For personal reasons I’ve been falling behind on reviews this this season. I apologize for that. It doesn’t mean I haven’t been watching the show, though. As I was thinking about what I wanted to write about for this episode, I realized there’s still a lot I want to say about the episodes leading up this one, because they all work together. So this article is a little bit of a mishmash of this episode and those that preceded it - fitting in a way for an episode that sets up the mid-season finale, and begins to tie up the themes and stories that have spread over over the first half of season 6.
With nice balance, it looks like we’ll be ending this period with the same threat that that kicked off the season, and that’s a nearby herd of the zombies. While some of the episodes in the middle veered off in other directions (a Wolves raid, or Daryl meeting a new group), the walkers have been slowly been making their way toward Alexandria, or gathering outside of the gates, over the course of the season. This episode, Heads Up, finishes with the tower crashing and taking down a wall, leaving little protection between the town’s people and the dead. We saw a return of the balloons this week, which was a humorous touch from the season premiere, as Rick reminded the group they were to act like “cops at a parade.” This week Glenn and Enid used the balloons to send a message to Maggie know that Glenn was out there.
An underlying thread that tied this group of episodes together was the slow transformation of the people of the Alexandria from a place of shock and denial to awareness and acceptance. Likewise, we’ve been seeing Rick dealing with his own denial (still clinging to the idea that he could be ruthless enough to take Alexandria from its people if he needed to). He’s been getting the message from all around him that, like it or not, they’re part of his family now, and he’s stuck with them. Even Spencer.
I’ve found myself particularly enjoying the episodes based in Alexandria, possibly because of the real sense of a community, but also a little bit because some of the new additions are bringing newer ideas to what has started to feel like a somewhat stale pattern of alternating between two states of thinking: the need to let people in so that you can “go back,” or doing whatever it takes to “survive.” Even though the innocence of the Alexandrians is wearing off, some of the characters are finding some balance. Deanna, with her plans for expansion, is one example. Her optimism has rubbed off on Michonne, who balances her hope with realism.
Through characters like Enid, who in some ways seems to be more comfortable in the woods with the walkers, or Morgan, who has made a choice not to kill, we’re seeing new ways of trying to adapt. Let’s talk about Morgan for a minute. He had a good line in this episode, in which he says he can kill, but he doesn’t “want” to. After hearing so many characters talk about feeling forced down a certain path - Carol is a perfect example - it’s refreshing to hear more characters bring choice back into the equation. We saw some of this in past seasons. Last year, Beth chose to sacrifice herself rather than let Dawn win. Also, Tyreese chose to be the guy who save babies, knowing those types of decisions would likely cost him his life.
In contrast to what feels like some freshness introduced with the newer characters, I found myself frustrated by what seems like a lack of direction with some of the older ones. I was less than impressed with last week’s episode. I was considering writing a review tentatively called “The Land of Lost Characters.” The show doesn’t seem to know what to do with either Abraham's or Sasha’s characters. Instead of having them spin out of control in some psychologically interesting way, they’re hooking up? Likewise Daryl’s character development these days seems to be limited to occasional comments about wanting to bring new people into the group. The show hasn’t seemed to know what to do with him since we lost Merle.
Glenn’s Back!
But let’s get back to this week’s episode and the big reveal - Glenn made it! I’m torn on how I feel about this one. On the one hand, there’s a voice in my head saying I should be critical. It’s a cheap and tired trick for TV shows to the lead the audience to think a popular character is dead, only to have them return after a break. It’s not that I don’t think that it’s plausible that Glenn could have made it. There are a number of characters who shouldn’t have made it out of precarious situations in the past, who did. Rick riding his horse into the mob of walkers in Atlanta is one. And Glenn has shown himself to be quick and resourceful. So I’m more annoyed at the tease that stretched out for several weeks. This show is better than that.
But with that said, I couldn’t help but feel grateful that Glenn was back watching him interact with Enid. Teenagers are tough to include on a show like this. Add in moody, wayward teens, and a teenage love triangle, and you risk alienating your adult fandom. But the chemistry between Enid and Glenn really worked for me, and I think that’s because they’re both fearless. The Glenn of the earlier seasons was the crafty survivor who was the best at handling himself when heading out on supply runs. Enid also seems to have a gift for being able to move around freely without attracting the type of attention that would get her killed. Glenn’s not that much older than Enid, and their no-BS dialogue made Glenn the perfect adult choice for Enid to interact with.
Anyway, sorry if this is a little bit rambling this week. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you think the show is doing and what you think about Glenn’s return.
