The all-out war between Alexandria and the Saviors continues and losses are piling up on both sides. Reality comes calling as Ezekiel faces his moment of truth and the pain of loss. Carol also makes some hard choices as a cache of game-changing weapons come into play.
The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 4
‘Some Guy’
Writer: David Leslie Johnson
Director: Dan Liu
Network: AMC
What you need to know: Alexandria and the Saviors along with their respective allies are in an all-out war. In the midst of the big battle, we were left with Carol and Ezekiel leading a raiding party against Negan’s stockpile. At the end of the last episode, the group was attacked with a hail of gunfire, the outcome of which was left to the next episode.
What you’ll find out (minor spoilers): Most of the episode focuses on Ezekiel and his company. We alternate between flashbacks and developing events. Ezekiel finds himself surrounded by the bodies of his compatriots and soon in a battle for his life against their reanimated corpses. A few survivors try to help him along the way as he alternates between hope and despair. Meanwhile, Carol has made her way inside the main compound and found the people hiding the cache of guns. A firefight ensues and she finds herself in a standoff. There are many harrowing moments for both Carol and Ezekiel as they merge on each others’ position and Carol is faced with the choice of either stopping the Saviors or saving her friends.
The show ends with many hard losses for the Kingdom and a final bid for a store of weapons that could turn the tide.
What just happened: To be honest, not a lot, though there were definitely some emotionally hard-hitting moments. The loss here will probably hit some harder than many of the other recent ones. The pace of the episode slows down what up to this point had already been a prolonged battle. The theme of the season seems to be “all-out war” but this battle has already left me a bit war-fatigued.
The episode itself is nothing new to the series, it’s a spotlight on a turning point for a particular character who may or may not make it through their moment of truth. In particular, Ezekiel is tested both physically and mentally. I’m not a particular fan of the character, but those who are may have mixed feeling at the end of this journey. Ezekiel’s charm came primarily from a place of what some would call almost comical optimism in the face of the state of the world. By the end, he is no longer smiling, and we wonder if he will ever smile again.
Final thoughts: Most who know me would be unsurprised to learn that this episode’s late in the show loss took away most of my interest in the Kingdom. But it also looks like things are at a bit of a turning point for the community, so maybe that will change. It also seems there is a bit of a lull in the fighting coming for the next episode. The action and fighting has been exciting, but I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone deals with the aftermath in the quiet hours.
Rating: 8/10