In a culture where shows like Jersey Shore, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo engross TV viewers everywhere, it's important to acknowledge programming that engages audiences with clever writing and stimulating material. Every so often the networks get it right and support a series that is a breath of fresh air with clearly developed characters, perfectly cast actors, and a luring and often intricate plot. In appreciation of such shows, I have started this commentary.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

The Walking Dead Season 6 Ep. 7: Heads Up

The time has come! Spoiler alert! Glenn is....ALIVE! Tonight we finally catch up with the aftermath of "Thank You" and Nicholas' suicide, and we find out that Glenn, thank goodness, is not the pile of goo some viewers thought he was at the end of that episode. I always believed he was alive, but it sure does feel good to actually see him. Here's how everything played out in "Heads Up."

Hold On To Me As We Go
The episode opens with Glenn and Nicholas falling off the dumpster and Glenn watching in horror as guts are torn and eaten all around him. Those guts belong to Nicholas and Glenn is able to wiggle under the dumpster while the Walkers feed. He waits them out overnight and then crawls out dehydrated and disheveled after the sun comes up. Suddenly, effing Enid appears on a nearby roof and shouts "heads up" before throwing a water bottle down to Glenn. I don't care. I still hate her. Glenn busts into that building to look for her and realizes she's been staying there by herself. She's hidden away somewhere but we can hear her voice when Glenn calls out to ask what happened in Alexandria. "What happened is what always happens - people died." She explains that the bloodbath wasn't due to Walkers. It was people. She doesn't answer when he asks about Maggie's status though because she's already on the run. Glenn, for real, leave her ass and get home to your wife. 

Glenn does begin his journey home but finds Enid in a cafe and grabs her. He tells Enid that Maggie wouldn't leave her behind so he needs to bring her back to Alexandria with him. She's acting like a little bitch and continues to says "no" like a 4 year old who doesn't want to brush her teeth or go to bed. She eventually pulls a gun on Glenn. He's pissed. I'm livid. Enid calmly tells him to turn around and walk away. He grabs the gun from her and insists she leave with him. No more bullshit. 

As they walk along the road they find (randomly) a helium tank and some balloons. Enid blows them up so they can use them to distract the Walkers. When they approach the walls to Alexandria though, they see the mass of Walkers at the walls and Enid is ready to give up...because she sucks. Glenn gives her a pep talk about how "we going on living for the dead because they can't" and then they release the balloons so the people on the wall in Alexandria will see an "I'm okay" signal coming from outside. 

The Trouble It Might Drag You Down
Back in Alexandria, Maggie is standing at the top of the wall keeping an eye out for Glenn as well as Abraham, Sasha and Daryl. Poor thing. Rick climbs up to chat with her and says maybe they need to come up with a plan to get rid of the Walkers without waiting for their missing friends and their vehicles to come back and help. He thinks maybe they need to do it themselves so Glenn, Daryl, Abraham and Sasha have a clear path to come home. Well, wouldn't that be nice?

Rick doesn't linger too long because he needs to give Ron another shooting lesson. Carl and his ungodly hair assist Ron, as he is very eager to do some live target practice. Rick says they will need to wait on that but promises Ron that he will continue to learn. Ron sneaks into the armory though and steals some bullets. Oh great - let's give the kid with a vendetta and little weapons training a loaded gun. Smokin' Hot Rosita, meanwhile, is giving lessons as well but with machetes. The community members are following her instructions but Eugene is standing still being a pussy. She yells at him about needing to be able to protect himself and Alexandria and he leaves. Eugene is really out of excuses at this point...if the people of Alexandria who have just learned how the world "really is" can get on board with new rules and training, Eugene really needs to get his shit together. 

Being a very busy bee today, Rick sits down with Morgan next and invites Michonne and Carol into the conversation. Rick tells Morgan about the Wolves and the RV and how dangerous they were. He asks Morgan why he wouldn't kill the Wolves and why he would let any of them go. "I know that people can change because everyone sitting at this table has. All life is precious and that idea changed me, it brought me back, and it keeps me living." Morgan is not ready to give up on this idea and he still has a Wolf hidden in that cell nearby. He even enlists substitute doctor Denise to help tend to the guy's wounds. Carol follows her to the cell we see Carol come face to face with Morgan. This "life is precious" thing is going to continue to cause a problem with his stay in Alexandria.

You know who else is causing problems? Spencer. This idiot is trying to use a poorly attached zip wire to shimmy himself from the walls to the crumbling watch tower surrounded by Walkers. Of course he falls and Tara puts herself in danger to save Spencer. Rick and Morgan lift him back over the wall and Rick yells at her "You almost died once for these people! What the hell were you doing?" Tara gives him the finger and I love it. Spencer thought he could get to a vehicle on the other side and help lead the Walkers away. Rick gives him shit for not running the idea by him first, but Spencer correctly points out that Rick wouldn't have listened to him anyway.

The episode ends with Maggie seeing the balloons overhead and running toward Rick and the others who are working to secure the walls from the inside. The tower Spencer had clumsily shot a hook and line at comes crashing down then and destroys that portion of the wall. Holy. Shit. 

The next episode is the mid-season finale and with the horde of Walkers coming in, we can definitely expect some deaths...and not the "extras" that perished when the Wolves attacked. Will Deanna make it through? Is Smokin' Hot Rosita in danger now that TWD hinted at an Abraham/Sasha romance (gag)? Is Carol going to kick Morgan's ass before joining in the Walker fight? Will the brief weapons training many of the people in Alexandria have received help with the Walker invasion? We only have a short time to find out who we will lose and how many tears will be shed...  

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