The Walking Dead returned to Carol (Melissa McBride) and Morgan’s (Lennie James) story this week with “The Well.” It was a welcome respite from the violence of last week’s episode. The episode was written by Matthew Negrete and was directed by Greg Nicotero. This episode was very heavy on the symbolism as we are introduced to King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and the rest of the members of the Kingdom.
The episode picks up almost where we left off last season. Carol is on a cart and is in and out of consciousness. Two members of the Kingdom and Morgan are taking her back to the Kingdom when they are attacked by walkers. And once again, the walkers feast on a horse! Seriously, I find that really disturbing! Of course, more disturbing is that Carol is suddenly seeing the walkers as human. She’s seeing them turn back into humans as they are killed to be specific. It’s almost a throwback to Lizzie, but it seems more symbolic of Carol’s generally coming back from being utterly ruthless. It’s an interesting direction for the show to take as so many fans – myself included – really like badass Carol. It may also be the worst possible time for her to get more in touch with her sensitive side when we could really use someone as cold-blooded as Negan to take Negan out.
As the people from the Kingdom and Morgan fight off the walkers, Carol flees into the woods. Reinforcements arrive on horseback, and there are some terrific walker kills, including one having its face sliced off.
They continue on and seem to be going toward a city. Is it Washington? We see Morgan carving a symbol on a mailbox and then putting the flag up – he’s clearly leaving a message. Is it so that Rick can find him or so that he can find his own way back? It’s certainly a sign that he’s decided to stay when he puts the flag back down at the end of the episode.
The first thing we see in the next shot is a lucky rabbit’s foot hanging by the bed where Carol is lying. This episode is full of myths and symbols like this and also from the bible and Greek myths. Who is the lucky one here? Carol comes to, and she’s in clean clothes with her wounds dressed. Morgan is sitting with her, watching a mobile made of kitchen utensils. It’s only the first indication of the everyday, domestication of the Kingdom. She asks how long she’s been asleep – two days! – but doesn’t ask where they are right away.
There’s a great walk and talk sequence as Morgan takes Carol to see King Ezekiel. It’s a terrific way to show us what the Kingdom is all about. It seems like a cross between Hilltop and Woodbury and Alexandria. People are peacefully going about their business. We see goats and crops and children taking lessons. The crops are in old tires and even filing cabinets, as we see later in the episode. It’s the natural world taking back and underscoring a pastoral way of life – right down to the goats. Morgan tells Carol that they took her weapons bag but will give it back when they are ready to leave in about a week or so. He simply assumes that she wants to go back to Alexandria, which of course, she doesn’t.
Carol asks about where they are. Morgan tells her they call it the Kingdom and that he’s been helping them because they’ve helped her. She is finally wary and wants to know if they know about them. About who they are. Morgan throws back, “Who are we Carol?” It’s clear that he doesn’t think that either one of them is essentially a bad person, and it’s clear that Carol expects to be considered a bad person over what she’s done. Morgan tells her that he told them as little as possible – but still the truth.
Carol’s first audience with the King is both hilarious and unsettling. She meets him in a movie theatre – he’s on stage, complete with lights and his tiger. He speaks like a King out of a Disney movie, calling Carol “fair maiden.” He even has a steward, Jerry (Cooper Andrews). For her own part, Carol is utterly stunned, which leaves her floundering for how to react. Neither badass Carol nor sweater Carol seem to be appropriate here, so we get a new Carol – wide-eyed, innocent Carol – sort of. McBride is fabulous in this episode as Carol really has lost her anchor at this point.
Ezekiel asks her why she doesn’t speak – is it skepticism or does she think he’s mad? It’s clear that he is trying to figure her out as well. And in the spirit of “it takes one to know one,” it’s pretty clear that they both recognize someone who is acting a part. When pressed, Carol responds, “I think you’re amazing. It’s amazing!” And she follows it up with, “I don’t know what the hell is going on in the most wonderful way!”
Ezekiel tells her that they are welcome to stay as long as they like as long as they contribute to the group – “Drink from the well, replenish the well.” Carol responds, “Of course. It’s all about the well.” And Jerry pipes in with a terrible pun, “Well said.” Jerry is an odd character. Is he really all there? I’ll be interested to learn more about him. In the meantime, Carol is a bit wary of being asked to join another group – after all, when has that ever worked out?
Ezekiel offers Carol some fruit and particularly encourages her to take a pomegranate. And pomegranates are uniquely symbolic of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter (the goddess of the harvest). Persephone is abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld, the dead, and riches. Demeter is so distraught by the loss of her daughter that she causes the crops to die. Zeus order Hades to return Persephone, but he tricks her into eating some pomegranate seeds before she leaves so that she has to return to the underworld for part of every year – winter!
