‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Lockdown’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1117 of ‘The Walking Dead’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When we last settled in to discuss the iconic AMC series, The Walking Dead, we talked at length about the shocking course that ‘Acts of God’ took from a storytelling perspective. Simply because, that episode featured one of those rare moments where our heroes… lost. Because the people of Alexandria, Hilltop and The Kingdom, have always found a way to win regardless of the odds. But having their homes in disrepair and being faced with an Army that outnumbers and outguns them and harbors a ridiculous number of resources… put them in a tough spot. Wherein they could do nothing more than sit back and watch as the Commonwealth took over and hung their banner over the places they bled to keep going and well, that definitely left all of us wondering.
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Such as what the final eight episodes of this series might look like for our heroes now that their homes were under a new flag and now that they’d angered the one leader that is able to pull the trigger on burning it all down, by exposing the awful nature she and her family harbors and well… last night’s brand new episode of the show revealed… that for now at least, more trouble and heartache and worry awaited them. For when we catch up with Daryl Dixon’s merry band of fugitives in ‘Lockdown’, they were on the run and hunted by Lance Hornsby and his boys and well… that fight was not going well. For the Commonwealth had cars and other benefits our heroes do not, leaving them in a difficult place and they weren’t the only ones dealing with trouble.

For back within the walls of the Commonwealth, there was unrest in this replica of America. For the people were taking to the streets over the exposé on the Milton family, and they were demanding justice. Which of course left Pamela in a sour and angry place and the chaos within the city, allowed for shady things to take place. For Hornsby turned his lackeys loose on those who didn’t join Daryl and Maggie in the fight and that forced both Carol and Jerry to do everything and anything to keep the kids and one another safe. To the point where they were forced to scatter through the streets and make use of hidden safehouses to see another day and not disappear like so many had in this town, and that prompted Carol to ponder upon how the heck they were going to get out of this mess, and she wasn’t the only one thinking in that vein. 

Because out in the thick of it, Daryl also came to realize that Hornsby would likely use their families to get to them and that prompted him to come up with quite the idea. For Negan and his cavalry arrived, and since Hornsby had never met Negan and hadn’t a clue of what he was capable of… he could help out with the fight and find a way to sneak off in the process and return to the Commonwealth to help Carol and the others stay safe. Which led to some to stunning actions sequences for certain, the kind that made life difficult for Hornsby, since his forces were quickly left in disarray and thanks to some guerilla work while Negan was off to the Commonwealth, those left behind ensured that he had time to save the day and that the others would remain safe a little longer, and well… the plan worked when all is said and done.

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Simply because, Negan made it, and was able to talk with Mercer and be granted quick access to the Commonwealth since he was here on behalf of the right people and once Negan was inside, he and Carol came up with a new plan to bring safety to the group. In that, if they found the now missing Sebastian, perhaps they could receive some favor from the Governor of the Commonwealth. But their mission to hunt him down, would be no easy task. For the city was also going into lockdown, courtesy of a massive herd at the outskirts of this little fiefdom in fact, the herd was so concerning… that Rosita was sent out into the world to fight and watched several good soldiers lose their lives in a gory and splattery fashion since this was a fierce fight with the dead.

But since Carol and Negan know how to get things done and stop at nothing to get what they need and want; they were able to figure out that Sebastian was hiding in a safe room. And while it took a little while to find that safe room and get Sebastian to leave it since… he was still being a little brat about anything and everything… they eventually got him free and of course, battled through the ire of the community to bring him to his dear mother. Who appeared grateful and joyous to have the new arrivals help her at last. But that’s really as far as we got with that portion of the story. Since the episode cut back to Daryl’s group and their fight and how… they were stuck in a stalemate with their new mortal enemy.

Once again leaving us hanging and wondering if by chance, Carol and Negan’s plan came too late. But while we wait to see what comes of these twists, we can celebrate, one wild and intense tale. Because this one was just high octane through and through, from beginning to end. Something we haven’t seen the show go full bore into for a while, but it was welcome, and it worked. Because tension was everywhere here and it kept us glued to our seats, likely due to the fact that we’re in the midst of the final eight episodes now. Where anything can happen and where anything goes, including character deaths and departures. But thankfully, there was none of that here, yet, but this episode did make it clear what we can expect from the next seven weeks as we barrel toward the series finale. 

In that, Angela Kang and her writers’ room are letting loose. They’re bringing forth a ‘Best of’, since nonstop tension was a celebrated staple in Seasons Five and Six, and it would also seem they’re going to let Greg Nicotero and his team at KNB, go harder with the gore… because why not? It’s the end of line, so why not test the red waters here? And if those horrible deaths are any indicator, Greg might go full Day of the Dead (1985) with his work here and just bring forth a signature gore-fest that will be studied for ages on end. But above all, this is an episode that plunged us back into this world one more time and let us know the stakes are higher than ever. For the future of humanity has to be on the line here, since this might be mankind’s last chance to really impact change or let the old guard destroy that second chance. And it will be fascinating to see if good can indeed win over the evils of the past and see if this series can finally answer the fundamental question it has asked for years now… is mankind worth saving? Until next time.

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