The Walking Dead: New Best Friends

First Aired February 19th, 2017.

Things turn violent when King Ezekiel (played by Khary Payton) organizes an offering with the Saviors but ultimately refrains from getting too serious. Daryl (played by Norman Reedus) berates Morgan (played by Lennie James) for going along with it.

One of Ezekiel’s lieutenants, Richard (played by Karl Makinen) recruits Daryl to attack a group of Saviors and frame Carol (played by Melissa McBride). His reasoning is that Ezekiel will be moved to act by the death of someone he cares about, but Daryl is disgusted by Richard’s actions and physically prevents him from shooting the Saviors. Meanwhile, the people who took Rick (played by Andrew Lincoln) and the others hostage the previous episode are revealed to live in a junkyard. Father Gabriel (played by Seth Gilliam) is also revealed to be a hostage. Rick tries to persuade the leader Jadis (played by Pollyanna McIntosh) that the Saviors will find them and to help them fight them, but she refuses and a fight breaks out. Gabriel takes a woman hostage and says that if they fight and win, they can get access to much-needed supplies. Jadis appears convinced and brings Rick to the top of a heap where she tells him to prove he’s “worth it” and throws him into a pit.

Richard seemed like a solid guy and it was easy to get behind his drive to fight. But he’s also proven he has no problem turning even on allies for the “right thing” and, of course, anyone who messes with Carol has got to go. Despite Daryl’s threats, Richard doesn’t seem like the type to back down. But, considering the track record of people who come for Carol, he’s screwed. This junkyard community is definitely one of the strangest that we’ve seen on the show so far. The odd patterns they make when they walk and the weird speech patterns; Jadis sounds like a character from Alice in Wonderland. Gabriel stepping up like he did was supposed to be a big character moment for him, but, instead, it was actually hilarious. The woman he had hostage looked ready to laugh as he tried to appear intimidating holding a knife to her throat.

Rick is attacked by a walker covered in spikes and has metal protecting its head. After much effort, he buries it under debris and kills it. Jadis agrees to help fight the Saviors provided she and her group are given lots of guns and half of whatever they get from the Saviors after they win. Carol is visited by Ezekiel and a few guards clearing walkers in the area, and they give her some food and she quickly orders them away to enjoy her solitude. But she’s overjoyed when Daryl comes to her and they share an emotional reunion. Gabriel reveals that members of Jadis’ group had infiltrated the pantry in Alexandria, angry they didn’t get any supplies from the houseboat Rick raided long ago. They forced Gabriel to help pack supplies before kidnapping him. Rosita (played by Christian Serratos) wants to immediately go out looking for guns and is annoyed that everyone wants to instead find food and regroup.

Nothing proves your worth better than killing a special walker (also kudos to the writers for coming up with an original walker seven seasons in). Jadis and her people would be helpful in the upcoming war, but they seem inherently untrustworthy. Since the Saviors haven’t found them (yet) they have every reason not to fight and make themselves known. They’re only entertaining the idea for the option of gaining supplies. There’s no thirst for revenge or to free themselves from the Saviors. Also, the demand for guns first is sketchy, because once Rick arms these people they can back out of the fight or turn on them. Carol and Daryl have been apart for so long it was great seeing this badass duo reunite. As soon as she gets herself out of this fragile emotional state, we need to see them back to their ass-kicking ways.

Carol asks Daryl if everyone in Alexandria is safe and seeing her emotional state: Daryl lies and says everyone is fine. Daryl tries again to convince Morgan to help rally the Kingdom to fight, but Morgan again refuses. Frustrated, Daryl decides to leave in the morning for Hilltop to prepare for the fight. Although one of the strongest characters, right now Carol is too emotionally unstable to know what the group’s been through. Daryl was right to keep the truth from her, but leaving for Hilltop was questionable. Not only was he the only person there advocating fighting the Saviors, but now Richard may see an opening for his plan against Carol.

Quotes/Thoughts

“She gets hurt, she dies, she catches a fever, she gets taken out by a walker, she gets hit by lightning, anything happens to her I’ll kill you.”

Meal deliveries, a nice house: Carol is living a comfortable life post-apocalypse-wise.

“Time’s passed, things are changing again. So maybe we chance, maybe. Need to know you’re real with this, that you’re worth it.”

Watching Daryl with Shiva makes you think how awesome it’d be to pet a tiger. Until you remember it’s a freaking tiger and it’ll eat you.

If you enjoyed Manny’s review, you can find the rest of his work right HERE on Sci-Fi Bloggers. You can also follow him on Twitter @KN_Manny.

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