Try – In the aftermath of Aiden’s death and Gabriel’s confession, things are tense between Deanna and Rick. This only escalates when Rick is wants to take action against Pete’s abuse of Jessie. Meanwhile, Sasha loses it over, sitting tight to go on a rampage, and Carl forms a surprising connection with Enid.
Going into these last two episodes ,the biggest worry was that we’d see too much crammed in for purpose of tying up all the different plot threads. This episode, in fact, does the opposite. It slows things right down, determined to let its stories play out properly rather than forcing them. From a series point of view, this is great but from an episode perspective, less so, because outside the main Rick story, almost everybody else has painfully little episode closure going into the extended season finale. It’s an episode too concerned with being a setup rather than being good in its own right. The biggest waste here is Aaron and Daryl’s snooping in the woods. After doing so well together 2 episodes back in Daryl’s journey to becoming Aaron’s recruiting wingman, they act far too generically towards each other. Yes, they accomplish their purpose which is to emphasise The Wolves as an impending formidable threat. The “massacred alive” tree bondage session clearly paints this unknown threat as being sicker than a puppy murderer screaming Star Wars spoilers but there’s little feel of their character presence though this. Daryl is just there for being the only one we’d believe could track and read the signs. While Aaron’s only function is to vocalise the fear Daryl is too butch to express. I would have expected a much better grasp of these characters from show regular writer Angela Kang. She does fair much better though with Carl’s bonding with Enid. The transgression from curiosity to infatuation feels very natural, and in keeping with Carl as the survivor, we know about the teenage boy that still lies underneath. The two of them are just as cute together as we’d like them be as they roam free in the woods and bond over their inhibitions towards their new civilisation “We’re supposed to be out here, we’re supposed to feel like this, I don’t want to forget”. Enid is much more interesting character than initially implied, even if her “spy in the herd” suspicions look to be false (so far). We genuinely want these kids to have that feeling of almost adolescent normalcy that’s teased so well within the hollow tree’s close encounter.
The theme of kicking and screaming away from peaceful lives carries further to Sasha’s little Rambo side quest. Yet it’s through Michone and Rosita that this is best showcased. Despite setting out to bring Sasha back, they too feel the adrenaline pumping like fresh air in their lungs and join in the team monster kill. Michone’s badass flashbacks are a great little touch as is her affirmative notion to Sasha that “this isn’t for you”; That she’s saving herself rather than rescuing Sasha. As for Sasha’s own pain, we get a little insight into it and it makes sense that Noah’s death would shatter her existing fragile state. It’s clear that this is groundwork for a later act of sniper related craziness in the finale (incorporating Andrea’s comic plotline), but her last scene paints her a bit more back to normal, so it will clearly require some form of trigger. Glen also appears to be waiting for the chance to take his pain out on Captain Brownpants/Nicholas over the people his cowardice has killed. The video interviews make a welcome return this week, allowing both to tell their stories of the warehouse run quickly and efficiently. Both actors do a great job letting they body language voice their emotions; Glen barely moving in bitter grief about the losses (including Aiden) while Nicholas continually shifts, uncomfortable and unsettled as he tries to tell if his lies are believed. While Glen’s laying down the law confrontation with Nicholas is good, it’s his early exchange with Rick that really impresses as he calls Rick out on using “us and them” terminology. It forms the perfect tipping point for the rest of Rick’s arc, by having a close friend go against his views. Like several others in the group, Glen is no longer interested in a takeover as tells Rick that “we’re them now”.
So the main body of the episode forms a curious battle of viewpoints with Rick Vs the world (except Carol) over Pete’s violent abuse of his wife Jessie. The best by far is Deanna’s reveal that she knows all about it but made the political, greater good, choice not to act based on Pete’s value as a doctor and surgeon within the community. Once again, it illustrates that Deanna is by far the better leader than Rick with a battle of two wrongs: her decision to do nothing is bad but Rick’s desire just to kill Pete is far worse. Deanna’s composure continues to surprise and impress in the drama she’s able to absorb and still uphold her non-violent and diplomatic values. As much as Rick proclaims that she and the rest don’t get it, it’s clear that even if his way is the present; it’s only hers that can be their future. The episode does well in taking its time to show Jessie going through several stages of argument, from denial to acceptance, before agreeing to a domestic cease fire. Overall, the elements of this story are handled very well. It’s just in the final minutes things quite literally go out the window. As visually and dramatically stunning a spectacle as Rick’s final scene becomes, it’s still too much of a Hulk-out like character transformation. While we get that Pete triggers Rick’s violent survivor instincts, just as witnessed from the ladies earlier in the episode, it still feels like too big a jump from his prior composure. It doesn’t feel like Rick. It feels like Rick overacting purely for the sake of a dramatic climax. You’ll be thrilled in the moment but as the credits roll, reality will creep back into your mind like the Runway logic of Fast 6 to ultimately deteriorate the affect. It was the right idea; it just should have been handled much better.
While Try is not a bad episode, in fact it has plenty to like. Yet after such a good run since the dawn of Alexandria, it can’t help feel much weaker by comparison and all too encumbered by positional post-finale moves. It’s the Walking Dead’s Deathly Hallows Part 1: feeling more necessary than desired, but quickly forgiven if it makes the finale worth our while. It also has one very big silver lining. The fact that things have still not plunged into chaos this late in the season strongly in some way Alexandria will carry over into season 6, which is definitely what we want to happen. The only question is who will be in charge? Whose world will it be and who will just live there?