'The Walking Dead' Recap: 'Some Guy'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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I’ve always found it supremely fascinating how society tends to romanticize war, and it is completely understandable as to why. After all, when a great evil is introduced to all of mankind and nations and armies rise up against said evil to conquer it and make the world a better place, how can one not look at such an act without awe and wonder and find the beauty within it all?
 
It’s why we see stories that celebrate the more noble parts of conflict in popular culture, and the fact of the matter is, some wars have managed to make the world a better place for all of mankind. But for every single story out there that romanticizes war, there are plenty of critics and storytellers waiting in the wings to remind us of the brutality and sacrifice that comes with it and last night’s episode of The Walking Dead, ‘Some Guy’, was more than happy to show us what the bold and the brave will lose when they make their stand.
 
It accomplished all of that, by zeroing in on one character in particular, King Ezekiel. Because let’s be honest, the man is incredibly attached to the romantic side of war. He sees the cause as just and true and that good conquers all and while that makes for beautiful bluster and powerful speeches, the harsh realities of war with the Saviors washed over the King in the opening moments of this episode, when he finally pulled himself free of the human shield that his subjects created, only to discover that his forces were dead and returning from the grave one by one.
 
Yet, while it seemed as though the loss of his forces, and the subsequent harassment from perhaps the creepiest Savior to appear on screen to date would be enough to shatter the once and future King, the man stood strong and well, I found that disconcerting. Because Ezekiel refused to let go the persona he created and seemed to be in disbelief that his forces were defeated and well…that’s when it hit me. This episode wasn’t just going to deliver a commentary on loss and sacrifice in wartime…it was also going to be break the King and break him hard to make him finally understand and experience the world he’s tried so desperately to hide from and it pulled this off in two painful stages.

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​First and foremost, the series shattered Ezekiel’s psyche, by finally allowing for him to witness the power of what he has built in the Kingdom, and also just how far people are willing to go for an ideal and a concept, and all the consequences that come with that. Sure, the idea of people rallying behind their King and dying in his name for honor and glory sounds great and looks great on paper, but to see it happen in person and in the most brutal of fashion, was more than Ezekiel could handle. These were fathers, sons, mothers and daughters that he took into battle, people with lives and hopes for a better future who fought to achieve that goal with the belief that they would be coming home because their King would lead them to victory, and their deaths are clearly going to haunt him since he could barely face his subjects upon his return to the Kingdom.
 
But the moment that truly broke this man, that finally allowed for him to shed his persona and forgo the fantasy was when he discovered that the dead are relentless, and that they are the true rulers of the world right now, and they will take from mankind without question and last night, they took Shiva from the King when she tried to protect him, and while some may not see the loss of a kickass tiger to be as powerful as say the loss of Glenn or Abraham, to Ezekiel…she represented the first real honest and good act that the King performed in his life. She symbolized the transition to becoming a better man who could actually do some good for a change and in losing her, the King says farewell to his innocence and his romantic notions of war, and who knows if he will ever be the same after this bloody and pyrrhic victory.
 
Yet the story wasn’t filled with only gloom and doom. This episode did feature a healthy dose of Carol in full on warrior mode since she was able to escape the initial onslaught before singlehandedly taking out ninety percent of the Saviors hiding behind their big guns and the two that she didn’t get to, well Rick and Daryl dealt with them. In fact, that was perhaps the most thrilling and joyous moment of the night since it involved a high-speed chase and also, who knew that Rick Grimes was this big of a badass? I mean come on, the dude leapt from his jeep and into the enemy’s truck like a bloodthirsty Indiana Jones. 
 
But all of that joy and badassery aside, make no mistake about it, this was a dark and sobering episode, one that could change the course of the war since the Alliance lost plenty of good people on this day and in all honestly, I’m quite concerned as to whether or not Ezekiel has any fight left in him after this harrowing incident. My hope however, is that by seeing the spoils of war, and by truly understanding this world and what’s at stake now, that Ezekiel will continue to fight the good fight so that years from now, when the war is over…people will properly honor those that were lost, and hopefully when they hear tales of this conflict, the old King telling the story will strip away the romance that comes with their sacrifice so that others can learn that they have to find a better way. Until next time.

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