The mystery of who is disappearing the Saviors is solved in the worst way possible. Rick becomes suspicious of Anne. Daryl and Maggie take matters into their own hands.

Things begin to fall apart in this third episode of TWD’s strongest and, so far, least watched season to date. Despite the ratings cratering, or perhaps because of them, the show is vastly more interesting now than it’s been for years and this episode is a textbook example of how and why.

The how is simple. The show’s four year trudge through ‘Our characters versus whichever human failures are threatening them this week’ is over. Instead we have a group of people trying to survive and build something better on top of that survival.

The why is because the show is engaging its entire cast for the first time in several years. This episode in particular gives Anne, Gabriel, Carol and Maggie things to do that drive the plot and that endlessly reinforce the show’s new mantra; life is the most important thing.

For Rick that means sparing the leaders of the Savior near-revolt. He knows it will cost him, he knows what it may cost and he does it anyway. Because, realistically, Rick has spent several years of his life being the last man standing at this point and it makes sense he’d buy into his own hype. Plus, and this really hasn’t always been the case at all, he’s actually right. Better still, so are the opposing forces. It’s just no one’s right enough.

That leads to the end and the show’s biggest sucker punch this season; instead of the Whisperers, who it’s all but confirmed will be the primary antagonist for the year, the killers are revealed to be…

Oceanside.

Who never forgot what the Saviors did to them, or forgave them. And honestly it’s difficult to blame for that. Especially as it gives Sydney Park as Cyndie a moment in the spotlight that’s as haunting as Darryl and Maggie’s reaction to it. A reaction that’s in stark contrast to Rick earlier in the episode and paints a clear dividing line between them.

Verdict: Things fall apart. The centre isn’t holding. Something terrible is about to happen and, in a show where that hasn’t always been justified, here it’s absolutely understandable. We’re three episodes away from the end of Andrew Lincoln’s near decade on the show and it it, I suspect, going to be messy. Compelling, subtle work that deserves more credit and viewers than it’s currently getting. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart