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When somebody will get murdered on The Strolling Lifeless—which occurs so much—you nearly at all times know who dedicated the deed and why, because the homicide is proven on-screen, as the reason being often “they wanted killin’.” However this second third of season 11 has been keen to buck the present’s norms to go to some bizarre, surprising locations—locations just like the pre-post-apocalyptic Commonwealth, the bizarre political scheming in final week’s episode, and tonight’s honest-to-goodness homicide thriller, which was a delight.
Truthfully, I doubt “Warlords” will make anybody’s High 10 Finest Strolling Lifeless Episodes checklist when all is alleged and finished, nevertheless it’s a completely pleasing hour of TV that I’m nonetheless pleasantly stunned to obtain from TWD. It offers up a deeper, however nonetheless splendidly intriguing have a look at the sinister shenanigans of Deputy Governor Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton), who was revealed final week to be scheming to turn out to be the ruler of Alexandria, Hilltop, and Oceanside, if not the Commonwealth itself. I’m going to do the recap simply because the episode goes forwards and backwards by time, as a result of it was so efficient at unspooling the thriller.
A number of months after final week’s episode: Regardless of Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) greatest efforts, Hilltop 2.0 is struggling mightily. Lydia (Cassady McClincy) has given up and is about to move out to the Commonwealth herself when a lone rider, grievously wounded, runs up on horseback, falls out of the saddle, and mutters “They’re slaughtering them” to Maggie, Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari), and Lydia together with his dying breath. Who is that this younger individual? Who killed him? What’s he speaking about?
The child was carrying a map that includes a route between Hilltop and an unknown location (referred to as Riverbend). Lydia and Elijah determine to search for and assist these individuals in want, and Maggie finally and reluctantly decides to affix them. On the way in which, they discover three Commonwealth troopers on the street—or relatively ex-Commontroopers, as a result of they’ve had their throats slit and are actually zombies. What the hell occurred to them? All of a sudden out of nowhere, Aaron (Ross Marquand) runs up the street towards the group. The place’d he come from?
One Week In the past: Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) has finished a whole 180 through the time-jump. He’s preaching once more, he feels he hears the voice of God, and he’s speaking to the individuals of the Commonwealth about how they had been “pressured to see the humanity in one another” again within the wild, however are strangers once more now that they’re secure. I’m glad he’s discovered God and morality once more, however that is bananas as a result of he was completely the individual on the sequence who least noticed the humanity in individuals, no less than as soon as Rick made his grand exit.
Aaron, who’s been working with the Commonwealth’s immigration initiative, asks Gabriel to affix him on a mission to make first contact with a supposedly pleasant settlement (referred to as Riverbend), per Aaron’s boss Carlson’s (Jason Butler Harner) request. They’re a non secular group, and Carlson thinks a person of the material may assist. Is sensible!
A Little Over 12 Hours Earlier than the Child Exhibits Up at Hilltop: Once they arrive, the place is ominously rundown, and each Gabriel and Aaron need to go away it the hell alone. But Carlson forces Aaron, Gabriel, and a child named Jesse (Connor Hammond)—the one who died within the intro!—to accompany him into Riverbend, alone and unarmed, and most bizarrely, with out the platoon of Commontroopers they’ve introduced. What’s about to occur that will get Jesse killed?
That is precisely as silly a call as Aaron and Gabriel knew it could be. Riverbend is terrible, filled with grim individuals wielding scythes, holed up behind triple-locked metal doorways, and run by (one other) paranoid cult chief named Ian (Michael Biehn), who has a bookshelf of the skulls of people that messed with Riverbend. Ian threatens to kill Carlson, who grovels and snivels for his life till Aaron and Gabriel persuade Ian that his individuals have completely nothing the Commonwealth might need, and apart from, in the event that they had been secretly cannibals, they in all probability wouldn’t have given Riverbend so many free MREs. Reasonably than threat a battle with the Commontroopers, Ian decides to allow them to go… which is when Carlson transforms right into a coldblooded killer, grabs Ian’s gun, and shoots him and the opposite Riverbenders with brutal effectivity. The hell? What? Why?
One Week and One Hour In the past: Hornsby calls Carlson in for a mission to retrieve a convoy of provides which seem to have been stolen by Riverbend—provides Hornsby has secretly allotted for a mysterious “different factor.” Whereas it seems Carlson actually does love bringing new individuals into the Commonwealth, he additionally was once a CIA murderer, and Hornsby desires him to make use of his outdated expertise to retrieve the provides at any value. Hornsby tells him to convey Aaron, who’s resumed his outdated Alexandrian work of discovering and finding out the great individuals wandering across the zombie apocalypse for rescue, in addition to Gabriel, because the Riverbenders are spiritual and possibly a priest will likely be an asset. At any charge, they need to all look harmless and innocent sufficient to be introduced into the compound, when Carlson can do his factor.
