So...remember when I said I was boycotting Dead City? Welllll my dad bought the first season, so I watched it. And Boy oh Boy, Do I have Thoughts
Spoilers Ahead!!!
Note: I'm not going to address the Negan and Maggie of it all because I've long said everything I can about them.
One: What I liked, because believe it or not, I did actually like some things!
The setting! I loved seeing post-apocalyptic New York. It was really fun for me to pick out all the things I recognized.
Ginny. Was it a little annoying that she wouldn't listen to anybody? Sure, but a girl who shows up, clings to Negan like glue, and doesn't say shit? Literally, me. Character of the century.
Speaking of Ginny, I was LIVING for Negan's single dad era. Yes, king abandon your wife and son to take care of some random girl! He was living his best life.
The plot twist with Ginny was INCREDIBLE!! I was not expecting it at ALL. The fact that he killed her dad?? Bro my jaw was on the floor.
I actually liked the Croat and Negan's dynamic! I think it was funky and deliciously homerotic. However, I hate the Croat's character.
Two: What I DIDNT like.
Nothing made ANY sense, and NOTHING was explained. I get that Maggie was in New Babylon to find Negan but why was HE there? Last I checked nobody banished him from the Commonwealth. And where even IS this place? It seemed to be like Pennsylvania, New Jersey but still. Also, how did Maggie know he was there? Did she airtag him?? It made no sense.
The Croat was a TOTAL retcon. He made NO sense in the established canon. Let me explain:
3 a) I get NEGAN being upset that the Croat tortured a girl because his whole thing was no harming kids, but SIMON?? Bro you killed every boy over the age of ten at Oceanside and slaughtered all those garbage people, why are you on a high horse NOW??
3 b) If Negan could recognize that the Croat was too much of a wild card and needed to be dealt with, then why the HELL did he keep Simon around? Because Simon did MUCH worse.
3 c) The girl whom the Croat tortured was a scout from the Kingdom, but this makes NO sense with what we know about them? I believe the deal was as long as they paid proper tribute they'd leave each other alone, this feels like a major violation of this agreement? Like they were probably wondering what the hell happened to her, surely somebody had to address this at some point.
3 d) The Croat mentioned this story where Negan let him Lucille someone from the "river people." I feel like these people have to be Oceanside, but this is a total retcon either way.
I'll admit as a writer it's hard to keep up with details and I've had to change and retcon a couple of things myself in my stories, but surely they can go and make sure that everything in their spinoff that's a continuation of an already established story makes sense with it.
Anyway, I didn't hate it, but tbh my expectations weren't high. I got one (1) scene of evil jester Negan and a hinted promise that he'd come back in season two, and I'm disappointed. But if he DOES come back I'll have to watch I fear.
Well, that’s funny. This episode tried to throw Donnie and Carzekiel in my face and yet somehow I still feel…secure about Caryl’s future? Does that sound backwards? Am I delusional or could it be I’ve put my faith in the right showrunner’s hands? Hmm. But in all seriousness, babes, Angela comes through once again, knowing exactly where to draw the line to preserve our understanding of Daryl’s and Carol’s characters. With that said though, I do have one bone to pick…
And here it is. I have always commended Angela for allowing the emotions to drive the story, but when it comes to this fast transition into the Commonwealth and 30-day time jump, I worry she’s fallen a little short. We know characters are being given a lot of choices this season, the choice to either stay in Alexandria or join a new, high-functioning society is a major one I’d say. To me, it just seems like all of the characters, especially the ones who took the latter option, are being thrown into this situation for the sake of honoring a predetermined plotpoint without giving enough thought into motives. What could Lance Hornsby have possibly said to convince two suspicious characters like Daryl and Carol to leave their home behind, the home Daryl not too long ago suggested was worth fighting for even if it needs to be cleaned up and the one Carol was doing everything she could to keep standing, including slaughtering a horse? Don’t get me wrong, I can formulate a few ideas. After the whirlwind Daryl experienced with the Reapers for example, he’s probably so exhausted from day-to-day survival and of course, he wants to do what’s best for Judith and RJ. As for Carol, with everything she’s suffered and endured, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to believe safety and security would be enticing to her. Maybe she wanted to remain close to Daryl. After all, the work we saw her put in throughout 11A had been for his sake in a lot of ways, hadn’t it? Plus, like, she loves him and what not. That’s the thing. I can infer all day and night, but I shouldn’t have to. For a leap this big, I think we were at least entitled to a conversation between Daryl and Carol beforehand to gauge where their heads are at, including with each other coming off a season and a half of tension.
A reviewer said Daryl and Carol seem to be on “much better” terms in this episode, and I could not disagree more. They’re friendly with each other. Carol gives Daryl a cookie. Daryl gives Carol a smug, but cute look when he finds out she used to read a lot of tabloids (side note: of course she did). Otherwise, they’re still a little bit stiff. Daryl giving the cookie to RJ reminds me of Diverged when Carol offers her canteen and he gives the water to Dog instead. It’s not meant as a rejection, but perhaps Carol sees it that way. She’s trying to take care of him, and he’s implying he doesn’t need her. Then on Daryl’s side, he’s hearing her say “maybe we don’t need to do anything to make it work” in reference to the Commonwealth, but he could easily attribute that kind of nonchalant attitude to their relationship. This is the problem with letting too many feelings go unspoken. They’re just sitting there, festering, and I predict it’s only a matter of time before it all boils over again.
I’m sure some are still disappointed Carol is living separately from Daryl and the kids (I blame fanfiction), but the way I see it, she is trying to establish boundaries. She is intentionally keeping herself at arm’s length because she can’t entertain the idea of a nuclear family again. After Henry, she doesn’t trust herself to be a maternal figure to Judith and RJ, and more than that, she wants to give Daryl space to find the happiness she’s certain she can’t give him. This, my friends, is where Connie factors in.
First, let me put it out there that there is nothing explicitly romantic between Daryl and Connie throughout the entire conversation. In fact, it seems more focused on bolstering Connie’s image, emphasizing what an accomplished journalist she is for having gotten Pamela Milton’s uncle kicked out of congress way back when. Carol even gives Daryl an impressed look as if she’s trying to communicate, “hey, did you hear that? Isn’t she great? She’s great, right?” Yes, Daryl does watch Connie go and there is definitely intent to make us think he might be attracted to her, but again, it’s worth noting there’s nothing in his expression that indicates he really is. There’s no score or anything to heighten what one would expect to be an emotional milestone for Daryl’s character because the goal is to make that dynamic as innocent or unemotional as possible. I have no doubt people who ship Daryl and Connie would laugh at that and say we’re in denial. Here’s the other thing. If the show wants to reveal Daryl has feelings for Connie, why not give them a private moment? Why not at the ball where Connie, dressed very cutely, can actually give him something to stare at? The reason, I believe, is because Carol has to be able to witness everything. She is the reason this concept of Daryl and Connie is being perpetuated. Curious that Daryl’s look comes after Carol tries to point out how impressive Connie is, as if he’s trying really hard to see what Carol sees. At the same time, unbeknown to her, Carol is the thing standing in the way of it actually happening.
She might sound amused when she says, “you should ask her to dance,” and honestly, it doesn’t surprise me. As long as she assumes Daryl is better off with Connie, she's not going to let her own deeper feelings surface or even entertain the fact that there are deeper feelings. As I said in my last review, she cares far more about making sure Daryl is happy than letting herself be happy, and I think that's because she's still harboring a lot of negative feelings about herself and her worth. At one point, she even jokes to Ezekiel that she is “a lady of high caliber” to which he replies “the highest.” The look on her face afterward is heartbreaking because it’s obvious she doesn’t really believe it, so why would a good judge of character like Daryl ever believe it? Objectively, Carol is an integral part of Daryl's happiness, but internally, she believes she's a walking virus who’s only good at spreading pain, so she is using Connie as a buffer. She needs an excuse to distance herself because if she does the opposite and gets too close, she might lose Daryl. Chase him away, get him killed. Whatever form that takes, it's Carol's biggest fear. The mind is a powerful thing, and hers is definitely playing tricks on her.
When Bonds first aired, Angela Kang commented that Carol prodding Daryl on his love life stemmed from the belief she wouldn’t make it out of the whisperer war. And I know what you’re all thinking. Well, fuck. The whisperer war is over, Carol lived through it, she made amends, and she still hates herself enough to push another woman onto Daryl? What gives? I think I’ve said before that when Daryl’s and Connie’s relationship inevitably came up again, there would have to be some sort of nuance to reflect Carol’s emotional growth since S10. Well, as I’m slowly coming to terms with, this show loves (LOVES) to bury the lead, and for that reason alone, it’s highly possible nothing is going to be clear until either Carol or Daryl confesses or they kiss or both. I’m not saying I like it. I’m just saying we should brace ourselves for it. I still maintain that Daryl will be the one to confess first, officially shutting down the notion of a romantic relationship between him and Connie and ultimately shocking not only Carol, but the fans (the ones who don’t pay attention anyway). See what I mean about a bait and switch?
All that being said, I think Carol’s apparent supportiveness can still be explained narratively. When you look closely at what she’s actually accomplished this past season – getting the horses, feeding her people, finding Connie – you might notice that it was all done in the spirit of “fixing what she broke” for the sake of the people she cares about. She did not “fix” herself. If anything, the events that transpired since the conversation in 10x06 have probably reinforced in Carol’s mind that this isn’t possible. She can’t go back and change what she’s done. Everything is a part of her, latched onto her soul. Yes, she’s accepted she can live, but in a lot of ways, she is only living on the sidelines where she watches and waits until someone needs her. Well, if Daryl’s handling himself just fine, how can she be useful? This brings us to…Ezekiel.
I’m going to throw out two facts that I dare anybody to challenge. Fact number one, Carol cares about Ezekiel. They were married for six years and had a child together. Come at me. Fact number two, Carol knows Ezekiel has cancer. So if I’m doing the math right, it stands to reason Carol would want to do anything she can to help her friend (her words, not mine), and in Carol’s mind, she’s not doing everything she can if she doesn’t sneak out of the city in an unexplainable way, steal fancy wine, and use it try to manipulate Lance Hornsby, someone with authority, into bumping Zeke up on the list so he can get the surgery he needs to, you know, live. It doesn’t have to mean she’s still in love with him or that a reconciliation is on the horizon, though I don’t think Angela minds one bit if anyone thinks that. What would lead anyone to think that based on this episode alone, I’m not sure. All throughout, Zeke is very focused on “finding reasons to smile” despite knowing he’s dying and as part of the acceptance phase, he’s starting to get his affairs in order. In a very cute scene, where Jerry and his family are dressed up as tigers in honor of Shiva, Zeke lets Jerry’s son have Shiva’s collar, which Jerry apparently recovered from Hilltop after it burnt down (Aww!!!) Then when Ezekiel visits Carol at her apartment, he gives her Henry’s box, implying that he’s ready to move on from the life the three of them had together. Carol leans back against his arm, but no, there is no snuggling. I very much see two people who have a history ready to try to build something positive and healthy with each other while they still can.
It’s very interesting that Daryl’s and Carol’s relationships with other characters are being paralleled in the same episode. I know some find it frustrating that Connie and Ezekiel are being used at all to propel Caryl forward. That frustration is totally valid. I too wish we could just focus on Daryl’s and Carol’s interactions with each other in the little time we have left. But as I’ve said many times, while it’s one thing to show Daryl and Carol belong together; it is far more powerful to convey that by first showing why they can’t belong with anyone else. Again, “choices” is the big theme of the season. Connie and Ezekiel both represent choices that Daryl and Carol have, potentially very good choices. They may even get to a point where it seems impossible not to choose them, but ultimately, I think the goal is to try to subvert our expectations (well, not our expectations). When the time comes, Daryl and Carol will choose each other. First though, they have to realize they do represent a choice in each other’s eyes. Not just a choice, but their first choice.
Even though I’m a firm advocate in continuity and they have to tie up this thread between Daryl and Connie they started in S10, it does bother me a little bit that her character has to use Daryl (and Carol) as a crutch. I’m hoping her role as an investigative reporter will allow her to stand on her own more. I suspect she’ll be vital in exposing the city’s corruption, starting with interviewing former trooper Tyler Davis. Ideally, my girl, Kelly, can also play an active role and not simply become Connie’s shadow again. Wishful thinking maybe.
While the slingshot sisters, Yumiko, and a begrudging Tomi (who works at the hospital now?) seem to all be thriving at the Commonwealth, it’s hinted that some characters are not. Magna is back to being a waitress for example, and she seems fully conscious of the class divide. Meanwhile, Daryl and Rosita are barely scraping by as military trainees. I don’t think it’s random at all that this is the path Daryl is being placed on when you consider the fact that Merle had been in the army at some point too, presumably because he was deemed a redneck lowlife with no other options. The only difference is, Daryl also has Judith, RJ, and Dog to look after. Living in a ratty apartment where crying babies and loud music are on blast couldn’t have ever been easy for Daryl, but when a little girl is asking for an allowance so she can buy records (from Princess’s store!), that must add a lot of pressure. It seems Daryl had been under the impression that “it’s not forever” and there was no reason to try to become “a team player” as Mercer puts it to him during training, but with both Judith and RJ expressing their desire to stay as long as their mom can find them, he realizes he has to step up. Even if it means kissing up to an egotistical prick like Sebastian (seriously, can this guy be more of a trope?) I imagine it’s only going to get harder for Daryl to maintain the illusion which, if he hasn’t started to already, should get him thinking about what he really wants in life. Here’s a hint: vroom, vroom.
Carol’s scene with Ezekiel also heavily suggested that she, too, feels like a fish out of water if only because she’s constantly surrounded by families and happiness she assumes she can’t have. There’s also an interesting parallel to be made when we see Carol standing outside the masquerade ball while Daryl is inside doing his best to blend in. It’s like a reverse of S5 when Carol was the one attending the party and Daryl was hovering on the outskirts. While Aaron became a mentor for Daryl, it seems like Lance is going to be taking Carol under his wing in the episodes to come. In another parallel that may not be intentional, Carol tells Lance her mother always taught her to be observant, which reminds me of Daryl back in season two when he said he was observant.
I liked some of the other dynamics we got to see, both new and old. Mercer and Princess are cute, and it’s nice to see Daryl and Rosita working closely together, trying to have each other’s backs. I’m going to come out and say it though. I don’t particularly care for this episode. It just feels offbeat. That entire sequence of Daryl catching Davis even felt like a procedural crime drama. Agent Dixon is on the move! The peculiar tone is probably intentional to a degree, but I do hope future episodes will ground us back in the world that feels like home for us and our characters, and for the love of god, let’s get to some meaningful Daryl and Carol scenes already? I have a feeling the ship baiting is going to get worse before it gets better, so let’s just stay strong in the meantime, guys. Remember there is nothing to gain from a Donnie and/or Carzekiel relationship for their own sake. Only six more weeks until we can turn our attention to 11C. We got this.
Like many fan, I am devastated by the recent TWD news. Making these edits helps me vent. I swear to Dale, if Carol doesn't get to team up with Lance to meet General Beale in her own spinoff, I will edit Carol into stills from the Daryle show. I will haunt that show with the astral projection of TWD Queen's sassificastic presence to remedy their mistake.
I appreciate the whole fandom. Thank you for posting your sadness because it helps me with my sadness ❤️
So, I’m left underwhelmed by the “mid-season” finale. It feels weird calling it that, since it’s technically not mid-way through the final season. I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse. I already feel like this Reapers arc has taken up more time that it should have, and it feels as if the whole story was slapped together with spit, tape, toothpicks and a prayer. It feels wholly unnecessary, as if it would lift right out with no issues, including the whole of last season’s bonus episode “Find Me.”
I’m not gonna lie. I didn’t even finish 11x07. The Reaper arc makes no sense and does absolutely nothing for Daryl Dixon’s character.
Ok, I get why he said something to her about his people being in the crowd. It felt a little premature in the moment, but I get it. He could see that she could see that Pope had last the last french fry in his happy meal, and he was hoping he could play on that mindset, on their history (whatever the hell that was) to get her on his side. Of course that didn’t work.
What I’m having my trouble wrapping my head around is how even after she killed Pope, he still reached out for her like he trusted she’d come with him. And he seemed genuinely...well, not shocked, maybe more disappointed/hurt...that she turned on him. My question is WHY? This is the same woman that tortured him, waterboarded him, locked him in a cage. Whatever history they had is nothign but that. History.
I thought I had some idea of what was going on in Daryl’s head from the second he realized Leah was a reaper, but it turns out it feels like I don’t even know the character at all.
Now I don’t expect children and grandchildren in Leah and Daryl’s future. I don’t think Leah is redeemable at this point. I think the moment after killing Pope was her choice. She was either going to be redeemable or was going to become the villain that will go down in flames.
I still believe Carol and Daryl have a future. I believe Daryl does not love Leah. But I don’t understand why Daryl just hopped the fence and left her standing there. He realizes this chick is dangerous. He realizes his family are behind their walls. Does he still think he can save her? Why does she get to live? We know he has no qualms about putting down someone who needs to be stopped. He and Alpha nearly killed each other. Is it because they have a history? Does he still want to try to save her?
Whatever the case, it’s not a good look for the final season. Too much focus on characters the general audience hasn’t had time to care about. Too much focus on a toxic relationship that was clearly just a means to an end for Daryl when he thought he’d lost everything, including Carol. Anybody who wants to say Carol and Daryl aren’t romantic can hold their tongues, ,please, because the entirety of Find Me, while horribly painful, showed that the only reason Daryl went back to find Leah was because in that moment, he’d lost his chance at happiness with the woman he loved, and being with someone was better than being alone.
Leah is toxic. It’s clear. There were glimpses of that in Find Me with her ultimatum. Daryl has changed so much, but I feel he’s changed again in this Reaper’s arc, and I’m not sure I like what’s happening. I’m hoping the next rush of episodes after the hiatus will be satisfying after having to sit through all of this.
Meanwhile, I am loving that Gracie is being given more screen time this season. I sort of adore the little friend group that is Hershel, Judith, Gracie and RJ. They clearly have each other’s backs, and I think it’d be cute to see a spinofff series of them when they’re all older. Gracie is so worried about her dad, and she wants to be able to help like Judith does. Poor baby, I worry about her.
The highlight of the episode for me was the small but lovely Carol interactions with Judith and with Connie and Carol.. The relief in Carol’s eyes when Connie expressed her desire to go with her and Kelly re-iterating that to the group felt downright cathartic. The one thing I appreciate about this season is that Carol has been given time to bond with other females on the show. Despite their difference, even she and Magna are sort of bonding. I need more of this before Carol and Daryl embark on their roadtrip.
As much as I hate not seeing Carol and Daryl together or much of Carol on my screen at all, I am enjoying the glimpses of her doing her thing for her community and bonding with other characters that we should have gotten to see her bond with a long time ago.
I hope Angela Kang doesn’t disappoint with the next round of episodes, becuase I’m hanging on by a thread here.
"Say Yes" will be a much better episode than last week "Hostiles and Calamities". I must admit it was probably my least favorite of The Walking Dead, I don’t think I’ve ever been so bored watching an episode (maybe in season 2). Eugene and Negan’s moments could have been reduced to a 5/10 minutes sequence.
Now, I really hope Eugene is really doctor smarty pants and he is just playing Negan because if he really has betrayed Rick and Co for the Saviors, that would be really disappointing and a total waste of his character development since last season.
Anyways, this Sunday, it will be all about Rick and Michonne. They are more interesting and complex characters than Eugene, so this episode won’t be boring at all. "Say Yes" will be a captivating and surprising episode, mixing up great action sequences and funny and light moments. Rick and Michonne are so strong characters, but they are stronger together, and that makes them a perfect couple. So you can expect some badass moments, specially from Michonne. (this girl and her katana !) and also some emotional ones.
But "Say Yes" won’t only focus on Rick and Michonne, we'll spend some time in Alexandria, as shown in the sneak peek, Rosita will still be pissed and angry for not killing Negan and she won't control her patience anymore. She’ll decide to go scavenging, more specifically looking for guns.
And here some other teasers about "Say Yes" :
- Rick and Michonne will find a new place as seen in the promo : a fair ! It’s an excellent setting for some zombie actions. If you have been missing the walkers this season like I have, you’ll be pleased : there will be a lot of them. And there will be many surprises in that fair.
- Someone will steal something from the Saviors.
- Slicing a walker’s throat can be very, very disgusting, one character will experience it.
- There will be laughs, more than once. It feels so good to see and hear people laughing on this show, it's so rare.
- Some characters will play golf.
- Rosita will make a deal with an unexpected character.
- Rick and Michonne will have long and very interesting conversations. Michonne is always very calm and measured, so her conversations with Rick are always meaningful. It’ll be particularly the case in the week’s episode, when they’ll discuss strategy and politics.
- As usual, plans never go as planned.
- Tara will confess about her time at the Oceanside to an unexpected character.
- Of course, there will be a Rick and Michonne sex scene, Lincoln and Gurira have such a great chemistry.
- Someone will experience a traumatic event.
- Baby Judith will be seen. God, she’s so big now !
- Rick and Michonne will share a romantic dinner.
- A character will be back.
- Glenn and Maggie’s baby will be mentioned.
- Father Gabriel will have a meaningful and powerful conversation with another character. His wisdom is essential to the group.
It was long overdue for The Walking Dead to focus on their power couple, and the result will be brilliant. "Say Yes" will be a compelling and refreshing episode, especially after last week's dull episode. The Walking Dead will be back on tracks this Sunday, Rick, Michonne and all the communities have a common goal,a purpose : eliminating Negan and the Saviors ; their plan is moving forward, and watching how it unfolds is really entertaining (more than the first half of the season).
And finally the quotes game ! Guess which characters will say those quotes (each character can have two quotes max) :
1- "What’s that smile ?"
2- "Damn it !"
3- "I did something I thought was right."
4- "I can’t lose you."
5- "What makes our lives worth more than theirs ?"
6- "Yes."
7- "I’m ready to kill him."
8- "I’m here because i need your help."
9- "Even then, it will be worth it."
10- "We’re fighting the fight."
The team family I struggle through this hell show for
Carol IN KINGDOM ARMOR
THE KINGDOM
YALL KNOW NOW WHY I FUCKING STAN THE KINGDOM
“ALEXANDRIA WILL NOT FALL, NOT ON THIS DAY”
KING EZEKIEL!!!!!!!!!!
C A R O L
sHIVA
Jerry and Aaron sharing screen time together!!!
Jadis: “i will lay with you”
Rick: ...no I want my wife
PRESIDENT MAGGIE RHEE COMING THROUGH
The fight was lit ngl
I'm serious King Ezekiel and the squad got me shook
Richonne
the “i want to fucking die” look on Rick’s face after thinking his wife was dead, even though he told her she needed to be able to lose him and vise versa (rick you liar)
Rick stroking Michonne’s arm
the grimes family!!
PRESIDENT MAGGIE RHEE
KING EZEKIEL
RICK GRIMES
THE LEADERS
MAGGIE’S END SPEECH
What I did not like:
That scene with Dwight should have been Tara’s moment not Daryl’s
Tara should have gotten to kill Dwight
Daryl WOULD have killed Dwight and its literally so ooc that he didn't
I hate Negan
Eugene can choke
That garbage bitch can choke
They did Sasha so dirty
Michonne fought the fucking governor, she could've taken that white bitch easy
Why didn't Negan Choke
Like Sasha’s death was powerful but her goal was to kill Negan and she didn't get to do that???
like...I wish her death would have at least accomplished more
I wanted to die throughout most of this ep
They did Michonne dirty
Do the writers get off on hurting women?
probably
Sasha deserved better
I just counted, I said I wanted to die seven times
I hate this show
but I love carol and the kingdom and the rest of team family
The events of season seven come to a head in ‘The First Day of the Rest of Your Life’ as everyone prepares for a fight.
I expected the season to go out with a bang, but... I don’t think it did. This season was super uneven for me and there was a lot of extending episodes without actually doing anything. Sadly, the finale felt like another episode that did just that, though it did have some pretty great moments.
Anyone who reads my blog knows I have very strong feelings about Leah’s arc, and even though I accepted a long time ago I wouldn’t be getting my way, seeing it finally confirmed onscreen puts me in a salty mood. Now, because fandom seems to create this dichotomy between positivity and negativity, I want to make it very clear that I am well within my right to voice my frustrations without changing my overall outlook on what’s to come for Daryl and Carol. The way I see it, this episode is just another example of Angela Kang making a fast grab of the lowest hanging fruit, but I still trust her to make Caryl canon in the final block of the series because of the small albeit important beats between them thus far and of course the knowledge that 11C is the final stretch before they ride off to their highly-anticipated spinoff.
Of all the controversial characters on the show, Leah sticks out because of the giant pipe wrench she throws in our understanding of Daryl’s character. We all had to scramble to reconstruct him after “Find Me” aired, and though I maintain he still only has one woman in his heart evidenced by the physical and emotional parallels between Leah and Carol in both the past and present, there are some dents. The biggest one for me is Daryl’s capacity for intimacy. Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the hell out of the visual subtlety. I did not need a magnifying glass on whatever Daryl and Leah got up to in the bedroom, but what I did need was some kind of acknowledgement that it would’ve been a struggle for him. That way, we honor all of the effort over the last ten seasons to distinguish him from the typical virile hero while also juxtaposing the awkwardness with the far more mature relationship between Daryl and Carol. Having glossed over it, Kang unfortunately eradicates a major quality that always made Daryl special to me, and with it the opportunity to see how he grows out of it.
