The Walking Dead’s string of strong episodes continues.
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Staff Writer
The Walking Dead: “Adaptation”
Season 9, Episode 9
Airdate: 2/10/2019
***SPOILERS INCOMING***
In “Adaptation,” The Walking Dead picks up right where it left off in its mid-season finale. The gang fights off the invading Whisperers and other walkers while making a hasty exit from the cemetery.
I am amazed at how well Daryl’s character has been rehabilitated this season. Norman Reedus has been knocking it out of the park this year.
That being said, I thought that Michonne’s goading him into being a co-leader of Hilltop alongside Tara was both unwarranted and inappropriate. Setting aside her role in whatever started the schism between the communities, Michonne is not the leader of Hilltop and should not have the influence to put a new leader in place. As well, the beginning of this season established that Daryl doesn’t want to be considered a leader and he’s not comfortable in that position. Why would Daryl agree to taking a leadership role if it’s not his thing? Michonne is not in charge of him; he could always just say no.
“Adaptation” introduces a big character from the comics — Lydia, the daughter of one of the Savior leaders (I won’t spoil who here, but it’s easy to put two-and-two together based on the episode’s end.) Lydia is a big character right now in the comic series, but her character on the show looks to be pairing up with Henry instead of the late Carl Grimes. Without Carl on the show, it remains to be seen what path Lydia will ultimately take. If one thing is for sure, it’s that she is not to be trusted right now.
The end of “Adaptation” also formally introduced the leaders of the Whisperers group: Lydia’s mother, Alpha, and her second-in-command, Beta. They take Luke and Alden hostage to end the episode. Alpha and Beta look absolutely terrifying, and that’s awesome!
Another topic that must be discussed is Negan and his short-lived escape from Alexandria. Judith catches him on the way out and actually lets him go after some kind words from the former Savior leader, but makes it clear that the next time she sees him, she’ll shoot at him. It was a surprising choice on Judith’s part; however I do enjoy the interactions between her and Negan.
If any more proof was needed that Negan has changed in the eight years since the war ended, he quickly decides after spending time at the abandoned Sanctuary compound and other places beyond Alexandria’s walls that life on the outside is not for him anymore; he willingly attempts to return to his jail cell in Alexandria. Judith spots him on his way back and keeps her promise to shoot.
Note: Negan should know better than to ride a motorcycle in the zombie apocalypse. He’s not Daryl, it won’t end well for him. That being said, Negan is escorted back to the Safe-Zone by Judith. Rick would be so proud.
Overall, this was a strong mid-season premiere. It continues a nearly perfect run of good-to-great episodes for the show. The quality of the show right now is fantastic, firing on all cylinders episode after episode. Season 9 of The Walking Dead has been rather remarkable; I hope it stays that way.
SCATTERED OBSERVATIONS:
– The Walking Dead was recently renewed for a tenth season! After such a great season so far, that’s fantastic news to hear.
– There were no appearances from Carol in this episode and she won’t pop up during the next episode either. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t look like anyone from The Kingdom or Alexandria Safe-Zone will appear in the next episode.
– I do wonder how Michonne will react to Negan’s escape and Judith’s willingness to let it happen. The time jump has made clear that Michonne has become a very different character than we saw at the beginning of the season, and she probably won’t react well to what has happened.
– Rosita is pregnant and the father is… Siddiq? That’s actually what happens the comics, but I wasn’t expecting that here. Good for him!
– Eugene is still romantically interested in Rosita. That’s weird.
– “Jesus is dead.”
– Tom Payne (Jesus) literally got paid to just be a corpse that gets carried around for half the episode. That’s got to be the easiest payday ever.
– I’m pretty sure the clearing Negan finds himself in at one point during the episode is the exact same clearing where he killed Glenn and Abraham. That brought back some memories.
– Speaking of Negan killing people, after watching seasons of him being an over-the-top monster, it was unintentionally hilarious seeing him run for his life from a pack of wild dogs. That was not a threat I was expecting Negan to encounter.
– “What can I say? I like to swear in front of my friends.” That’s a pretty accurate description of Negan’s communication skills.
– I’m not sure that it’s the exact same spot, but I do think Luke and Alden also passed by where Negan and Rick had their final fight in the Season 8 finale while they were searching for everyone.
– Henry is still the worst kid in the zombie apocalypse. Daryl yelling at him to shut up was great.
A BRIEF NOTE ABOUT MICHONNE:
This episode debuted a week ahead of time on AMC Premiere, and as such I had time to view the episode early. As I was putting the finishing touches on this article, news broke that Danai Gurira (Michonne) will be departing The Walking Dead next season. It’s currently unknown exactly what this means for the Michonne character. Will she die? Will she go off to be in Rick’s movies?
One thing is for sure though: Michonne will be apart of Season 10. But what comes after that is anyone’s guess right now.
Seven years is a long time to be apart of a show, and it’s clear that Gurira is ready to move on to the next phase of her career. Her work on the show has always been outstanding, and when she does leave, she will be missed. This looks be an amicable split, and until we hear otherwise, this may not be the end of Michonne on The Walking Dead.
