3kus. This Fear the Walking Dead review contains spoilers. Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 5 Sitting down to write this review of “Till Death,” I was surprised that the word count for just my notes was a whopping 1,400 words. While I tend to take very extensive notes for each episode, what sets “Till Death” apart is that much of my notes is devoted to ranting. Much of my frustration as both reviewer and fan stems from my disappointment with this season’s aimlessness. Why should viewers care about solving a 40-year-old murder case, or Sarah’s sudden interest in finding Wendell? Those both felt like filler episodes to me, and “Till Death” likewise does little to advance the overall story. Austin Amelio and Christine Evangelista give this week’s tepid, nonsensical script their all, but even so, why should we care about the Dark Horses and their code? Does it really matter that Dwight and Sherry have become “peace officers of a modern frontier?” Fear the Walking Dead already explored the pitfalls of being Good Samaritans—to deleterious effect—in previous seasons. Why revisit this theme when it proved so disastrous the first time? Sure, the Dark Horses’ cause is a noble one, but here, now, it just falls flat. And the idea that their reputation already precedes them a scant two months after taking up the Dark Horses mantle? I’m sorry, but I found that a bit laughable. But it’s not until Dwight and Sherry are forcibly brought before Strand that “Till Death” completely divorces itself from logic. You see, while Strand has heard tell of the Dark Horses, he had no idea it was Dwight and Sherry behind these exploits. It’s interesting that he finds this surprise reunion so amusing—because, really, the world that these characters inhabit is way too small. So, sure, why not laugh at how contrived all of this feels? As for why Strand has summoned them—this is likewise laughable. Why would he seek the aid of “ethical outlaws” to find a missing person? That’s not what the Dark Horses are known for—at all. No, what Strand needs is a tracker, or even a bounty hunter, like Josiah—someone who knows how to find people that don’t want to be found. I’m sorry, but just because Dwight and Sherry found each other doesn’t qualify them for this task. If it did, Strand would have sought them out, and not the Dark Horses. And yet, despite all of this, and with almost no information to go on, Dwight and Sherry easily track down the wayward Mickey Aisha Tyler. It’s hard to tell how long this takes—is it a matter of hours? A few days? And how is it that they found such quick success, whereas Strand’s people kept coming back empty-handed—if they came back at all? These are rhetorical questions, though, since Fear’s writers don’t seem to care about the logic or lack thereof behind any of this. As to why Strand is so keen to find Mickey in the first place? This is likewise devoid of logic. Certainly it’s not because he’s concerned for her welfare. Rather, he’s angry that she devised a way to escape and doesn’t want word getting out about how she did it. But, so what? This information would only be useful to anyone still inside the tower, and she has no desire to go back there anyway. So, really, Strand’s motivation for finding her makes zero sense. If she’s brought back to the tower, wouldn’t that make it that much easier to share her means of escape? It’s phone books, by the way. The secret is…phone books. There’s been a bit of friction up to this point between our beloved Dark Horses, though. Is Strand’s community right for them, and for the Larsons, whose storm cellar they’ve been sharing since the bombs fell? And does Mickey really know what’s best for her? So, yes, when it comes to helping Mickey, flip-flopping ensues despite their code—or maybe in spite of it. Would Sherry really choose a stranger over Dwight? Yes, apparently, since the two go their separate ways. This happened last season too, if you’ll recall, only for them to reunite a few episodes later. As it turns out, the journey to the gym the Grapple Chapel! is hardly treacherous, so what was Mickey waiting for this entire time? How long does it take to construct armor out of phone books and duct tape? What bothers me more, though, is that Sherry brings back the use of zombie guts as camouflage. If this is a known trick, then why not do this all the time—like Nick used to do? Mickey soon discovers that Cliff is undead and before long she and Sherry are cornered by a horde of walkers. Luckily for them, and before they can radio Strand for help, Dwight has somehow tracked them down, and in the nick of time, no less. What follows is a bizarre montage of zombie-killing set to Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock.” For me, this does not work at all. Nor does seeing Mickey put her pro-wrestling skills to use against the horde—not when guns are suddenly in abundant supply. Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! By episode’s end, the Dark Horses are not only reunited, they’re now joined by Mickey. Their first mission together turns out to be a ruse, though. In actuality, a mysterious group needs their help locating Padre. To me, Padre feels like a retread of the Terminus storyline from The Walking Dead. And even if Padre turns out to be the promised land so many survivors believe it to be, certainly experience has taught us that any safe haven in the Walking Dead universe is really a hell just waiting to burn. Image credit AMC Oh, do you hear that? Way off in the distance? It’s coming closer, and closer - it’s the sound of yet another spinoff in The Walking Dead universe. This last year has been a non-stop barrage of announcements when it comes to spinoffs regarding The Walking Dead, and since the last episodes are premiering on Oct 2. 