last week episode zombieTitled “Rock in the Road”, the film opens with a puzzling scene in which Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) stands guard at the walls of the Alexandria Safe Zone, quietly leaving his post, Clear out the settlement’s food pantry and jump down. Get in the car to drive.
While entertaining, the trailer also received no explanation, as Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the team were only able to investigate the mystery at the end of the mid-season premiere. But for the characters (Gabriel notes “the boat” in his notebook) and the audience (an anonymous character who suddenly appeared in the passenger seat of the car as it left Alexandria), there was a lot to go on. Many Clues can be found, until the unexpected happens. Introduction to the Junkyard community and the appearance of this week’s episode.
Unfortunately for all involved, the resolution that seems like Gabriel’s betrayal isn’t quite as shocking, or even confusing, as the writers had clearly hoped. . Worse yet, the character development they hoped to glean from the ex-priest’s scene didn’t turn out the way the scripting department thought it would, prompting events and audiences to premiere this season — with plenty of twists and turns. exaggeration rather than actual reward.
Still, it does bring up some great moments between Gabriel and Rick, and it has a lot to do with its first man in the upcoming fight with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his saviors. ta. A partner (even an unusual one) lands in Alexandria, so that’s not entirely out of the question.
Has Gabriel betrayed the organization?
In a word: no.
After Rick and Aaron (Ross Marquand) discover a remote, mine-trapped supply depot at the end of season 7.0, they unwittingly bring along an unknown character – who we now know has been sent. a remote location to watch for anything that might try to unload it – back to the safety of Alexandria. Towards the end of that season, the mysterious man observes Gabriel as he begins his night guard duty and, in fact, tries to use the suspense to create a “turning point” in his story. betrayal of his father.
Through a handful of carefully curated clips, we never see the unknown attacker and his gang break through the city’s defensive walls (really, how they did it). never mentioned), and confront Gabriel, and try to force him to turn over all the supplies Aaron and Rick brought back. Unfortunately for them, recent recycled items were not on hand; Angry, these off-screen robbers force the former priest to empty out the city pantry and return to the landfill with them.
When Rick sees the word “ship” scribbled on Gabriel’s hand, he thinks he knows exactly where the man who seems to be fleeing with his meager rations to keep everyone in Alexandria alive — and the savior is out there. Of course, the group’s arrival at the minestrip led to last week’s big climax: Dozens of survivors like Crazy Max surrounded our team of heroes, prompting Rick to flash an unexpected grin.
In “New Best Friends,” the Alexandrians learn the truth behind Gabriel’s “abandonment” of them — there, of course, they meet Jadis (Pollyanna Mackintosh), the leader of the landfill settlement. decorate). After several battles between post-apocalyptic gladiators and an evil-looking undead, Rick proves himself, a (fragile) alliance is formed between the communities and Gabriel is allowed to go home.
There are still many unanswered questions, some of which the former deputy sheriff tried to get Jadis to answer but failed: Why did they arrest Gabriel in the first place? What are their plans for him before the others come to save him (even if they don’t know he really needs to be saved)? Such information may come later, but the truth is that such considerations are secondary to the requirements of a military partnership and such plot-related questions are often left unanswered. in the name of the overarching story.
Is the “twisting” worth it?
With such a short plot – our other protagonists who believe a recurring character that’s been around for two years now suddenly stabs them in the back – there simply isn’t enough time to figure it out. explores all of its dramatic potential, despite the writer’s attempt to build on it two months ago. That’s really for the best, as any more screen time will significantly improve ROE. Also, not all lines throughout need to be Apocalypse in their bets or solutions, even in an Apocalypse series.
What the writers are trying to get out of this “twist” is not just spurring a conspiracy to build a united coalition against the Savior’s existential threat, but an emotional reward. : we learn that Father Gabriel had (but was a different person) a crisis of faith, losing faith that our characters had the power to overthrow the tyrant Negan. However, when he sees them all arrive at his designated dump, he realizes that Rick has never stopped believing he is a reformed man who has earned his rightful place on the team. and will do whatever is necessary to protect Alexander’s inhabitants. Seeing such conviction was enough to spark his confidence, allowing him to face the coming confrontation with the Savior with confidence.
It’s great to see Gabriel on screen, a character who has outlived most of The Walking Dead’s recurring characters in more than seven years and received a precious bit of exploration (although he has transforms from coward to brave warrior) his current god is said to be more developed than many others). It was even better to witness such a beautiful moment between the priest and Rick – another duo that was overlooked.
However, solving the mysteries in the last two episodes (Who was following Gabriel? Why did he turn to run?) still felt a bit of a loss. In a show that’s known for hanging too many balls in the air at once and having devoted only an episode or two to any particular character or place since the beginning of the season, viewers feel less intimate with any actor. ; Ironically, this reveal is too small to be a satisfying representation of the plot or the characters.
And, on top of that – as mentioned earlier, when The Walking Dead starts to cheat, time and time again, it intentionally and explicitly removes relevant information from viewers (such as victims of Negan in the final episode of the unidentified season six during the offseason-suspended season), and it couldn’t help but look slim to wear.