Michonne realizes she’s been a hypocrite, and Daryl wastes no time going into full Whisperer mode in “Guardians.” Then it’s an all-out brawl in “Chokepoint.”
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Staff Writer
The Walking Dead: “Guardians”/“Chokepoint”
Season 9, Episodes 12 and 13
Airdate: 3/3/2019 and 3/10/2019
***SPOILERS INCOMING***
*Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to view “Guardians” during the week of its airing. As a result, this review will cover both episodes 12 and 13.
“Guardians” and “Chokepoint” were two more exciting entries to this stellar season of “The Walking Dead.” In some cases, viewers had to have a heavy suspension of disbelief, but in both episodes the story moved forward and the character development was excellent.
After two episodes away, Michonne and the residents of Alexandria are back on screen in “Guardians.” Michonne has to come to grips with the fact that, by her own decision, she and the Alexandrians are not at all living in the future that her former lover and his late son intended. It’s a confrontation between Judith and her surrogate mother that wakes Michonne up and has her realize that she’s basically become a dictator. Michonne has not been a likable character since Rick’s departure, but once her motivations become clearer, that could quickly change.
We are also introduced in this episode to Beta, Alpha’s lieutenant and second-in-command. He is a scary figure, who has to be one of the most physically strong people we’ve come across on the show. The last scenes at the Whisperer camp were very tense, and it was only a diversion created by Daryl and Connie that saved Henry (and maybe Lydia) from certain death. Disguising themselves as Whisperers was an ingenious move.
In “Chokepoint,” Daryl, Connie, Henry, and Lydia are on the run, but eventually the Whisperers catch up with them in one of the old hideouts that Connie and her group stayed in. The big fight between Daryl and Beta did not disappoint, even if its resolution was a tad bit ridiculous. No one could survive a fall down an elevator shaft, not even Beta.
That being said, after the countless unrealistic and nonsensical situations and battles in seasons 7 and 8, I’m more than willing to give this show a pass here. Beta is the most imposing force that anyone on this show has faced, and there is something about his survival that feels Michael Myers-esque. Channeling those horror tropes isn’t always a bad thing.
For many fans of the show, the next episode, titled “Scars,” is a highly anticipated one. It will finally address the events of what took place during the six years after Rick’s “death” and will also address what caused the schism between the communities as well as those X-shaped scars on Michonne and Daryl’s backs. I have high expectations for this episode and I hope that I’m not let down.
SCATTERED THOUGHTS:
– Connie is my new favorite character. Her chemistry with Daryl is great.
– Judith is awesome, even if she isn’t really Rick’s kid. With Michonne’s departure next season, I think that there is a good chance Judith will end up going with her, but I hope that’s not the case. If anything, Negan could become a surrogate father figure of sorts.
– Representatives from Alexandria are headed to The Fair. That should end well for them.
– Cassady McClincy continues to impress as Lydia. I don’t care for her comic counterpart whatsoever, which makes McClincy’s work even more impressive. Her performance gives Lydia more depth than she has ever received in the comics, and this arc and the show are better off because of it. I care about Lydia and I care about what happens to her. I’m fully engaged in her story despite having just met her, and credit has to be given to the show for that.
– Part of me wonders if any of the people at the Kingdom know about some of the things Carol has done in the past. Things like killing sick people in a prison or taking down an entire cannibal compound basically on her own. Ezekiel would probably have to know, considering he’s married to her. Still, no one knows that Jed and his group are dead and gone, so I have my doubts.
– I still cannot believe that Carol was able to diffuse a hostile situation solely with an invitation to watch a movie.
– I definitely think that Earl totally got bitten on the trip to The Fair. It’s a shame, because I like him and his wife Tammy more than I ever thought I would.
– Henry is still the worst kid in the zombie apocalypse and Lydia deserves better options for a boyfriend. Also, showing that he’s adopted Morgan Jones’ no-kill philosophy and now carries a similar stick to his doesn’t make me like him, especially considering how badly Morgan was butchered as a character on Fear The Walking Dead this past season.
