The true scope of Alpha’s plan is revealed. Negan gains a sidekick, Magna and Yumiko get real.

One of the big strengths of this season has been the way it’s been able to shift focus from individual plots to story arcs and back. This episode is a perfect example as Ezekiel’s confession, Aaron’s moment of kindness, Magna’s moment of honesty and Negan’s moment of clarity all gift the landscape for everyone.

Ezekiel is, second only to Jerry, my favourite character on the show. He’s an endlessly kind, honest man who has struggled to adapt to this world and now is going to be leaving it. I’m gutted he’s on the way out, fascinated to see how it’s played and applaud Khary Payton for one of the show’s most nuanced, and resonant, depictions of depression. Ave, your highness.

Now, Aaron. There’s been criticism in some quarters of his turn from warmonger to Good Samaritan but it works. Aaron has always been a deeply good man and seeing someone in trouble, regardless of whose skin they have on, is like a red rag to a helpful bull. It also cleverly shows the lack of awareness the communities have. He literally catches her at the Alexandria water supply but doesn’t think to ask what’s she’s doing there. As later episodes show, the short, accurate answer is ‘damage’.

Magna’s moment of honesty also has seismic consequences. It’s easy to forget just how recently Magna, Yumiko and co arrived on the show because of how quickly they fitted in. Here, we see Magna has had a problem with that and is stealing supplies to drop in a cache in the woods. Worse, she’s had help. The show plays this note with real grace, simultaneously exploring Yumiko’s disappointment with her friends and the fact that Magna has a point. Their relationship may not survive that in the short term but it’s a welcome, necessary look at crisis life, much like Siddiq’s PTSD. Also it embodies the title. What it Always Is: Survival.

Finally, Negan’s plot is the spine of the episode and completely refutes the title. Faced with a willing acolyte, fanboy even, Negan finds that the head that wore the crown no longer fits it. The killer has grown a conscience, the apex predator has a pack he wants to want him now and it makes for some deeply uncomfortable viewing. Dean Morgan visibly revels in playing this newer, lighter Negan and the moments of darkness towards the end land all the harder because of it. He may be out of prison but he’s not free from his legacy.

Verdict: Brutal, tragic, kind. This episode is The Walking Dead at its most elemental and at its best. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart