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The Walking Dead 11.10 Review – ‘New Haunts’
Image Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC
Loading...Tonight on The Walking Dead, happy Halloween from the Commonwealth! What are you afraid of? Is it walkers? The cops? The state of the working class in late stage capitalism as it’s rebuilt in a post-apocalyptic world?
The plot: Shortly after the majority of the Alexandrians have come to the Commonwealth, the seemingly prosperous community is hosting quite the Halloween celebration. There’s the idyllic daytime celebration–haunted mazes, a costume contest, petting zoo, games, etc–and we get a look at what new jobs our people have taken up here, by and large resembling the work they did in the before times, though Daryl and Rosita are training to be troopers. Carol is once again stepping into an innocent-seeming domestic role at the bakery here, though she also slips outside the walls to get some bribery wine to try and better Ezekiel’s chances of getting the life-saving surgery he needs. Meanwhile, at night, there’s a swanky party for the upper crust which makes the class divide quite clear, especially when the trooper who was beat up by Princess causes a scene and berates Governor Milton for not remotely taking care of everyone in the Commonwealth, claiming after he’s caught that there are thousands like him who are not okay with the disparity at play. In the end, there is perhaps hope yet for Ezekiel’s chances both medically and with Carol, Daryl and Rosita both graduate to join the troopers. Rosita’s first day on the job has her finding a hidden room full of anti-trooper and anti-Commonwealth, suggesting the disgraced trooper’s sentiments may have more clout than they thought.
First things first, Jerry, Nabila, and all three of their kids and their complete commitment to all dressing as Shiva for Halloween were robbed in that costume contest!
With that out of the way, I’m enjoying the slow and steady steps into the good and bad parts of the Commonwealth. It’s not a blatantly terrible place–that sort of thing wouldn’t cut it here in the final season–but one that has a lot good to offer to a lot of people. Security, regular access to food, water, and medicine, the ability to not spend every second fighting for one’s life against not just one but several considerable threats. They have the luxury of thinking of more frivolous things! Festivals (where no one gets kidnapped, killed, and has their head mounted on a stake), parties, jobs, friends! On the other hand while there is often an understandable longing for the past, especially when you’re looking at it from the other side of a zombie apocalypse, the survivors we’ve followed have had the time and separation from that world, as well as the success in building a community of their own…how much of that old world do they really miss? How much of it is worth saving? Security and structure are essential to rebuilding and surviving in better conditions, yes, but a class system like this? Is this really worth bringing back?
For those on top, sure. For the political dynasty family the Miltons, yes, for all their friends and the people with high-paying jobs in the past, sure. For everyone else? For those who survived a society that was already built to keep them down, then survived the apocalypse, and now have to go back to being on the bottom again? Not so much! And the living conditions for Daryl and Rosita, the disparity seen between the waiters and the people at the party, the punishment handed out to Tyler that affects his extended as well, it all adds up to a problem that isn’t going to go away. But who’s aware of the growing resentment and how widespread it is? What they find in Tyler’s apartment and the graffiti seen around town suggests it’s more than just him. But Pamela’s awareness of it before now seems to be little to none, and while Hornsby says there aren’t more like him, that answer is a little too quick to be believed. But is it Hornsby trying to hide something or just trying to be reassuring? He’s shown to have reasons to not be entirely pro-Milton either throughout the episode.
And our Alexandrians are finding these fraying edges in their own ways as well. Daryl has to assuage the ego of Pamela’s spoiled son Sebastian in order to get ahead for the sake of his family, while Carol games the system for Ezekiel’s sake by striking up a mutually beneficial arrangement with Hornsby. While that’s starting off in this fairly straightforward way, I won’t be shocked if the favors Hornsby asks of her get more dangerous or more underhanded. Yumi the former public defender is living high as a lawyer, but we know she’s got a good heart and her brother is certainly keeping her humble and aware of the disparity. Magna has plenty to be bitter about, meanwhile, and I’m not entirely sure she isn’t already in on the growing resentment? If not, I’m sure she’ll be on their side eventually.
Finally, on a more emotional note, I was happy to see that maybe there’s some hope for Carol and Ezekiel as a couple after all! Now, maybe that comfortable cuddle on the couch was just two exes being comfortable and that’s all, but hey, a shipper can dream! That aside, I was glad to just plain see them interacting at all, and especially for Ezekiel to be bringing her something of Henry’s. A festival like this has to have had some hard moments for both of them–at the last one of these they had, they lost Henry and many close friends to Alpha’s brutal first attack on their communities. This may be a different place and time, but even so. It was just nice to see them both healing in the wake of that.
Some other interesting moments that I’m sure we’ll see more of soon but were more low-key in this episode included Connie’s new/old job as a reporter, including having interviewed Pamela in the before times and also having gotten her uncle kicked out of congress. I love the reporter gig for her, I don’t know if this had ever come up about her before, but it felt like a natural fit. Carol giving Daryl some encouragement to pursue Connie–I agree, go ask that woman dance, Daryl! Princess being dressed as a princess for her costume, and then getting to go to the ball with the knight in shining armor to boot! Max whispering to Tyler “I’m like you”–a desperate plea to find common ground with a man threatening her life, or the quiet assurance of someone also in on the resistance? And that brief exchange between Hornsby and Milton about what to do about Alexandria, and him having an idea to pitch. What is that supposed to mean? Are they forcibly annexing the town? More land is good, sure, but we know it’s not exactly close by. We also know the Alexandrians won’t take kindly to their home being taken, and we also know that Maggie and some others have stayed behind as well. The flash forward no doubt factors into where this is going as well.
What did you think of tonight’s episode? The class divide we’re seeing in the Commonwealth? What shape will the resistance take, and what role will our survivors play in it when the time comes? Do you agree that Jerry’s family should’ve been the ones winning that costume contest? Sound off in the comments and see you next week!
