Following the shocking and unexpected end to Season 9A, the halfway point (or Season 9B) starts with an unusually tanned Negan, freed from his basement cell at last. Interestingly (at least for me), he is now sans bandage. There goes my theory that Negan was hiding a walker bite on his arm and was the saviour of mankind, having a cure pulsing through his veins!
There's a beautiful moment when a nauseas Negan falls to his knees in a clearing, sick after drinking contaminated water from a stream. The realisation hits him that this is the same place that Rick's gang were forced on their knees to watch the demise of two of their friends. The scene is subtle but as hard hitting as Negan's Lucille.
This is a genuinely promising start to the second half of the season. The new baddies, The Whisperers, are genuinely creepy en masse and there's a whole new dynamic to the show following the significant time jump in the earlier episodes of this season.
The young Cailey Fleming shines as Judith Grimes. Her interactions with Negan are what make this episode pop. Negan clearly has deep respect and a feeling of responsibility for Judith following the "death" of Rick.
8 out of 10.