Three more episodes until the end of it all. The iconic zombie survival series reaches its highly-anticipated conclusion in just a few short weeks. Episode 21, titled “Outpost 22,” follows our survivors as they deal with their forceful abduction at the hands of the Commonwealth. With half the group doomed to work in a dreary labor camp, and the other scrambling through the woods evading Commonwealth soldiers, the show seems to be narratively backtracking at a time when it simply can’t afford to.
“Outpost 22” commits one of “The Walking Dead’s” most frequent sins. With only 3 episodes left in the entire series, the show’s iconic cast is completely spread out location-wise for the duration of this episode. Many of the characters simply scramble through uninteresting woodsy locales, evading completely mundane walker and commonwealth soldier encounters.
Some of the series’ worst low-points involved episodes where the main cast was split up and meandered through repetitive scenery. With only 3 episodes left in the world of the flagship show, the final stretch should most certainly include as many moments with our fan-favorite group united in the face of an adversary. It’s a drag watching half the cast desperately try and find the rest of the crew, something we’ve seen countless times throughout the show.
Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 21 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC
Despite the hiccups of the episode’s overall pacing, there are a few redeeming moments throughout “Outpost 22.” Carol and Maggie have a very touching conversation about the fact that they would have never met each other if it weren’t for the end of the world. “Back then, we never would’ve spoken to each other,” Carol says. “But after the fall, we were forced to become family.”
Negan and Ezekiel have a tense moment at the labor camp where Ezekiel confronts Negan about the sins of his past (including the fact that he used to force women to be his wives), something that many of the main survivors have been much more forgiving of. Ezekiel refuses to ever see him as one of their own, but Negan is desperate to rescue his wife and unborn child. It’s interesting to see one of the original survivors still see Negan as the hellish antagonist he once was.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 21 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC
Maggie has a very intensive and emotional encounter with a child walker. She can’t bring herself to kill the re-animated child as it growls and moans in her arms. It’s a very tragic moment, only amplified by the fact that Maggie was separated from her son Herschel when the Commonwealth abducted her. It’s been quite a bit since we’ve seen a younger walker on the show, with most scramblers as of late being fully decomposed corpses.
The episode’s stand-out sequence features an assault on a Commonwealth train at the hands of Daryl, Maggie, Carol, and Rosita. It’s exhilarating to see some of our fan-favorite characters engage in a large-scale action-movie style sequence. Aside from cars (and the occasional helicopter) the flagship series hasn’t had too many massive vehicle sequences. Spinning off of the train sequence, Daryl even gets to have a brief motorcycle chase with a Commonwealth soldier.
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 21 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC
As the episode reaches its final moments, it becomes evidently clear what the final saga of the series will be: the original survivors will seek to take back Alexandria from the Commonwealth’s ruling hand. The once-safe haven has now been transformed into Outpost 22, seemingly going to serve as the backdrop for the show’s grand and final fight for survival. While it would’ve been especially exciting for the mysterious Outpost 22 to be revealed as a component of the infamous CRM organization, having the show’s finale take place in a warped version of what once was the safest locale in the entire series is a nice twist.
As we approach the series’ final three episodes, here’s hoping the narrative can get back on track for a tense, fast-paced, and rewarding conclusion.
