‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’ Recap – ‘Foothold’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 202 of ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’.
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Truly, there is no greater moment in a story… when we finally come to understand the whole of the plot. Because that is the moment when we fully comprehend what said story is trying to accomplish and what is at stake for the characters and that more or less sucks the audience right in. Since now they are truly invested the story and must know how it ends and really, that particular moment in storytelling is relevant to our discussion today… because the beginning of that moment took place during last night’s episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. For ‘Foothold’ is a story that took the time to properly explore some of the inner workings of the Civil Republic Military, giving us great insight into their purpose and functionality.
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Which is something that has been… a long time coming for fans of The Walking Dead Universe. After all, ever since those first logo-ed helicopters appeared in The Walking Dead, we’ve been dying to know more about this organization and what makes them tick and that mystery has only gotten worse by way of Fear the Walking Dead and this series as well, since we’ve been privy to nothing more than mystery and might in regard to this organization, and its cruelty as well. But as it turns out, the CRM isn’t completely grounded in evil through and through, for they do seem to value the importance and the power of family life and unity… as evidenced by the fact that once Hope was done with processing in an undisclosed part of the facility where her father works… she was able to finally reunite with him.

A moment that was quite frankly, surprising in nature. For this series and the universe as a whole have been mired in some supremely dark territory as of late. Which made it quite lovely to see father and daughter embrace after all this time and catch up and revel in the connection that we only share with family members, and it was equally as refreshing to see a sense of normalcy again. Since there was something quite calming about seeing Hope and her dad, Leo, enjoy meals together and to even see people going about mundane moments as well. For once the reunion was complete, Hope was able to explore the facility and get a taste of life in the CRM and honestly, it seemed akin to corporate America. Since there were badges to be found everywhere and meetings and all the boring stuff, we take for granted now and would miss, in a world without civilization. 

Plus, her explorations allowed for her to spend a little time with Leo’s new girlfriend, Lyla, and that in turn… brought forth some of the answers we’ve been starving for. Since she revealed to Hope what this facility is really for and what the CRM is hoping to accomplish for the future. In that, this facility is designed to research the dead and what makes them tick. In essence, to neutralize the threat they pose. But not in some glorious, explosive manner. No instead, the hope is that science will figure out a way to isolate the virus that causes the dead to return to life and cure it. So that humanity can once again gather in peace over death and properly mourn those they’ve lost, instead of locking them away when their time comes or plunging a knife into their skull and… so that the dead that roam the world can finally rest, ending this awful apocalypse at last. 

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Which is quite frankly, a noble cause for this organization to undertake and it wasn’t the only one to be put on display in this tale. For we finally caught up with Silas in this story, and we came to learn that after he was processed… he was sent to a facility designed to help the thin the numbers of the millions of zombies that roam the countryside. For the CRM has outposts that use sound to draw in the living dead, wherein they can be physically damaged and dealt with in a safer manner and for now, Silas is expected to help out in killing these badly injured corpses so that safety can slowly come back to the world, and it really was quite incredible to see the Civil Republic Military do some worthwhile acts for a change.  
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But make no mistake about it, while there is praise present in this recap for this organization, they are clearly not to be trusted in the slightest. Because their desire for control at the cost of human life cannot be ignored, especially since that came into play for Iris and Felix’s journey. Because despite finding some peace at last in the small community just beyond the CRM’s research base, they still found themselves under fire from the group. For Kublek and her lackeys came looking hard for them after the soldier that Iris attacked went missing. Plus, the lieutenant colonel made it clear that Will is someone she badly wants in her possession because of his knowledge of the Nebraska massacre and while Iris and Felix were able to deflect the heat coming down on them, using the dead… it is only a matter of time before the CRM resumes their quest for them.

Not to mention, a lot of what happened in the research facility when Hope wasn’t around… is of concern as well. Since Leo made a point to make demands of Kublek, specifically in regard to finding Iris. A move that won’t go over well in the slightest since she has shown us time and time again how she feels about such matters and not to mention… there is still the matter of the dark research being performed in this place. Because away from prying eyes Lyla and Kublek talked at length. Specifically, about Lyla’s role in keeping Leo focused on the work at hand and of course, about her need for new test subjects for whatever the hell she’s up to in that lab and well… let’s be honest… no good can or will come from any of this in the slightest. Since such discussions make it clear, there is a twisted agenda at play when it comes to the project Lyla is working on.

As to what that is exactly, well… we will have to wait to find out and this writer has hope that we will. Because at long last, World Beyond is finally opening up to us and giving us everything we need to know about the CRM and their purpose and why the fight against them is so important and really, in the end, this episode deserves a hearty round of applause. Because it is a huge deal when the truth begins to reveal itself to the audience in a story such as this. Since that means the floodgates will soon open and the rest of the answers we seek will come pouring out and once that moment arrives, we will truly understand the CRM through and through, and why they are such a threat to the future of mankind and why a fight against them, will be worth the effort and the sacrifice. Until next time.   

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