“No one ever thinks that they’re the evil one.”
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Online Editor
The Walking Dead: “The Calm Before” and “The Storm”
Season 9, Episodes 15 and 16
Airdates: 3/24/2019 and 3/31/2019
The 10th season of The Walking Dead will premiere next Sunday, and in order to prepare for the season ahead, The Montage takes a look back at the final two episodes of Season 9.
***SPOILERS INCOMING***
Wow.
In what is arguably one of the last truly iconic moments of the Walking Dead comic series, the end of Issue 144 reveals a horrifying image: twelve severed heads of various characters that mark the border between the Whisperers “land” and that of the communities.
In “The Calm Before,” that scene finally arrives on the television show. And I would argue that once again, The Walking Dead absolutely knocked it out of the park. This was perhaps the best adaptation of an event from the comics that the series has yet to attempt. The Governor’s final assault on the prison was a clunky battle that was hard to follow, and Negan’s introduction was dragged out for far too long. This event was unexpected, terrifying, and near perfect.
I also applaud the choice to portray this event in the episode before the finale. Part of the problem with the Scott Gimple era of the show was that the flow of the stories felt so formulaic, and that anything big just had to happen in the finale. I’m so glad that Angela Kang has bucked that trend this year.
We don’t actually see these characters get beheaded, and we don’t need to. Seeing the results of it was just as chilling, if not even more so. In a way, showing a beheading scene would have very much cheapened the reveal; it’s much more shocking for our characters to discover this without having any idea it was coming, and it’s the same for viewers as well.
Unlike the comics, there are only ten characters on the pikes, and quite a few big names among them. Before we get to those bigger names, let’s take a look at the lesser-known victims:
Ozzy and Alek of The Highwaymen: These gentlemen weren’t around very long, but they went out as heroes, attempting to save everyone from their ultimate fate. It sucks that they didn’t get to see the movie at The Fair like they wanted.
DJ: One of Negan’s former soldiers, DJ hadn’t gotten much screen time since he was introduced. But he had proven to be an important asset to Alexandria in the years following the war against Negan.
Frankie: One of Negan’s former “wives” who we haven’t seen very much of in a long time. Her absence won’t be felt.
Rodney and Adeline: Two troublemaker kids from Hilltop; they will also not be missed.
Tammy Rose: This one stings for me. Tammy had really grown on me since she was introduced in “A New Beginning,” in large part thanks to Brett Butler’s performance in the role. Tammy is also the only character to be piked in both the comics and the show.
And now, we have to talk about the three biggest victims:
Enid: This one shouldn’t have been super surprising, as Enid really had not been given too much to do all season long. And really, she wasn’t given much to do the last few seasons either. Once Carl died, it was the end of her doing anything of any real note. Her demise was more shocking because of how long she had lasted on the show, as she was one of the first people we got to know when the group arrived at Alexandria. Katelyn Nacon is a good actress, and I was sad to see her go.
Tara: Finally, justice for Hershel Greene has been properly served. I’ve made no qualms about how much I did not care for Tara. As a viewer, I never forgave her for siding with The Governor in his final assault on the prison. Sure, she didn’t really do anything when she got there, but the affiliation is enough for me. I never bought the fact that the group would just take her in so willingly. It never helped that she was consistently annoying, or that I never really enjoyed Alanna Masterson’s performances. I wish Masterson the best in her career going forward, but I am so happy Tara is dead.
Also, Hershel was beheaded, and so was Tara. That is the definition of karma.
Henry: This one was without question the biggest death of the bunch, but that is solely based on what it means for Carol’s character development. This also made me rather happy. Henry was by far the worst kid in the zombie apocalypse, and his death needed to happen. It reinforced that no matter how much character development or attention that a character gets, no one is ever truly safe.
I do feel bad for Matt Lintz though. The actor was fine in the role, and it’s not his fault that Henry was the worst. Most of my resentment I think just comes from the fact that the Henry character got the spotlight thrust on him at the worst possible time (Carl’s death) during the show’s worst season. Season 8 left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths, and Henry was written in a way that was very annoying to viewers. In a way, Henry is sort of the Scrappy Doo of this show, in that he really didn’t have to be there, and he really didn’t need to have a spotlight aimed directly at him.
But he did, and the unavoidable truth is that his death will touch a lot of characters on this show. Carol and Ezekiel are going to take this especially hard, although my hope is that this ultimately leads to Carol going full “Terminator” on the Whisperers. Alpha may now know what Carol looks like, but she has no idea what she’s capable of.
For the time being though, everyone is still reeling from this attack. Winter has arrived, and the Kingdom fell. The finale episode, “The Storm,” focused on our main characters escorting the former Kingdom residents to the Hilltop to start their new life. After a season of non-stop excitement and quickly paced stories, the finale episode is decidedly more low-key; the Whisperers don’t even make an appearance until near the end as they took some “time away” during the harsh winter. During this time, Carol leaves Ezekiel due to the grief from losing Henry, and she also takes in Lydia, who is struggling to find a place in the group following her boyfriend’s demise.
The group made a few pit-stops, including to the old Sanctuary facility, which was deliciously ironic. Speaking of which, Negan gets let out of his cell temporarily (only because the winter conditions would prove to be too much to bear down there), and manages to save Judith, who ran off into the blizzard to save Daryl’s dog, from dying of hypothermia. It doesn’t come close to making up for his actions, but it is a start.
SCATTERED THOUGHTS:
– King Ezekiel gave a tour of the Kingdom to his son’s killer. That’s brutal.
– I don’t know who leads Hilltop now, as I don’t think Ezekiel will want to take on a leadership role again.
– Maggie got a mention though! I fully expect to see her in some capacity sometime during Season 10.
– I really think that Daryl and Connie being a romantic item has to be in the cards next season, based off the positive response that the duo has gotten this season.
– I do not care about Rosita’s love rectangle at all, and loved Negan’s jokes about it.
– Lydia can finally find better options for a boyfriend now, and that’s exciting.
– Negan has to be permanently released soon. I don’t see any other reason to delay it, given the threat that the Whisperers now present, and saving Judith from dying in the snow. Carol and Negan on the same side is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
– “The Sanctuary is a s**thole.” “Well I could’ve told you that.”
– I think I know who is on the radio in the closing moments of “The Storm.” I’ll wait to address that one until next season. And no, it’s not Rick or Maggie.
And that’s a wrap for Season 9 of The Walking Dead. As someone who went into it expecting to hate it, I was pleasantly surprised by how much the show has improved. It’s especially notable due to the absence of lead actor Andrew Lincoln following “What Comes After”; the quality of the show did not drop whatsoever following his departure, even if the number of viewers did. Angela Kang really did a marvelous job with the Walking Dead in her first year as showrunner, and I look forward to seeing what she’s got in store next season.
