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| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
The Walking Dead
Season 7, Episode 15
By Garrett Yoshitomi
After last
week’s cliffhanger, The Walking Dead keeps the momentum going with a
well-paced episode that smoothly intertwines multiple characters and
storylines. It’s sad to say, but “Something They Need” is a rare example of
just how good of a show The Walking Dead can be when all of its pieces
are humming along. It’s a treat worth savoring for sure, although I will say
that the writers have been better at crafting more enjoyable filler, during
season 7B. But we’re out of the filler woods now, and there's just one more
episode to go in season seven. This week’s episode succeeds in setting up next
Sunday’s season finale, and manages to function as a satisfying episode on its
own merits, as well. There’s a lot to unpack too, as a ton of story-telling needs to
happen before things wrap up with next week’s finale.
“Something They
Need” quickly gets the ball rolling, setting the table with a montage of the
Rick Grimes crew marching on the all-women Oceanside community. There’s a part
of me that wishes we get to see Tara spill the beans about Oceanside to Rick,
but it makes sense to forego this potentially awkward interaction, in favor of getting
right into the action. In a strange way, this episode actually makes the disastrous
Tara-centric “Swear” better, retroactively. We get a nice sense of closure with
the Oceanside community that was missing when “Swear” first aired. Plus, the growth
we get from Tara is probably the strongest we’ve gotten from any of our
supporting characters.
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| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
Tara’s always
been one of the show’s more peaceful characters- typically choosing to see the
good in others, and resorting to violence only when necessary. However, she’s also
always seemed a bit useless, due in part to how little screen time she
receives. When she finally got her moment in the spotlight in “Swear,” she
struggled to really make a narrative impact, and for a while, her solo episode seemed
like it would exist as one of the worst filler moments in the history of The
Walking Dead. But, Tara showed chops this week. She seems to spearhead the
Oceanside operation- running point as the main negotiator, and setting the tone
for the nonviolent approach that Rick and co. end up successfully taking.
We get to see a bit more of the Hilltop Colony this
week, although it’s of tertiary importance compared to the previous episode. It
would be nice to get a more in-depth look at Maggie’s time at the Hilltop; and
her quick ascension up their corporate ladder, but the brief scenes we do get
are solid. Her conversation with a Hilltopper (Hilltopian?) -about how to use a
tarp for farming- perfectly captures the quite confidence she exudes as a
leader, as well as her naturally caring persona. I’ve particularly enjoyed her
juxtaposition with Gregory, who continues to be just as slimy as ever. He’s
charismatic enough to garner a bit of sympathy from viewers as he fumbles his
way towards an approaching walker, but he’s just so cunning that any hopes of a
Gregory redemption arc are dashed just as quickly as they’re formed.
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| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
The highlight of this week’s episode is by far,
Sasha. Her entire storyline takes place within the confines of a single room,
but her interactions with Negan and Eugene easily steal the show. Sasha’s come a
long way since her PTSD days of season five. But, her calm sacrifice for Rosita
from last episode, as well as her staged pleas to Eugene this week, both
demonstrate a well-honed ability to harness her inner rage into more subtle
strategic ploys. Sasha’s storyline does take a rather dark turn with the Dave
scene. It’s a touchy subject for any show to broach, but it is effective in
demonstrating Negan’s rigid moral code. Negan’s been strangely absent for most
of season 7B. Other than this week, he’s really only appeared in one other
episode, “Hostiles and Calamities.” It’s likely that the writers are saving up
Negan for an explosive showing in the season finale. Surprisingly enough,
though, I don’t think the show’s really been hurting for Negan during these
past seven episodes, as Simon and Gavin’s group of Saviors, as well as the Scavengers,
have managed to successfully occupy antagonistic roles at various points of 7B.
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| (Photo Credit: AMC) |
At this point, I think it’s pretty fair to say that
Eugene’s gone full traitor. There was some fan speculation that he might be
playing the long con- getting on Negan’s good side now to infiltrate the
Saviors, and help take them down later. But after this episode, that ship has
clearly sailed. Sure, there’s hope for Eugene’s eventual redemption- it’s
obvious that he’s hitched his ride to Negan’s wagon more out of fear than outright
malevolence. But, it’s going to be hard for some viewers to forgive him; or at
the very least, find any future acts of heroism to be genuine. There’s only so
many times you can take a character to the cusp of true change, just to drag
their development backwards in the opposite direction. I fear that the writers will
take the easy way out, and turn Eugene’s wishy-washy bravery into nothing more
than a plot device, when he has the potential to be one of the show’s more
compelling characters.
“Something They Need” is a pretty solid episode,
and it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being better than the season finale
it’s meant to lead in to. There's a lot of loose ends that need to be wrapped
up by next Sunday and I'm not entirely convinced that the writers have left
themselves with enough runway to do so. I feel like an entire episode could be
dedicated to dealing with this week’s last minute twist, but based on the
preview for the season finale, it seems like this latest revelation will get
resolved rather quickly. For the most part, The Walking Dead has proven
capable of delivering a compelling finale, so I think it’s fair to expect a
couple of fun, action-driven moments, even if all of the various loose ends
aren’t fully fleshed up and tied together by season’s end.
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