By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review contains spoilers.
We start this week’s episode in the aftermath of last week’s Milton exposure and Walker attack inside the Commonwealth. Pamela wants an example to be made and has targeted Eugene for this role. Blackmailing Mercer to ensure Max does not fill the Eugene role was a smart move at first glance. Although the last person I would ever want to cross is Mercer! With the former Riverbend, Hilltop and Alexandria residents being rounded up as part of the search, things are not looking good inside the Commonwealth! If you thought Max being captured and refusing to sign the pardon was bad, things are looking even worse for Hornsby! Pamela knows it was his plan that caused the Walkers to be set loose and by proxy led to the death of her son. So, she invites Hornsby to serve the family one more time… by acting as a meal for, the now turned, Sebastian. But his fate is left unknown, at least for this week! I don’t think he goes out like that to be honest, as it was too low-key. With Eugene handing himself over, in order to clear Max of any wrongdoing, I think it tracks with his character arc and with him giving away his Bolo Tie, it could very well be the first main cast casualty of this final batch of episodes!
Elsewhere, Aaron’s convoy is on the road, but after an accident with the cart, Jerry’s leg is hurt, and they have to hold up in an abandoned Renaissance fair. Despite everything being locked up tight, as night settles in, Walkers pour into the inner courtyard. Now, earlier on, there was a Walker on the road who my initial thought was Whisperer – given the look they gave to the convoy. Now all of a sudden, the “locked up tight” doors are open? Something wasn’t sitting right with me here, and that proved to be the case when Aaron confirmed Whisperer involvement – thanks to the giveaway of trying to use the doorknob. At least that is what the show wanted you to think… after all, this episode is called ‘Variant’ and this was NO Whisperer… it was a Variant Walker, one with a level of intelligence that goes beyond a Walker’s animalistic nature.
There were two episode highlights for me, the first being Jerry’s badass swordplay and the second being Princess throughout this entire episode. I think if I had to pick one moment though, it would be the conversation between Princess and Mercer. Paola Lazaro absolutely crushed it in this scene, and it was emotionally charged and such a raw and vulnerable performance. As for the ‘variant’ Walker, this isn’t the first time they’ve made an appearance. Remember Morgan’s wife from Season One? She tried to open the door too! With the more obvious inclusion of Variant Walkers this late on – especially in the final series – it would suggest these are being re-introduced now in preparation for the various spin-offs we have in the future.
I thought the episode was OK overall. It wasn’t bad, nor was it anything special. It felt like there was a lot of set-up for what is to come next and there were more than a few questions left unanswered, so there was a little sense of unfulfillment. With that said, I am very intrigued by a lot of the things they teased and the events inside the Commonwealth continue to intrigue me.
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