![The Walking Dead 8.01: Mercy](uploads/tv/tv_walkingdead_600.jpg)
The Walking Dead 8.01: Mercy
Scott M. Gimple
Greg Nicotero
It’s interesting the difference a year can
make. In terms of The Walking Dead, it’s a pretty huge difference. As the seventh season was about to begin, the
anticipation and dread was palpable, and the premiere itself hit like Lucille
to the back of the head. It was a
phenomenon that had people who didn’t even watch the series regularly looking
to see what the fuss was about. And then
there’s this episode. The eighth season
premiere, the 100th episode! And it
feels like the show fell back on the schedule with little more than a dull
thud.
And dull might be the word to use for the first
half of the episode. It was fairly clear
what Gimple and Nicotero were going for, but it was all too repetitive and
familiar. If there’s any indication that
the series needs some new blood behind the curtain (not unlike the kind its
spawn, Fear the Walking Dead is
getting for its fourth season), this installment makes the argument time and
again. Nicotero is just about out of
interesting things to say as a director, preferring at times to simply
highlight the effects work that his team has produced. And Gimple does little to overcome or revise
some of the same narrative missteps that plagued the source material during the
“All Out War” period.
The most blatant example is the utter lack of
logical tactics in the confrontation with the Saviors. Between the seasoned warriors from Hilltop,
Team Grimes, and The Kingdom, not one of them considers that drawing Negan out
into the open ought to include having several snipers ready to open a few dozen
new orifices in his body before he can even open his mouth. Had that happened, not only would the Saviors
be in total disarray, but Rick’s demands for an end to the fighting might have
fallen on interested ears. Instead, they
just waste a ton of ammo breaking a few hundred windows, very likely not
hitting many (if any) of the actual enemy in the process.
Otherwise, it’s a sound enough plan. Had Negan been taken out, sending a herd of
Walkers right into a compromised Sanctuary is a pretty good follow-up to such
an action. And one would expect that a
milestone episode that is also a season premiere to bring the goods. But so much of the episode is setup and a
ridiculous array of Rick’s musings about the future that just happen to be a
tease for those familiar with the source material and the time jump that takes
place after the conclusion of this story arc.
Negan also continues to have his overall
effectiveness as a villain watered down to a ridiculous degree. Negan’s biggest problem in the source
material is that he comes out strong, declaring iron-clad rules, and then
proceeds to allow them to be broken without major consequence time and time
again. By all accounts, Negan should
have used his numbers and resources to wipe Team Grimes off the map after the
seventh season finale. So why is the new
alliance given all this time to formulate an attack plan?
The sad truth is that The Walking Dead lost a lot of its momentum once it introduced
Negan in the most provocative way possible and then slowly, steadily, walked
back from it. The energy of the fandom
regarding the show is a franchise past its prime, and an opener like this isn’t
going to generate the kind of buzz and excitement that is necessary to get the
show back on its pedestal. Contrast this
to Game of Thrones, which despite
some slower seasons and criticisms of current storytelling, continues to inject
energy and faster pacing into the narrative to keep its audience engaged. It’s hard to imagine that Gimple and Nicotero
have the slightest idea how to accomplish that on their own, or they would have
already.
Some might wonder, then, if these are the words of a “lapsed fan” or someone who isn’t one of the faithful. To that I say: I’m still watching the show live, which is rare these days. But the writers have to deliver to make me want to do so consistently, which in seasons past was not nearly as difficult a prospect.
- It’s nice to see Rick and his allies being methodically proactive in some ways
- The entire way could have been over in minutes with a little tactical planning!
- For a milestone episode, this installment was distinctly lacking in energy, especially early on