‘The Walking Dead’ season 7, episode 5 review: Maggie’s recovery; Carl skates into new situation
Last time on “The Walking Dead” we saw Negan roll into Alexandria and take way more then half of what Rick’s group had there. Not only that, but we saw Rick bend to Negan’s will at every turn and even go beyond what he had to in order to make sure nothing else happened. Does Rick have a plan or is this just how things are going to roll for them from now on?
Since the premiere we haven’t had any news on Maggie or her and Glenn’s baby, but tonight we have some answers. Sasha got her to the Hilltop doctor and not only is she going to be fine, her baby is going to make it as well. Also, they brought Glenn and Abraham’s bodies to the Hilltop and had them buried there. The doctor suggested that Maggie stay for the duration of her pregnancy and she’s thinking about it. Is it just a little unrealistic that somehow Maggie and her baby are surviving all of this? Probably, but the show needs you to have that glimmer of hope or then what’s the point of this journey?
Gregory on the other hand wants Maggie and Sasha out of the Hilltop, because he knows that Rick’s people were unable to take care of Negan and the Saviors which means if they find out Maggie and Sasha are there it will be bad for the Hilltop people (and REALLY bad for Maggie since Negan wants her as his woman). Jesus is trying to talk Gregory into allowing them to stay, but he is standing his ground knowing what Negan can do.
While sleeping, Sasha and Maggie wake up to blaring music and fires in the Hilltop town – a way for the Saviors to remind them of who’s in charge. The town comes together (including kung-fu Jesus) to get a handle on the situation.
Have you been missing some Michonne and Carl bonding moments since the great pudding caper? Tonight, Rick went off to find supplies for Negan’s next visit, so they were able to talk a bit. Carl doesn’t agree with how this situation is being handle by his father, but Michonne is willing to try his way until she can think of something better. Carl also spent a good portion of the night chasing after Enid again… a storyline we could do without. What is wrong with Enid??? I get teenage angst, but this is really ridiculous.
Now that Carl and Enid’s happy-go-lucky fantasy sequence roller-skating through the woods is over, let’s get back now into the Hilltop a.k.a. watching Gregory and Simon have one of the most boring conversations of the entire season. Gregory’s an interesting character, but we could care less about Simon. Go feed him to a walker somewhere with his talk of him being the town’s version of Negan and appreciating what Gregory is offering. Biggest reminder that Simon is a heel? He took Gregory’s scotch!
Eventually, Carl and Enid arrive to the Hilltop to see Simon loading up his “half” of the goods, and deciding that he wants to take advantage of the opportunity to take him down a notch. Now, we’re all for Carl pulling this off, but he’s a kid with one eye versus Simon and all of his Negan-henchmen.
Jesus and Gregory squabble about Maggie and Sasha staying at the Hilltop — with a potential change in leadership given that Gregory pretty much has no spine, and he seems to think the best way to go about doing things is being buddy-buddy with the Saviors and hoping that nothing else terrible happens in the process (Rick’s point of view as well). Maggie’s proclamation of identity and confidence to him was a strong one — if Gregory was going to respect a group of people unworthy of it, then he better start showing her the same courtesy, if not something greater.
Later, Enid turned up and (enjoyed?) an awkward dinner conversation with Maggie and Sasha, one where Maggie relayed that they don’t need physical mementos to remember their loved ones. For us, Maggie’s prayer and expression of gratitude will have to also be our takeaway from this episode, one that was about survival, moving forward, and the stamp you want to leave on the world. Even if you do make it, does that really mean you’re living the right way? Carl seems to think that his right way for him to move forward is by hiding within a van (with Jesus) and infiltrating the Saviors from within. We’ll see how that turns out. Maybe we will have a Carl/Daryl caper coming up?
As a whole, there were several good moments in this episode — but also plenty that dragged the tempo down to a crawl. Hopefully, we’re going to get a little more excitement here on out. We love the idea of Carl stepping into the hero role since Chandler Riggs is sorely underrated as an actor. When he gets meaty material, he’s something special to watch. Episode grade: B-.
What do you want to see happen on the next episode of “The Walking Dead” and what did you think of tonight’s episode? Leave us a comment below. If you want more scoop on “The Walking Dead” then head on over to the link here. (Photo: AMC)