Was not expecting 'The Walking Dead' to appeal to me, but surprisingly it did and became easily addictive. At its very best, and there are many high points, it was absolutely brilliant. Its decline however from Season 7 has made for one of the biggest declines for any show from personal opinion, like something completely different altogether. Feel the same with the likes of 'Once Upon a Time' and 'House of Cards'.
Although Season 5 was not as consistent as the previous four seasons and had its slow spots, it was generally one of 'The Walking Dead's' better seasons thanks to its high points being so brilliant. Contrary to what some fans say, the weakest episodes while patchy were in my respectful opinion still overall decent with a lot done right. Of which "Spend" is one of the season's high-points, along with the first three episodes, "The Distance" and "Remember". Would go as far to say that it is a show high-point as well, and prime-'The Walking Dead'. An uncompromising scorcher, it is one of the show's most brutal and shocking episodes, while not doing it in a gratuitous way, and also a contender for the season's most emotional.
Despite the highest possible rating here, "Spend" was not quite perfection. Personally think that Father Gabriel's opening scene was rather strange (his big revelation though fared much better, that was gut-wrenching). Found that however to not be a big issue, with so much eclipsing it that one forgets it's there, being at the start of the episode and so much unforgettable happening afterwards.
"Spend" is superbly made as an episode, which is hardly unexpected. It has gritty and audacious production design, visuals that are well crafted and have soul rather than being overused and abused and photography of almost cinematic quality. The walkers don't look cheap at all, are pretty terrifying and their scenes really wrench the gut. The music is haunting and affecting, without being intrusive. The direction is controlled yet alert.
The writing is thought-provoking and tight enough to stop it from rambling. The story very quickly recovers after a shaky start, being tautly paced without being rushed, having sincere moments without slowing down or getting too sentimental and with a significant amount of tension. It is far from filler and the storytelling feels like it's advancing, likewise with the characterisation (namely Carol), and new things being introduced with a lot of intrigue. The Carol story is intriguing and Alexandria properly feels like a sense of community with Rick being the most interesting he's been in a while, but where the episode has the most staying power is with the supply run and its tragic outcome, the uncompromising brutality both disturbing and poignant in particular Noah's exit. Glenn's reaction mirrors our own.
All the performances are top notch, with big shout outs going to Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun and Melissa McBride.
Summing up, scorching episode and one of Season 5's best. With two episodes to go before the end of the season, it does make one excited for what's to come. 9.5-10/10
Although Season 5 was not as consistent as the previous four seasons and had its slow spots, it was generally one of 'The Walking Dead's' better seasons thanks to its high points being so brilliant. Contrary to what some fans say, the weakest episodes while patchy were in my respectful opinion still overall decent with a lot done right. Of which "Spend" is one of the season's high-points, along with the first three episodes, "The Distance" and "Remember". Would go as far to say that it is a show high-point as well, and prime-'The Walking Dead'. An uncompromising scorcher, it is one of the show's most brutal and shocking episodes, while not doing it in a gratuitous way, and also a contender for the season's most emotional.
Despite the highest possible rating here, "Spend" was not quite perfection. Personally think that Father Gabriel's opening scene was rather strange (his big revelation though fared much better, that was gut-wrenching). Found that however to not be a big issue, with so much eclipsing it that one forgets it's there, being at the start of the episode and so much unforgettable happening afterwards.
"Spend" is superbly made as an episode, which is hardly unexpected. It has gritty and audacious production design, visuals that are well crafted and have soul rather than being overused and abused and photography of almost cinematic quality. The walkers don't look cheap at all, are pretty terrifying and their scenes really wrench the gut. The music is haunting and affecting, without being intrusive. The direction is controlled yet alert.
The writing is thought-provoking and tight enough to stop it from rambling. The story very quickly recovers after a shaky start, being tautly paced without being rushed, having sincere moments without slowing down or getting too sentimental and with a significant amount of tension. It is far from filler and the storytelling feels like it's advancing, likewise with the characterisation (namely Carol), and new things being introduced with a lot of intrigue. The Carol story is intriguing and Alexandria properly feels like a sense of community with Rick being the most interesting he's been in a while, but where the episode has the most staying power is with the supply run and its tragic outcome, the uncompromising brutality both disturbing and poignant in particular Noah's exit. Glenn's reaction mirrors our own.
All the performances are top notch, with big shout outs going to Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun and Melissa McBride.
Summing up, scorching episode and one of Season 5's best. With two episodes to go before the end of the season, it does make one excited for what's to come. 9.5-10/10