Carol tells Ezekiel that pomegranates have always seemed like too much work to her. He agrees that it is sweet fruit surrounded by bitter. Has Carol aligned herself with the dead in her becoming a badass? Is she actually Demeter in this scenario with the loss of Sophia? Or is this an actual rejection of the pomegranate – and a rejection of death? Or maybe it’s just fruit… I’d be more inclined to believe that if not for the continuing motif of fruit between these two. Carol tells Ezekiel she really prefers chocolate: “Park some chocolate in front of me and watch it go bye bye…”
Carol tests the waters a bit, by asking if she should call him “your majesty.” She wants to see if he’s Governor-crazy or just crazy. And it’s a bit hard to tell. But Carol tells Morgan once they’ve left that it’s a circus, it’s pretend time. And Carol wants nothing to do with people who won’t face up to reality. It’s what she didn’t like about Alexandria – they really had no idea what they were facing. She tells Morgan she’s going to bolt the first chance she gets. And speaking of people she doesn’t think face reality, she tells him that he can’t lock her up like the Wolf…
Morgan tells her he won’t, but he also won’t let her die out there. Interestingly, when pushed, he tells her that he hasn’t found the secret to life. He’s clearly having doubts about his non-violent (or at least non-killing) path.
Morgan joins the others in the city on a pig hunt. It’s interesting that all the animals (pigs and walkers) are running wild in the city while the humans are relegated to the more pastoral setting of the country or suburbs. Morgan is taken aback by them using walkers as bait and food for the pigs. Richard (Karl Makinen) tells Morgan that he wants the pigs to have their bellies full of rot. Later, we find out that the pigs are for the Saviors, so I wonder if Richard isn’t hoping to infect the Saviors this way or at least make them sick. On the other hand, are the Kingdom people also eating these pigs?
While rounding up the pigs, Blake (Logan Miller) is tested. He’s pretty hopeless as he buries his machete in a walker’s neck. Morgan saves him later too. Ezekiel calls out to the walkers as they are leaving, “know we live in your place – full, festive, faithful, and free!” It’s more than a little odd. Richard adds, “only half free.” It’s clear that he has the biggest problem with the Saviors when he picks a fight with Jared (Joshua Mikel).
Ezekiel assures the Savior leader, Gavin (Jayson Warner Smith) that they will fulfill their obligation every time, on time. We learn later through Blake that Ezekiel feels guilty over the death of Blake’s father and others in the group, so now is extra cautious about risking lives.
Ezekiel asks Morgan where he learned to use his staff, and Morgan tells him a friend, a cheesemaker. Both of which Eastman became after the fall of civilization – and let’s not forget that Eastman also had a goat.
In an interesting echo of Carol’s concerns, Ezekiel tells Morgan a parable (of course he does!):
“A pessimist looks down and hits his head. An optimist looks up and loses his footing. A realist looks ahead and adjusts his path accordingly.” And isn’t that what they’ve all done – or tried to do? Find a way ahead to survive. Ezekiel is speaking of Black, however, and wants Blake to adjust his path – he sucks with guns too! Ezekiel asks Morgan to train Blake. Morgan protests that a stick wouldn’t have saved Carol, but Ezekiel asks a far more penetrating and astute question. He asks if the staff saved Morgan – and he clearly means spiritually. Not everyone is cut out to be a killer. Ezekiel tells Morgan he needs the boy to live – and this clearly ties into the guilt over Blake’s father’s death. But he’s also clearly pleased when Morgan agrees because he wants to bring Morgan into the fold, and he knows this is a way to do that.
Morgan begins teaching Blake but worries he’s going too fast. Blake insists that he can keep up, and while he does look like a natural – very graceful and fluid – is anybody doubting that this kid is just too soft to live? He wants to borrow Morgan’s – Eastman’s – book on Akido, and Morgan is clearly reluctant to part with it. Is he afraid of making Blake hesitate to kill when he needs to? Is he simply reluctant to risk losing the book? Or does he still not want the responsibility of being the teacher? Blake tells Morgan that he’s read everything else they have – he’s clearly really smart – maybe too smart to have common sense? In the end, Morgan lets him take the book.
Meanwhile, Carol is playing Sweater-Carol to round up everything she needs to bug out. I loved her feigning tears over cobbler and using it to steal clothes!
Ezekiel brings Morgan with them to the Savior meeting. It’s an interesting juxtaposition that we have the Kingdom (of heaven?) set against the saviors – is this a comment on organized religion? Regardless, Ezekiel tells Morgan that they kill the pigs far from town so that no one hears the screams. It’s a burden people don’t need. It’s a burden he’s taken on himself, just as he’s protecting them from the Saviors.
