This has been a persistent problem with The Walking Dead’s trajectory for a while now, as it has turned its shambling corpses into what is essentially set dressing for the broader conflicts. If you hadn’t already picked up on this, none of this sounds like much of a post-apocalyptic show filled with zombies. ![]() However, there is a wrestling match that ends up functioning as propaganda for the community’s leaders so win some, lose some. There is a prevailing element of corruption that has created a class divide, but it rarely gets explored beyond the broad strokes. The series has been trying to grapple with the political complications of the Commonwealth for a while now, yet it still is never well-realized. Maybe there will be an appearance by them at the end that will connect everything, but there is still a steep road to climb to get there. With that central conflict put front and center, their absence is tough to overlook, especially when their daughter Judith ( Cailey Fleming) is still around and reflecting on the legacy her parents left behind. On top of that, fans of the comics will know that Rick was still quite important in terms of the Commonwealth storyline that the show often struggles to find a way to work around. Without Lincoln and Gurira, the show has been lacking their strong performances and intriguing characters for quite a while now. There also is the broader storytelling issue that both Rick and Michonne ( Danai Gurira) are long gone to get a - you guessed it - spin-off of their own. While spin-offs are not necessarily a bad thing and can even give this universe some potential new life, it does undercut much of what is playing out when some endings are rather fixed. It isn’t a spoiler to say that not only is Daryl getting his own solo spin-off, now without Melissa McBride’s Carol, but Maggie and Negan are somehow getting one as well. Threaded throughout all of this is the looming knowledge that most of the main characters are likely going to be just fine. RELATED: 'The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus Says the Daryl Spin-Off Will Have a "Whole Different Vibe" Suffice it to say, things are still tense and the characters once more find themselves at an inflection point about what they will do next. Too much more about the plot is not worth getting into as it would both tip off how some storylines get (seemingly) wrapped up and require a mountain of background info. There is a great deal of sneaking, some explosive shootouts, and even a bit of a car chase in what is clearly meant to be an exciting way to kick off the final episodes. The opening scene sees Daryl in a building using his knives to precisely take down a handful of zombies, who are now largely background noise, before looking outside to see the more threatening enemy. They reconnected with Aaron ( Ross Marquand), Gabriel ( Seth Gilliam), and Negan ( Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to get ready for a war against the Commonwealth. Maggie ( Lauren Cohan) barely survived a fight with Leah ( Lynn Collins) and was only just saved by Daryl ( Norman Reedus) who had to shoot his one-time companion. Picking up where the last episodes left us, the Commonwealth has continued to gain control after Lance ( Josh Hamilton) successfully took Alexandria, Hilltop, and Oceanside. It isn’t completely terrible and is more just sad as it starts to wind down with a sense of resignation. Everything feels tired and worn out with the few familiar characters only barely keeping afloat in what is now just empty chaos. Still, it is worth setting expectations about how getting into the homestretch only brings into further clarity how much the show continues to struggle to capture what made it such an early standout. Obviously, if you’ve made it this far and are reading this review in preparation for the final episodes, none of this is new information. It is hard to think of one iconic moment, visually or narratively, from the last several seasons. Rather than instilling everything with a real sense of closure or narrative fulfillment, it just makes one wish to go back and revisit The Walking Dead when it was in its prime which has too long since passed. The first two episodes of this final part that were shared with critics each open with narrated flashbacks of familiar faces that have almost all long since departed. The story itself invites this very type of reflection. ![]() After all, so close to the end, one starts to get reflective and wonder what could have been. With a long-running show like this, there is a necessity as a critic to delve into all its many flaws that have accumulated up until now.
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