As the others fight a guerrilla war in the ruins of an abandoned town, unrest boils over in the Commonwealth.

Julia Ruchman’s script does something I’ve not seen before here: using the different sizes of the forces in the conflict to explore character. Lance, still bleeding from the going away present Daryl gave him, has basically limitless resources and no finesse. He throws soldier after soldier into the meatgrinder, only becoming angrier with each failure. Pamela too clearly views her people as a faceless mass. Unable to face the reality that her son is a sociopathic murderer, she gets so tied up in the realities of the story she’s told herself she misses a literal revolution kicking off under her feet. Laila Robins is fantastic as Milton this week, perfectly capturing that pained and increasingly aggrieved privilege those in power and think they deserve to be have.

So, the Commonwealth. Big, privileged, slow, rotten to the core. That causes serious issues for them too as a swarm of Walkers overruns the outer edges of their territory. That particular plot, at first, doesn’t seem to be connected to anything else but as you go deeper you realize it’s key. Milton thinks she’s running an ideal society. Mercer and Rosita, on the ground at the frontline, viscerally see the damage that arrogance causes.

Meanwhile, Team Scrappy Insurgency constantly outthink and outfight their opponents. They can’t go toe to toe with the Commonwealth but they also can’t be pinned down and the episode is full of moments which show just how dangerous they are after all these years out in the wilds. Carol outthinking a kill team is a highlight as is Jerry literally being Too Nice to not help. But the standout has to be Negan, using his old Whisperer mask as a force for good. Well, murder, obviously but murder that ends up with him inside the Commonwealth and able to help out. Dean Morgan has been good on this show for years but this version of Negan is by far the most fun he’s ever been. A sly, cunning old lion acutely aware of his past and happy to use it to build a better tomorrow. The moment where he and Mercer level with each other is especially fun. As is the final plan: kidnap Lance, use him to control Pamela and make changes for everyone. It’s clever, laudable and absolutely will not survive contact with the enemy but damn if it isn’t fun to watch.

Verdict: Clever, character-driven and nasty fun. Welcome back, folks. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart