It has been an incredible Season 6 of THE WALKING DEAD so far-the Is Glenn Dead or not story arc alone makes this season far above most of what has come before. The mid season finale, titled Start to Finish, literally goes from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, making the title something of a misnomer, because nothing is finished by the end of this episode except for the fate of one major character.
There has been a hell of lot going this year, which has been centered around the supposedly safe haven of Alexandria, Virginia, where Rick and the gang have had an uneasy time fitting in with the sheltered residents. However, they have proved themselves invaluable when the going got tough, mainly when the quarry herd of Walkers got lose and the Wolves turned out to be not very far at all. And just when things started to look up ever so slightly, as when those green balloons from Glenn floated overhead, the tower tumbled to the ground, taking out a section of the wall, and letting the herd get inside, setting off a free for all for survival.
Not that there wasn't enough going on already with Morgan hiding the Wolf in the basement and Carol getting wise to him; sneaky Ron out for revenge and stalking Carl; Glenn and Enid trapped on the outside with no way in; Darryl, Abraham and Sasha far away and out of the action; Rick and Jesse getting it on despite his having put her no good husband down in the Season 5 finale; Eugene still being utterly useless until he reveals some hidden talent at the right moment; and Little Sam, who just wants to tune them all out and listen to same annoying Tiptoe Through the Tulips record again and again in his room.
I don't think Start to Finish was the best episode of the season, that honor clearly goes to Thank You, which ended with the incredible scene of Walkers tearing Glenn apart by Walkers-or so we were led to believe. There were great moments when the Walkers attacked, like Maggie's mad crawl up the ladder to safety or when the Dead surge inside the house after Carl and Ron's "tiff." But what stands out to me were the times when the living turned against each other, such as the before mentioned throw down between Carl and Ron ("Your Dad was an asshole.") and especially between Carol and Morgan over the fate of the Wolf. That didn't end well for either of them-Denise too. Then there was the farewell scene between Deanna and Michonne, one of the series best quiet moments; and they sure gave Deanna a great memorable exit, one worthy of her character. I thought the views on life and the future, expressed by the dying Deanna and the tied up Wolf, offered quite the contrast. There were a couple of great visuals in the episode: the stream of ants flowing through Sam's window, drawn by his food and the image of those Walker's trying to get inside the garage where Eugene, Rosita and Tara have taken refuge, it's something worthy of Romero.
In the end, all was left up in the air until the series returns in the new year, we fans didn't get the tearful Maggie and Glenn reunion we'd so hoped for, although Glenn did get to see her at a distance. We already know the "Guts" trick is not going to work out so well the second time around; it's just a question of who will die. Will this story line, based loosely on the comic's No Way Out arc, end the same way? What about Tobin, Aaron and Heath; they were pretty much MIA here.
But the best part of the show for me was the two-minute sneak peak of series return, when Darryl, Abraham and Sasha have the first run in with The Saviors and we first hear Negan's name spoken for the first time. Cannot wait to see what Jeffrey Dean Morgan will do with this role.
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