Hilltop burns and the survivors scatter.

This is the sort of episode the show hasn’t done for a long time and damn. is it ever good at it. By splitting the characters up into small groups, the writers take the chance to throw some odd combinations into the mix. That means we get an array of great moments with odd couples and four of them form the spine of the episode.

First off, Carol, Magna and Yumiko find themselves part of one group. Magna is traumatized, hiding inside the herd that destroys Hilltop and explains Connie was there too but they got separated and she couldn’t go after her without killing them both. It’s a chilling moment and one that’s followed by a much overdue confrontation between Carol and Yumiko that ends up with a punch being thrown. Carol is very, very far gone and this episode, at last, we see she knows it. The aftermath, where she’s seriously considering letting a mostly rotted zombie end her is a season highlight so far. Not just because Melissa McBride is the best part of this cast but because of the Eugene moment that follows it. Desperate to meet up with his not-quite girlfriend, Eugene bonds with Carol over their shared experience of betraying everyone they loved and, for now, for Carol, having nothing to show for it. Her clear eyed advice to Eugene is especially touching and reminds us this is a show about people, fundamentally.

The third moment is very different and completely horrifying. Judith and the kids are guarded by old blacksmith Earl. He is injured, and about to turn, and is not only setting up how to end his own life but has the courage to brief Judith on how to end him if what he’s trying doesn’t take. This is the best work John Finn has ever done on the show, Cailey Fleming too. This episode we see Judith not just as her mother’s katana-wielding daughter but as a child growing up in Hell, and somehow maintaining her innocence. All of which culminates in a silent moment of deeply moving compassion between her and ‘Uncle’ Daryl as the episode closes.

And then there’s Negan. Having the time of his life this week, until his true purpose is revealed. The scene where he opens up to Beta and pleads with her to not kill Lydia is the best work Jeffrey Dean Morgan has done on the show. At last we see Negan as a man not quite as broken as he wants to be, whose twisted compassion is still very much there but who doesn’t let it stand in his way. The ending implies a vast amount about him and Carol and it’ll be interesting to see how well the show lands it. Even if it struggles, this is the final step in the redemption of Negan and it has, amazingly, actually worked.

Verdict: Brutal, clever, character driven and action packed. The strongest episode of the season to date. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart