User Reviews

Season 8 wasn't the best season but it has had some memorable moments which makes this episode stand out

this episode also showed that it doesn't need action to be entertaining and mostly focused on Negans point of view

definitely worth watching

You've got to admire Negan. He is the perfect example of the the successful psychopath leader. They represent him as many true leaders actually are, dictators who killed millions of people for a specific purpose. It's all utilitarian with him. I am glad they didn't just get an average criminal role and the actor plays it perfectly well.

It's great to see Negan again after such a long absence in the series. Well, it certainly seemed that way! It's great to learn more about such an important character. I love how Gabriel says at the beginning that maybe he was sent to redeem Negan. It's not just them as we get some great scenes from Daryl and Rick as well. There's even a lot of talking scenes with many of the minor characters. I admit that this episode didn't have as much action as most, but it didn't matter because it was still awesome! It was quite easy to follow.

We just get more insight onto the characters. This series always was in fact about the psychological implications of a zombie apocalypse. Or should I say walker apocalypse. I'm glad to have been familiar with the comic books even though I haven't read them in a long time. We're getting more built up to how the good guys are going to handle the saviors. I feel bad for that really hated review below me. For once, I won't have the most hated review of an episode! I think that 16 minute opening is the longest in the show's run. ****

After the first few Season 8 episodes of stilly comic-book like shoot 'em ups, human drama, fragility and conflict returns to The Walking Dead last week and especially this week. At last.

Last week and this week were centred on character. It has been these character-centric episodes which have helped make this show one of the best ever. Father Gabriel has never been one of my favourite characters despite the great performances, but this episode contrasted strength and weakness beautifully using TWDs most powerful performer right now, JD Morgans' Negan, with the difficult and haunted Father Gabriel.

Great drama and emotion in this episode. And the near-unravelling of the Saviours was also well played and makes for interesting times in the coming episodes.

Hope there's' more like this for the rest of the season. 8.5/10

After really disliking the first three episodes of Season 8 (especially "Monsters"), "Some Guy" turned out to be a big improvement and shed some hope. Didn't care for Season 8 as an overall whole, but it was not devoid of good episodes. Expectations were a bit mixed on first watch, despite being pleasantly surprised by "Some Guy" that "The Big Scary U" was going to focus on two characters that have not been that interesting in a long time concerned me a bit.

"The Big Scary U" was another Season 8 episode that was better than expected. It is not one of the best episodes of 'The Walking Dead', Season 6's "Not Tomorrow Yet" was the last "great" instalment of 'The Walking Dead', but its handling of the two characters that are not favourites of mine by any stretch was surprisingly well done. Flaws and all, "The Big Scary U" definitely to me is one of the better episodes of Season 8 and in the small group of instalments that weren't disappointing.

Sure, "The Big Scary U" could have been better. Again the action is somewhat messy and more silly than thrilling, especially in the final third. The ending felt a bit abrupt.

Felt too that some of the dialogue did ramble, especially some of Negan's. Which was not surprising, as long-winded dialogue is a common problem with Negan's character. Also Eugene is annoying and he is another character who has never been a favourite of mine.

However, "The Big Scary U" does very well with the development of Father Gabriel and Negan, both characters progressing and given more nuance than usual. It was great to see a more conflicted (without it wallowing into excessive self-pity or anything) and humanised Father Gabriel and Negan has more menace than he has done in some time while having more nuance to usual. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Seth Gilliam do fine jobs in their roles, Morgan particularly.

It never bothered me that "The Big Scary U" was a slower paced episode and not the taut action-packed sort of episode of 'The Walking Dead'. It is more character driven than plot driven, it succeeds on that front because the characterisation is interesting and illuminating in the case of Negan. While the story isn't perfectly executed, it still compels and not only does it feel like things are progressing it also does a great job with filling in the gaps the previous episodes had. Particularly in regard to the backstory of Negan.

Photography isn't disorganised or self-indulgant in the way that it was in the first three episodes of Season 8. The lighting has a foreboding atmosphere to it. The music similarly is suitably ominous and while the script is not perfect either it provokes thought.

On the whole, not great but by Season 8 standards it was good. 7/10.

Well, we finally got the return of Negan this week as he's been locked away with Father Gabriel in that small building for 4 weeks (but likely only a few hours in the show's timeline). Either way, it was nice to get him back, and we got quite a few nuggets of information based on his life before the outbreak. Before Robert Kirkman spilled the beans on Talking Dead last week, I wouldn't have predicted the show would ever divulge such info. Some things are better left unsaid right?

