Sunday, March 6, 2016

The Walking Dead S6E12 Not Tomorrow Yet Recap/Review (Spoilers!): This is How We Eat


A plan never survives contact with the enemy.
Not Tomorrow Yet was an episode broken into two separate parts. The buildup to the attack on Negan’s compound and then the attack. I was starting to worry the entire episode was going to be buildup and then next week was going to be the attack. All signs now point to Carol being a causality of the season. Focusing the opening of the episode on her and having her start a relationship with Tobin made me think she might not make it out of the attack. The fact that she was captured makes me think she could be a victim at the hands of Negan. This or Morgan is going to eventually save her by killing again.
I also like that they answered a question I hadn’t really thought about since the mid-season premier. Did Carol tell Rick he was keeping a Wolf locked up? I hadn’t assumed one way or another, and with the next two episodes not focusing on Morgan or Carol I didn’t think about the issue. It’s interesting that Carol decided not to tell Rick, and wanted to protect Morgan from Rick’s anger. It was interesting to see her make a list of the people she has killed, and that it was affecting her. Carol has had an amazing ark in the show and has changed more than anyone, except for maybe Rick. I view her as being cold and heartless now, but she isn’t. She is trying to be a mother to the entire group. I didn’t like the fact they spelled it out for us in the episode, but it might have been the best choice with how she is viewed currently on the show.
The only other negative from tonight was the first half seemed to drag, and I wanted them to get to the action. I thought they could have cut down or edited some scenes out. The Glen and Heath scene was slow, but it was an important reference to have in during the raid. This being said, I understand that they have each never killed another living human, but they have killed numerous walkers. While different, you would think it would desensitize you a bit to killing someone who is still alive. The episode also seemed to shoehorn in Abraham’s breakup, and that storyline feels like it should be handled later, unless Abraham is going to be making a departure from the show. The “Why are dingleberries brown” line was fantastic though.
The second half of the episode was nothing but tension and great action. I’m not sure how I feel about them killing people in their sleep, but they made it clear with the trophy wall in one of the quarters that these are not nice people. It was heartless and cold blooded, and Andy’s line saying he was more afraid of Rick than Negan’s group speaks volumes about how far Rick is willing to go to ensure his survival. Rick punching the decapitated head to make sure it looked like Gregory was fantastic.
I liked the plan Rick came up with to storm the compound, but I kept waiting for something to go drastically wrong and for our group to get captured. The score used for the assault was great, and strangely reminded me of the original Terminator soundtrack. I didn’t see the eventual twist of Carol and Maggie getting captured, but since Carol never showed up it makes sense. There was so much going on I didn’t think about her not making an appearance in the compound once the alarm sounded.
I have to bring up Gabriel. Quoting scripture while killing someone (Was there a bit of an homage to Jules there?). He has come miles from the scared preacher living in the woods to who he is now. Which makes me again wonder if Carol is on her way out. Gabriel could be the next person who was once weak, but is now strong in the show. He was impressive tonight not hesitating to do what needed to be done. I was half expecting him to not kill the guy on the ground and take him prisoner. He may still be a minister, but he is an active shepherd now, fending for he flock and actively hunting the wolves.
Where do we go from here? I was expecting the episode to end on a high note, and the retribution to come in the next few episodes. It looks like Carol and Maggie are going to be taken to Negan, and the group is going to have to fight to get them back. Will Carol be the only one to die? I am fully expecting her to exit the show based on tonight’s episode, but I could still see a scenario where Morgan saves her. If this is the case, could Maggie be the one to perish, or does Glenn sacrifice himself to save her? They are building towards an extremely impactful conclusion to what I think has been one of, if not, the best seasons for the show.

What did you think of tonight’s episode, love it or hate it, or somewhere in-between? Comment and let me know. 

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