Walking into episode 14 of Walking Dead I had high hopes. With just three episodes left in the series, I expected things to escalate at a faster pace towards the inevitable conclusion. Last night’s episode delivered some good moments, but “meh” is the best word I can use to describe the overall episode. In case you haven’t seen The Other Side, you still have time to walk away from all the spoilers I’m about to unleash.
If there’s one relationship stands to hurt our favorite gang of survivors, that’s the one between Daryl and Maggie, not the issues between Rosita and Sasha. Yet last night’s episode focused too much on the latter, rather than offering us more time with Daryl and Maggie.
After all this time, Daryl has not faced Maggie. After all, it was his impulsivity that caused Glenn’s death. But it seems to me that the entire interaction between the two was minimized in episode 14. We got to see an understanding Maggie, one who is ready to forgive Daryl — as she should. And we got to see her tempering his impulsivity in a rather tense moment while hiding from the Saviors.
What’s annoying is that even though people clearly appreciate Maggie’s stable mindset in spite of everything she just went through, they’re still not willing to tell her what’s going on. Rosita, Sasha, and Jesus all hide the truth from her. Even Enid. It’s likely Maggie would have put a stop to Rosita’s foolish plan had she known what was going on.
But the writers decided we need an extra twist before this year’s finale. Sure, we needed Rosita and Sasha to get some closure after Abraham’s death. But their entire plan to kill Negan is ridiculously flawed.
Who brings a sniper rifle to the party without any bullets so that Sasha gets caught stealing a few bullets hidden in a book? When you hotwire a car with zombies everywhere around you, doesn’t it make more sense to close the door of said car, or clear the walkers beforehand?
The most annoying thing concerns the actual plan of killing Negan. In a matter of minutes, Rosita decides to go for a close quarters fight rather than an attempt at Negan’s life from a distance. How will a sniper rifle help in this scenario?
Firing a shot at Negan and missing — or slightly wounding him — would have made so much more sense. It would have added an extra layer of suspense to the season’s upcoming finale, making Rick’s planned war a lot harder. Instead, the writers devised this complex argument between Rosita and Sasha that sees them squaring off over their differences. It also leads to Sasha tricking Rosita into walking inside the Saviors compound. Oh, and she still has the sniper rifle that doesn’t have enough bullets.
What’s worse, Eugene knows who’s been lurking around because he sees them. He might not tell Negan, but he does play the part of an incredibly cowardly person who’s comfortable in his new Savior role. This was yet another chance for the AMC writers to surprise the audience. Have Rosita shoot Eugene on the spot, a man who’s caused so much trouble in the past and who is now choosing Negan. But no, Eugene gets to walk away, the alarm is set off, and we have Sasha inside the Saviors’ compound. Rosita, meanwhile, is left outside the fence, with a silhouette looming over her. Is it Daryl coming to the rescue? Is it crossbow-wielding Dwight?
Finally, I can’t help but appreciate the awesomeness of Negan’s henchmen Simon and Gregory, the Hilltop chieftain. They’re both characters we want to see dead, but they’re both great at what they’re doing, and the way they choose to coexist might affect the course of the upcoming war.
Let’s just hope the last two episodes of the series finally make The Walking Dead great again.