2022, it makes sense that news about another spinoff would come soon. However, this one is a spinoff I think all of us were hoping beyond hope would come, and that is for the Rick and Michonne TV show which doesn’t have a title as of August, 2022. For those who are excited for the return of the legendary Rick and Michonne, here are five quick things we know about the upcoming series, and what you should know. Image credit AMCThe Show Will Launch In 2023Don’t expect this show to come out anytime during the 2022 TV release schedule, as the Rick and Michonne TV show is set to debut sometime in 2023, according to Deadline. This isn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, as there are several other The Walking Dead shows also coming out in 2023, such as Fear the Walking Dead Season 8, and another spinoff, called Isle of the Dead, starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Maggie and Negan from the original show. But, there’s still plenty of Walking Dead this year, as well, with the original series coming to a close in the fall, and Tales of the Walking Dead premiering on August 14th, 2022. Image credit AMCIt Will Consist Of Six EpisodesI’m having flashbacks to Season 1 of The Walking Dead with this show. Confirmed by Deadline as mentioned before, this new spinoff isn’t set to have a sixteen-episode order like many of the seasons of The Walking Dead, but only six - much like the first season of the original. Also, according to Entertainment Weekly, it’s been confirmed that this new Rick and Michonne series isn’t actually a miniseries, but the first of a possible multi-season show. Image credit AMCSo Far, Only Rick And Michonne Are Confirmed To Return In The SeriesAccording to the Deadline article, right now, the new Rick and Michonne series only has two confirmed cast members - Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, and Danai Gurira as Michonne. This isn’t that much of a surprise, as the announcement only came at the end of July 2022 at Comic-Con and was posted on Twitter for The Walking Dead fanbase to see. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if we started seeing more casting announcements for this show as the year went on. Both of the actors are excited to return, and Gurira even posted a picture of her and Lincoln at Comic-Con on Instagram with the simple caption, “We’re back.”The actors both had statements regarding their return to The Walking Dead world, with Lincoln saying how excited he was to continue the storyThis has been the most extraordinary journey playing Rick Grimes for the best part of a decade. The friendships I’ve made along the way are deep and lasting, so it’s fitting that I finally get to complete the story with Danai and Scott and the rest of the TWD family. I’m so excited to be returning to the screen as Rick, reuniting with Danai as Michonne, and bringing the fans an epic love story to add to the Walking Dead shared similar sentiments, saying how she was eager to “pick up the katana” again Michonne and this TWD family has meant so much to me, and to continue the journey of these beloved characters, alongside Scott and Andy, both creatively and in front of the camera, and bringing The Walking Dead fans something truly special is just glorious. I can’t wait to pick up the katana possibility is that former cast members from The Walking Dead might end up returning for the Rick and Michonne series, which I would love to see. We could also get the reunion between Daryl and Rick that we always wanted - however, Daryl is going to have his own, currently untitled, spinoff, and we’ll be able to see more of his badass moments there, so I don’t know if he’ll be popping up in this new series. A character I’ve been thinking should really reunite with Rick besides Michonne is Judith, Rick’s basically adopted daughter, as well as the son that Michonne and Rick share, both of whom are currently under the care of Daryl and the other Alexandrians in The Walking Dead. With this new series, I can only wonder if Rick might get the chance to see his children with Michonne going off on her own in Season 10, I don’t know when these children might get to see their father again - if ever. Only time will tell. Image credit AMCScott M. Gimple Will Serve A ShowrunnerFor those who don’t know, Scott M. Gimple is The Walking Dead royalty, and has been with the show for several years - including working as showrunner for the series during Seasons 4-8, until Angela Kang, another producer for the show, took over the role for the rest of the series. However, Gimple is returning to his showrunning responsibilities with the new Rick and Michonne series, according to the Deadline article. This isn’t that much of a surprise, as Gimple is actually the CCO Chief Content Officer for both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, so hearing that he’s going to be working on another show in the universe isn’t that much of a surprise. Image credit AMCThe Series Is Replacing The Much Talked-About Rick MoviesI feel like we talked about those Rick movies for ages. When Andrew Lincoln first left the show, it was announced that there would be a trilogy of Walking Dead movies that would solely focus on the character’s survival after his supposed death - and rescue by Jadis that saw him taken away in a mysterious after delays and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been decided that this new Rick