With that said, I really enjoyed Negan's back and forth with Gabriel (or as Negan calls him, Gabe(e)), it was something both characters needed. We needed to see Gabriel in a situation where he can stand up to someone in power, it's not something we have been able to get from his awkward and even creepy character. And it was also nice to see Negan in a different light. The tidbits of information he gave to Gabriel about having a wife and not being able to put her down when the time came was interesting. Not exactly something stunning or anything we haven't heard before with other characters. But it did feel a little bit more interesting coming from Negan.

Rick and Daryl had another episode where they shared most of their screen time with each other. Again, I like the fact that we are getting these moments with the two of them because it feels like it's been a few years since we have. However, the two of them ended up on the wrong side of their punches, breaking out into a small scuffle after they disagreed on tactics towards taking out the Sanctuary. It's hard to really pick which one is right in this situation. I understand why Rick wants to think about the innocent lives considering from the beginning that was always their motto of taking people in from the outside. But how can you not think about the consequences of NOT using full force towards the Sanctuary? You know that it's going to come down to a big decision and Rick will be on the short end of the stick. It always has to get a little bit worse before it can get better again.

Even though we did have to endure another Walker escape while being covered in Walker guts, tonight's episode was a good one. Things are escalating at the Sanctuary with Dwight edging closer and closer to meeting his end, while Gabriel all of a sudden got really sick. So while I don't think this season is moving as fast as they marketed it to be, I still very much enjoyed the dialogue tonight. It's far from filler.

8.4/10

Negan and Father Gabriel are trapped in a trailer surrounded by Walkers, within the grounds of the Sanctuary. While initially hostile with each other, they realize their common goal at the moment is getting to safety. Eventually Gabriel convinces Negan to make confession to him. He does this by first telling his own greatest sin, letting his parishioners die outside his church when the outbreak first began. Negan then tells him of his shame at watching his first wife, the one woman he truly loved, die, then not being able to put her down to keep her from turning. With this emotional hurdle cleared, the two men then make plans to make it back into the Sanctuary. They smear themselves in Walker guts and mix among the Walker herd, slowly making their way back to the main building.

Within the Sanctuary, Simon discusses the situation with the other lieutenants, who believe Negan may be dead. They begin to question who will now be in authority, which creates conflict among them. They also discuss the fact that supplies, now not being replenished by the other settlements, are quickly beginning to dwindle.

After the meeting, Eugene suddenly realizes that Dwight is a mole. He chooses to keep the information to himself. Meanwhile the workers, suffering from the heat now that the power has been turned off to conserve supplies, move up onto the second floor, against their normal orders. They know something is wrong, and demand to see proof that Negan is still alive. Violence is about to break out when Negan suddenly appears, alongside Father Gabriel. The people fall to their knees in loyalty.

Gabriel is taken to a cell. Later Eugene checks in on him, and immediately sees that he is falling ill with a fever. Although delirious, Gabriel insists that Dr. Carson needs to be returned to the Hilltop, so Maggie's pregnancy can continue unimpeded.

"The Big Scary U" takes a deep dive into the psyche of Negan, offering viewers a glimpse into the inner workings of the Saviors' leader. The episode centers around Negan and Gabriel, who are trapped together in a trailer during the Savior's retreat from the walker herd. This unlikely pairing provides an opportunity for introspection and revelation, as Negan reflects on his leadership style, motivations, and the future he envisions.

One of the most compelling aspects of the episode is the dynamic between Negan and Gabriel, who serves as a moral foil to Negan's ruthless pragmatism. Their discussions about faith, morality, and the nature of power reveal layers to Negan's character and hint at a more complex individual than previously portrayed. The episode's flashbacks to Negan's interactions with his lieutenants further deepen his character, showing his strategic prowess and ability to inspire loyalty through fear and charisma.

The episode also explores themes of leadership and survival, highlighting the lengths to which individuals will go to protect their communities and maintain control in a chaotic world. Negan's iron-fisted rule over the Saviors is contrasted with Rick's more democratic approach, raising questions about the nature of leadership in a post-apocalyptic society. Overall, "The Big Scary U" offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of the series' most enigmatic characters and sets the stage for the conflicts and revelations to come.

This episode had the potential to be great. It slows down even more than last week and gives us a chance to get to know more about some characters, and see how tensions are growing among others. Sadly, it seems like the writers spent so much time making the outline for the episode they just threw something together for dialogue. It is clunky and awkward, and this is coming from someone who just watched The Room. It's obvious the actors were struggling with having to say those lines and I struggled to suspend disbelief. The big reveal from one character was anti- climatic at best and sure to be a huge disappointment from people hungry to know more about that storyline.

The director seemed to have given up, too, as the opportunity for great emotional scenes instead gave us bored face, constipated looks. Or maybe it was the director and actors' way to silently protest the horrendous writing that has been season 8. Whatever it is, I hope they put us all out of our misery soon. Preferably by making the show good again, but I'll settle for a quick death.

Oh my god i really cant look at Eugenes face anymore. His boring lifeless expression, it almost seems he is continuously constipated. Negan is even worse with his stupid grin, the only thing he does now is talking about genitals, feces and other BS. Rick and Daryl fighting each other didn't make no sense at all but then again these two guys are the only one that makes watching this messy episode bearable. 3/10

A "Glenn" is where a cliffhanger finally continues after 2 (or more) full episodes not covering the topic, in this case Father Gabriel and Negan. I find this form of storytelling very hackneyed and cliché.

We backtrack to a big meeting with Savior leadership before Rick and posse arrives (3 episodes ago) for a verbal duel and assault on the compound. Afterwards, we cut back and forth between the trailer, the Savior top captains, and the dynamic duo of Rick and Daryl. I get why Negal feels what he does is for the best, however he is a bad guy. As we know, killing select "good guys" as a lesson to everyone empowers the "bad guys". People are a resource, true, yet you destroy in a world without real production (burn mattresses) and enslave.

Frankly, I'm weary of his banter. Don't get me wrong, I get pretty vulgar, but one big attraction to the series initially was how crude language wasn't necessary to get the desperate survival theme across. It is commonplace now among all the characters and cheapens the show.

The only semi-dramatic engaging moment was when Father Gabriel and Negan confessed some of their past with one another, otherwise I wasn't fully captivated by the story-line. Oh look, issue resolved, truck with big weapons blows up. Stupid plot devices.

I think the series has become a parody of itself, amazing to think the plot quality has dropped in efforts to get "ratings" when the same efforts are losing the same people which gave them the awesome ratings. Half the household no longer watches it for these reasons, and now I'm near finding other things I'd rather do than continue following the mess.

Thank you.

Along this damned Eighth Season, Rick is risking the lives of his friends from Alexandria, Hilltop and Kingdom to destroy the Saviors. When he finally gets the necessary weapons to fight his enemies, he prefers to fight Darryl and blow-up the arsenal to protect the Saviors workers. Gabriel saving Negan's life from the walkers is also amazing. The rest, Eugene playing video game while the place is under siege of walkers is ridiculous. It is hard to still watch this series. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "The Big Scary U"

The show keeps getting more and more awful.

The characters are bland. Pointless camera panning to nothingness. I remember seeing camera just panning towards an actresses legs as she walks for several seconds.

Contrived story lines, dull writing, minimal material, lazy directing are the hallmark of this episode.

Nothing happens.

It is very telling how the viewership is plummeting in a free fall.

Pathetic.

Look. I started watching TWD a month ago, from the very start. Finished the first 4 seasons in a week. It drove me crazy. Wasn't eating, sleeping, working properly. Finally got to 8th. Just finished this episode. It sucked. I'm embarassed now to tell people I like the series.

Remember GW is a living skeleton from head to toe and in his leather jacket, Negan looks like a walking skeleton. In real life the only people he'd look menacing to with his 99 pound frame would be kids in a daycare center......and even that would be questionable. It was fun to see both Gabe and Skeletor sweating to death in that trailer and not take off their jackets. And wouldn't you know it; they bowled over dozens of zombies just like Shiva should have been able to do last week as I had mentioned. Awesome writing. Other exciting stuff we saw on this rip roaring episode was endless talks between the league of apocalypse villains about........well something or other. Was it about leadership, betrayal, who killed off all the good writers and why is Scott Gimple still breathing?? Not sure but that last one should be the number one topic on anybody's mind that still has a lick of good taste still in them. At least no Screchial with his rope hair or the ninja Rambolina. Almost gave this ep a 2 for that reason but then I saw super menacing Negan's stick like arms in a tee shirt and couldn't do it. This is just too easy!!!