‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’ Recap – ‘Death and the Dead’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 209 of ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’.
​
It is definitely safe to say, that Americans tend to romanticize war and revolution and understandably so. After all, the nation’s history is wrought with heroic moments related to both. Since the Revolutionary War freed the colonies from the oppressions of the crown and of course… America’s entry into the Second World War managed to turn the tide for certain. Allowing for the Allies to bring down the Third Reich and force the surrender of the Japanese Empire, bringing decades of peace to the world and giving future generations plenty to celebrate on a consistent basis. But alas, while there is some merit to war… since it can accomplish peace, our love affair with it is a tad troublesome at times.
​
Because it reinforces the belief that all problems can be solved with military might, when in fact… war should be nothing more than a last resort. For to go to it means sacrifice and bloodshed on a level that few of us will ever understand. But alas, that lesson and reality isn’t one that will easily reach the masses and that’s why popular culture can help to spread the honesty regarding war and oddly enough… The Walking Dead: World Beyond is a story that surprisingly managed to do just that, last night. For ‘Death and Dead’ is a story that saw the Bennett family and their merry band of scientific insurrections, engage in outright combat with the CRM and early on… it appeared as thought this story was going to celebrate such matters.

For initially, the family succeeded in teaching the CRM quite the lesson in messing with innocents and playing around with lives. Because they were in fact, one step ahead of Warrant Officer Stokes and her containment team, since it turns out… they didn’t go into the tunnels after all. No instead, they snuck the dead down into the tunnels… with explosives attached to their backs so that each and every soldier below could meet their end and well… the shock of losing her team actually made Jadis amicable to doing a deal with Leo. One that would see the scientists receive a pair of trucks to escape the facility and start over anew. Which was a fine way to romanticize combat and war, and the joy of it was further reinforced by both Elton and Silas’ journey in this tale.

Because while Dennis did indeed survive his gunshot wound and had the bullet removed, there were no guarantees he would heal properly and without infection. Which prompted this duo to complete their work in shocking the CRM with a wave of Empties post haste, so they could use the confusion the dead would create, to break into the facility and load up on medical supplies and well, it doesn’t get more uplifting than that. Since it served to remind us that there is sometimes beauty in chaos and oddly enough, their successful run also brought forth some unique zombie kills. Since they used the artful globe that Kublek commissioned to run through the dead on their way back to safety and well… that’s really the last romantic moment involving war and combat this episode sent our way.

---

For once the joy was done, the realistic examination of war got under way and really, several key moments made it clear that romanticizing this notion is dangerous and unhealthy since at its core, war is nothing more than give and take between two parties that wish to have their way over someone else… as evidenced by the surprise counter offensive that Jadis put into play. Because she knew that sticking around to devastate her forces, meant that the Bennett family had other ideas up their sleeve, the kind that would likely involve destroying the nerve gas that the CRM invested so much time into… which is why she was quick to move it once her foot soldiers were gone, to finally surprise the Bennetts an give them an L and she was successful in frustrating them and confronting them.
​
Because she made sure to wait in the carpool with Huck, to surprise and attempt to gain the upper hand, and rescue Mason as well. Which led to a tense standoff, one where Jadis tried to explain the long-term decisions behind the forthcoming destruction of Portland and of course, to attempt to get them to tell her where the scientists had gone, so that Project Votus wouldn’t be a total loss and this standoff, ended badly for certain. For once Huck figured out that Jadis was also drawing this out to get the drop on the Endlings, she revealed her allegiance to them and opened fire and in the exchange… Percy lost his life and Hope and Iris and Felix… left with little to show for their attempts to rise up and march to war. For a friend was dead, and their attempts to save a city had failed.

Which genuinely served to remind us, that war is hell and more often than not, resorting to this level of violence is costly and ugly and it will require sacrifices that are not for the weak. But in the end, regardless of the cost and the suffering it brings… it is a necessity now and again and sometimes, the losses an army suffers can transform into a positive opportunity. For in the closing moments of this tale, it was revealed that Project Votus’ poison… was closer than the Endlings ever knew and with a little care and a little effort, there’s still a chance that they can be victorious over the Civic Republic Military and save Portland and hundreds and thousands of lives and that reveal, will make the wait for next week’s series finale… a difficult one for certain.

Since we are now dying to know if the Endlings can pull off such a feat and teach an evil force a valuable lesson. But while we wait to see how this story comes to a close, we can bask in the wonder of an intelligent and intense tale. Because not only did this story do a wonderful job of showing us the dangers of war and how it cannot and should not be romanticized in the slightest, but it also managed to engage us and keep us on the edge of our seats. Because this episode was filled to the brim with dangers untold, since the dead were everywhere and the CRM was out for blood and well… if that’s the kind of epic storytelling this series is bringing to the table in its penultimate episode, who knows what kind of surprises await us when The Walking Dead: World Beyond, comes to its end, next week. Until then.

---