and Michonne series is going to replace the Rick Grimes movies, according to the Entertainment Weekly article from above. For those who have followed this show for years like I have, it’s not shocking to see this happening, as we didn't have any recent updates for those movies, and now we’ve found out the reason why - because we’re going to be getting a whole new series out of it. And I, for one, am so excited. While I’m certainly sad and slightly happy that The Walking Dead is coming to an end, it’ll be exciting to see the continuation of Rick and Michonne’s story in a new show - but, if I don’t see Rick get his classic pistol back, I might have to sue AMC for emotional damage. Big nerd and lover of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. Will forever hate season eight. Superhero and horror geek. And please don't debate me on The Last of Us 2, it was amazing! The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere featured the brutal deaths of some beloved characters. However, we ultimately think the losses will make for a better show overall. While fans continue to dry their tears, here’s why we think it was for the about the deaths are coming! Those that haven’t watched episode 1 have been The Ladies Move Forward The Lucille victims were paired up with two of The Walking Dead’s leading ladies, and now their plots are able to move forward in some pretty aggressive ways. With Maggie, for example, her relationship with Glenn frequently kept her hanging around camp at times when she could have been doing more. The baby might also have that effect later on, but birth hasn’t happened yet. Without her husband, there’s a real chance for Maggie to become the fearless woman that battled Gregory at the Hilltop earlier this year. That will eventually be a big win for on the other hand, just seemed to be in a pretty flat place. She had been scarred from the death of her brother and had found new life in her feelings from Abraham. The latter’s passing will push that story forward in huge ways. Will she become even more of a danger to herself? Will this tragedy actually create a sense of inner peace? These are interesting questions that only Negan can bring. 2 New Characters Are Introduced With every character death, The Walking Dead has historically introduced a batch of new faces to fill in for the lost ones. Without saying more than we need to, the source comics tell us that the personalities that emerge after Glenn’s death are super he’s already been in trailers, the arc of the great king Ezekiel should be mentioned here. Played on the AMC series by Khary Payton, Ezekiel becomes one of Rick’s most trusted allies and is one of the most unique characters Robert Kirkman has ever created. With him arrives a group of survivors that breathes totally new life into what was becoming a slightly stale Alexandria Existing Characters Get Fleshed Out The Walking Dead season 6 did right by fans by bringing beloved characters like Jesus and Heath into the narrative, but both of these intriguing partners were criminally underused. With Glenn and Abraham now deceased, Rick will need more strong survivors that his community can trust. These two seem like pretty promising candidates. 'The Walking Dead' season 6 introduced us to Jesus, but his character was criminally underused. That's likely to change in season 7. Photo Gene Page/AMC Because of the premiere’s deaths, Heath and Jesus will likely become the amazing people that comic readers know them to be. Both will assumingly contribute to the war ahead in massive ways, and that might not have been true if the previously arranged cast was hogging the spotlight. Viewers will finally learn just how important those silenced support roles truly Negan Is Made All The More Evil As much as Sunday’s deaths were painful to watch, they did wonders to position Negan as the most demonic adversary Rick and company has ever encountered. It’s easy to make comparisons between Negan and the Governor at face value, but, with the brutal way the premiere was handled, we’re able to see that he’s on an entirely different level of Negan were to take out a less prominent character like Spencer or Aaron, his entrance wouldn’t have been as impactful. In the comics and on the show, there’s a clear plot that emerges before and after Negan establishes himself. As we said in a previous article, there’s so much more to come. He shatters everything Rick thought he knew about life in the apocalypse. You can’t get a truly clear vision for the terror that comes next without some major deaths Some Stale Arcs Get Cleaned Up We touched on this already, but it’s a point worth reiterating. Glenn and Abraham were in the perfect position for death because their characters had mostly run their course. As much as we love Glenn, when was the last time his story was ever truly necessary? Because his plot mostly exists in Maggie’s belly, he wasn’t exactly needed. Abraham probably could have grown more, honestly, but his romantic failures just weren’t prompting much discussion we can get rid of those stories and replace them with something better. Negan has forced Alexandria into a position of complete servitude for the first time. Will Rick head to war immediately? Will he hang back and quietly recruit allies? The revenge for episode 1’s deaths is so much more interesting than anything Glenn or Abraham could have Walking Dead season 7 continues Oct. 30 on did you think of the premiere deaths? Will The Walking Dead be better without Glenn and Abraham? Tell us in the comments section!

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