Those who know me know that I consider The Walking Dead one of the best TV shows of all time (previously reviewed seasons can be found here: one, two, three, four, five, and six).
I enjoy it so much that I started reading the comics it is based on, and they are just as fantastic. Some plot points run in parallel, while others wildly diverge, but I can say that the show's producers have, through the years, made some bold choices that have enriched the show tremendously.
This past Sunday, the latest season came to an early end without airing the season finale because the worldwide pandemic we're currently facing forced hundreds of movie and television productions to be suspended. The final episode will now air at some point later in the year (I sure wish AMC had posted a note on the screen at the end of the episode to let the audience know, instead of letting us wonder and search for answers online...).
Carol and Morgan, meanwhile, discover a new community with the eyebrow raising name "the Kingdom." Its leader, King Ezekiel, even has his own pet tiger, Shiva, and they seem to have carved out a bright spot for themselves in this dreadful new world.
Tara and Heath also stumble upon a new community, this one called Oceanside, appropriately located on the ocean and oddly populated exclusively by women.
Maggie, having recovered at the Hilltop, slowly but surely finds her bearings in a leadership role that will have far reaching consequences for everyone.
Then it's Rick and Aaron's turn to run into a new community, at a dump of all places, and its inhabitants are like nothing we've seen before -- which is saying a lot on this particular show!
As the Alexandrians regroup, they start to wonder if the different communities could finally stand up to the Saviors by joining their forces.
This season is not for the faint of heart (just like the previous... but worse). It's riddled with anxiety. But worth it.
Grade - Season 7: 8
Many events occur during the different face-offs and plenty of our favorite characters will have to make heart wrenching decisions with far reaching consequences.
Negan realizes he has to pull out of the quagmire he finds himself in by using an extra helping of cunning. Will it be enough to prevail against a foe like Rick Grimes, the likes of which he might not have met before?
Rick also comes to realize that the alliances he struck aren't always what they seem, and will have to adjust on the fly to avoid catastrophe.
This season is as anxiety-inducing as the previous, but the amount of action by itself will have your heart racing episode after episode.
Grade - Season 8: 8
After defeating Negan, Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom guardedly join forces with what's left of Sanctuary to set up commerce and try to rebuild a functioning society.
Unfortunately, Rick's decision to keep Negan alive doesn't sit well with several of his most trusted friends and allies. Will he be able to have them come around to his point of view? Or will things fester until they blow up?
On top of interpersonal strife, nature and time don't really play along with humans' plans, and Rick will have to make a tough choice.
Shortly after, a new threat is discovered by chance that is seemingly inexplicable and potentially game changing.
This is the season when we say goodbye to Rick Grimes, the main character of the show. It was painful to see him go, but honestly I think the producers should have just killed him off rather than have him be scurried away via helicopter only to have the chance to make some movies with him later.
This show's essence is that when a character leaves it's always via death (except for Morgan, but he had no familial tethers to a place like Rick, and simply moved to Fear the Walking Dead). Rick was the first major character to leave without dying and it doesn't feel right. It doesn't give the audience the closure it deserves.
Grade - Season 9: 8
The problem is that, unlike Negan, they represent a more abstract enemy: hard to pin down and fight against when they don't have a lair and their main weapon is plentiful and can be easily replenished.
Carol especially, is having a very hard time adjusting and moving on. Her desire for vengeance against Alpha is all-consuming.
Negan, after finally regaining a measure of freedom, sees his fortunes sour pretty quickly and will have to decide what his future holds.
More familiar faces leave us this season, some by choice, others not.
Grade - Season 10: 8
Update: I forgot to commend Samantha Morton for her portrayal of Alpha. While the inevitable rise of people like the Governor and Negan in such an apocalyptic world would be inevitable, I always found the whole Whisperers storyline way, way, way out there.
I mean, sure, it's the end of the world as we know it, but who in their right mind would conclude that surrounding themselves with zombies would be a good idea? Who would want to don the skin of dead people? Who would accept living in clearly unsanitary, unhealthy, unclean conditions? I mean can you imagine the smell? Because you have to smell like a rotting corpse to be ignored by the walkers, that was established early on by Glen and Rick, so the Whisperers' camp must smell like death and decay all the time.
Regardless, Morton's Alpha is not just as good as the one in the comics, she's even better. She was able to confer to this deeply damaged and flawed woman a certain amount of humanity and an endless supply of strength. Brava!!
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