The Walking Dead’s ‘The Next World’ was the breather required to remind Alexandria (and us) of what we have and what’s yet to come. A new ship blossomed and set Twitter and Tumblr on fire, Rick and Daryl bonded during their little outing, and the introduction of Jesus somehow managed to lighten the mood of a show rife with angst and general loss of life.
Let’s talk about it!
A Ship is Born
Richonne (Rick/Michonne) happened and there’s no going back. These two are warriors and friends who love and trust each other. They have grown into companions who know that the other will fight tooth and nail to survive. What happened between them was an organic progression of something many had seen brewing for seasons. It wasn’t angry, a way to lose themselves, or a moment of loss. They were both happy and in this domestic place where there was no worry of death around every corner and they could let themselves go. Even when danger, aka Jesus, shows up they’re so in sync that they both pop up at a moment’s notice to protect each other. Now that’s a partner you want to have in your life, out on the streets watching your back, and in your bed.
If you follow the comics, Michonne has obviously taken the place that Andrea holds in Rick’s life. It’s going to be fascinating to observe how Richonne develops in comparison to it’s comic book counterpart and the relationships they have there.
Rick and Daryl’s Excellent Adventure
The only other person that is totally in sync with Rick is his brother Daryl. They’re road-trip was the right amount of funny and dangerous that we needed after last week’s horror fest. They had crappy music that annoyed Daryl, sharing of junk food, and picked up a cutie at a roadside stop. Rick even purposely jerked the car to the side so Jesus would tumble over onto Daryl’s shoulder. That’s what brothers do. They depend on each other during the hard times and have a bit of fun during a scavenging trip to supply their home. This relationship has also had an organic progression where they went from enemies, to comrades, to friends, and finally family. At the end they agreed to go back out there and do it all again tomorrow because they’d want no one else to have their backs (well except Michonne and Carol.)
Hello, Jesus!
Jesus (Tom Payne) came in as a long haired beauty who tried to bum rush Daryl and ended up stealing their truck. He started off a mad chase scene that included a lot of running after the truck, Jesus jumping on said truck like a spider monkey, and Daryl chasing the slippery as hell Jesus through a field. It was the right amount of slapstick and childish antics that you can’t avoid no matter how serious a show is. His introduction starts off a journey to the Hilltop Community that is well known in the The Walking Dead comics. And the only reason I believe he takes them there, or even offers to at the end of the episode, is because they took him in. They brought him to Denise, made sure he was ok, and fed him. Like our survivors, he’s been out there long enough to know the difference between the good and bad people of the apocalypse.
It’s time to make some allies Alexandria. Especially with someone who can run from Daryl and still save his ass from a walker all in one sequence.
Other Observations:
- Carl might be dealing with angst over losing his eye but he’s not as lost as we’d expect. He had enough respect for Deanna and her family to lead her over to be killed by her son. Kind of creepy but respectful at the same time.
- Denise and Tara are sleeping together.
- ‘Pop’ is the MidWest’s way of referring to ‘soda’. Not afraid to admit I didn’t know.
- Tom Payne aka Jesus is a British actor who grew up in the same town as Andrew Lincoln aka Rick. Fate.
Next Time on The Walking Dead 6×11 ‘Knots Untie’:
The Walking Dead airs Sundays @ 9/8c on AMC.