When things go sideways, Morgan’s first instinct is to pull the gun that Ezekiel has given him. Morgan is not happy and is quick to drop it again. Ezekiel sees that Morgan reacts that quickly and extremely because he recognizes the danger. Morgan admits he’s met them before. He also asks Ezekiel if bringing him was a test to see if he’d shoot another of them as he did the man who attacked Carol. Ezekiel tells him it was just the opposite and Morgan looks thoughtful.
Morgan has dinner with Blake and the boy he is raising. I assume that Henry (Macsen Lintz) is his younger brother, but maybe he is his child? Blake has clearly imparted his love of reading – Henry has to be in bed by 10, but he’s still allowed to read after that. Blake explains to Morgan that Ezekiel is only keeping the deal with the Saviors quiet (like the pigs’ screams) because people would want to fight and they’d lose.
Blake asks Morgan about the inscription of not to kill. Morgan tells him that people can help you but they can’t show you the way. He admits that he’s just fumbling through. He thought he knew the way, but sometimes you just change your mind. Is this in fact, what’s also happened to Carol? I would say definitely yes. Morgan is hoping that he can change her mind to stay, but when he goes to bring her dinner, she’s already left and he’s resigned to let her go – or does he tip off Ezekiel?
Regardless, Ezekiel finds Carol picking apples in the dark in the garden he’s created for the purpose of recreation and study. Apples? Tree of knowledge anyone? Garden of Eden? He knows she’s leaving and she apologizes but wants to know what good she is there. Jerry is with Ezekiel and he dismisses him – though Jerry insists that he will stay in “hollering range” in case he’s needed.
Once Jerry is out of earshot, Ezekiel gradually drops away his persona. Payton makes a strong showing in this episode, and he really shines in this scene. He’s going to be a terrific addition to the cast. Ezekiel tells her, never bullshit a bullshitter. Her innocent act had him fooled though. But he also knows that her guns were from the saviors. She did more than just survive – she won. She does have value to him – but it’s what she’s trying to leave behind.
Carol tells him that he’s a joke. “You’re selling these people a fairytale.” She asks if ruling over everyone and having his ass kissed is just a perk. He tells her that people want someone to follow. It’s human nature. People who feel safe are also less dangerous and more productive. He is the complete antithesis of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). They see a dude with a tiger and they start telling stories.
He tells her that he faked it until he made it. He was a zookeeper before and Shiva fell into a concrete moat. He saved her life and since then she’s never so much as turned a tooth in his direction. If I have one criticism about this storyline, it’s the tiger. It’s not hideously bad CGI, and I realize a real tiger is a shooting hazard, but it’s not a great special effect either. Anyway, Ezekiel concedes that she’s impractical – she eats as much as 10 people! But she was one of the last animals at the zoo – she was starving and alone, just as he was when he found her back at the zoo. He’d gone back there after he’d lost everything.
Ezekiel actually used to do community theater – he even played a number of kings! He’s told her everything, and he asks her to keep it to herself. Carol says she doesn’t care, she just wants to leave and she doesn’t care where she goes. Ezekiel tells her that he’s sorry for all that she’s been through. It feels like it’s all bad out there, but it’s not all bad. Where there’s life there’s hope! There’s life! He admits that he deals with the bad by going overboard on the good. He embraces the contradiction – and he urges her to do the same. Maybe she could go, but not go?
Carol asks why he cares, and he tells her that he cares because it makes him feel good. He says he’ll have her things brought to the gate – and he sends Morgan with her. Morgan concedes that the decision should always have been up to her – people can show you the way, but they can’t choose for you. This is a terrific scene between McBride and James. The two almost kiss and make up – by teasing.
Morgan tells her to take care of herself and Carol says she will. Carol then goes into the house by the gate. She’d seen the woman walker in the window turn “human” while she was delirious. Now she puts her down and buries her – and moves into the house. Just me or is that a little creepy? Carol is making a fire when there’s a knock at the door – a faint growly-purr can be heard. Ezekiel is at the door with Shiva and a pomegranate… Is this a symbol that he’s going to want her to spend part of the year in the Underworld, helping him to defeat Hades – ie Negan?
I know some people commented that they found this episode “slow.” I couldn’t disagree more. It was simply packed with character and world building and really brought both Carol and Morgan – two extremely important characters – to new places – both physically and spiritually. And just a quick note – I was sure that Blake was called Ben in the episode and that Henry was called Dutch – but IMDb disagreed with me – any thoughts on that? What did you think of the episode? Did you like Ezekiel? Did you find him a joke? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
