Jadis tracks Rick and Michonne down as, in flashbacks, we discover just how close she stayed to Alexandria during the years Rick was in the CRM system.

This is an odd one because bits of it feel rather arbitrary. The family that Rick and Michonne find, save, fight and ultimately kill aren’t especially interesting or well rounded and a new type of Walker, covered in a hard clay-like substance appear and are then taken off the table just as quickly. The show hasn’t done much window dressing this season, with everything on screen there for a purpose but this is the first time that purpose has been decorative. I don’t mean that as a slam on the cast, or anyone involved, honestly. It’s just this episode has a lot to do and not quite enough space and grounding to do it.

This is Jadis’s story, and it’s impressively handled. Pollyanna McIntosh is always a strong player in anything she’s in and here we see her not as the relentless face of the CRM but as essentially the same as Rick. She’s a believer, because she has to be, but she’s also aware of what else is out there and the price she’s paying for being part of the salvation of humanity. A price that includes, to my tremendous surprise, Father Gabriel.

Seth Gilliam’s post-apocalyptic man of God is always nice to see and he’s used very well here. Gabriel’s relationship with Jadis is a chance not only to ground and explore her character but to remind her and us alike of what’s at stake here. Jadis in the CRM is a soldier, a name, a tool. Someone powerful, nested safely inside a colossal societal structure that expects a lot of her. Outside the CRM she’s got no resources, no power and no choice but to be herself. Their opening exchange where she assures Gabriel it’s okay, she’s alone and he questions every aspect of that sets the tone for the episode. Gabriel is a good friend and a good spiritual leader. He knows she needs to talk. He knows she isn’t sure about that and he gives her space to come to the realisation. Gilliam’s engaged kindness and McIntosh’s nervy, jumpy guilt throw sparks all the way down the episode and this is the most fun both characters have been for a while.,

But Jadis is defined by her pursuit of Rick and Michonne here and while that ends badly it gives them some good moments too. ‘Tasteful Noods’ is the single best fake food name ever and the way that joke, and those noodles, become a breadcrumb trail that leads her to them is wickedly smart. Rick and Michonne being on the same page continues to be great fun too and the episode does its best work wrapping their love around the same question Jadis and Gabriel face: individual life and happiness or the pursuit of something greater? Jadis, unapologetic to the end, makes the right choice in her final seconds and it’s honestly a shame to see the character go. Here again though, there’s a sense of window dressing. The CRM’s plan feels too big to resolve in one episode and whatever show comes next looks set to at least deal with the consequences of what’s going to happen.

Whether Rick and or Michonne are part of that remains to be seen. Rumours persist that someone doesn’t make it to the end of the show but honestly I hope that isn’t the case. Lincoln and Gurira are so good at this work that the pair of them marrying, seconds after watching their arch nemesis turned ally die, works. I hope they make it.

Verdict: An episode whose pure emotional core and four great central performances is damaged by its need to move the plot along. A shame, but still a good set up for the finale next week. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart