The final eight-episode run of “The Walking Dead” continues with “A New Deal.” Things immediately pick up with the imprisonment of the reckless Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) and the desperate attempt for Pamela Minton to save her son Sebastian’s (Teo Rapp-Olsson) reputation. Meanwhile, Daryl bonds with Judith as they prepare to return home to Alexandria. It’s clear from these first two episodes that the back quarter of the show’s final season is not wasting any time.
Continuing the trend of opening the episode with classic footage, “A New Deal” shows a brief montage of Daryl Dixon’s journey in its opening minutes. Much like the Rick-centered footage from last week, this sequence is narrated by Judith Grimes. These montage spotlights on the legacy characters are not only emotional, but a fitting way to emphasize the importance of this final string of the narrative.
There’s a great moment with Ezekiel where he reveals that he has no intention of returning to Alexandria. Much like his role in the earlier seasons, Ezekiel is excited to care for another “kingdom,” as he continues to run his health clinic for the lower-class. The survivors are all having mixed emotions on the prospect of leaving this seemingly idyllic society.
A thematic thread that weaves its way through “A New Deal” is parenthood. Many of the leading characters are grappling with the responsibilities of taking care of the younger survivors. Negan and Annie receive an ultrasound, resulting in one of the softest moments we’ve seen from Negan. Daryl tries to spend time with Judith as she rebels against the idea of leaving her new friends at the Commonwealth. In a nice, albeit forced, callback Daryl retrieves Rick’s pistol from storage and tells Judith she can keep it for protection. Echoing the late Carl Grimes’ (Chandler Riggs) sentiment, Judith wants the future to be different and if she accepts this weapon that implies that more violence is coming down the line. To add to that, Judith sports the iconic sheriff’s hat for a majority of the episode, often looking exactly like Carl when her back is turned to the camera.
Daryl even confides with Carol for advice on taking care of Judith, who responds by talking about what it was like being a mother to Sophia (who perished in Season 2). Lydia (Cassidy McClincy) also has a tender moment with Carol, reflecting on the irreparable loss of Henry, who was essentially a son to Carol, from The Whisperers beheading. On a much harsher note, Pamela grapples with what to do with her maniacal son. She risks the extent of her power to ensure her son’s reputation stays clean. There’s another parental moment between Rosita and Father Gabriel, which unfortunately falls short due to the pairing’s lack of chemistry and limited screen time.
Running behind the scenes of the main Sebastian Milton-centered storyline, an imprisoned Hornsby (who was certainly giving Hannibal Lecter vibes) still commands his undercover mercenaries to wreak havoc amongst the Commonwealth. In this case, the gun-toting duo (who continue to underwhelm in terms of genuine intimidation) murder a group of custodians and release their re-animated corpses on the Commonwealth celebrations. Hornsby’s shenanigans end up directly affecting the chaos at the culmination of the episode.
The true highlight of “A New Deal” is its final few scenes. As the entirety of the Commonwealth gathers for a celebration (complete with a tonally ridiculous wrestling match) it becomes clear that something horrendous is about to go down. Eugene and Max (Margot Bingham) are plotting to expose Sebastian’s villainous side using a secretly recorded tape of his true intentions. As Pamela’s devilish son steps up to give a speech to the citizens of the community, a shiver of uncertainty serenades the scene. It’s the first time in awhile where I was genuinely uncertain about what horrendous fate would befall the characters on “The Walking Dead.”
It’s safe to say, the sequence certainly delivers as walkers (orchestrated by Hornsby) descend on the defenseless commonwealth citizens. Sebastian dashes through the crowd desperate for revenge on Max, only for Eugene to accidentally push him into a walker that was formerly a custodian at the Commonwealth. The citizens of the Commonwealth watch on as Sebastian’s neck is gnawed to shreds. It’s a pretty stellar departure from the comics where Sebastian survives only to gun down Rick Grimes, and instead he is killed by the same lower-class citizens he would mock. The crowd refuses to help the pleading teen, leading to one of the most vicious and ironic character deaths of the recent seasons. Major props deserve to be given to Teo Rapp-Olsson who not only injected the perfect amount of hate-ability into Sebastian, but went all-out for his gut-wrenching being-eaten-alive performance.
“A New Deal” twists up “The Walking Dead” formula by throwing in a major character death during a non finale/premiere episode. The chaos and terror of the episode’s final scene makes up for some of the more lackluster moments. As the remaining episode-count gets lower and lower, side-storylines and more recently-introduced characters seem like filler taking us away from watching the resolution of the characters we’ve watched survive for so many years.
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