The Walking Dead S6 E1: First Time Again

Sure, why not. I’m having trouble coming up with ideas lately and a lot of people watch The Walking Dead so I may as well start recapping it.

“First Time Again” was good. The flashbacks kept things moving so we weren’t stuck in Peyton Place for a few episodes before the action with the quarry started. Although the black and white didn’t always look good to me, like there wasn’t enough contrast to tell what was happening, the wide angle shots of the zombie horde looked creepy, like they were a bug infestation. I wonder if the gang shot themselves in the collective foot with Carol playing helpless homemaker since she won’t be able to use her skills to help out in the quarry.

The flashbacks also lent an irony to certain events. In one ham-handed scene, Carter plots to kill Rick and Rick has mercy on him, only to be forced to kill him later before he can zombify. You have to wonder if self-interest drives some of Rick’s decisions, like conveniently killing Carter before he can challenge his leadership, or refusing to bury Pete within Alexandria so he can get closer to the widow. Pete was an abuser, yes, but in the real world, the police still let abusers’ families decide where to bury them. But I guess no one, not even the viewers, may question Rick.

Good for Jessie for rebuffing Rick’s advances. Macking on a woman whose husband just died, especially when you’re the one who killed him, is, shall we say, simply not done. Give her a minute. I’m sure that kid is going to be trouble.

The real challenge to Rick’s authority lies not with Carter but with Morgan. Like Michonne, Morgan has been able to balance realism with compassion. Also like Michonne, Morgan is also watchful and very perceptive, being the only outsider who is starting to figure out Carol’s game. I liked the moment after Rick killed Carter and Morgan told Michonne “I know it has to be this way, but …” But even though people may have to do horrible things to survive, there is room to be appalled at the whole thing and hold onto some humanity. Morgan and Michonne have done that better than Rick.  

I am looking forward to filling in the blank more on Morgan. How did he pull himself back from the brink of insanity after we saw him fortified and paranoid a few seasons ago? Who taught him how to fight like that?

The whole Ricktatorship thing got boring for me awhile ago. Rick himself also bores me. The most radical things they can do with Rick’s character at this point are either have his rule go so far over the top that they are forced to shun him or actually prove him to be wrong on something. Even a great leader isn’t right 100 percent of the time.