“Crossed” was a lot like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. Mockingjay Pt. 1 was all about introducing the characters and plot lines you need to know to get you ready for part two, while still giving you enough action to make part one worth it.
In the penultimate episode of the fall, The Walking Dead gave us an interesting new character, a plan to save Beth set in motion and a lot of intrigue about next week’s finale.
In a particularly strong season for TWD, this wasn’t the best episode, but viewers should be ok with that because of what it should allow next week’s finale to be.
We already saw Tyresse comfort a struggling Sasha, we already saw Beth sneaking around the hospital to help Carol and we already saw Glen’s group start to put the pieces back together. All of this setup will hopefully allow next week’s episode to go full throttle for 60 minutes.
When TWD was struggling, the one thing it could hang its hat on was its ability to make thrilling premieres and finales. Finales have included the CDC and Herschel’s farm blowing up, and this season’s premiere featured an epic battle at Terminus. With what TWD has shown this season under Scott Gimple, and the stage “Crossed” set, I expect big things from the fall finale.
Until then, here are my weekly awards for “Crossed:”
MVP: Maggie, Daryl and Beth
We got a little bit of a lot of characters this week, so the MVP award will be split between the characters doing the little things to keep their groups going.
Maggie was in charge of getting one of the better fighters on the show, Abraham, out of his 1,000-yard stare and back to reality. Daryl showed confidence himself we haven’t seen before and is starting to emerge as a real leader. Beth is showing herself to not be a one-episode-wonder by learning to work the hospital’s complicated political system in her favor and continuing to get things done.
Each character showed grit and maturity, while proving to be more important than most people think.
Carl of the Night: Sasha
It hurts me to do this. You never want to kick a character while she’s down, but you forced my hand, Sasha.
Did she never watch any TV or movies before the zombie apocalypse? When you’re the one left to guard the prisoners, you never talk to them, let alone turn your back to them after letting them get up. While I feel bad for Sasha, she really brought this upon herself.
Who we met:
New Bob
I thought, when new Bob said his name, he might provide some type of weird closure for Sasha because she was so broken up about old Bob’s death.
New Bob seemed to be fairly kind hearted like his old counterpart, but we quickly learned about the new Bob’s darker side. I don’t think he was lying about being willing to turn on Dawn and the hospital, so I’m interested to see where his allegiances fall next week.
Who died:
No one. After three consecutive weeks of this section being left empty, you have to believe next week’s fall finale will fill it up, but good luck trying to figure out who’s going down.
Best part of the night:
“Crossed” was light on action, but heavy on character development, and the most intriguing character interaction of the night was definitely Daryl challenging Rick on what to do about Beth and Carol.
We know Daryl wants them back more than anyone, but when Rick proposed a seal team six-like plan to rescue them without regard for human life and it was Daryl, of all people, who decided to back Tyresse’s plan of capturing cops from the prison to setup a prisoner exchange.
Daryl never challenges Rick, he’s usually perfectly content to follow the sheriff’s lead and watch his back. This time, not only did Daryl challenge Rick’s plan, Rick was swayed by Daryl’s opinion. I’m extremely happy for TWD not just settling for Daryl as the fan favorite he is, but continuing to have him mature as a character. Look for Daryl to be an even more significant part of the series moving forward.
Grossest Part of the night:
Those charred crawling walkers new Bob used to trick Sasha. You know how bad burnt hair smells? Think of that, but multiplied by a million.
What to watch for:
There is a ton to look out for in next week’s finale. Our group is divided into at least five smaller groups (depending on how you look at it) and they’re all equally intriguing. Here’s what to watch for when you tune in next week.
1. How will new Bob affect Rick and Daryl’s plan to rescue Beth and Carol? What’s new Bob’s ultimate goal? What will happen to Sasha? Will Carol wake up? Ultimately, the question that really matters is will Rick and Co. be able to defeat the hospital. There are a lot of moving parts here, but look for Beth and/or Carol to be the key to their own rescue.
2. What is Father Gabriel doing? If Michone wants to hang out with me during the zombie apocalypse, that’s what I’m doing. He is leaving a prime situation with a strong group that is willing to protect him. You got to wonder what he’s running towards. Does he have a plan, or is he just dumb? We’ll have to wait and see.
3. What’s Glen’s group doing? Right now, they’re just hanging out in the street. But thanks to Eugene showing signs of life and Maggie not letting Abraham wallow in his own pity party anymore, it looks like this group will be ready to move. Will they head back to the church? Will they run into Gabriel before making it there? It’d be slightly disappointing to leave all of these character just meeting up with everyone back at the church, so look for something unexpected with this group in the finale.
4. As I’ve written all season, and I feel obligated to remind you now, Morgan Jones is still out there somewhere in the forests of rural Georgia. He’s the guy who showed up at the very end of this season’s first episode and hasn’t been seen since. By now, you know I love this character and can’t wait to see how he fits in current makeup of the show. TWD needs to get Jones off the bench and let him start making the impact we know he can.
