal and disturbing ways, creatively, the show suffers for it, as season arcs are predictably built around a key death or two that always seem to be thrown in right around a premiere or finale. With ratings in a free-fall since the season seven deaths of popular characters like Glenn and Abraham, there’s little recent evidence indicating that The Walking Dead will be able to survive its most major character departure, yet.
True-blue fans have known for months that season nine would be Rick Grimes’ last. But, even for those who don’t spend their summers following the Comic-Con news circuit, AMC has shown no hesitation in bookending every single Walking Deadpreview with their subtle “Rick Grimes’ Final Episodes” marketing campaign. The intent behind this is obvious. The Walking Dead is losing viewers fast, and AMC will do whatever it takes to get people tuning back in. It’s likely that this episode will enjoy a small ratings bump, as former Dead-heads resurface to see what all the hullabaloo is about. But whether this hullabaloo turns into sustainable, genuine interest will depend on how the writers wrap up Rick’s story, and what turns the show takes going forward.
 |
| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
Unfortunately, the majority of this episode is average at best, unless you’re particularly fond of watching middle-aged British men slowly bleed to death, or if you won’t be entirely bored by the show’s 100thspeech about the importance of family and loved ones. It’s not a bad episode per se- we’ve certainly seen worse over the course of the series- but it’s uninspired, essentially cobbling together the same themes and mechanics, but this time around a bloodied, stumbling Rick.
I am glad that Jon Bernthal was able to pull himself away from the set of The Punisher to film a cameo. And, I appreciate Herschel’s scene, an appearance made even more special by the untimely death of the late Scott Wilson. But, as much as I love Sonequa Martin-Green, her inclusion as one of Rick’s ghosts of Christmas past is puzzling, considering Sasha and Rick never interacted very much. It would have felt much more meaningful to see Glenn or Carl make return appearances, but given that Steven Yeun has distanced himself from the show, and Chandler Riggs left on allegedly shaky terms, it’s not surprising that the writers decided to go with more practical, albeit less cohesive characters.
 |
| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
However, if you managed to stick around for the first forty-five minutes, you’ll be rewarded with an ending that’s both visually exciting and surprisingly poignant. Last week’s episode made it pretty obvious that Rick’s ace in the hole would be leading the giant herd over the recently constructed bridge, in the hopes that it would collapse, sending the walkers down the river. And, while this episode makes it very clear that this is Rick’s ultimate end game, the entire sequence is still a thrill to watch, despite this predictability. You can feel the weight of each one of Rick’s plodding footsteps, as he stumbles across the bridge that he put so much faith into. And, when our beleaguered hero finally crosses the bridge and turns to face the encroaching heard, the look in his eyes when the bridge holds firm is heart wrenching. And yet, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, Rick Grimes, a character who’s dodged so many close calls with death, draws his iconic hatchet from his belt for what truly feels to be the last time.
Of course, this is the not the end of Rick Grimes’ story. No, as announced by Scott Gimple during Sunday’s episode of Talking Dead, Rick Grimes will live on in a trilogy of AMC original movies, with the first set to start production in 2019. This outcome is pretty unexpected, as Andrew Lincoln’s departure from the show seemed final, and usually the only way someone leaves The Walking Dead for sure, is when their character meets its zombie maker. After the infamous dumpster controversy with Glenn, and the ill-advised cliffhanger during the season six finale, fans are understandably upset at The Walking Dead for pulling yet another bait and switch with a popular character’s supposed death. At best, Rick’s extremely well-timed chopper ride could be seen as sloppy writing- a textbook deployment of a cheap deus ex machina. At worst, it’s low level trolling on AMC’s part, and just another slap in the face for whatever loyal viewers The Walking Dead still has.
 |
| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
And yet, despite this deception, I feel really excited about The Walking Dead in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. AMC is getting a jump start on fleshing out their own shared universe, similar to what HBO is planning with their Game of Thrones prequels, and Marvel has been tinkering with through their Netflix shows and soon to be released Disney streaming service. Sure, in the short-term, you can certainly make the argument that killing off Rick is a much more impactful narrative. But, keeping Rick alive in a trilogy of spin-off movies opens up a ton of long-term storytelling options, and allows The Walking Dead flagship series to immediately reinvent itself in a fresh, new way. Face it, The Walking Dead has been stagnant for a while. Without major changes it’s not hard to imagine this show dying as early as next season. Something had to give. There’s no guarantee that these decisions will pay off, but ultimately, I think it’s a smart move, as The Walking Dead still has the fanbase and the branding to take a chance on this type of creative industry maneuver.
And honestly, I actually enjoyed this episode’s ending. With Andrew Lincoln’s month-long goodbye tour, and the episode’s overall build-up, I really did believe that Rick was going to die and was genuinely surprised when he didn’t. Moments of pure triumph and shock can be so few and far between in this show and getting to see the one and only Rick Grimes ride off into the sunset, living to fight another day, is a true ray of hope in an otherwise bleak fictional universe. Yes, this is The Walking Dead we’re talking about, which means we probably haven’t seen the last of filler storylines, poorly paced episodes, and yes, cheap character death fake-outs. But Angela Kang has proven so far that she’s capable of alleviating these issues, and with an entirely new sandbox for her to play in, there’s no telling what heights she can take this show.
 |
| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
So, where does The Walking Dead go from here? Well, there’s the movies for starters. With production for the first Rick Grimes feature film set to start in 2019, it seems likely that we’re looking at a 2020 release. Details so far are sparse, but it sounds like the story will pick up after Rick’s one-way helicopter flight and will not ignore the character’s inevitable desire to return home. Recently, news broke that Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride have negotiated new deals with AMC that could allow crossover into other Walking Dead franchises, including the films. Reportedly, a new deal for Danai Gurira is on the way, as well, and according to AMC programming president, David Madden, “[He has] high hopes that Rick and Michonne’s paths will cross again.”
Other cast member returns are less certain; however, as quietly, this episode serves as Maggie’s last confirmed appearance, as well. Believe it or not, with Lauren Cohan’s new ABC series, Whiskey Cavalier, set to premiere next year, Maggie will not be appearing in another episode this season. Of course, there’s always a chance that a deal gets done and Maggie is brought back into the fold. But for now, The Walking Dead will be moving forward down two major stars. Oh, and Jadis, too, who will soon be joining Rick in the movie biz.
 |
| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
Despite what felt like a finale-esque hour of television, The Walking Dead is back in just one week, with a huge time jump and a barrel full of questions. Based on previews, it looks like Judith will be featured more prominently going forward, stepping into the role Carl would have played based on the comics, if he hadn’t been killed off. And, in addition to introducing several new characters, the last three episodes of 9A should all be building up in some way to the introduction of the Whisperers, the show’s next big bad group of villains.
No comments:
Post a Comment