The Walking Dead, Season 6, Episode 10: “The Next World”

This episode of The Walking Dead is proudly brought to you by Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure 😉 Here’s what went down in Episode 10 (entitled “The Next World”), Season 6 of AMC’s The Walking Dead.

CF:  Party On, Dudes!

Season 6, Episode 2, Entitled “The Next World”

• Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is putting a new hole in his belt. Oh, look, a time jump is eminent thanks to a pic of Carl (sans eye) and Judith. But, more importantly, Rick’s wedding band is off. Oh, that’s why; he’s now Team Richonne o.O And Michonne (Danai Gurira) is already harping on toothpaste and yelling at Carl (Chandler Riggs) to stop bouncing the ball (Carl thinks it is merely physical therapy and not at all annoying).

CF:  I had the feeling that at that point at the start she wasn’t quite where she wanted to be with the relationship but it was damn close.  I guess with Andrea dead and Carol too fucking nuts for kids, AMC’s gotta keep the shippers happy.  And Carl’s being a teen, even though only a year and a half has passed since “Days Gone Bye”, so technically he’s like ten and a half.  With a deep voice and the start of a beard.

RT: And everyone was blaming the growth hormones in the chicken…

• Speaking of annoying, Denise (Merritt Wever) is asking Daryl (Norman Reedus) for soft drink so she can try and hook up with Tara (Alanna Masterson). Tara is about to go on a two week run with Heath–what could possibly go wrong with that? *cough* Negan *cough*. Before Daryl can leave, it’s Eugene’s (Josh McDermitt) turn to ask for items while Daryl and Rick are on a supply run. At least sorghum can be considered important in the scheme of the zombie apocalypse.

CF:  Though if you noticed later in the episode, Tara is over at Denise’s house, so Team Tarnise is probably a thing as well.  Enjoy the experience while you can, Tara.  😉  Also, is there something about pop–or, as Daryl would probably say, soda–that is like an aphrodisiac with lesbians?  I know Denise said she heard Tara talking about it in her sleep–Go Team Edward, I mean Denise!–but maybe I gotta step up my game to some Orange Crush.

RT: There was an awful lot of pop talk going on in this episode. Makes me wonder if it was a metaphor for something i just wasn’t getting.

• All through this episode Rick and Daryl discuss whether people are inherently good or evil. So of course someone shows up so they can debate these merits considerably…

CF:  Maybe . . . Satan?

• When Michonne is not hooking up with Rick, she is chasing Spencer (Austin Nichols) through the forest. Because nothing says character development in The Walking Dead like a shady character like Spencer sneaking off into the woods with a shovel.

CF:  For just a second I flashed on the novel World War Z and thought Spencer was trying out the Lobo.

[Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC]

• Maggie (Lauren Cohan) gets a token scene in Episode 2 of The Walking Dead. She gets to chat to Enid (Katelyn Nacon) about where Enid has been while everyone else has been securing Alexandria. Enid is unexpectedly as shady as fuck about where she might have been.

CF:  Pudding does that to you.

• Rick and Daryl come across a building with “sorghum” written on the roof. Now that was a convenient product placement, wasn’t it? They find, instead, a truck all loaded up with supplies (including Michonne’s much-wanted toothpaste). Wasn’t that a stroke of luck? So, of course Paul “Jesus” Monroe (except his surname is now Rovia) turns up to fuck things up when the pair pull in at a gas station for the soda Denise requested. Jesus (Tome Payne) is all charming and “You’d better run because a herd is coming” and “This is the next world, I hope it’s good to you,” before he leaves, making the audience wonder if he is hinting at the possibility of Rick and Daryl now being in Negan’s territory.

CF:  The moment I saw him on the screen I yelled, “JESUS!”  Yes, it’s him.  And he doesn’t save–the bastard steals!  They got the look and feel right, which is a great plus.  And this is really the biggest moment of the night, not the Team Richonne hookup.

RT: I was so happy to see him finally show up. But what is with the surname change? Decoy or not?

CF:  I guess we’ll see next week.

• 
• Jesus also sets off crackers out back which distracts Rick and Daryl, making it completely easy for Jesus to steal the truck (complete with attached soda machine). So begins Rick and Daryl’s Excellent Adventure.

CF:  “Where do you think he went, Rick?”  “I think he went that way, Daryl.”  “Most Excellent!”

• Carl and Enid walking through the forest… K.I.S.S.I… Oh, no wait, they’re just looking at old balloons and Kirkman comics. But, hey there’s Michonne and Spencer sneaking through the forest and talking about Deanna and family and shit. Then Carl and Enid come across a walker they seem to recognise. Carl attracts its attention. Enid gets pissy and heads back to Alexandria after the walker sneaks up on them.

CF:  I did not get this scene at all.  I was like, “Okay, something happen,” but nothing did.  I’m guessing this is gonna be like three episodes of Carl and Enid brooding before Enid becomes Comic Sophia to TV Maggie and . . . well, you’ll see.  That was the feeling I got with Maggie coming to Enid telling her she could talk to her.  Okay, Mom.  Oh, and figured out the walker thing in like two seconds.

RT: Yep, I agree. Also, with Maggie, I think she was trying her mummy hat on waaaay too early.

