The Cost of War

I have been a faithful watcher of "The Walking Dead" since it premiered. While I've soured on the show in recent seasons (as have many others, based on season eight ratings), I'll be recapping each of the episodes of the back half of Season 8 as the show moves into a new chapter.

"I saw him in the back of the convoy, that's why I did it. I had to try, I had to." - Rick, "The Walking Dead"

The world of "The Walking Dead" is rough on children. Before he found himself, it was fair to wonder if Carl (Chandler Riggs) was a budding psychopath. (Actually, I didn't wonder, I was just pretty sure.) Of course Carol's daughter was lost for half a season until she turned up as Walker stashed in a barn.

Carol (Melissa McBride) tried to become a teacher, and tried to take a pair of girls under her wing. But in the fourth season, in what remains the best episode of the series in my opinion in "The Grove," things went off the rails. Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino) didn't understand the danger, and couldn't comprehend her actions. She killed her sister and, in a nod to "Of Mice and Men," she had to be put down.

The latest in a long line of sad children's tales is Henry (Macsen Lintz), whose real-life sister once played Carol's daughter, Sofia. Carol and Morgan (Lennie James) have tried to be an influence on Henry, but it certainly hasn't turned out that well. He ended up killing one of the Saviors in the mid-season premier, but that hasn't satisfied his bloodlust. And last night, it nearly got him and many others killed as he grabbed a gun and tried to take it out on the prisoners.

Instead, they escaped, and that will likely take a toll. And Henry was no where to be found at the end of the episode, which won't sit well with Carol or Morgan. As the episode began, Morgan was already haunted by the ghost of the man he should have ended, but was instead ended by Henry. Or is he haunted by a return to brutal violence that he'd hoped to put behind him? It's unclear at this point, but likely will play a role in the three episodes before the season is done.

So, too, will the narrative arc of young Henry. Will he find his way back, or just be another young soul lost to a world gone mad? I'm hoping for the former, but I'm leaning toward the latter.

There was a lot of action in "Do Not Send Us Astray," but most of it was focused on battle. As Michonne (Danai Gurira) they can't stop fighting. The war is upon them, and if they want to get to the future their so richly desire, it will require fighting Negan and the Saviors. And it was a brutal fight. What seemed like a victory for our heroes at the Hilltop masked some hidden costs.

The most moving aspect of the hour was probably the exploration of Maggie (Lauren Cohan), and her time as a leader. One of her people praised her, saying that Gregory (Xander Berkeley) only ever cared about himself, but Maggie was different because she cared about the people. That hit deep because Maggie was, at the time, struggling with the idea that she was too selfish and had gotten too many people killed. (The fact that man was about to turn into a walker, and was among many others that would die, was also not lost on the audience or Maggie by the end.)

Maggie looked at the row of graves; the literal human cost for her war of vengeance against Negan, and it looks as if it's beginning to take a toll. Like Rick, she's not there yet. But, like Rick, you have to hope she can get there.

If the show wants us to believe in that future that Carl saw, and wants to build toward that, all the key players will have to find a way to move past anger and vengeance and find a path to peace. Change comes slow, and the plot moves in this show have come even slower the past few seasons. But this felt like another step forward, and I'm curious to see how it all plays out.