Some say the damage was done once Leah was introduced and the only solution was to erase her from the narrative as quickly as possible so we could erase her from our memories. I completely disagree with that approach. Storytelling 101 dictates that if you’re going to send the audience into an uproar, then the payoff better be damn worth it. And it could’ve been. Considering she came into the story as Daryl’s love interest, considering *that’s* what got the majority of his fans riled up, Leah had the potential to be pivotal for Daryl’s love life going forward. After proving she’s hopelessly broken, she could’ve been the catalyst for Daryl finally confessing his feelings for the woman who isn’t. That opportunity was missed in 11A, and you know what? That’s forgivable. Chalk it up to it being too early to pull that trigger (no pun intended).
But see, storytelling 101 also dictates that if you’re going to expand a widely-hated character’s arc beyond its natural ending point, then that too has to be damn worth it. If the protagonists and the audience for that matter aren’t going to get anything more or different out of it, then why not just let Maggie and Daryl end her in “No Other Way?” Why not just use trained assassin Toby Carlson as a plot device for Lance to gain power over the communities, which would have felt far more organic than him conveniently tracking Leah down?
Instead of adhering to the emotional tension between Daryl and Leah, and Carol by way of her starring role in Daryl’s life, we fall victim to the contrived plot set up in 11A, where Maggie seeks revenge on the Reapers and Leah by mere association, thus establishing grounds for Leah to seek her revenge on Maggie. The mirroring between them doesn’t run any deeper than that. Yet, we have to sit through this cat and mouse game between them, repetitive of “No Other Way” to the point of Maggie shooting Leah again, until they end up back at Leah’s cabin – a place that means absolutely nothing to Maggie.
Maggie herself has become somewhat of a polarizing character, the reasons for which I’m not about to get into here. Like her or not, it’s impossible to deny her character is the centerpiece of season 11 with a far more substantial story than the show’s top two billed actors, though of course Daryl still gets a huge amount of screentime. Sadly it’s not a good story in my opinion, particularly her subplot with Negan which has basically been one long stalemate up until the scene in this episode where she admits she’s starting to trust him because he saved Hershel at the apartment complex. I feel like I have to suspend some disbelief to make that make sense emotionally, but the point is, the favoritism is there.
Let’s get one thing straight. It isn’t lost on me that Maggie’s “promotion” was probably a hard-won battle for Lauren Cohan. I don’t resent her for standing up for herself and wanting more for the character she’s put years into fleshing out. What’s inexcusable is Kang and co thinking that accommodating her (or rather trying and failing to do so) means minimizing another character, namely Carol, who has been a *consistent* part of the story since season 1, who played the most integral role in the show’s top-rated episodes like “The Grove” and “No Sanctuary,” and therefore has fully earned her spot as the leading lady.
Melissa McBride can do a lot with very little because she is just that talented, but to Carol fans, it is still disheartening that the woman who can single-handedly save everybody’s asses in five minutes has become the woman who wrangles horses, fetches wine, and basically just plays sidekick to whoever she’s with while any exciting action or crucial emotional beats all take place offscreen. For example, taking out a room full of walkers with Mercer in order to save Daryl and Rosita literally happens behind closed doors. The guilt from trapping Connie in the cave, the guilt that plagued her (and us) for nearly twenty episodes was resolved in the subtext of her quick little exchange with Connie in “For Blood” and her observation of Daryl’s and Connie’s reunion. The acknowledgement that her best friend has had to come head to head with an ex-girlfriend he blamed himself for losing is…well, non-existent despite the demands of emotional realism.
The argument could be made that Carol herself wants to stick to the sidelines after the trouble she caused during the whisperer war, and that’s fair to a certain degree. There does come a point though when it reads like TPTB are merely punishing her for poor audience reception to her arc last season, and that is absolutely not fair. Especially considering a large portion of that audience carries misogynistic and ageist viewpoints. If anything Carol should be getting *more* screentime to show how she is recovering from her lowest point, to remind us why we love her and why we should empathize with her.
