The Walking Dead – Season 11, Episode 17: Lockdown

By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

This review contains spoilers.

It feels like we’ve waited for an age for the return of The Walking Dead, but here we are, and Episode 17 spends no time dropping the audience straight into the action!

With Hornsby’s men closing in on Daryl and the rest of the group, Daryl formulates a plan involving Negan, and any plan with Negan usually means success! Using his Whisperer ways, Negan is able to secure a truck and cause a distraction for Daryl, as he thins the number of Hornsby’s men. Daryl and Maggie share a really touching moment and as soon as they mentioned Glenn, the emotions hit hard! It’s crazy to think how long these two characters have been friends, even more so when you add in the in-story time jumps. So having this quiet moment amidst all the chaos and tension was a nice addition to the story.

Back inside the Commonwealth, the protests have started, and the people want Sebastian to face justice. But with Hornsby’s men also inside the walls, the rest of the group isn’t safe. How can they become safe? Welcome, Negan! Sending Negan in to meet with Mercer to gain access isn’t a bad idea, not at all! While Carol is more than capable of keeping people safe, an extra killer instinct can’t hurt! I also thought that Negan’s face looking around at the buildings and people was really funny, he had such a great look on his face.

With news that a horde is approaching, the Commonwealth goes into lockdown. As night falls, Carol and Negan manage to track down Sebastian, who is hidden away in a secret room. Thanks to another great monologue from Negan, Sebastian agrees to return with them. This is a risky move, as the protestors are holding a vigil in the town square. Sebastian’s cover is quickly blown, but before things can get out of hand, the sound of the horde can be heard approaching. The stormtroopers resort to gas attacks to try to disperse the crowd. Given real-world events over the past few years, I was fearful of a more forceful ejection might have been used, so I think they chose the right option from a story point of view. With Sebastian reunited with his mother, now it’s time for Carol to broker a deal…

Out on the perimeter, Mercer reassures Rosita that he has her back, should the worse happen and they have to leave the Commonwealth. Speaking of worse… we are treated to one of the most graphic deaths that we’ve seen in a long time in The Walking Dead. Mercer is unable to rescue a trooper, despite his best efforts. With the Walkers pulling his legs and Mercer pulling his arms, the trooper is soon turned into a real-life Stretch Armstrong, only he got ripped apart, rather than reverting to his normal shape! This was brutal and bloody. Huge credit needs to go out to the SFX and makeup team as this was a fantastic practical effect.

With Hornsby dug in, the gang have to resort to the sewers, but with some rogue walkers roaming about and plenty of blind spots, it’s not the worst place to try and spring a trap! The trap partially works, however despite Daryl capturing Hornsby by knifepoint, there are too many stormtroopers to deal with, so with everyone holding guns at each other, it looks like we’ve reached a stalemate! Maybe Carol’s deal will help resolve this issue? That’s my guess anyway! But we’ll have to wait until next week to find out how Daryl and co escape this perilous situation.

I thought this was a fantastic return for The Walking Dead, I really do. It threw you straight into the action, and the drama and tension were splattered throughout the different subplots and characters. The episode flew by, yet it was still packed full of great moments and character interactions. This episode ticked off every box in terms of what I want from an episode of The Walking Dead.

What did you think of the latest episode of The Walking Dead? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.