[7.5/10] Connie and Virgil’s run-in with the feral folk in that house is one of the scariest things The Walking Dead has ever done, which counts for something. Maybe I’m overreaching here, but it felt like a conscious homage to Hitchcock, which I am here for. (I could just be over-extrapolating from the shot of someone looking through a hole in the wall.) Given the participants, this was a chance for the series to show rather than tell, and it worked.
But don’t think about it too hard. You have to say that a lot with The Walking Dead, which isn’t great, but something we’ve come to terms with after eleven seasons. How have these feral folks survived this long? I guess by herding and then cannibalizing prey? They don’t seem to be with it enough for that, but it’s well within acceptable tolerances for the show’s approach to poetic license.
More to the point, it’s terrifying. The episode does a nice job of convincing you that maybe Connie’s fears are all just PTSD after being trapped in the Whisperer cave. Once again, dropping out the score and the sound when we’re in her perspective is a nice means of using the medium to put us in the character’s headspace. And the way the feral residents of the house creep along the edges of the frame at first is well done to create a suspenseful tone.
The wild people themselves are terrifying, with their unkempt loincloth look and unsettling movements. And the show plays it right, with the added difficulties of communication between Connie and Virgil making the threat that much more diffiuclt to overcome. I’m not super compelled by their bond here, but the script does solid enough work to give it shading. And again, you can’t think about it too hard, but I kind of like Connie’s “rub mymself with viscera and let the zombies have at it” solution to the problem.
Plus, the reunion between Connie and Kelly was heartwarming in a way I didn’t expect, since I can’t pretend to be super invested in their relationship. Still, the acting from the two performers is superb when they come together, and you can feel the relief and guilt and joy wash over the two of them when they’re finally reunited.
The other side of the coin is that the Daryl portions of this one did very little for me. We get it. Daryl’s in danger as a double agent. Pope is crazy and could do something threatening at any minute. Some guy who has a crush on Leah continues to bristle at Daryl’s presence. How far will our hero go not to get caught? It’s all just old hat for The Walking Dead at this point.
None of what’s done in his half of the show is bad exactly. There’s some minor tension to Daryl trying to cover for Maggie and company hiding under the floorboards. We’ve just seen this sort of shtick a million times by season 11, so it no longer holds any real zing. The same goes with the hint that the prisoner gave up Daryl’s real connection to Alexandria and our usual crew of survivors. The nuts and bolts of the storytelling are fine, but the story’s so overfamiliar at this point that it packs no punch, and the new characters aren’t compelling enough to overcome that.
Overall, the Daryl sections of this one are a big yawn despite some unpleasant torture scenes, while the Connie portions are gory and frightening, but worth the cost of admission.
It was refreshing to actually have a little bit of horror back in the show. Pretty cool episode.
Didn't know Gollum's family had joined the show.
WHAT ABOUT VIRGIL :sob::sob::sob:HE KNOWSSSSSSSS
Decent episode but required a fair amount of surface-level watching, as Andrew Bloom mentions in his review.
I enjoyed the visuals of the house and feral people Connie and Virgil were up against (kind of reminded me of playing games like Resident Evil) but they kind of went out with a bit of a fizzle. The lowest point for me, though, was Connie banging on the wall to attract Virgil’s attention; she’s deaf not dumb, so could have and should have shouted something to alert him to it being her and also when that feral guy was creeping up behind him.
Still, enjoyed it overall.
Usually I don't comment the episodides, but for me, this is one of the best episodes of the show so far. The scenes with Connie, us seeing with no sound, expecting the house things showing from anywhere, was terrifying for me!
You know I get the whole diversity thing and them wanting to show deaf people on the show, but lets get real for a minute. If this were real, common sense would tell us that all deaf people would die very quickly at the beginning if they were trying to live among walkers. It would be the same for people who are blind and for many physically handicapped people as well. So having these deaf people on here is completely tv like (nothing real about it) and would not happen if this was at all real.
What the fuck did I just watch? Some art major getting a hard over making this episode? It’s episode after episode of just filler BS. More importantly how did deaf people survive this long?
man that was creepy af
That "people under the stairs" vibes really got me :heart_eyes:
Kelly is a girl? Could have fooled me
This episode felt like playing Outlast at 2:00 AM in the dark. Nailed it.
WTF WAS THAT:sob::sob: OH MY LORD I HATED THAT
Connie and Kelly’s reunion tho
Connie’s story in that house was creepy AF. Well done.
Did not think TWD still had in them to produce an episode this good (and scary!).
Fresh one that I actually enjoyed. The Connie Virgil scenes were tense and Pope is an interesting character.
this episode was like a little mini horror movie! haunted house with creepy ferrels, super unsettling. also I adore that The Walking Dead has a positive representation for disabled communities, aaron, gabriel, connie etc. plus sign language is such a strength to learn to communicate quietly in so many situations. teared when they reunited :,)
TWD hasn’t been scary in years, so it only makes sense that this episode almost made me drop out of my sit a couple of times lol. Great episode, i say we get away from the zombie thing and change the whole show to feral people.
Quite terrifying for the deaf lady. While do the non dead people sign though?
Frustrating episode with so much plot armor and annoyance at being able to simply say 2 words could have changed so much of the episode. And let's face it, Connie would not have made it this far
Just end this show!
No joy in repetition
I don’t need to fill a page here to express they have basically run out of material and just coming up with filler material. Even the actors, (yes they are paid) but most of them just stood hiding behind the walls not saying one line in this episode. Must be so boring compared to the earlier seasons.
Cutting back on the attempts at dialogue, and just letting the horror come to the fore.
A rare success for TWD.
Hoooly crap. That house of horror actually scared the shit out of me.. :fearful:
I might need some help to fall asleep tonight :sweat_smile:
This episode was intense! As far as filler episodes go, this one was really good. It's always interesting to see Connie's point of view and in this eerie setting with those basically animal like humans made for such a tense atmosphere!
Daryl is playing a very dangerous game of survival right now and I wonder when it will all hit the fan. What will Maggie's next move be? Now that she knows Daryl is with the Reapers and therefore in danger, will she try and save him? Or will she go for the greater good of delivering the supplies to Alexandria?
This gave me zombie hills have eyes vibes. When she was in the walls I was totally trippin. I know this like a filler episode where not much happens, but loved the creepy house and the silence as Connie is losing it. Now let's see some real shit happen.
After 11 seasons, they have done it all but That scene with the deaf woman behind the wall was one of the best in a long time.
Great episode and creepy horror!
The best episode of the season so far!
Shout by MatthewVIP 4BlockedParent2021-09-19T10:03:57Z
One of the best episodes of the season.