Season 6 - 16 Episodes (2015)
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| The Walking Dead Season 6 |
Buy The Walking Dead Season 6
Created by: Frank Darabont, based on the comic by Robert Kirkman
Starring: Andrew Lincoln , Norman Reedus , Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan
Rating: TV-MA
Plot:
Sheriff Rick Grimes leads a group of survivors in a zombie infested post-apocalypse. The dead are treacherous, but the living are worse.
In season six, Rick attempts to lead his group and the remnants of Alexandria to a sustainable future but encounters a rival group more powerful than he first thought. He also encounters many, many walkers.
Verdict
The Walking Dead is my guilty pleasure. It's easy to find fault, but it's always entertaining. Part of the fun is becoming annoyed at character decisions and imagining what you would do, but that can quickly becoming infuriating when reality is manipulated to create drama.
Few shows make you wonder what you would do in the same situation, and that's what makes this great. It's easy to be an armchair dictator, and that makes this show fun.
This season does a better job of overcoming the flaws of previous seasons, this time with the plot generated more by character flaws than characters acting like morons. Though they still do that quite often.
This season does a good job with pacing and building to the conclusion. There is always at least two disparate groups at any one time, so the episodes bounce between them to build anticipation and avoid slowing down. It also balances big and small moments for a good rhythm. Episodes nine, twelve, and sixteen are standouts. Episode seven is my least favorite due to the fake out. I liked this season better than five.
Watch it.
Review
Beware of spoilers as I discuss annoyances, revelations, and episodes.
The first half of this season has Rick thinking that Alexandria is weak. He doesn't trust them to fight. They can't match his awesome team and should be left behind. Episode eight culminates with Alexandria's walls breached by zombies. You know the show was going to thin the herd. It's been doing that every other episode. This is the ultimate culling.
Episode nine is one of my favorites. It's an improbable underdog fight and it has a big story arc.
The second half of the season has Rick encounter another settlement, Hilltop. He agrees to eradicate a rival community, the Saviors, but is quickly in over his head. The concluding episode introduces us to Negan. The final scene is him killing a member of Rick's group. We don't know who, but I know we'll see more Negan.
E1 First Time Again
The Rick-tatorship is still in full effect, and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) likes to pull the "Do you know who I am?/Do you know who we are?" card often. I don't follow the comics, but at some point I have to believe Rick is going to snap. He's never that far away from becoming one of these dictators he constantly endeavors to overthrow. It's a fine line, and we've seen him go crazy before.
This episode is a bit scattered as it bounces from a present day zombie hoard to black and white flashbacks to fill us in on what happened between season five and six. It's a bit too indulgent, but at least the group no longer drives brand new Hyundais. I guess they lost that sponsor.
E2 JSS
One of my biggest annoyances is how Rick's group, the special forces alpha team, constantly leave Alexandria. Wouldn't you leave at least a couple of soldiers back for protection? This is a running theme throughout the season that irritated me to no end.
Rick's busy playing pied piper for zombies, but the low defenses means Alexandria gets attacked. Somehow the gang just knows. I don't know how the gang got in, but you knew the show was ripe to thin the herd with this many people in the cast.
This season bounces back and forth throughout as there are always at least two groups in different locations. I would have liked to follow just one group, but this did keep the pacing snappy which is a good thing.
Episode two is a bloodbath, though Carol (Melissa McBride) is still stone cold, and Morgan (Lennie James) becomes even more awesome, entering combat with a quarter staff. The Alexandria settlement is much smaller now. The car horn that wrecked Rick's plan in episode one was a result of the raid on the compound.
E3 Thank You
Episode three continues to thin the herd with red shirts all over the place. Is this the big Glenn (Steven Yeun) episode I heard about? I recall no one could believe he was killed off, then it was undone.
Of course when Michonne (Danai Gurira) promises a guy that isn't in the main cast he will live, that's a sure sign he's dead.
This is the big Glenn episode. I thought they brought him back, but I don't see how at this point. Why Glenn? Though it is daring to kill off a main cast member just to make us think anyone could die.
E4 Here's Not Here
Episode four is a flashback about what happened to Morgan. I like the character, but I'd rather the main story move forward. Part of this is to drive anticipation for the aftermath of the blood bath. This is broadcast weekly after all. The other part is to set up the gang member Morgan kept alive during the episode two and three raid.
Morgan went from crazed maniac to pacifist through the teachings of cabin guy John Carroll Lynch who played the Zodiac killer and Twisty the Clown. Of course the guy is a psychiatrist that also trains Morgan in Akido to fight like Splinter from the Ninja Turtles.
E5 Now
In episode five, Rick brings thousands of his zombie friends to Alexandria. Time for the final paring.
Episode six catches up with Darryl (Norman Reedus), Sasha, and Abraham. Of course they get shot up and split up. Splitting the group up and bouncing around keeps the pacing up, but can get boring with lackluster characters. Thankfully TWD keeps the stories interesting. It builds intrigue rather than boredom.
Abraham has the lucky find of the year, with not just an RPG but ammo sitting out in the open for the taking. There are cigars too, why not?
Darryl is held hostage by Dwight. he later goes back to help Dwight. Curse his helpful tendencies!
The body count is high this season. People are dying everywhere. Darryl loses his bike and cross bow? Come on!
E7 Heads Up
I'm a bit incredulous that Glenn is revealed to be alive in episode seven. First there's just no logical way. Second, it's a cheap move.
Why doesn't Alexandria create a steel grate or chain link fence area to spear walkers like at the jail? If the goal is to survive, kill walkers to ensure you can exit the gate easier.
The show creates methods for zombie control and then just abandons them. It was always strange that bodies never piled up outside the jail despite the sheer number that were spiked.
Obviously some in the group want to start a community, the problem is that attracts miscreants who want to ransack it.
We knew the steeple would fall. Things are going to be crazy in episode eight. This is what makes the show fun. Something is always happening, and danger is always imminent.
E8 Start to Finish
Episode eight starts with less than subtle imagery as ants devour a sandwich. Yeah, I get it.
Walkers swarm Alexandria and Rick resorts to the smear yourself in guts trick. Will the second half of the season be them back on the run again?
The baby doesn't cry despite being completely covered in a blanket and smeared in zombie guts. Yeah, right.
E9 No Way Out
In episode nine the zombies don't notice Rick and his group talking right next to them. I get zombies are dumb, but this is silly. I figured the kid would create a panic, but I didn't expect him to get eaten. Why did zombies only attack him? All of them were making noise. Oh snap. The zombies get the mom too? It's all Rick's fault! Wait, Carl is shot point blank in the head and isn't dead? He's got to be dead. Episode nine is a big episode. It's a crazy underdog fight with Rick taking on thousands of walkers by himself distraught at Carl's potential fate. This rallies others to help him. Alexandria does have the will to survive.
This is my favorite episode just due to sheer craziness of the fight. It also has the most story arc to it.
E10 The Next World
Episode ten has me wondering how much time has passed. How did Rick and Michonne become a thing? They aren't yet. They consummate at the end of the episode. It's still a strange opening.
Alexandria is getting rebuilt. Surprising. This show bounces from big events and then slows down to continue the story. I needed a break after episode nine. Rick and Darryl getting scammed was a humorous moment. They should know not to trust random people. Serves them right.
E11 Knots Untie
What's the deal with this Jesus guy? I wouldn't believe anything he says. Why do they take all of their best people into unknown territory? You should take two people and leave it at that. They leave the pregnant girl with Jesus? Rick's group gives out personal information all the time. You can't trust everyone.
Each new town seems idyllic at first, but they all crumble. Hilltop went downhill fast. Rick agrees to take out Negan despite knowing virtually nothing. No doubt that will be more difficult than Rick expects.
Rick gives Alexandria a chance to object to the plan. The plan he already agreed to do for Hilltop where they've already taken delivery of supplies. This is against the Saviors who he hasn't seen. This is a half cocked plan if there ever was one. I'm sure Rick was emboldened when one of the Hilltop tells him, "The Saviors are scary, but they've got nothing on you."
Carol has a great series arc. She's a stone cold killer housewife wearing button down sweaters and baking cookies when she's not delivering swift justice. Unfortunately this season would muddy that arc in just a few more episodes. I'm not a fan of where Carol's story goes.
The raid on the Savior base is awesome. This is another favorite episode. It turns out the base they cleared is just one of many. The Saviors are no small fry. You almost feel like Rick's group could be bad guys as they murder people in their sleep, but then the show backs up and proves the Saviors really are bad guys... or gals.
E13 The Same Boat
This episode showcases why Carol is so awesome. She's playing her captors like a fiddle and they have no idea with whom they are dealing. Her captor Paula is bad to the bone, but doesn't realize she is just a wanna be Carol. You know Carol will kill and deliver a striking one liner. Sometimes completely transparent setups are okay.
For whatever reason Carol begins to have an issue with being a stone cold killer. Is it that she saw what she could become through Paula? Carol kills but doesn't like it. The lone challenger to the Rick throne ends her campaign. Carol is now a pacifist... kind of. Carol gets too close to Paula and almost loses it. That was so contrived. I knew exactly what the episode was setting up when Carol got too close. She knows better!
Rick kills who he thinks is Negan, but Carol and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) heard Paula on the radio call him Primo. Did they have selective amnesia? Thus starts a story arc for Carol that no one wanted. Is this due to Morgan's philosophy?
E14 Twice as Far
Why haven't they implemented a better training program. Real world experience would help or at least chopping on dead walkers to get a feel for it. They need, dare I say it, more bureaucracy.
Dwight, who Darryl encountered in episode six is back and he's part of the Saviors. Darryl regrets not killing him. Don't we all?
E15 East
Despite two people leaving and stating they don't want to be followed. Rick's A-team follows them, leaving Alexandria at a disadvantage yet again. This is how order breaks down. Your best people leave the fort.
Rick and Morgan don't even attempt to hide their car. Genius! At least take it off the road. Carol doesn't confirm her kills. Ugh.
The Saviors are here and they have Darryl, Rosita, Glenn, and Michonne.
Rick and crew are on the way to Hilltop because of course Maggie is having a baby at this particular instance. Rick plays no defense. Offense is sexy and Rick knows it.
The Saviors do a great job of blocking off roads before Rick can pass. It stretches belief just a bit as it's physically impossible to move that fast and cut down so many trees among other things.
The Saviors trap Rick and crew, but amazingly despite vantage and surprise they kill no one. It's dubious, but at least it's addressed that the Saviors don't want to kill them.
How has no one seen the Saviors as big of a group as they seem to be? Wouldn't the Saviors have clocked Alexandria by now?
In the comic Glenn is the one that was beaten by Negan. Can Glenn escape death twice? Logically, there is no way to survive that beating, but TWD doesn't hold logic in high regard.
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