I thought the season finale would kick off the war between the Alliance and the Whisperers, but didn't expect it to be an entire episode of "The Bitter Winter " - which was better than I expected, as this episode returns to The Walking Dead "One of the essences of "Apocalypse Survival" theme, and the newly opened "Ice and Snow Map" also gives the audience a long-lost freshness.
The season finale reminded me of the famous phrase in a quote "Struggling with the sky, the joy is endless! Fighting with the earth, the joy is endless! Fighting with people, the joy is endless !" Some optimistic, unyielding fighting spirit.
Probably because the show has been emphasizing the theme of "fighting with people and fighting the walking dead", weakening the theme of "fighting with the sky and fighting with the earth", resulting in insufficient foreshadowing and background, so some viewers feel that after watching this episode Weird... I personally loved this episode, although it wasn't as shocking as the last one, it gave me the biggest surprise at the end of the season.
difficult conditions
The water pipe in the Kingdom of God burst again. This time, Ezekiel and the others tried their best to repair it... This community that has been struggling to make ends meet has finally reached the end of its streak.
Carol packed Henry's relics, Ezekiel took the precious charter, and evacuated the community as the last of the Kingdom of God residents.
" Cowards die many times before they die, but warriors die only once in their lives. " The people of the Kingdom of God, who are always optimistic and persist until the last moment, deserve this praise.
In fact, the ninth season has been paving the way for the unsustainable status quo of the Kingdom of God : Henry kept repairing broken water pipes, and Ezekiel and Carol's room with cracked walls could only rely on deer hunting and movies as "specialties" "To prepare for the meeting, Carol also said that she would merge into the mountaintop village, etc... So it is not abrupt that the community of the Kingdom of God was abandoned in this episode.
If it wasn't for Ezekiel's unwillingness to give up the kingdom of God and trying to survive, they would have evacuated earlier - but as the weather turned cold, there were many rust, cracks and fires in the community, and it was difficult for the gods to save this . Communities with damaged infrastructure can only go to the top of the mountain to escape the winter.
Alexander's situation is not good either. The generators and heaters are on strike collectively, and the solar panels are also broken. They can only keep warm by the old method of "burning fire" .
The entire Alexandria also has large fireplaces in the conference room, Aaron's house and Barbara's house. After the blizzard comes, the residents can only stay there and wait for the sun to clear.
And because the chimney of the conference room was not cleaned in time, there was a lot of methane left in it, the fireplace exploded inadvertently, and the ventilation system of the chimney failed... There are both subjective reasons for their lack of preparation, and the snowstorm damaged the foundation. objective factors of the facility.
The alliance is so embarrassed this winter, its essence is the same as they "don't need guns": after the end of the world, the survivors are just lying in the last remnants of human civilization, and all modern tools and equipment will sooner or later age, malfunction, Destruction, the less you use it, the people with construction and repair skills are scarce, and in the absence of supporting tools and resources, even if someone has the technology, they can do nothing... (The division of labor in modern society is already very fine, everyone masters it Skills are very limited, randomly select a group of people and put them in the same environment, and they may not be able to do better than the people in the play)...
Only a super-large community with a large population base that is not affected by internal friction and maintains a relatively complete light and heavy industrial system can maintain the level of technological civilization before the end of the world.
harsh environment
Alliances that have experienced several wars but still lack foreign exchanges, obviously can only live more and more "primitive" lives... In addition to this helpless reason, extreme weather is also an important reason for them to feel uncomfortable.
"The Walking Dead" never depicts the scene of the survivors spending the winter. Considering the main stage of the story - Georgia has a subtropical humid climate near the sea, usually only some areas in the north will snow in winter, so those winters before the League should not be too difficult. ... but this year's rare super heavy snow caught everyone off guard.
Humans who do not rely on infrastructure and tools are really small and weak in front of nature (for example, in the northern winter, the heating is stopped and electricity is unavailable, and there is no material rescue, let’s see how many people can stand it).
First of all, the wind and snow are too heavy, and it is very inconvenient to move outdoors . After the fireplace in the Alexander conference room was destroyed, the people inside had to move to Aaron's house before cooling down. When their vision was severely obstructed and their standing was unstable, everyone had to hold a rope to prevent them from falling behind.
Secondly, the violent snowstorm will also bring other secondary disasters . Negan's thigh was cut by a piece of wood blown by the strong wind while he was searching for Judith.
