Even casual viewers will know by now that the season finale is not going to end well for anyone. There will definitely be a brutal clash of the clans between Rick and co. and the Alexandria lot, and there will almost certainly be a hefty kill list for both sides. While the build up to the confrontation demands to be seen, what is keeping most fans coming back for more is the future of our troubled leading man; he preaches the importance of trust, but for how long can he be trusted himself?
“It’s their world, we’re just living in it.”
As with the last few episodes, Try tries (for lack of a better word) to build up the smaller narrative arcs of secondary characters, with differing results. Over the past five years, little Carl Grimes has blossomed from vulnerable child into a young man that not only has to deal with the obstacles that face every teenager, but on top of all this there’s a little thing called the zombie apocalypse looming over his head. It’s safe to say he’s come a long way. Since finding his feet in Alexandria, Rick’s prodigal son has found further solace in Enid. In the normal world this young romance would be wildly innocent and glaringly adorable. And whilst there is still a bit of that present, the knowledge that the world they occupy will inevitably prevent them from leading a normal life skews our emotional response. Your teen years are supposed to be a time of innocence and purity. A time when you make beautiful mistakes and marvellous memories. As Carl and Enid sneak off into the woods we’re given some respite from the brutal world around them. However, we’re harshly tugged back into reality when an oncoming horde of walkers forces them to seek solace in a cavernous tree trunk. Of course this whole plot serves to remind us that there is no innocence left in this world, and there never will be for the foreseeable future. Even when you’re alone, you’re not truly alone.
The Sasha storyline continues to dawdle along at an unbearably slow pace, at some points appearing like a desperate attempt to give the female characters something to do. As is common for many TV shows, the arc of the female characters is subsidiary to that of the male characters, and this has never been more evident than it is for Sasha. Still suffering after the deaths of her partner and brother respectively, she appears to have hit the self-destruct button, and it’s left to the other women to reign her in. Rosita appears out of the blue again, and we’re sure we’re not the only people who forgot that she was still a part of the show. Along with Michonne, they trawl the exterior grounds of the complex to bring Sasha back into the relatively safe realm of Alexandria before things get too out of control. Despite their best efforts, it appears as though they’re fighting a losing bottle. Exhibiting symptoms of PTSD and depression, it’s going to take more than a little nudge from her peers to stabilise Sasha again. We’re going to go ahead and guess that when, or perhaps if, the time does come, it’ll be one of the men that sets her on the right path once again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5YWVECUTjg
Then there’s Rick. Growing increasingly volatile with each coming week, there must come a time when he reaches boiling point. After learning last week of the abuse taking place within Jessie’s family home, tensions were greater than ever. One slight push and Carol’s demands for Rick to take Pete out could become a reality. During an intimate conversation with Jessie, we see an intensely vulnerable side to Rick, one which he desperately needs to cling on to if he hopes to remain a trusted member of not just Deanna’s group, but his own. He clearly feels responsible for Jessie, whether that be with romantic intentions or for purely platonic reasons. When he comes face-to-face with the man responsible for one of the biggest domestic threats to the townspeople’s safety since this whole darn thing began, things take a dramatic turn for the worse. Windows are smashed, faces are beaten in, and authority is questioned. Perhaps the most interesting thing to come from this brawl is when Carl tries to intervene and is pushed back by his father; caught in the moment, yes, but maybe Rick has reached the point of no return. Seeing him knelt on the floor, arms wide open, begging for those around him to reason with him is a troubling image. Bloodied and desperate, there is some method in his madness. After all, some of what he says runs true. We can’t help being reminded of Shane in his last days; clinging on to what he believes to be the truth, despite the dangers his actions put those he loves in. Well, we all know where that got him. Maybe this is just the start of Rick’s eventual downfall. Whilst the fracas with Pete was dramatic and unsettling, something’s telling us that there’s plenty more steam raging inside of him. We certainly wouldn’t want to be around when that steam is unleashed.
“If you don’t fight, you die.”
At this point in time, the list of expendable characters reads like the ingredients of a McDonald’s burger; some of them you love, some of them you hate, and they’re all dangerous in their own ways. It’s part and parcel by now that people will be killed in the ensuing battle. But what if the greatest sadness doesn’t lie within the mortality of our favourite characters? The metaphorical death of a character’s moral compass can be just as, if not more, disheartening than their literal death. We’re looking at you, Mr Grimes.
Words by Sophie Mace.