After a harsh season premiere last week of The Walking Dead, the writers decided to give viewers a break in the horror and gore and introduce some new characters to help (or attempt to) fill the void in our hearts.
In this latest episode ‘The Well’, the audience is introduced to The Kingdom, another colony who live peaceful lives with plants, livestock, school, and even music; all led by their king. Morgan brings a sick Carol to the Kingdom and introduces her to their King Ezekiel and his beloved pet tiger, Shiva.
Always skeptical and realistic, Carol thinks the place is a sham and plays her fake ‘innocent’ card. This leads to multiple funny scenes of Carol, one who knows how to murder people, just acting clueless and seeming high on drugs.
This is why we love you, Carol.
But, it is through Carol’s skepticism, we learn more about the Kingdom and the hope we have for it.
Although the episode was a bit crazy being that this was a mecca ruled by a Shakespearean king and his pet tiger, it was definitely needed. One, it introduced us to King Ezekiel and his men, who like in the comics, play a large role in taking down Negan and the Saviors. Two, they gave us some likeable characters to have hope and strong feelings for.
I found the likeable characters in Ezekiel, his main knight Richard, and his squire Jerry. We learned quickly that Ezekiel isn’t really British and, like the comics, was a zookeeper who saved Shiva prior to the apocalypse. And, although he lied to his people, he has proven himself a really good leader. He created this kingdom based on peace and kept his side deal with Negan away from his people. He just wants peace and his people to have something to truly live for. Honestly, he may be the best leader throughout all the seasons, including Rick. He may also be my favorite character now (especially now that Glen is gone).
His soldiers are exceptional as well. They are trained for battle and quite well equipped. Richard easily kicked that Savior’s ass before being told to stop. He’s just doing his job even when it’s tough.
As for Jerry, his character was just fun. The fact that he kept things light-hearted with his quirky comments, including saying “deuces” as he left. Who does that still in an apocalypse!?!
Overall, the Kingdom seems like the best place to be for peace and training. Even Morgan found his place as advisor to the King and mentor to Benjamin, a young man wanting to learn how to fight walkers. I’m not sure how Morgan could go back to Alexandria after experiencing this place.
I needed this episode. I think we all did. A quiet episode to introduce us to peace and hope, even for Carol. The fact that Ezekiel got through to her really shows us something. It also seemed to me they will be replacing the comic’s love story between Ezekiel and Michonne with Carol, especially after the heart-to-heart talk between the two this past episode. But, we won’t know for sure until the gang are introduced to the Kingdom.
I’m enjoying the Kingdom, which makes me happy and scared at the same time, because now that I like him and his people, I know I have something to lose again.
from Nerd Reactor
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