‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘The Tower’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Make no mistake about it, war is absolute hell. For it is savage and brutal and costly in every sense of the word since people lose their lives in combat and infrastructure is destroyed. But what is truly fascinating about the nastiness that is war, is the sheer fact that sometimes they are fought for a noble cause. For had the world not banded together to fight the Axis powers in World War II, who knows what modern society would look like in 2020. But while sometimes there is a nobility to war, often times it is a senseless act, one that drags on endlessly for seemingly no reason, leaving some to ponder upon quite the important question in that, what exactly are we fighting for?
 
That is a question that will best be left to the philosophers and historians of the future. But in the here and the now, any contemporary analysis is handled in the world of fiction, where writers can make sense of killing in the name of a undefined cause, and it just so happens, that last night’s episode of The Walking Dead took the time explore exactly what the Alexandria Alliance is fighting for at this point, since they’ve seen quite a bit of conflict over the past decade. And it accomplished this particular feat for the most part, by having everyone step away from the Alexandria Safe Zone and examine their lives and where they’ve been and where they are going and that made ‘The Tower’ quite the bittersweet and heartfelt tale when all is said and done.
 
Because that level of reflection allowed for some healing to begin, since we saw Carol apologize to Kelly over the mistakes she made, and it was quite lovely to see Kelly offer forgiveness and recognize Carol’s strengths and remind her to not abandon them because they’ve saved more lives than anyone can count, and this sense of forgiveness and healing didn’t end with this particular moment. For Negan made an effort to reach out Lydia in her time of need, since she was clearly hurting over the passing of her mother, despite the unfortunate past she shared with Alpha. And despite being rebuffed at first, eventually his kind words reached her, and she was finally able to tap into the emotions she had buried for so long and it was quite beautiful to see Negan comfort someone for a change, and these beautiful moments extended beyond the Tower and a junked out car.
 
Because Daryl and Judith shared quite the powerful moment while they were out and about in the woods, because unfortunately Daryl was forced to put down another Whisperer and seeing more death rattled Judith and it prompted her to be open about her fears and her concerns for the future. Which motivated Daryl to slide into the Uncle role once again and teach Judith about how the world is indeed a cruel place, and how it can rob of us joy on a moment’s notice. But he was also quick to teach her that there was a flip side to this, in that there was plenty of beauty to be found in the world as well, and that there was plenty of it surrounding her in the here and the now. If anything, it was clear this episode was trying to build toward something positive, and this vignette and the others were pieces of a greater puzzle in regard to that message, and it just so happens that Eugene and his group provided us with the final piece.

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However, it did take a little time to reveal that. For their time with Princess was challenging to say the least. Because her social skills diminished during her time in isolation and that made her a tad difficult to work with, especially when one considers that she was so desperate to impress the group and win them over… that she put them in harm’s way by taking them through a minefield, when there was a better way toward the transportation she promised everyone. But once her lies and the reasons for them for were revealed, Ezekiel came to realize that she was no different than the other damaged souls that found their way to the Kingdom or Alexandria or Hilltop. And once he pointed that out to Yumiko, someone who was once like Princess, she was a touch more accepting of her, even going so far as to invite her along on the voyage.
 
Which brings us to what exactly this episode was trying to accomplish, and in essence it was trying to show all of us, that these people are fighting for a better world, one where the broken can be healed and given a second chance at life. And while that sounds supremely sappy and silly to feature in a television series where the dead return to life, this is precisely what Rick and Carl Grimes were preaching not that long ago, and slowly but surely, everyone in this story is starting to understand and embrace a better way and for proof, look no further than the elements we’ve discussed. Because everyone here offered forgiveness and kindness and understanding to everyone, and if they can defeat the Whisperers, they can get back to building the utopia that mankind has always dreamed of.
 
But the end of the Whisperers will be no easy task, and Beta’s journey in this tale is what made this story bittersweet. Because when we catch up with him here, he’s more or less lost his mind. For he is hearing voices, an amalgamation of whispers if you will, and his mind is so removed from reality that even the dead themselves seem to speak to him. But while his broken mind is terrifying enough in its own right, what took his segment to the next level, is the sheer fact that he has a brand new horde, one that is eagerly following him toward a fresh meal, because he’s found plenty for them to eat. For the location of the Tower has been revealed and the dead are closing in and that’s a hell of way to set up the season ten finale of this phenomenal series.
 
But alas, we will have to wait to see how this war comes truly comes to a close, since the finale is delayed at the moment thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. But in the meantime, we can bask in one wonderful tale. One that was stunningly positive since it was filled to the brim with some beautiful moments and some genuine growth. After all, can anyone honestly say they saw Negan playing a fatherly role, after everything he’s done? Either way, all of these wonderful moments were genius for certain, since they help to create a metaphorical showdown between good and evil. And hopefully, the Alexandria Alliance can end this battle before Beta and his flock do inflict too much damage, so that we can finally see Rick and Carl’s vision for a better world, come to fruition in season eleven. Until next time.

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