A Little Much less Than 12 Hours Earlier than the Child Exhibits Up at Hilltop: Aaron and Gabriel are shocked that Carlson has killed these individuals in chilly blood, and totally baffled when he asks the wounded Ian the place some unmentioned provides are. When Ian claims his individuals discovered the convoy empty, Carlson golf equipment him together with his gun, Gabriel punches Carlson to save lots of Ian (which remains to be completely mind-blowing to me), and instantly will get arrested by a Commontrooper. Carlson shoots Ian and begins kicking the corpse in rage, however bursts exterior when he hears Jesse driving away on a horse. He orders—guys, I’m sorry that is a lot stuff, however this episode cooks— a Commontrooper to shoot the child within the again, however Aaron golf equipment the soldier to forestall a second shot. Carlson tries to shoot Aaron within the head however is out of ammo, and Aaron runs off. After which when Carlson heads again inside, he finds considered one of his troopers useless and Gabriel lacking. Whew!
Barely Earlier than the Current: Aaron tells Maggie, Elijah, and Lydia in regards to the bloodbath, the arsenal of weapons the Commonwealth misplaced, and that they’ve taken Gabriel. The group heads to Riverbend.
Precisely 12 Hours In the past, Through the Assault on Riverbend: Jesse is operating from the bloodshed to a horse, the place he’s stopped by a Riverbender named Annie (Medina Senghore) and—drumroll—Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who’s turn out to be a part of the group. Negan offers the child a map that results in Hilltop and tells him to let Maggie know that Aaron and Gabriel are in bother. Then Negan and Annie hustle again to Riverbend, kill the soldier Carlson discovered beforehand, and free Gabriel. However now, the three are trapped within the constructing with a rating of Riverbenders.
The Current: The Riverbenders have had their weapons taken, and are being pressured to hear as Carlson retains pushing individuals off the roof till somebody tells him the place the weapons are, simply as Maggie, Aaron, Elijah, and Lydia make their manner inside.
There’s an excessive amount of enjoyable—and surprisingly unconfusing—storytelling in “Warlords.” The perfect half is that I do not know if The Strolling Lifeless has an evidence for these remaining mysteries, or no concept and hopes individuals gained’t discover. Certain, the episode has some main inconsistencies, even past Gabriel’s babyface flip. My favourite is that when Aaron, Gabriel, and Carlson first come to Riverbend, its inhabitants all seem like hardened killers led by a lunatic. However when Carlson has his heel flip and we’re purported to hate him and the Commonwealth for his or her nefarious deception, the Riverbenders all immediately are depicted as regular, non-threatening individuals as a result of now the present desires us to root for them as Maggie, Negan, and so on. cause them to freedom. But their deranged boss was boasting about his cranium shelf lower than two hours in the past! So ridiculous, but in addition enjoyable.
Nonetheless, it was very awkward to understand I had been underestimating The Strolling Lifeless final evening. I actually thought we’d get no clarification for a lot of something, notably why Aaron and Gabriel had been conscripted for the mission. I used to be making an attempt to justify the seemingly nonsensical reasoning for this aside from the present needing a protagonist to lastly watch the Commonwealth be actual baddies, after which Hornsby got here alongside and defined all of it himself. Once more, I really feel bizarre about this, however I’m additionally delighted to understand the present is at the moment smarter than I’ve been giving it credit score for.
With “Warlords,” The Strolling Lifeless has formally handed the midway mark for its eleventh and closing season, however now, mysteries nonetheless abound. What occurred to the weapons? Have been these Commontrooper zombies the troopers who had been supposed to guard the weapons in transit? Who killed them if not the Riverbenders? What “different undertaking” is Hornsby referring to? And can TWD proceed this scorching streak of entertaining episodes till the present ends?
Assorted Musings:
- I actually can’t bear in mind any mysterious murders aside from the 2 plague-ridden of us in season three. Ultimately, Rick realized Carol took them out for the security of the group, and Rick was appalled at her cruelty and banished her from the jail. How instances change!
- Did anybody else really feel bizarre when Aaron and Gabriel took one have a look at the constructing the Riverbenders lived in and refused to go as a result of it appeared like a spot the place shotgun-wielding maniacs lived whereas ready for some fool to return to their doorstep? So far as the world of TWD goes, they’re completely appropriate, however maybe they shouldn’t decide this stuff by their covers. Within the zombie apocalypse, protection beats aesthetics. And are available on, the place was Ian going to get glass to repair all of the home windows, anyway?
- Hornsby thinks Aaron and Gabriel will fall in keeping with the wholesale homicide of the Riverbenders. He’s flawed, however frankly, it’s a really educated guess on his half. Had Hornsby tasked them with this anytime between season 9 and final episode, they’d probably have been advantageous with it. Particularly Gabriel.
- Maggie wonders what the Commonwealth would want with so many weapons. Um, my dude? They’ve a standing military that should keep well-armed to guard the settlement from zombies and the numerous maniacs operating round. Anybody could be thrilled to discover a free arsenal, together with you, Maggie.
- MVP Seth Gilliam with one of many present’s greatest strains and line readings ever: “Yeah, I’m not doing this.”
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