Hello and welcome to “Gut Check: The Walking Dead” where I spout off at the mouth about the most recent episode as soon as it is done airing. No thought, no research just the feeling in the moment. Let’s begin.
Tonight on The Walking Dead: Teenage Mutant Ninja Jesus
Alternate Title: Padre of the Apocalypse
- Spoilers for:
- The Walking Dead
- Season 6
- Episode 12
- 3/06/2016
- Not Tomorrow Yet
Glenn lost his murderginity! Thanks to this development I am very worried about Mr. Rhee’s fate. I had been sure another would take his comic book fate, but I am less sure now. That is a good thing, I prefer when the show isn’t incredibly predictable. Heath is still pure however, as Glenn took that bullet for him.
Abraham and Rosita are splitsville, and of course Mr. Dingleberries dealt the blow in the most sensitive way possible. It was true and fair just done in such an inelegant way. Eugene tried to comfort Rosita in his style, a cookie and words that no human who knows how to behave in a social situation would say. We really do not get enough of these characters. The spinoff should have been Eugene, Abraham, and Rosita doing anything, I really do not care what.
As soon as I saw the scene with Carol and Tobin I knew where we were headed. We didn’t get anything explicit, but safe to say Carol played “Happy Homemaker” and Tobin got a special cookie. Tara has some PTSD from her days with the original one eyed wonder, the Governor, and it caused her to profess her love for Denise as an escape hatch from the truth.
Rick developed a plan to invade Negan’s bunker/satellite and honestly, it was at best 12% of a plan. Morgan’s wasn’t any better except for the fact it could gather more intelligence. Rick, think before you act. You need to read The Art of War,” know your and the enemy’s resources and how best they can be deployed or defended against. The fact no one got killed from your crew was a damned miracle. At least he thought ahead enough to play Punch-Out!! With fake-Gregory-Walker’s noggin. By the way, Carol, stop arguing with Maggie and just go.
“Not Tomorrow Yet” was another episode that was a bit slower and built to chaos and a cacophony of gunfire. I really do appreciate the pacing so far this season. If it ends up with every episode like this we may have a problem, but so far I like the build and release we have been rolling with. I think the part that saves it is that the climaxes we build to have been really well shot and directed every time, something we cannot claim about some older episodes.
I mostly really enjoyed the episode thanks to strong acting, action, and direction, but I am disappointed that we returned to character stupidity as a means to move the plot forward. Both Rick and Carol should be smarter than this by now, yet here we are with Rick going off half-cocked and Carol arguing with Maggie at the worst time. I get that Carol doesn’t want to see another child die and that is why she wants Maggie to stay safe, but in this world hesitation is death and she knows it.
There had to be other ways, smarter ways, ways that let characters appear as rational human beings, yet still the plot moves forward. We have Daryl, Jesus, and Aaron, they are scouts for a reason let them do their jobs. While not a bad episode this all adds up to the weakest episode of the back half of season 6.
When the heck did Father Gabriel get so cool? That was straight out of an 80’s action flick. Arnold Schwarzenegger is sitting around going “Why did I never play a post-apocalyptic priest!” I feel really weird liking anything he does.
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