‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘A New Beginning’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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It is quite the fascinating time to be a fan of The Walking Dead, simply because, we are truly in undiscovered country when it comes to this powerhouse and storied franchise. Gone is the comfort of the comic books, wherein we knew, for the most part, what kind of plot lines awaited us down the line. Instead that knowledge has been replaced with bold and powerful moments that defy standard storytelling tropes and quite frankly the decision to deviate from the comic has seemingly divided the fan base as the years roll on and well, I for one welcome the bold changes that have come forth from said decision. Because by breaking free of the constraints of the printed word, the show has been able to explore some incredible things.
 
After all, I’m hard pressed to think of another franchise that was willing to give us two tough years of oppression under the thumb of a disgusting and charismatic villain. Nor can I think of a series that was willing to bid farewell to a critical cast member who still had plenty to contribute, or in this case, one whose story in the comics extended far beyond the ‘All Out War’ arc and now, the biggest changes yet await us on the horizon, for we have been promised a different feel to the show and it’s now public knowledge that Andrew Lincoln will be leaving the titular role of Rick Grimes this season, and I have to admit, that I truly didn’t know what to expect when I tuned in last night, a feeling that I haven’t experienced when it comes to this series since its premiere episode eight years ago.
 
So, I suppose the best way to dive into this particular tale is to answer the burning question on all of our minds, does the show feel like brand new? Well, yes, it really does. From the opening credits of ‘A New Beginning’ to how the episode was shot and how the story played out, everything felt exciting and new. Gone is the show’s reliance upon flashbacks in order to flesh out the backstory for a particular episode, instead we were plunged right into the moment, wherein the character’s dialogue filled us in on what we missed after last year’s season finale and this particular change up in storytelling design is a welcome device because it’s something the series has never really used and the surprises this episode had in store for us didn’t end there.
 
Case in point, the fact that the special effects this year are going to evolve and give us new things we’ve never seen before in the zombie genre. Because I simply cannot recall a walking corpse story that’s featured nature working to reclaim the world that mankind left behind, but that was front and center in this tale as we saw the modern trappings of our world crumble around Rick and his friends and it was eerie to see Washington D.C., lie in ruin and of course, the zombies only enhance this look and feel further since Greg Nicotero and the team at KNB have outdone themselves this year, giving us corpses that are falling to pieces in unique and stomach churning ways and the dead are dangerous once again now that the survivors seem to be running low on ammunition.  

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But, let’s be honest, what we love about this series goes beyond the visuals and the gore, it’s about the characters and I know there’s been criticism (that I staunchly disagree with) revolving around the show not providing its characters with enough growth as of late, and this premiere answered those criticisms in spades by taking character development to a whole new level in this premiere. Everyone’s fears and doubts were on display here, something you rarely see in the horror genre and it was fascinating to hear about how some simply don’t believe peace and unity is going to work between the respective communities, despite the fact that it’s clear that peace has been a staple of this world since the war ended and that fear and doubt was given new life when the show took the time to reveal that…in many ways Rick and his friends have been living a giant lie since the end of the war.
 
Because it’s inherently clear that the cost of the war did just enough to keep all of the communities in line and its end helped them to believe that they were doing something to better themselves and better the world, but the harsh reality of this bold new world, is that nothing was ever resolved on that fateful day when Negan was taken into custody. There is still a lot of bad blood flowing between the various communities and slowly but surely, it’s starting to bubble over and really, the only thing keeping it together at this point is Rick himself. His vision of a better world, the one that his son inspired, and the enthusiasm that he exudes over it, really is giving people a dream to chase and live for, but one has to wonder, exactly how much longer the dream will hold before the dam of disdain breaks between the communities, and already, we had a taste of that fury in the most unexpected of fashion.
 
In fact, the big surprise of the night came about by way of a return to Hilltop, where it seems Gregory made one last power play to keep the community under his control and of course, he lost that bid. But that sure didn’t stop him from trying to regain that power by motivating a father who lost his son on a supply run to kill Maggie, leading to a final showdown at last between Maggie and Gregory, one that Gregory loses and one that costs him his life and well, I never thought I’d see the day when that weasel was dealt with in such brutal fashion and I also never thought I’d see the day when Maggie turned her back on the bigger ideals of the new world, and do her best to make her own power play with Rick since she offered up some new demands for Hilltop when Rick requested her help in getting a badly damaged bridge repaired.
 
Yet, while that seems ominous in its own right, and as though the show is falling back into darker territory when the cast and crew have promised us a brighter future and a more idealistic show, I’m inclined to believe that the cast isn’t blowing smoke our way. Because the most impressive part of this episode, is that the negative energy and fury and ire that the characters exhibited in the prior two years, is seemingly frowned upon by their peers now, which means that more than likely, this season will focus on a tough push to overcome and resolve the past in order to move forward, which means we are in for a character focused treat, one that will force everyone to either give in to the darkness once again, or rise to the occasion and I cannot wait to watch more of this new beginning, and all the wonder that will come from it in the weeks to come. Until next time. 

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