Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
The Walking Dead opened up its eighth season (which also fortuitously synced up with its 100th episode) with an action-packed episode that dropped us right into the center of Rick's cunning plan to take out the Saviors. "Mercy," like all season premieres since Season 4, was directed by Executive Producer Greg Nicotero, who often tries to bring something artistically different to his episodes - for better or worse.
The most staggering thing about "Mercy," despite all the bullets whizzing and cars exploding, was how dry it was overall. I'll always give The Walking Dead points for the moments when it tries to elevate itself over run-of-the-mill horror fare, and it's given us some truly mesmerizing moments over the years, but this assault on the Sanctuary, in an attempt to take out Negan and his group of marauders from all angles, wound up feeling a touch toothless. Sometimes the show just needs violence to be violence and not an artistically cut-up piece of meandering meditation, overly steeped in the gravity and sentiment of the moment.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...
The Walking Dead opened up its eighth season (which also fortuitously synced up with its 100th episode) with an action-packed episode that dropped us right into the center of Rick's cunning plan to take out the Saviors. "Mercy," like all season premieres since Season 4, was directed by Executive Producer Greg Nicotero, who often tries to bring something artistically different to his episodes - for better or worse.
The most staggering thing about "Mercy," despite all the bullets whizzing and cars exploding, was how dry it was overall. I'll always give The Walking Dead points for the moments when it tries to elevate itself over run-of-the-mill horror fare, and it's given us some truly mesmerizing moments over the years, but this assault on the Sanctuary, in an attempt to take out Negan and his group of marauders from all angles, wound up feeling a touch toothless. Sometimes the show just needs violence to be violence and not an artistically cut-up piece of meandering meditation, overly steeped in the gravity and sentiment of the moment.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...