‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Who Are You Now?’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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I have to admit, it was supremely weird to tune into last night’s episode of The Walking Dead knowing full well that it wouldn’t feature Andrew Lincoln playing Rick Grimes. After all, he was a mainstay since day one, and his absence was immediately felt in ‘Who Are You Now?’ and well, that definitely left me out of sorts, and it was strange to know he wouldn’t be mulling around Alexandria from here on out. And while that diatribe makes it seem as though I’m about to slip into saltier territory and lambaste the show as so many have regarding Andrew Lincoln’s exit from the series, that is simply not the case in the slightest.
 
I’m simply acknowledging the surprise that came about in my mind over the fact that he is really is gone, and that we truly are in some uncharted territory going forward, the kind that that allowed for this episode of The Walking Dead to make us feel as though we were stepping into a brand new series through and through since the characters have gone through some drastic changes in the past six years following Rick’s disappearance in a helicopter and well, I suppose the question that Gabriel poses in this story, one that shares the namesake of the episode, goes beyond mere exposition within the story when it comes to the new folks that have found their way to Alexandria, it is also an important question for the series to answer as well.
 
Because we all want to know, what The Walking Dead is going to be about going forward. And it would seem we received an idea of that during this particular tale. Because, in the here and the now, it’s clearly going to take a page out of Fear the Walking Dead’s playbook and dive deep into something that this saga has only toyed with in the past; the power of loss and grief. Because the loss of Rick Grimes looms large over all of the communities in present day, to the point where Hilltop, the Kingdom and Alexandria have more or less isolated themselves from one another, and anyone else that might be in need of help and that was stunning to see, since it doesn’t exactly follow the dream that Rick and Carl laid out, but there is a psychological method to this particular madness.
 
For it’s clear at this point that everyone wants to honor the Grimes Edict in some form or fashion and by keeping a generic peace, the kind where everyone can live out their lives in peace and rely upon one another when necessary gives them a shell of that vision, but it is just that, a shell. Because in reality, this comfortable separation exists out of guilt, and they all realize that opening up their walls and their doors to one another and allowing selfishness to enter at the same time as good intentions is what helped to lead to Rick’s ‘demise’. But this shell allows for everyone to go about a status quo and project an image of unity while they hide behind walls and either ignore their pain or slowly deal with it and for proof of that, well look no further than Carol and Daryl’s reduced or removed roles in this world.

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​The only person who seemingly is doing things a little differently, is Michonne, who as head of security in Alexandria, has tightened the community’s reigns on letting in newcomers to ensure that their tiny berg will never have to deal with a Negan-esque situation again, to the point where great conflict arose revolving around the group that Judith rescued in the woods and while it is infuriating at first to see everyone like this, it makes sense. Rick meant the world to all of them and losing him during self-inflicted strife instead of for a noble cause, has left everyone rattled and afraid. And for Michonne, well there’s something more at stake for her now since she has a family to raise, since it was revealed in this episode that Michonne gave birth to another son, one fathered by Rick, and keeping RJ and Judith safe would indeed require a different kind of effort as she tries to follow suit with her friends/extended family, and heal from the loss of someone that meant the world to her and so many more.
 
However, while it was fascinating to see these people struggle with losing a father figure and true leader, not all hope was lost. They are healing, they are getting better, and this episode served as a reminder that sometimes, losing someone that matters sometimes simply puts our plans for the future on hold, which brings me back to my earlier question, as to what exactly the show is going to be about going forward, and as it turns out, it still wants to instill hope in both its characters and the audience and see the survivors of the zombiepocalypse build the better world that father and son dreamed of and thankfully, it would seem young Judith is driving that since it was her choice to bring the new group to Alexandria and it was her words that influenced Michonne to give said group a second chance at life.
 
But, all of that wonder aside, the series was quick to remind us of the fact that this is still a horror show, one that features hideous monsters that roam the countryside and well, it went all out with that reminder in this tale since in the closing moments of the show, as Rosita and Eugene fled for their lives from a surprisingly relentless herd, they heard the dead speak in whispered and drawn out fashion and well, that was downright terrifying to say the least and it does signal the exploration of something new as well, something I don’t want to quite get into right now since it would spoil the story for those unfamiliar with the comics, but a real and chilling treat is on its way and I am super excited to see this unfold.
 
In the end however, while it was strange to not see Rick in this episode, it’s obvious the future is in good hands without Andrew Lincoln at the helm. That doesn’t mean that he won’t be missed, because he will, but damn…the performances here were strong, and the story was engrossing and there is hope that Rick and Carl’s dream will come to life and all of those elements, made this a supremely enjoyable episode, one that left me hungry for more and well, I’m ready for it to be Sunday again, so we can learn more about these ‘Talking Walkers’ (that would be a great name for a band) and see a world without Rick Grimes grow into something wonderful. Until next time.  

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