‘The Walking Dead’ recap: Weird diplomacy
Spoiler alert! The following contains spoilers for the The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 10, "New Best Friends." To read our recap of Episode 9, click here.
OK then.
After last week’s exciting premiere, The Walking Dead slowed down a bit in “New Best Friends,” introducing us to possibly the oddest group of survivors we’ve met so far, and giving fans a reunion they’ve been desperate for.
As Tara points out to an increasingly impatient Rosita, they can’t do this all at once, they have to prepare. The back half of the season can’t all be massive zombie battles and victories against the Saviors. But the direction the show seems to be going, and the genuinely new things it’s showing, are definitely promising. And did we mention how much it helps to keep Negan offscreen? Because it helps a lot.
Trouble in paradise
Something is rotten in the the Kingdom. After deciding to keep his existing arrangement with the Saviors, instead of going to war alongside the Hilltop and Alexandria, Ezekiel is trying to keep business as usual. But Richard is not allowing that. He’s taunting and back-talking the Saviors that come to collect their tribute, who respond by beating him and Morgan and taking Morgan’s stick (the one his mentor gave to him, if you remember).
Ezekiel won’t budge on his decision, instead chastising Richard. So the unhappy guard turns to the most sympathetic ear in the Kingdom: Daryl. He’s in on Richard’s plan to start a war between the Kingdom and the Saviors until he realizes it will get Carol killed (Richard is not good at being evasive, he shouldn’t try that again).
And while Richard’s slightly ridiculous plan didn’t work out for the best, Daryl's realization that Carol is in a house down the road is the best outcome for everyone on the show. Our two faves have an emotional reunion that requires few words. They’ve been through so much together, they know how the other is feeling. Seeing Carol’s state, Daryl decides not to tell her about the bloodshed the Saviors have caused, preferring to leave her alone and content. But he’s certainly not. He can’t convince Morgan or Ezekiel to join the fight, and he can’t stay there doing nothing. He decides to head to the Hilltop alone and help get ready for the fight.
At least he got a crossbow out of the deal.
Not a traditional ice breaker
So, how about these guys? Jadis and the rest of her robotic group are, well, interesting. Everything from their dress (uniformly dark colors, noticeable even on this show) to their speech to their movements to that unfortunate haircut is a bit ... off.
All of our survivors are slightly unnerved by these people. Rosita even audibly asks what the heck is up with them. We don’t figure out their deal this week, but we do find a way to lock them up as allies: Impress them and promise them stuff.
Rick gives them the hard sell on the idea, which is helped by Gabriel finding his confidence and taking action (how weird did he look without his priest collar?). What finally convinces them, though, is Rick defeating the Rancor-like super Walker they keep in a garbage pit as proof of their strength. Although even this seems odd. When Rick asks if they kept the Walker there to test outsiders, Jadis says no. “His name was Winslow.” So he just happened to die in armor covered in knives and spikes? OK, sure, whatever you say, Jadis.
The next step in Operation Defeat Negan, it seems, is finding a whole bunch of guns to give to Team Yoda Speak. They have no idea where to look, but as Rick helpfully points out, Tara knows where not to look. How long do we think she can keep that all-female community she ran into a secret?
Scroll through photos from Season 7 below.
