‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Lines We Cross’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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I will never forget Halloween, 2009. Because that was the night this zombie fan happily settled in to enjoy the series premiere of the small screen adaption of The Walking Dead, and my goodness did ‘Days Gone Bye’ blow me away. For that particular tale was a legitimate slice of zombie horror, one filled to the brim with guts and gore and bone chilling moments, and heart for that matter as well. And while I wasn’t sure what would come next after that wonderful episode, since zombies weren’t exactly a prime time cup of tea a decade ago, clearly what that story offered to the world resonated with so many because just like that, TWD was an overnight sensation and a ratings juggernaut and it’s wild success has given it unprecedented longevity, the kind that has brought us to a tenth season.
 
But while the show’s place in pop-culture history is important in its own right, what matters more about this series is the incredible journey that it has taken us upon over the past nine years. Because we’ve come to genuinely care about a great many characters on this show, to the point where their exit or untimely death has shattered us emotionally, and the emotional roller coaster this series has put us upon has also allowed for us to laugh and cry and gasp in shock at the events that unfold season to season. If anything, this trip down memory lane and what makes this series great is on my mind today, simply because it’s obvious from last night’s season ten premiere of the saga, that this series is trying to return to its roots and provide us with more stories that focus on the characters and emotional experiences.
 
Which is something that was hammered home by a lack of big zombie related moments and stunning surprises last night. Instead, ‘Lines We Cross’ turned its attention to one particularly important emotion that just so happened to be surging through the veins of our favorite characters, fear. Because fear was everywhere in this particular tale, and that was a direct result of the fact that everyone in Alexandria and Oceanside were terrified at the prospect of the return of the Whisperers, even though they’d been silent for some time. But the discovery of a skin mask sent shockwaves through both communities and brought fear to the surface since we saw so many characters begin to exhibit erratic and angry behavior related to the terror in their souls and really, this was merely the beginning of an oddly philosophical tale, one that worked to provide us with an important message, in that, fear divides us all.
 
For when fear infects the masses, logical decisions in essence go out the door, and we are quick to invoke the fight or flight response and do whatever we must in order to see another day and that can shatter a community on a moment’s notice and that’s why it was so satisfying to see level heads present here. For Michonne worked hard to ensure that everyone kept their cool in regard to this discovery and she was quick to remind everyone to not proceed with any violent or panicked response until more information was available. And it was just nice to see this present in a horror story for a change rather than letting bedlam reign supreme and what I appreciated about this part of the story, was that it felt like a lovely throwback to the first season of the series. Since year one eventually revealed that a lack of unity from mankind, which was a direct result from embracing fear, allowed for the worst-case scenario to come to fruition and we quickly came to learn that there was a genuine rhyme and reason for introducing this little throwback into the story.

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​Because by reintroducing a sense of panic into the series, the story found a way to use it to provide the characters with genuine growth. Because this particular tale also featured a disaster that could have spun out of control, since an ancient satellite from the defunct Soviet Union crash landed near Oceanside, sparking fires in the nearby wooded areas in Whisperer Country and this left the community with quite the tough decision. In that, they could violate the treaty and fight the fire before it got out of hand or do nothing and let it burn and whatever happens to Oceanside, happens. Thankfully, everyone chose the first option and it was a thing of beauty to see everyone take their fears and their concerns and bury them deep down and work as one, and for their efforts they were able to keep Oceanside safe and defeat a small herd, demonstrating what man can do when united, and this part of the story served as a lovely anthesis to the throwback I mentioned a moment ago.
 
However, the decision to cross the border could of course bring forth more consequences, but that’s not something that’s worth going into today, simply because we need to take a moment and discuss some of the other interesting developments present here when it comes to some of the characters. For it was downright fascinating that the show took the time to show the fallout of Alpha’s ‘message’ from last season since it brought out fury and anger in Aaron, something we’ve never seen from him before and it also helped to engender PTSD in some of the characters as well, since Siddiq is struggling mightily to recover from the horrors he saw in the barn. Plus, Carol is also finding herself in quite the tough place when it comes to Henry’s death because she’s outright isolated herself from her friends and extended family by spending a great deal of time out at sea, fishing.
 
If anything, it was just refreshing to see this series address the fact that trauma still exists at the end of the world and that the ‘be strong’ mentality isn’t always the answer when the going gets tough, and I get the funny feeling we may see a greater focus on trauma and how we come back from it in the weeks to come. In part because of the fact that we saw Daryl take the time to try and help Carol deal with the ache in her heart and also because it seems that Carol has plans for revenge down the line. For the final moments of this tale featured an epic stare down between Alpha and Carol and the concern on Alpha’s face spoke volumes to the fact that she might be aware now that she crossed an unfortunate line, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Carol’s quest to heal her soul by way of a vendetta, will add a new wrinkle to the question that Aaron posed earlier in this tale, as to whether or not the people of Alexandria and Oceanside are the good guys when all is said and done.
 
In the end however, this particular episode really did feel like a classic episode of The Walking Dead. Because the characters and their plight were at the forefront of the story once again, and we were privy to some fascinating moments amongst all of them, the kind that tugged on our heartstrings and left us smiling and this was just the perfect way to kick-off the tenth season of this storied saga. Because it set the stage nicely for the conflict to come, and it demonstrated that there will be emotional consequences for our characters when they make the hard calls and that just reminds us that peace can be an ugly process in its own right since it requires sacrifice and blood to achieve and well, this more philosophical and subtle approach to this saga is something that definitely has my attention and I cannot wait to see where this new season takes us in the weeks to come. Until next time.    

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