This is still the case within the community, not to mention how difficult it is to get to the Land of God immigration escort at the Peak Village, whose short-distance migration plan has changed three times :
①When it just snowed during the day, the team could still move forward normally, but the blizzard came earlier than expected, and they had to hurry through the night;
②As a result, the blizzard was unexpectedly violent. Even if they hurried on the road at night, they could not reach the next station, so they could only leave the road and find a temporary shelter "Salvation Hall" to avoid danger;
③ This is not over yet. The blizzard is not only fast and violent, but also very big, which basically ruined the original plan, the road is not easy to walk, and the supplies you carry with you are not enough... Crossing the border delineated by Alpha is the best way.
The disputes between the leaders here can also illustrate their respective positions: Ezekiel is the only firm "Place of Peace" and is unwilling to take risks to cross the "military demarcation line". Most of the others hold an indifferent attitude. A few people should be the "main battle faction" eager to try.
Of course, Michele's proposal to cross the border was not to provoke the Whisperers, but to race against time to get on their way. If they hesitated and delayed until they were completely blocked, they would be dead.
The natural environment poses more than just obstacles for migrant escorts—they have to walk through frozen rivers, and if the ice isn’t strong enough to pass people, or too many people break down in the middle, the route has to be abandoned.
Fortunately, they were lucky this time, and the ice surface did not shatter under the state of the team's rapid march.
In addition to this, the immigrant escorts also face the threat posed by the walking dead . The "deterrence" of Whisperers is everywhere . Now everyone in the Alliance is very nervous when they see a walking corpse. After killing it, they have to check whether it is a Whisperer. Although this possibility is extremely low, it has to be guarded against, and it costs a lot of money. It took a lot of physical and mental energy for the escort team.
Especially in the stage of crossing the border and crossing the river, they must assume that there is a whisperer watching them, and divide a certain vigilance force, which indirectly delays their travel efficiency (it turns out that the whisperer does not appear in such a cold place. ).
In the "Ice and Snow Map", we also saw several "new types of walking dead". The first is the "Frozen Walking Dead" :
This kind of walking corpse is the least threatening. It is estimated that it has been soaked in water or has a large amount of blood before the snow. After the snowstorm, it was directly frozen, and the reaction is that it can't move, just smash the head ( but will leave traces);
The second is "Buried Walking Dead" :
Due to the inconvenience of movement (lack of arms, broken legs, etc.), they were buried in snow, but they were not frozen. This kind of walking corpse, which was easy to find, is now the most threatening. When someone passes by, they move. It can be said that is invincible;
The third "snow walking corpse" is no different from ordinary walking corpses that can move freely:
Darryl achieved a thrilling counterattack under the "joint" attack of the walking dead in the snow and the walking dead in the ground, and finally completed the lore with ice , which is also the first "miracle" in "The Walking Dead".
With so many difficulties and obstacles, it was not easy for the immigration escort to reach the top of the mountain.
heart floating
Circumstances can defeat people, but the first to defeat people must be people themselves. Lydia, Carol, Ezekiel, and others all have this danger.
After the appearance of the "Ten Heads" boundary, Lydia has been having a hard time. She doesn't think about tea and rice, and she has to face the cynicism of many people. She doesn't want Darryl's protection, and she even feels that she deserves to suffer...
Carol 80% didn't give Lydia a good look, even if Darryl comforted her and said "Henry insisted Lydia stay", it would not change the fact that Carol thought of Henry when she saw Lydia— - Pain is pain.
In recent months, the relationship between the two has become much closer. In contrast, Ezekiel and Carol are in a difficult situation. He wants to start over, and wants to get back what he lost... if Darryl is willing to give in.
Obviously, Ezekiel regards Daryl as an "opponent". This kind of faint hostility is not entirely out of the meaning of "rival in love". He is afraid that "main war factions" like Daryl will once again become gentle . Carol took away.
While resting in the ruins of the Salvation Church, Carol bluntly said, "Ezekiel blames you because he can't blame me." It can be seen that Ezekiel's worry is right: Carol feels that she is lost again, and she can't hold on...
This is not the first time Carol has lost her way. As a past person, Darryl has no good way to do it. He can only symbolically express his willingness to take Lydia away, but this is a temporary solution.
As the leader of the kingdom of God, Ezekiel is very self-blaming. It is precisely because he has been brave and disregarded the difficulties of reality that everyone is so passive now.
Michelle comforted him with her own responsibility: it was because of my long-standing policy of alienation that Alpha had an opportunity to sneak into the market, and ultimately led to all this... The tragedy will never happen again, the kingdom of God still here.
The most serious problem is Lydia. She even had the idea of using the trapped corpse to commit suicide. If Carol didn't see it and stopped in time, her life might have been explained in the snow.
That's why when Lydia left the army again, Carol would take the initiative to find her.
