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The Walking Dead 11.08 Review – ‘For Blood’
Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC
Loading...It’s The Walking Dead fall finale, and everyone’s in a tight spot! Alexandria battles the elements and walkers, while in Meridian, the Reapers and Maggie’s group finally go to war.
The plot: In Alexandria, an intense thunderstorm–maybe even a hurricane–is raging. While the Alexandrians huddle inside, however, pieces of the fragile wall are ripped down and the windmill is on fire. While teams go out to address those problems, inside the house, Judith does what she can to help reassure the kids, especially Gracie, and Virgil assures her in turn that her mother is with her, and she’s with her mother wherever she is. Despite their efforts and Rosita going out to cull the herd, the walkers get into the house. Most people are up on the second floor, but Judith and Gracie end up in the basement on their own. Meanwhile, in Meridian, the Maggie & Co-lead herd circles outside the walls and eventually they use it as cover to attack once nighttime hits. The field immediately in front of the walls is a literal minefield, however, making that approach tricky. But Maggie and Gabriel get in with Daryl’s help, and Gabriel gets a sniper rifle while Maggie sends a truck into the gate to let the herd in. As the Reapers prepare to set off a hwacha–a weapon loaded with a few dozen explosive arrows, basically–Daryl finally comes clean to Leah. She’s shook, but when Pope orders them to fire on their own people, Leah kills him herself. But she’s not coming with Daryl; instead, she tells the Reapers that he killed Pope and takes charge of whoever’s left. As the Alexandrians fight through the courtyard, Leah sounds a retreat and fires the hwacha herself.
The Walking Dead has often asked what one would do to protect their family, be that blood relatives or found family, and this episode explores that theme yet again. It does have a somewhat new twist in how Leah reacts to Daryl’s confession, though it’s reminiscent of the conversation Maggie and Negan had last week. But this time, the conflict is between Leah and Daryl. Each of them has considered the other worthy of being family, if not of being that outright. Each of them would like to have the other at their side and with them…but it’s not to be. It failed once already, when they didn’t chose to stay together in the cabin in the woods, and here it fails yet again.
It’s not exactly shocking, though. They both see the other’s people as enemies, killers, people out to kill the ones they love, people who have already done exactly that on both sides. How could either live with the other’s family? I suppose they both still had to try. I would have enjoyed a longer conversation about his confession to her, to hear if she suspected this at all. She knew he wasn’t all in for Pope or his zealotry, something she herself shows she isn’t that interested in and maybe never was either. It was something, and someone, to believe in when the world was going to hell. Just like Negan’s twisted system of governing managed to catch on despite it’s obvious flaws and cruelty, Pope’s brand of leadership gave them order when there was chaos, hope when there was nothing. But he fell into a spiral of believing a little too much in his being “chosen”, that it made him infallible, that it made anyone else expendable. Having him give the order to fire on their own people was a little cliche, it’s a move that’s been used as a last straw in plenty of other media, but they certainly did build up to this moment. For Leah, though, the interesting moves are how she seizes control once he’s dead. She might buy into the whole chosen by God bit, but she is not interested in giving quarter to their enemies either. That part I didn’t quite see coming, her naming Daryl as Pope’s killer right away, but she also doesn’t kill him herself. She cares too much about him to do that, it seems, or at least too much to kill him face-to-face. Likewise for Daryl.
Speaking of Pope’s death, it was almost amusing in it’s anti-climacticness. Pope has felt oddly placed as an antagonist–enough onscreen charisma and grand-standing to feel like a villain who would last longer, but knowing this is the final season undercut some of that. I don’t think any of us were thinking he’d last too much longer, but his swift death mid-episode was also surprising in how quickly it happened and things went on by. Leah as the real leader of this group, the real threat, makes sense as she’s been given more development, though. She’s more three-dimensional, she’s sympathetic, she’s not the bloodthirsty zealot that Pope is, but she’s still very much an antagonist to our survivors. I don’t see her living through the end of this conflict, though. She’s positioned herself solidly in the way of our survivors, but almost even more than Negan I can see Leah as the flipside of our people. She’s not cruel like he was, but she’s dangerous and efficient, and she’s not going to call off her people. There was a moment where there could’ve been a peace there, maybe, but by laying blame for Pope’s murder on Daryl, by choosing to fire the hwacha on his people, she’s chosen to make this situation us or them, no other way.
Also that hwacha! That was awesome! Okay, one, this is a very interesting and terrifying weapon. It absolutely makes sense that Pope would have something like that built just in case, and I cannot wait to see it in use. The downside? Damnit, I wanted to see this get used! And now we have to wait until February!
Okay, back in Alexandria, most the real moments here belonged to Judith and that’s just fine. As usual I really like her, the actress is great, and the moments just work. Her wanting to do more, but being told to stay here while also being given a perfectly reasonable task–help keep the other kids reassured. And she does a great job with that, especially with Gracie. It follows along perfectly from her training them on how to fight the last time we saw her. At the same time, she misses her mom because of course she does, she’s just a kid! Her conversation with Virgil about this was very touching, though. I loved what he said to her about seeing Michonne in her, how she holds her sword, how she’s ready to run into the storm, how she helped the other kids. Michonne is with her, and wherever Michonne is, Judith is with her, too. Call me a sap, but I found it to be beautiful.
I found more trite how Gracie wandered into the basement of all places to find a weapon, super conveniently in time to get separated from everyone else. I’m fine with them being separated in some way, but this just felt like Horror Movie 101. Especially given she’s Aaron’s daughter and they are in Aaron’s house. She would know where her dad keeps the weapons, which he 100% must keep at home somewhere. If those were in the basement, then yeah, send her down there, but they weren’t and she had no idea what to look for. Her being there was random and a little bit of the Idiot Ball, and that’s on the writers.
In the end, we’re left on a lot of cliffhangers, and I wish we had at least one fewer. We left Eugene on one last week, we’ve got the Alexandria Hurricane, and the Meridian battle. I was expecting at least one of the two plots in this episode would get wrapped up by the end of the night, but instead, we’ll be left to wonder until February 20, 2022.
A few other quick observations: Connie wants to hang out with Carol, who collapsed a cave on her! I can’t wait to see those two in close quarters again. Rosita was a total bad-ass taking out those walkers outside the house, loved it. Father Gabriel being a one-eyed crack sniper might be a stretch, but I’m here for it and love it. Elijah and Negan took some shrapnel from a mine, but I hope to not lose either of them. Elijah is the only new person we’ve got left and I really like him! Speaking of injured folks, maybe Alden will show up and help pull out a win for the Alexandrians.
What did you think of the episode? How do you think these things will resolve, especially Alexandria and Meridian’s plots? What are you most hoping will happen before the season ends? Let’s hear it in the comments, and I’ll see you back here in February!
