‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘A Certain Doom’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season ten finale of ‘The Walking Dead’.
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Over the course of the past ten seasons; Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne and Carol and every single character that we’ve come to know on The Walking Dead, have managed to accomplish some serious wonders on this show. Because time and time again, they’ve been able to either escape certain doom or conquer incredible evil, regardless of the insurmountable odds hanging over their heads. And while that’s made for some breathtaking moments and some heartbreaking ones as well, how they continue to make this happen after all these years is what makes our journey with these characters so important and so incredibly poignant. Because every last one of these intrepid characters, believe in the depths of their souls that end of the world is humanity’s second chance, and they are willing to fight to the bitter end to give mankind the opportunity to start over in a proper fashion.
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Which is why these characters have worked hard to represent the best of us and ask the hard and introspective questions that we don’t ask ourselves today. All so that they can rise above the mistakes of the past and forge a world where peace and prosperity and safety is available for everyone. To the point where they’re even giving evil an opportunity to change its ways, and for a long time, it seemed as though a utopian ending is where this series was heading. But then came that ugly war with the Saviors, which left these good people rattled and nervous to trust others and then the Whisperers arrived to outright make things worse. Because these horrible people embrace the darkest parts of our souls and break the rules of civility and outright human decency in order to exert power over their enemies and that’s made the past year and a half, one rough ride.

One that has managed to see good people begin to give into their darkest desires and fear and that has helped to erode the sense of unity that these characters worked so hard to create. And when we last left this intrepid band of survivors a few months ago, it truly seemed as though they were facing the unthinkable. For ‘The Tower’ saw the living dead and the Whisperers, now led by Beta, surrounding the safehouse that the Alexandria Alliance used for refuge and for the first time ever, there was an uncomfortable and underlying implication that our heroes might lose this fight and the world might slip into darkness. But after a long and worthwhile wait, the fate of these beloved characters was finally revealed during last night’s season ten finale, in a manner so epic that ‘A Certain Doom’ may go down as the finest season finale in the history of the series. 

Because this one, took the time to put us on an emotional roller coaster ride, one that was filled to the brim with incredible danger. Because in order to beat the Whisperers, the group knew that they’d have to navigate that sea of death outside the walls of the Tower, in order to execute a daring plan to draw the mega herd away. And that likely meant that not everyone was going to make it out of this fight alive and the sobering reality of that, did something that seemed impossible not that long ago. In that, it reminded everyone exactly what they are fighting for, and why they refuse to back down and in a beautiful and subtle manner, these fine people were united once again. But before they could celebrate the wonder of that, the time had come to step into the herd (in a gooey walker disguise, of course) in order to finally put an end to this outright madness.

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Which is where the danger came into play. For one wrong move, or a single noise, and the dead would tear our heroes to shreds, and unfortunately that did happen to one hero as everyone moved through the herd. Since a quick scrum with a Whisperer put an end to Beatrice. But with an assist from friends in the Tower and Lydia, eventually our heroes were able to emerge from that nightmare unscathed. Which in turn allowed for their daring plan to come to fruition. Wherein a wagon cart, complete with the finest sound system ever; blasted some 80s hits to garner the attention of the dead. A move that worked and irritated the Whisperers to no end. To the point where they laid in pursuit and found a way to drive our heroes off and disable the music. And that unfortunate surprise and the situation back at the Tower, once again put the future in jeopardy.  
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For the Tower was in peril as well, since Beta ordered his lieutenants to handle any stragglers or evacuees and well, it was in this hopeless moment that everyone truly shined. For Father Gabriel did his best to stand his ground and ensure the safety of the last escaping group, and Negan even joined in on the fight to help Daryl and his team take out the Whisperers one by one from inside the herd, and thanks to everyone’s bravery, and the surprising arrival of Aaron and Maggie at the Tower… at long last, the Whisperers were vanquished and in the wake of this horrifying battle, eventually there was peace and a sense of hope once again. For now, these communities could heal at last and begin to rebuild their cities, their lives, and their dreams to create a world filled with peace and prosperity for the last vestiges of mankind. 

But while that is quite the happy ending, this is still an episode of The Walking Dead and there are still some unresolved and concerning plot threads to come out of this particular finale. For the implication is strong that something horrible happened at Oceanside while this battle played out, and Connie’s fate remains unresolved and to top it all off, Eugene and his first contact team; made some interesting new friends. For in the final moments in this tale, where Eugene’s group waited patiently to see if Stephanie was going to show after all; floodlights switched on and armed guards in incredible red and white armor surrounded the group. Leaving us with one hell of a cliffhanger, one that left all of us wondering, just who these soldiers are and whether or not… they are friend or foe. 

A mystery that will no doubt have to wait until the final season of this series to be solved. But in the here and the now, we can bask in one incredible season finale. Because this one truly had it all. Action, adventure, chills, spills and buckets and gore and it absolutely put us on the edge of our seats. For we simply didn’t know who would live and who would die in this particular tale, or if some people were going to give into their worst instincts and do the unthinkable, and well… it really doesn’t get much better than that. And truly, this finale is the perfect way to begin our farewell tour to this magnificent and sprawling series. Because now our heroes are unified toward a common cause once again, which should make them ready for whatever challenges the eleventh and final season of The Walking Dead, is going to send their way. Until next year.  

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