The Walking Dead has now come to a point in which they can take a few episodes off from the main conflict and still get away with it. Granted, I hope this doesn't go on for an entire season of inconsistency, but tonight was definitely a freebie.
It's about dang time we spend significant screen time with Daryl. And who better to complement and parallel Daryl with thematic plot points than everyone's favorite Dwight. I wasn't initially a fan of the façade this Dwight character was putting on last season and his automatic allegiance to Negan. I just didn't think they would give him all that much to do, but I was wrong. Having Dwight and Daryl serve as parallel plot points under Negan tonight was extremely beneficial.
Just as Negan broke Rick down in the premiere, Daryl was his next project. Of course, Daryl was already going to be a tougher sell with him throwing that punch in the opener, but everyone can be broken right? Daryl stuck to his guns, however, even with that Scarlett Letter 'A' on his shirt and being tortured to near death. It wasn't just physical torture either. Hearing the same upbeat song every day for a long time and eating dog food as a 'treat' doesn't seem like the most pleasant way to spend my time.
But it was also nice seeing Dwight in such a vulnerable position several times tonight as well. Just like Daryl said, we understand why Dwight was a jerk to Daryl way back when, and it was pleasing to see his character be humanized for once. Negan clearly has everyone in the saviors brainwashed and Dwight is a big part of that. And looking at this particular arc, it sure seemed like Negan is ready at any moment to get rid of Dwight and hand Daryl his right-hand man gig. But to be honest, I'll buy any Negan monologue, they are just too dang captivating.
So it was another slow-burn episode but a very different tone and feel to last week. I'm starting to enjoy these one-offs when they are done right. Let's just not make a habit of spending too much time away from the main group.
+Daryl & Dwight
+They are all Negan
+Daryl stuck to his gut
9.2/10
It's about dang time we spend significant screen time with Daryl. And who better to complement and parallel Daryl with thematic plot points than everyone's favorite Dwight. I wasn't initially a fan of the façade this Dwight character was putting on last season and his automatic allegiance to Negan. I just didn't think they would give him all that much to do, but I was wrong. Having Dwight and Daryl serve as parallel plot points under Negan tonight was extremely beneficial.
Just as Negan broke Rick down in the premiere, Daryl was his next project. Of course, Daryl was already going to be a tougher sell with him throwing that punch in the opener, but everyone can be broken right? Daryl stuck to his guns, however, even with that Scarlett Letter 'A' on his shirt and being tortured to near death. It wasn't just physical torture either. Hearing the same upbeat song every day for a long time and eating dog food as a 'treat' doesn't seem like the most pleasant way to spend my time.
But it was also nice seeing Dwight in such a vulnerable position several times tonight as well. Just like Daryl said, we understand why Dwight was a jerk to Daryl way back when, and it was pleasing to see his character be humanized for once. Negan clearly has everyone in the saviors brainwashed and Dwight is a big part of that. And looking at this particular arc, it sure seemed like Negan is ready at any moment to get rid of Dwight and hand Daryl his right-hand man gig. But to be honest, I'll buy any Negan monologue, they are just too dang captivating.
So it was another slow-burn episode but a very different tone and feel to last week. I'm starting to enjoy these one-offs when they are done right. Let's just not make a habit of spending too much time away from the main group.
+Daryl & Dwight
+They are all Negan
+Daryl stuck to his gut
9.2/10