Daryl has been there for Carol through all of her biggest challenges, if not during the time they occur then after the fact, and Carol always reciprocates, so why that pattern is suddenly being broken with Leah, I can’t quite put my finger on. What I can say is Daryl makes his allegiance crystal clear from beginning to end this episode with no room for second guessing. He, Aaron, and Gabriel know the Commonwealth, or at least those operating under Lance, are the enemy. They initiate a gun fight with the soldiers and then after finding Leah’s camp and her discarded bracelet, split up to track her down. Emotionally, Daryl’s rescue plays out the way it easily could have and to some level did at the end of the Reaper arc. Seeing his friend Maggie wrestling with Leah who’s about to drive a knife into her chest forces him to accept that through no fault of his own, Leah simply cannot be saved. Earlier in the episode, Maggie tells Hershel that everything she does is so they have choices and I think that applies to Daryl’s predicament with Leah. Shooting her in the head isn’t a difficult choice, perhaps not a choice at all, but it frees him to choose the future that he wants, which we know will be with Carol eventually.
“Choices” as a running theme is juxtaposed with “acts of god” symbolized by the locusts to show how each of the characters are taking control of their own lives. Daryl does so by fighting against the Commonwealth and Leah, both of which represent things that at one point or another controlled him. So it stands to reason that with this new consciousness of having power over himself, we will see him actively pursue what he really wants. Intrinsically, that means we should not be seeing anymore “hints” towards a certain other pairing. Though it was hard to tell at the time, I’m now convinced the look Daryl gives Connie in “New Haunts” is functioning alone as the “bait” before the inevitable “switch” that Daryl is finally primed to deliver. With Carol convinced that he has feelings for Connie after witnessing their reunion and that look, she’s justified in bringing it up again, but this time, Daryl will have to shut it down in the spirit of not accepting any alternative courses in his life that others try to push on him.
For the record, I do find the removal of Connie’s agency in her own relationship status somewhat problematic, but I’m glad she’s taking charge elsewhere. Helping her friends expose Pamela Milton’s corruption is a bold move that I imagine will have severe consequences, most likely leading to eventual arrests. Connie writes the article, but a lot of other characters are doing their part including Kelly, Eugene, Ezekiel, Magna, and Max who steals the files from Pamela’s office.
How much of a role Pamela actually plays in the mass disappearances is still murky, though for the most part it seems like her biggest crime is continuing to hold elitist values. While Pamela rejects a scholarship fund in favor of financially supporting Founders Day, Lance is going behind her back to seize control of the communities and when Leah fails him, ends up capturing all of the Oceanside residents. We see him constantly flipping his coin, establishing himself as the decider of fate, like a god or force of nature. The ugly graze on his face from Daryl’s bullet emphasizes the monster that now lives on the outside. He can no longer mask how dangerous he is and since the show dropped the ball with Leah and Carol, I hope Carol at least gets the honor of taking him out.
I don’t think I’m only speaking for myself when I say season 11 has been quite disappointing so far. Minimal Caryl/Carol definitely spells disaster in my book. As far as Leah goes, I tried to give the show the benefit of the doubt and though I do still find value in the implicit connections to Carol, I think I’m ready to just forget about her now. While I hoped for a bigger takeaway overall, I personally don’t feel like I’m going into the hiatus with nothing. Daryl’s and Carol’s suffering relationship has been woven into the fabric of their story. We’re shown how much they’re struggling to fix things with each other, but more importantly, we’re shown how much they miss each other and how badly they *want* to fix things. They’ve been set up to finally do that in 11C and I am very excited to see that play out.
People are asking me why I still trust Kang and the answer is simple. I can see the bigger picture. The ending in store doesn’t work unless we build up to it first. Maggie and some of the smaller characters have had time to shine this season, but it seems like a lot has been resolved for them. Eugene is in a stable relationship with Max, Ezekiel is cured of his cancer, even the Maggie and Negan tension seems to have shifted, leading me to believe Caryl will be the final block’s top priority. There’s plenty of filming evidence to back that up even if we can’t say for sure what their story will entail. I’m going to do in-depth character arc breakdowns to better articulate where I think Daryl and Carol are headed next, but for now friends, I must rest. It’s been a grueling eight weeks, and to be honest I’m relieved to get a break from all the drama. At least all the buzz and late nights will be worth it when we get to 11C. I feel it in my bones. Have faith. Or don’t. That’s your prerogative.
