‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Family’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1123 of ‘The Walking Dead’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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There comes a point in our lives, when we realize that the path, we are on… is no longer sustainable. For it has in fact, brought us great strife and if we don’t do something about that in the here and the in the now… then misery will endlessly surround us. And when that epiphany comes, we tend to find inspiration to… do something drastic with our lives. It could be quitting the toxic job that has us down, standing up to those that are keeping us in a tough place or outright just hitting the reset button on our lives and starting over, regardless of the collateral damage that may cause because that is simply what needs to be done for us to find agency and freedom, and happiness.

Or in more extreme cases, in places we know little about for instance… people having that similar epiphany are ready to do something more drastic. For their toxic path involves an oppressive regime, one that must be toppled for them to ever have a chance at what they want... so they fight. They rise up and battle that despot/monster and sacrifice whatever they must for a better life for their family, their children and themselves. If anything, that moment when we realize we need to fight in some capacity is top of mind today, simply because it was the focus of the good people of Alexandria in the penultimate episode of The Walking Dead. For when we caught up with everyone in ‘Family’, they had simply had enough. 

Enough of Governor Pamela Milton’s nonsense and cruelty and outright desire to control everyone and everything under the guise of safety and that prompted everyone to prepare for battle. Which is why they loaded up the train and made their way back to the Commonwealth. To fight and put an end to the fear and give everyone a better tomorrow where they would never worry about such matters again and oddly enough, the train ride back, gave everyone a chance… to reflect on their journey and the ups and downs it has brought them. Which in turn allowed for some to find forgiveness after all this time, such as Negan and hope took root in others… such as Judith Grimes as they barreled toward an epic battle, one that thankfully was going to be joined by strong allies in the heart of the Commonwealth.

For after Mercer hid Eugene away and played the ruse, he quietly worked to assemble a massive coalition of the willing within the Commonwealth’s own walls while Yumiko and Max stirred discontent amongst the populace, to try and bring Pamela’s end to a quick and quiet resolution with minimal loss of life. But sadly, few of them were prepared for the reality that Pamela was quietly thinking ahead and using her strong distrust of anyone without the last name Milton to build up her own plans for tomorrow. Part of which involved keeping a close eye on Mercer and anyone else she was suspicious of through promises of power for the weak, and through, a horrifying plan that hammered home just how much power and control she actually yields.

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Because the swarm/herd that Aaron and his lot were caught up within kept getting bigger and oddly enough, the people they thought were searching for them in the herd, never once came close enough to finding them. That’s because… they were leading this herd into other herds and they in turn were moving that super herd toward the Commonwealth, all so that Pamela could use another lockdown to garner control, and unfortunately her plan came with consequences. The kind that saw the group be split up and saw Lydia have a chunk taken out of her arm. Putting her in the position to lose her arm and weakly try to heal without medical attention and the dead surrounding her, and that wasn’t the only problem that came forth from Pamela’s twisted machinations.
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For as the lockdown began to get underway, she quickly had Mercer arrested, despite the threat lurking at their walls. Simply because she needed to maintain that illusion of control and as for our other heroes… well… she was ready for the fight. Because the Alexandria Alliance arrived back in the Commonwealth through the tunnels beneath Union Station and walked right into a trap. One that saw a fierce and costly firefight take place. The kind where Pamela herself, put a bullet into young Judith, a horrifying move that reminded us of just how evil and twisted a person she truly is. But thankfully, the shock of that cruel moment, and the skill of these fighters allowed for everyone to escape onto the street and face the other horrific consequence of Pamela’s ignorance.

In that, while the battle raged on in the city, the dead reached the outer perimeter and since no one was thinning the herd, the bevy of variants that were hiding within its mix went into action and climbed the walls and managed to open up the gate. Which in turn brought forth a horrifying set of visuals, that served as a beautiful homage to George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead. Where the gates opened and the dead just meandered in, and just like that… the walking dead were within the Commonwealth’s walls, and all were able to see the horror of the variant in the midst of the chaos on the streets. The kind that saw our heroes overwhelmed by living death and desperate to save a life at a time where bloodshed ruled the day. 

All of which, is the perfect way to set the stage for the final episode in this powerful and sweeping journey. For everything is now on the line. Since our heroes are surrounded by a massive herd filled with variant walkers and Judith is gravely wounded and barely hanging on and the future… of the Commonwealth and our heroes and all of humanity, hangs in the balance. Courtesy of one powerful tale. One that truly raised the stakes to their absolute highest for this series, featured redemption and scared the living daylights out of us and well… just like that, we are now faced with the toughest wait for all when it comes to this series. For only one episode remains in this, eleven season, twelve-year journey and it is definitely safe to say that what comes next… will wow us like never before and leave us in utter tears as we say goodbye to a series that has moved us in ways, we never thought possible. Until next time.

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