“We need to look like the monsters…just make it all pretend and pretend you’re somebody whose not afraid,” pleads Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) as she convinces, her son, Sam (Major Dodson) to wear a walker-stained sheet…yep that happened. Rewind, the previous episode’s climatic ending of the watch-tower falling over, allows the walker heard to break into Alexandria. Fast-forward, Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Ron (Austin Abrams) fight one another in the garage, causing the walkers to easily, break into the Anderson household. Too bad a couch blocks their way to supper. Please, in the future don’t have Carl state the obvious after winning a fight, “I get it, my dad killed your dad…but there’s something you have to know, your dad was an asshole,” right, like Ron didn’t already know that fact. Fast-forward, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) kill two walkers, yes because that’s enough guts for about eight people. Now we have seen this trick multiple times…but never for so many people and not with sheets. In the past, various group members practically took baths in the walker guts before wondering out into the heard. This action leads to a great shot of our heroes blending in with the monsters, right before our eyes. The midseason finale, Start to Finish, ends with an awkward sequence, as Rick leads his group into the walker heard. Too bad, they all stuck out like sore thumbs…I mean most members didn’t have any blood on their faces. Theoretically, the scene should be pretty epic as this Alexandrian family finally comes to terms not only with the monsters in their lives…but who they must become to survive. Nice attempt writers, too bad you brought Glenn back to life last episode, so the suspension of disbelief wasn’t there to support this turning point.
“It’s just an infection,” explains the wolf (Benedict Samuel) to Dr. Denise Cloyd (Merritt Wever), “I was breaking into a car and cut myself on a rusty bumper, just like that…it’s not unfair, or just…nothing is unfair anymore.”, This well written moment, between a killer and a healer really stuck out from the rest for me. Their world ends with a virus, an infection, it’s still unclear about how, or why…it just happened and now the walkers are here. A disease doesn’t discriminate; it just spreads, regardless of all your good deeds. In addition this conversation intersects with the Carol/Morgan morality debate and Tara’s resolve to defend their newfound home…at all costs. “A place like this gotta have a price, right?”, says Tara (Alanna Masterson) to Rosita (Christina Serratos). Okay, so essentially they’re saying that our central characters need to pay the price, by cleaning up the Alexandrian’s messes, in order to stay. Well in that case, I’m with the wolf, because nothing is fair in this world. The wolf/doctor also connects with Carol (Melissa McBride) and Morgan’s (Lennie James) continued morality debate. She makes her way to the cellar to discover both the doctor and the wolf. Morgan attempts to talk Carol out of killing the wolf; “We are not better than them…not if we kill.” Oh, how the tables turn, remember Morgan was originally put in a cellar after entering Alexandrian during the season five finale; the prisoner turn guard. “They made us kill, we had to stop it…I had to stop it,” explains Carol, as she attempts to stand her ground on the matter. Too bad, her broken speech makes us see her bluff, at least recognition that she’s beginning to question who she’s become. Now finally, we see a brief fight break out between Morgan and Carol. Pretty good scene…but like most plotlines this episode, the pay off is very underwhelming. Morgan knocks Carol out, and then the wolf grabs his staff and knocks him out; leaving our poor doctor defenseless against the monster. Oh wait…Rosita, Tara, and Eugene (Josh McDermitt) were conveniently locked in the garage downstairs, so they are able to save Dr. Cloyd…nope. Ultimately, they hand over their weapons and watch the wolf hold Dr. Cloyd hostage and lead her into the walker-ridden streets. Really? Great, the only Alexandrian I have come to like, is now separated from the group.
“Will you look out for him [Spencer] like you look out for your own people? Guess what…they’re all your people, they are…but that’s how it is…I ran over to help you because you are one of us,” explains Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh) to Rick, as she’s on her deathbed. Great, Rick’s now responsible for all of the surviving Alexandrians, right after walkers have overrun their sanctuary. Hopefully, there are enough sheets for everyone, so they can all make it out alive. Remember Deanna’s last words to Michonne, “Some day this pain will be useful to you,” well that and her katana sword, which was back in action this episode.
Oddly enough, as unsatififying as this midseason finale was, I am still looking forward to it’s return on February 14th, 2016. I mean once the show returns then we’re that much closer to Negan’s grand entrance during the finale. Really, this show needs a shocking Lori-esque, season three death scene, or as SNN host, Pete Benavides says, “it’s really becoming the show who cried wolf.” Great description, even though the wolf has fled, but the saviors are around the bend. TBC.