Aaron follows a lead about the herd. Dante’s sins all come home to roost and at Oceanside, Michonne gets an offer which may change everything.

This is an odd mid season finale, if nothing else because there’s no horrific deaths. That’s deliberate, and successful, meaning the episode can focus instead on the massive, intimate horror of what Dante has done. Not only do we see him being responsible for most of Alexandria’s troubles but there is a heart wrenching sequence where he tries to kill Rosita and the baby as the newly undead Siddiq rises behind them. It’s a fantastic sequence, an ugly, brutal fight scene that’s powered entirely by emotion and character. It’s not alone either, paired with Gabriel’s almost feral murder of Dante later on. Juan Javier Cardenas has been extraordinary in the role and while I’m sorry to see him go so soon,his best work is in this episode. Dante’s flat, sincere affect during his interrogation is chilling. He’s telling the truth too; he’s genuinely fond of these poor, doomed people. Or so he thinks.

If Dante loves Alexandria but sees its flaws, then it seems Gamma sees its virtues but has no idea what to do about them. Aaron and Gamma’s plotline is odd to say the least, especially given the second appearance of the ‘Battle Grandma’ standoff between Carol and Alpha this week. Is it all an elaborate ruse? Maybe. Is the entire plot designed to drop most of the cast into a cave with thousands of Walkers? Absolutely. Am I going to be enraged if Jerry is one of the casualties? Count on it. It’s the weakest part of the episode, although still fun, and one of the two places where the narrative needs of the arc outweigh the narrative needs of the episode.

The other is the Michonne plot which is… odd to say the least. We get a ton of fun Luke and Judith stuff and Oceanside has a very different feeling to the other communities, giving the plot a real lift. Plus Kevin Carroll is great as the new arrival, the nervy, intense Virgil. The distrust he faces makes perfect narrative sense and is one of the strongest parts of the episode. The bargain he offers – weapons from the offshore naval base he lives on – a little less so. With this being Danai Gurrira’s last season they’re clearly feathering the prop a little to stretch her appearances out. It makes sense, she’s amazing, but it also feels forced, at least here.

Verdict: That aside this is a good, solid mid-season finale. Lots happens, pretty much everyone gets meaningful things to do and everything progresses. It’s still very strong work but, as I say, perhaps not as strong as the lead up. 7/10

Alasdair Stuart