Warning: Full spoilers for The Walking Dead’s “The Tower” follow…
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It’s no one’s fault, of course, but The Walking Dead’s tenth season is leaving us with a passable in-between chapter that’s ultimately designed to be a cool-off “set-up for the finale” affair. Could they have just made a better episode overall? Sure, but “The Tower” stands out even more as middling chapter because it’s what we’re being left with for a long while. The actual finale, “A Certain Doom,” has been postponed to a later, unnamed date.
While in a lockdown scenario (a familiar feeling these days, blerf), Negan and Lydia came to teary terms, Carol apologized to Kelly, and Daryl solidified his bond with Judith. All the while, they tried to wait out the Beta herd, which the towering former-country music star wound dumping into Alexandria in hopes of ending the conflict once and for all. In the next episode, we’ll presumedly get the last bash with Beta, complete with a ton of brutality (and maybe some notable deaths), along with the official meet up Stephanie (and hopefully some other faces from The Commonwealth – maybe even Maggie).
But for now, we just have to leave things hanging as the show goes out on an earnest whimper. “The Tower” had some meaningful exchanges featuring people looking for both clarity, sanity, and forgiveness, but in the end it really was — just like what Daryl was doing — a perimeter sweep.
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Juanita Sanchez – aka Princess
The episode’s best parts involved the full introduction of loopy loner Juanita (Paola Lazaro), who prefers to go by “Princess.” I understand that she might grate on some viewers, but I felt like her peppy energy and kind intentions really helped the show, which features very few, if any, characters like her. And I really enjoyed how much Ezekiel would light up around her. It started with him laughing at her walker street art and then just morphed into an overall appreciation of her sunny disposition. As a former wide-eyed optimist himself, who also used a regal moniker, he was able to latch onto her the way Yumiko — who sort of felt overly grumpy here — could not.
After leading Eugene, Ezekiel, and Yumiko on a dangerous scenic route, involving a minefield, Princess was able to break down a little bit and become a layered character who the gang could see as more of a tragic figure than comic relief. And then the show wisely pulled from Eugene’s own past, as a lonely liar, to help make her relatable. Is it a risk bringing her into the mix, from a zompocalypse crew standpoint? Most definitely. Her judgment is way off. She means well but she can’t fully be relied on to make smart choices. But it’s probably worth it just to have someone around, a true survivor, who’s not a glowering a-hole.
Anyhow, Princess — and her wild, erratic vibe — was part this chapter got right. Also, we know Ezekiel doesn’t have a lot of time left so it’s good to see him smiling and enjoying someone else’s company during his final days. Without Jerry around, Princess feels like a good pairing for him.
Side Quest(ion): Anyone know what city this is supposed to be?
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Daryl and Judith
Judith told Daryl that she’d spoken to Michonne, since that walkie chat apparently happened when Hilltop was on fire, or soon afterwards. She didn’t tell him about the Rick breadcrumbs because she knew how long and hard Daryl had searched for his friend’s body out in the woods and she was afraid he’d leave to help Michonne track Rick down.
It was a sweet moment and one that helped solidify Daryl’s presence on the show even more, as the one true anchor, but it was also kind of ushered in by an odd moment where Judith felt bad about leaving a dead Whisperer in the woods. Not that Judith needs to be heartless, but her asking that Daryl actually pick up and carry the woman’s dead body somewhere else didn’t feel like something Judith would request. The Whisperers put her fiends heads on pikes. They burned down an entire town. She can feel bad about things, but also realize that you can leave an enemy carcass in the forest.
Throwing in a few other exchanges here…Negan felt the need to try and make amends with Lydia. Which does make sense given what he did to her, her mom, and also his need to win the love and respect of kids. All in all, their uneasy understanding felt kind of rushed given the baggage between them. The show chose to go the “screaming and punching” reluctant hug route, which is sort of a narrative shortcut for reconciliation.
And Carol got the “okay” from Kelly, who basically forgave her for maybe/probably getting Connie killed. Carol got the “you can’t give up everything about yourself because bad things happen” nugget, which is actually good advice for everyone on the series. Mostly, the scene just stood as a sad reminder that we won’t get any resolution regarding Connie for a while.
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So what are y’all’s thoughts abut this default finale? Are you upset the freakin’ cat gave away everyone’s position? Do you think Aaron and Aiden are dead meat? Are you ready for the big hospital battle…eventually? Let us know below…
Source: IGN.com The Walking Dead Season Finale (For Now) Review