• Rick and Daryl are running. Following the conveniently dark tire track marks their stolen truck has left on the road. They come across the soda machine and stop for a drink and a chat about good vs. bad people of the apocalypse. Both agree Jesus is an arsehole.  Eventually they come across Jesus fixing the truck which seems to have broken down at the worst possible moment. They sneak up on him, capture him, tie him up (loosely) and then reclaim their van. Rick takes an awful long time swirling his keys while Daryl sorts refreshments before they leave. That isn’t obvious, is it?

CF:  I do not believe for a moment that Jesus had a flat.  I think he wanted to see if these guys were following him, and took his time to let them catch up.  Also, Rick and Daryl can’t tie knots for shit.  Maybe they should have taken lessons from Shane.  And the key twirl?  Uhg.  Rick can still be an asshole when the need arises–and he needs to give the bad guy time to get loose.

RT: Oh. I totally didn’t think of that Cassidy! Nice call. It would make more sense for Jesus to be sussing them out.

• Later on, they are driving and then they see a barn. Heading there (for sorghum), they hear noises on the roof. Of course Jesus is there. So begins the shenanigans. Rick chases Jesus across a paddock while Daryl chases on foot. Really they should have just driven off, but no, Rick gets out of his truck again and–predictably– Jesus gets inside again. Daryl tries to drag him out, Jesus pulls a gun and tells Daryl to duck so he can shoot a walker behind Daryl. Daryl then reclaims his gun, knocks out Jesus, releases the breaks accidentally and the truck ends up at the bottom of the conveniently placed lake.

CF:  “Is Jesus on the Roof?”  “Rick, JESUS IS EVERYWHERE!!!”  They could have a lot of fun with that.  Also, when Daryl jumped out of the truck I’m sure he said a full “motherfucker”, and it may show up on the DVD.  But the Dumb Shite of the Year Award goes to–envelope please.  RICK GRIMES!  The second I saw where he parked the truck I looked away and thought, “It’s going in the lake.”  Of course it’s going in the lake, because we’ve got a whole fucking field in which to park, but parking by the lake, on an incline, is going to be MUCH better.  What could go wrong?

RT:  I really hope there are plenty of Jesus jokes in future episodes. We haven’t even gotten Father Gabe in on the act yet 😉 Daryl: “We found Jesus on the last supply run.” Father Gabe: “Like the actual Jesus?” Daryl: “Yeah, Gabriel, the actual Jesus. He flew and everything.”

•  Jesus also gets knocked out cold as the open door knocks him on the way past but Rick can’t leave him behind because Jesus never pulled a weapon on them AND he also helped Daryl. So they take Jesus back to Alexandria (although Daryl wants to put him up a tree).

• Michonne and Spencer still out “walking”. Spencer is all “I don’t have a home anymore on account I don’t have any family left” and then his walker mum turns up after Carl leads her to them (and then conveniently disappears) and Spencer has to take care of her, which he does and it is very poignant. Especially when Michonne tells him he still has family on account of her chasing his sorry arse all over the woods and Spencer actually agrees.

CF:  Call me strange, but I think this was a nice moment for a character that’s pretty much been a shit for most of his time on the show, and he got a bit of closure that few others get.  Plus it gave, I think, Michonne the final impetus to get with Rick.  The whole “You have family” ties in with her figuring out what she wants—

[Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC]

• That night Michonne asks Carl why he did what he did with Deanna. He explains that someone she loves should have to put her down, not a random stranger. He’s completely right. He also admits he’d do it for her, meaning, he now considers Michonne as family (or a suitable mum replacement) and it’s time to hug it all out.

CF:  Another sign that Michonne needs to put up her sword and, um, get out another?

• Rick and Daryl drop the still passed out Jesus at Denise’s. Jesus is tied securely and Rick leaves him a note before heading off for the night.

CF:  But did you really think Jesus was out?  I think he was faking the whole way.  One other thing:  there was a sign up at the main gate that said, “Alexandria Safe Zone.”  That’s the first time it’s been called that in the show.

RT: I completely agree! There was just too much name dropping going on.

• Rick and Michonne talk about their day without either of them actually saying what they did. Then they get jiggy. Rick gives Michonne some mints (best they could do considering the toothpaste is now at the bottom of a lake) and yet they don’t even have one, so what’s the point if you aren’t gonna use one before pashing each other?

CF:  Just remember, in some cultures giving a woman mints is the same as marriage.  But of course.

• The jiggy is over and both are lying in bed asleep, with strategically placed sheets. Rick gets woken up by Jesus wanting to talk.

CF:  You gotta love that both of them were instantly awake and had their weapons out and ready.  I chuckled at that one.

“Lower your… weapon Rick.”
[Screen capture via AMC]

So, what did you think of Episode 10 of The Walking Dead? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

CF:  Not a bad episode, but I figured it was going to be on par with Cobalt, and it fell, I think, just a little short.  Also, Daryl and Rick didn’t exactly come across as all that bright in this one.  Guess they can’t be perfect killing machines all the time.  Next week, though, we see Hilltop for sure.

RT: I think I liked this episode. It was just with last week’s episode being so completely awesome, that anything following it was going to seem tame in comparison.

CF:  Yeah, I gotta agree there.  It was probably more my expectations.  But, we do have Jesus now, and we know . . . Jesus SAVES!

You can read the Episode 11 recap here.

(Photo Credits: AMC)

RELATED ARTICLES

• The Walking Dead, Season 6, Episode 9: “No Way Out” (thesnarkingdeadrecaps.wordpress.com)

//