The pessimistic Lydia felt that even if everyone went to the top of the mountain, everything would not get better. Besides, no one wanted her to go back. If she hadn't followed Henry, Henry and the others might have been alive... "Ten Heads" is her responsibility, she brought bad luck to the league.
Although Carol hadn't said these words, she must have thought uncontrollably... When Lydia begged herself to kill her, Carol felt a sense of confusion and really planned to do it, not out of "" hatred", but wanted to "free" desperate children.
It wasn't until Lydia said, "I'm too weak, like my mother said." Carol woke up and took the child away.
Carol saw her former self in Lydia, and she had the opportunity to become a better self at a young age ... Less regrets and pain, more strength and happiness.
After completing the escort mission, Daryl, Lydia, and Carol all return to Alexandria. As the queen of the kingdom of God, Carol must say goodbye to Ezekiel... This fairy tale is great, but it will end; this dream is beautiful, but it will wake up eventually.
Carol gave up optimism and tenderness again, and was determined to return to pessimism and ruthlessness . Maybe she would never return to Ezekiel again... The only thought was that Ezekiel insisted that she keep the ring.
Compared with the preoccupied "adults" above, Judith, who is a little devil, has always been upright and firm . Daryl placed the dog in Alexander and entrusted her to take care of it, and Judith wanted to take care of it. When the snowstorm came, the dog was gone, and she was more anxious than anyone else.
In the face of Judith who "recognizes death", even Negan, who is invincible with "mouth gun", can't do anything.
On the way to Aaron's house, Judith ran away when she heard the barking of the dog. You can say that she was "still a child after all, and she didn't know what to fear", or that she "did what she said, and there was nothing. Dog Girl"...but this is no joke, Negan paid a relatively high price to find her.
Negan carried Judith away, covered her with his coat, didn't forget to talk shit when he was dressing himself up to adjust the atmosphere, and he had to take a dog with him when he left... Uncle Lolita's drama is the ultimate for this sake. .
Baojianfeng emerges from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold.
It is precisely because this group of survivors have gone through so many hardships and overcome so many hardships that in the end, when they play snowball fights, they will have the beauty and strength of their hard work and success.
No setting, perseverance
In fact, until the snowball fight, the story of this episode is complete enough, but in order to prepare for the next season, the necessary foreshadowing and digging have to be done. Let’s pick a few highlights below.
The mountaintop village is now leaderless , and the committee cannot reach any safety resolutions, and can only take a step by step.
The old leader Maggie couldn’t be contacted, and the successors Jesus and Tara died one after another. Now, as the strongest community in the alliance, the Peak Village really lacks a pillar that can withstand the pressure and convince the public. Ezekiel can ease it after passing. This situation, but for a long time he was not suitable to sit in this position. Therefore, the unsettled alliance is completely unable to organize a counter-offensive whisperer in the short term, not to mention that the opinion of "war is peace" is far from unified.
Michelle talks a lot when she comes to thank Negan, and Negan pays her respects when she learns that the escort has passed through Whisperer's territory.
Michelle said that "evil unites good people", and Negan made a more precise definition in more practical words: No one ever feels that they are on the side of evil.
This is also one of the reasons why I like this episode. If the characters/crew and the audience can jump out of the mundane view and position of "good and evil" and look at the collision of different ideas and the result of success and failure, the future of this show will be greatly improved. can go further.
It's like Alpha firmly believes that she is right, she thinks that she has made a mistake, and she must be punished, cruel to others, and cruel to herself.
This is a kind of post-apocalyptic survivalism that completely obeys the law of the jungle. As long as the Whisperers can't be defeated, they can become stronger - and after losing Lydia, Alpha theoretically has no weaknesses (PS: Whisperer) They should have gone to the south to spend the winter, and their way of living is not suitable for the cold winter at all).
The big good news this winter for people in the league is that the radio is finally fixed.
At the end, Ezekiel and Judith made contact as the caller of the mountaintop and Alexander respectively, Ezekiel is still the king of optimism, he always believes that there will always be good things waiting for you tomorrow... Now The alliance needs this spirit.
As for the communication information from the last radio frequency band, there are different opinions.
It could be from Maggie's community of Georgie, it could be from the mighty Commonwealth in the comics, or it could be from the new community of Annie and Rick (if it doesn't coincide with the previous one) , or a new force from the show's original... Who knows? This kind of endless hole, just wait patiently for the tenth season to fill it.
[So far, I have completed the whole season of "The Walking Dead" for the third consecutive year. I will release the season-ending summary on the public account "You Love Comment Area" tomorrow as usual. See you in the tenth season in the second half of the year! 】
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