I went into this episode not expecting much. I've enjoyed the previous three episodes - especially last week's trip-tacular Carol spotlight - but the trailers made it out like this would be a building episode that did little to advance the season's story. Maybe that's a part of the reason why I loved it as much as I did.
This episode has the same feeling that the early seasons did - a raw emotion and a 'human' feel that was a large reason I and so many fell in love with the show in the first place. I think it was in the direction. Michael Cudlitz (Abraham himself) knocked this episode out of the park. I wasn't sure what to think of his episode last season (9x07), mainly because it was one of the more uneventful, slower episodes which seemed to give him little to work with. It was also his directorial debut so of course he would have needed some time to feel things out. With this episode, though, it's clear that he has a natural talent for this sort of thing, so much so that I'd call him one of the best directors to ever work on the show. The cinematography has been great this season, but here it was even better, even fresher. "Fresh" is the term I would use to describe Cudlitz's direction here - it felt like the kind of kinetic, dynamic episodes of Seasons 1-6 but with all the greatness of the Angela Kang era to complement it.
Aside from the direction, this episode was just a very moving, emotional one in general. From Lydia's struggle to fit into Alexandria, to Negan's attempt to do the right thing backfiring more than anyone could have guessed, to Ezekiel dealing with the loss of his identity and his family. The way all these storylines were handled and every character reacted to their own unique situations felt very raw and very real. It was all bookended by the amazing cold open and closing scene, with great use of the song "Heaven I Know" by Gordi - great use of music is another huge thing that was brought back to the show by Angela Kang. Seeing all the characters deal with their individual issues this episode - Carol's trauma, Siddiq's PTSD, Daryl's struggle to remain connected to those he loves, and more - make everyone feel more connected to each other than they have since we were following Rick's family on the road in Seasons 4-5.
So far, this season has been strong, and this is the first truly great episode to come out of it, in my opinion. For me, it's given the season a renewed sense of focus, leaving me extremely excited for what's to come - and delivering one of the best episodes of the post-Rick era.
9.25/10
This episode has the same feeling that the early seasons did - a raw emotion and a 'human' feel that was a large reason I and so many fell in love with the show in the first place. I think it was in the direction. Michael Cudlitz (Abraham himself) knocked this episode out of the park. I wasn't sure what to think of his episode last season (9x07), mainly because it was one of the more uneventful, slower episodes which seemed to give him little to work with. It was also his directorial debut so of course he would have needed some time to feel things out. With this episode, though, it's clear that he has a natural talent for this sort of thing, so much so that I'd call him one of the best directors to ever work on the show. The cinematography has been great this season, but here it was even better, even fresher. "Fresh" is the term I would use to describe Cudlitz's direction here - it felt like the kind of kinetic, dynamic episodes of Seasons 1-6 but with all the greatness of the Angela Kang era to complement it.
Aside from the direction, this episode was just a very moving, emotional one in general. From Lydia's struggle to fit into Alexandria, to Negan's attempt to do the right thing backfiring more than anyone could have guessed, to Ezekiel dealing with the loss of his identity and his family. The way all these storylines were handled and every character reacted to their own unique situations felt very raw and very real. It was all bookended by the amazing cold open and closing scene, with great use of the song "Heaven I Know" by Gordi - great use of music is another huge thing that was brought back to the show by Angela Kang. Seeing all the characters deal with their individual issues this episode - Carol's trauma, Siddiq's PTSD, Daryl's struggle to remain connected to those he loves, and more - make everyone feel more connected to each other than they have since we were following Rick's family on the road in Seasons 4-5.
So far, this season has been strong, and this is the first truly great episode to come out of it, in my opinion. For me, it's given the season a renewed sense of focus, leaving me extremely excited for what's to come - and delivering one of the best episodes of the post-Rick era.
9.25/10