In a flashback, we see Tara and Jesus give Ezekiel an unsigned community charter for Oceanside, Alexandria, Sanctuary, Hilltop and The Kingdom. In the present, Alpha negotiates with Daryl for an exchange of hostages but no one is happy. And at the Kingdom, a very important, and very odd, mission unfolds.

The charter/constitution is absolutely going to be signed at the end of the Whisper war. I’m calling that right now.

Elsewhere the episode impresses with the same deft character touches we’ve seen all season. Morton is extraordinarily creepy as the precise, quiet and measured Alpha and her interaction with her daughter is chilling. On the other side of that, Norman Reedus continues to do his best work in years as a newly motivated and principled Daryl. He’s a realist, but he’s also immensely kind and clearly sees something of his own past in Claudia’s. The way Reedus shows us that, through so little, is brilliant. It’s also a great foil to Henry’s idealism, which is the show’s toughest plot to deal with right now. If he survives the season, it’s going to make Henry a solid character. If he doesn’t it’s going to feel like it took more time than it was worth. Regardless, Matt Lintz is doing good work which I hope will get a chance to pay off.

But where the episode soars is with the Kingdom. The fact these people risk their lives for a projector bulb tells you everything about where the show is and where the society it depict is going. Art and joy are returning to the world whether everyone’s ready or not and using that as the catalyst for Carol accepting her role as Queen was as charming as it was deeply moving. The Kingdom is the best of these people and I really hope it survives the year.

Verdict: Weird, charming and idiosyncratic this is a good episode in a good season. More please. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart