Episode Title: JSS
Original Airdate: 10-18-15
Well, I guess they don’t have to pay those pesky Alexandria extras anymore…
The Wolves that were ominously introduced in the Season 5 finale descended upon the sleepy community of Alexandria with no warning. Seriously, Carol was making a casserole and looked out the window to see one of her neighbors cut down in her front yard by a wild man with a machete. From there, chaos reigned. Wolves tore through Alexandria, killing nearly everyone we’ve never met. Carol eventually disguised herself as one of them and started taking them out ninja style till none were left. The Walker-alerting horn from the end of last week’s episode was from a semi that crashed after the tower guard shot the driver. Morgan made it back to town before anyone else and helped, in his new-Morgan-zenlike way, allowing the Wolves to choose to leave and live, which several did. But in the end, he did have to put one down for good.
This was a very lady-centric episode and I loved it. First we learned about Enid’s tragic backstory from the opening, which seemed out of place after last week’s cliffhanger, but I’m use to that kind of stuff from TWD by now. I’m still not entirely convinced that she’s an all around interesting character, but I’m more willing to give her a chance; after all, her mantra is JUST SURVIVE SOMEHOW.
Then we met the town’s new doctor, Denise, who was a psychiatrist and went through medical school, but is not quite prepared to handle the trauma of the town like Pete was. She doesn’t have much faith in her skills, but when one of the victims is brought to the clinic, Denise does everything in her power to save her, with a big push from Tara.
Another tough woman rose to the challenge when Jessie had a fabulous Mama Bear moment against one of the Wolves who broke into her home. After her gun was knocked away, she grabbed her barber shears and went full Sweeney Todd on the intruder. Uh-MAZE-ing. She and Carol should bond some.
And of course, Queen Carol. We’ve seen her in action before (hello, Season 5 premiere), but this brought her to a new, terrifying level of badassery. As soon as she saw danger, she didn’t miss a beat and, as always, was willing to do what others were not. At times, I wanted her to beat Morgan over the head with his own stick, but she didn’t have time for that. As much as I’ve always liked Morgan, this new respect for ALL life, even if it’s trying to slit your guts open, has gotten a bit old, and we’re only two episodes in. However, we’ll see what changes come now that he has taken a life. That being said, I was genuinely terrified he was going to be killed in the final moments of the episode, even though they’ve added Lennie James as a regular cast member. It would be a cruel move on the writer’s part, but they’ve done worse.
As for the Wolves, I want to know more. They weren’t attacking to claim, pillage, or defend territory. They simply didn’t believe the people of Alexandria should be allowed to live safely behind the walls. I don’t necessarily want to see them destroy more, but I do have unanswered questions, and hope that the few Morgan let leave will come back in some way later this season. This show isn’t much of one for loose ends.
Overall, a fantastic episode. I was not expecting Alexandria to fall this soon in the season. And sometimes it’s nice to see that much mayhem and not lose anyone you actually care about. AND there’s still next week to look forward to when the Walkers attack. Cannot wait.
Channel: Superhero 