Plot: The first part of the season focuses on Rick and his group leading the Alexandria community through a series of crises including the threat of a large herd of walkers and an attack by dangerous scavengers known as the Wolves. The second half involves Rick and his companions discovering “A Larger World” of survivor communities, making allies of the agrarian Hilltop colony and adversaries of the Saviors led by the ruthless Negan.
Review: I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with The Walking Dead TV series; at the end of pretty much every season I say “I think I’m done with this show” but like the rest of you I keep watching… because what else is there to do on a Sunday night except dread work the following morning?
This season is no different but I have to admit that it is starting to seem a little less interesting and it’s quite samey now. The constant misery and nihilistic outlook is getting tiresome, but on the other hand this season had arguably the best episode of the entire show. You know the one I speak of; the one with Daryl and the rocket launcher followed by all-out war with the walkers which was one of the most spectacular action sequences I’ve seen on TV.
A lot happened this season and we lost several cast members but I’d be lying if I said I cared about any of them. As long as Rick and Daryl are still alive then that’s really all who matters.
I’m not sure what has happened to Carol; she was temporarily badass but now she keeps crying and doesn’t want to care about anyone anymore or something; you aren’t sure whether she’s acting to come across as vulnerable to her enemies but either way it felt disjointed and didn’t work so well so it may be time for her to go.
I also really can’t stand the character of Morgan (Lennie James) who unrealistically thinks you can survive in this nightmare world without killing. His decisions make no sense and I’ll be happy when they eventually kill him off too. I hated the 90 minute episode we wasted on him and the other guy which was jut dragged out and boring.
Speaking of killing people off; I think the show maybe jumped the shark with the whole Glenn storyline. You were pretty certain he was going to meet his end but then spends the next few episodes dragging it out only to discover that he isn’t dead at all which was ultimately pretty frustrating.
One of the more interesting dynamics of this season is when Rick and the crew bump into comic favourite Jesus and he tells them about a group of people called The Saviors who they are forced to work for. Fans of the comic of course know that The Saviors are led by Negan who we finally get to meet in the chilling final 10 minutes of the season.
Before we get to meet Negan however, Rick decides it’s a good idea to go to one of the Saviors locations kill them all while they sleep to steal their supplies. As far as I am concerned Rick is now pretty much a bad guy and his team deserve everything they get. They brought this on themselves and no matter how nasty the Saviors are they attacked them in their sleep and are no better than them.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan finally appears at the end after an overly long build-up but he is definitely worth the wait. He’s terrifying and brutal as Negan, yet still charismatic so I’d totally join his team. Like the rest of you I’ll protest and say “this show has gone too far! I’m done with it!” but I’ll be there in October to see who it is that has come to a sticky end courtesy of Lucille (Negan’s special friend).
Overall, Season 6 of The Walking Dead plods along much like the zombies themselves with annoying character decisions and dragged out plots but there are some great moments of action and Negan’s arrival promises a disturbing next season. Count me in… but I’m totally not watching it after season 7.
