The Walking Dead: Ep. 709 Rock in the Road
In a season filled with despair, Rock in the Road finally offers some hope for the good guys on The Walking Dead. After being tamed somewhat in the first half of the season the seeds of a rebellion are beginning to sprout.
Still rattled by the potential fallout of going against The Saviors, Gregory butts heads with Rick and the gang on a course of action moving forward. The pros and cons of combining their forces with those on the Hilltop are thrown back and forth but Gregory refuses to see things their way. It’s a strong scene where the group seems to be on the way to regaining their footing in an effort to strike back at Negan. With the members of the Hilltop as potential allies, Jesus steps in and offers another source of hope: Ezekiel and the Kingdom.
Tension arises when the prospect of confronting The Saviors is brought before the king. Realizing that their delicate existence stands to be jeopardized by forming an alliance to strike back at the Saviors, Ezekiel voices his displeasure with Jesus before giving Rick and the others a chance to state their case.
The episode was an interesting look at the politics of power dynamics. Three separate communities are brought together for the common good. Between Ezekiel, Gregory and Rick some tough decisions lay ahead and the jockeying for who will lead the new union is still up for debate.
There were several highlights as The Walking Dead returned for the second half of the season. For fans who’ve been disappointed at how timid the group had become since being broken by Negan, having alphas like Daryl and Rick regain some of their swagger was good to see. Not to be left out of the action, Carol makes an appearance and is completely badass in her short time on screen. The enormity of the carnage doled out by Negan comes into clear view when his list of victims (in just 8 episodes!) is recounted. The severity is not lost on Morgan who further realizes that his personal stance against killing may have to be compromised in order to defeat the tyrant. The episode also featured one of the more ingenious and gory walker mass wipeouts in recent memory. Last but not least, Steven Ogg’s Simon shows up to deliver his delightful brand of bad and his scenes are always fun to watch.
Rock in the Road fades to black with an onscreen smile. The parable delivered by Rick earlier on in the episode potentially comes to fruition. It’s a promissory offer to the characters as well as those at home that things will change for the better as Season 7 begins to wind down.
