Desperate for supplies, Aaron leads a team back to Hilltop after the Alexandria wall is breached. Juliet stands up for herself and Maggie is sort of proved right.

The gear change here is as impressive as it is ambitious. Not only do we get a look at just how nailed down the Commonwealth are (Train Stations?! Trains?! Holy Wow) but we also get the stark contrast of the run back to Hilltop. The message is clear; our survivors are done. They need to either step up or get ready for the end because with no resources and no food there’s very little they can do. The Walkers are literally at the door, as evidenced not only by the breach that opens the episode but Judith’s confrontation with her bullies. The kids, playing chicken with a  Walker child who is one bad step away from causing another breach is offhandedly terrifying. It’s also a clever exploration of human nature; in the face of incredible destruction and danger, humanity will sometimes just ignore it and decide to be mean because they can.

Yeah, this show has no resonance in 2021 at all, does it?

So Alexandria is in bad shape and Negan and Maggie come to blows as their relationship continues to complicate. What’s impressive here is the acting, as usual, but this plot is definitely due the level of exploration that others have had in recent weeks so the show can move on. Which, ironically enough, is what the best material this week is all about.

Ross Marquand has been one of the pillars of this show for years and Aaron gets his moment here at last. Plagued by nightmares, the stoical Aaron has nothing but rage and nowhere to put it until the Alexandria expedition discovers a Whisperer. This is beautifully shot, as the characters realize a group of Walkers are being herded and Aaron just threshes his way through to the terrified Whisperer at the centre of the group. What follows is intensely disturbing as he tortures the man for info, culminating in letting him get bitten and forcing him to remove his hand. It’s a moment where we finally see our characters from the outside, the Whisperer’s terror understandable if not excusable and Aaron’s rage relatable if not justifiable. It’s a tough beat and a tough plot that promises hard roads ahead for Aaron but also, like this show does so expertly, finishes with a glimmer of hope. Safety.

That’s what all these plots orbit; hope. Reunited families, supplies, the chance to rebuild. All of it there, all of it ready to be grasped. The trick, as this episode shows, is to make sure you don’t trample other people to get there.

Verdict: Ambitious, wide in scope and very much an architectural episode this is another strong entry in the final season. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart