The Walking Dead Episode 610 Recap and Review: The Next World

Well, as disappointed as we are that they are out of rockets after last week’s stellar episode, what happens what becomes of Carl’s eye? And what happens now to the people of Alexandria? Let’s recap and review The Walking Dead episode 610: The Next World.

[divider] The Walking Dead Episode 610 Recap: The Next World [/divider]

We open with a nice little family scene, with Judith playing with a solo cup and Michonne looking for toothpaste. We also discover that Carl had recovered and is doing physical therapy by throwing a tennis ball. (We later learn it has been a few months since the glory of RPGFest, which would totally be what I would call my Daryl Dixon Fan Conference.)

And speaking of Daryl, Denise wants well done product placement orange soda from Daryl’s supply run as a surprise for Tara, who was talking about it in her sleep. Daryl seems to be cool with it and makes a note. As he and Rick head out of town, Eugene wants sorghum, as he seems to be taking on the role of the town farmer, which means the new picture on my FarmersOnly account is Eugene. Reaping and sowing, ladies. Reaping and sowing.

As they drive away, Rick harrasses Daryl with some honky tonk song. Already the episode has a lighter tone.

Michonne sees Spencer go into the woods and follows him and for brevity’s sake, I am going to compact that whole storyline into this part, though it played out over several scenes in the show. Spencer has been taking a shovel and sneaking away from the town after his shifts. Michonne confronts him and tries to talk him into the idea that he is still a part of this new family.

In the midst of seeing them in the woods, we also see Carl and Enid in the woods. Earlier Enid has a conversation with Maggie, where Maggie essentially was saying “Hey, we are willing to adopt you as the cool babysitter/younger sister/weird neighbor if you want that.”

Eventually, they run into a zombie and the audience doesn’t see who it is but it is clear that they know the person. Carl stops Enid from killing the walker and leads it to Spencer and Michonne, because the walker is Deanna, Spencer’s dead momma. Spencer quietly kills her and then uses his shovel to bury her.

Meanwhile, Carl and Rick find a non-product placement delivery truck that is full of supplies.

They get it running and when they stop for gas, they flip over a vending machine when a new character runs into them while saying he was running away from some walkers. There is some discussion but the new guy Paul, aka Jesus, runs away.

Rick and Daryl talk about trailing him when some firecrackers distract them and then Jesus takes the wheels, running off with their supplies, having lifted the keys from Rick when they bumped into each other.

As they pursue Jesus, like most of us in that pursuit, they get tired and drink some soda they find for Denise in the vending machine that they had flipped over with the truck, and had been drug for many miles by Jesus. And they keep pursuing Jesus.

When Rick and Daryl catch up to Jesus, he goes all ninja before they finally knock him to the ground. They leave Jesus tied up and on the ground, but they damaged all but one can of the soda, much to Daryl’s discouragement.

As they drive off and come to a farm to investigate, Jesus somehow managed to get away and get on the roof of the moving van. A fight ensues that has Jesus using Daryl’s gun to kill a walker and save Daryl, but then Jesus is run over as the truck full of supplies disappears into the pond. Eventually we see that Daryl and Rick took Jesus with them and Rick talks about how quickly Daryl understood Alexandria and how Rick is listening now. Jesus is bound and put in the former Wolf prison.

At Rick’s place, Michonne and Carl are having a conversation on the front porch. She goes to give Carl the business about playing around with the Deanna walker but Carl explains that he knew what he was doing and he wanted Spencer to kill her. Because it needed to be someone who loved her. And then in the only time of television history where someone ever threatened death to another and it ended in a meaningful, non-horror story way, Carl tells Michonne that he would want to kill her because it should be family.

When Rick gets back, he and Michonne are on the couch and he gives her the peppermints that he got out of the vending machine for her. Which is evidently Walking Dead code for “Let’s Get It On.” And Rick and Michonne become one, even gaining their own clever internet name of Richonne. (Relationship goals!)

Then, as they are naked in bed, Jesus surprises them by saying they need to talk and the episode comes to an end.

[divider] The Walking Dead Episode 610 Review: The Next World [/divider]

An interesting episode to say the least. In some ways, not much happens but in others, there are some massive things that happen.

We know Carl is alive. If you read the comics, this is no surprise to you but I think it was a smart move to move the whole thing forward a few months, establishing that life had gone on and Carl was okay and adapting.

Jesus is introduced. I don’t know a ton about him but when EarthNerd Clave writes a post saying he is a character you should know, I trust that. He is interesting with his well groomed beard and ninja fighting ways. I want there to be the Dojo Alexandria with Jesus and Morgan holding court.

Richonne. So, it has been a slow developing storyline and I can’t say it really surprised me. In some ways, it makes sense. And the last couple episodes have shown that from a family dynamic standpoint. (If you had any doubt about how Michonne felt about Carl, you KNEW he was her soon when she started clearing the way to the infirmary last week.) I know some people will really love it and some will really hate it. I fall in the middle land and I am taking a wait and see approach. A bad break up in the apocalypse could be REALLY bad.

Everyone is surviving. They are doing what it takes to make a life. Daryl and Rick on the road for supplies makes sense and it appears another group is making a run next week.

Finally, I think this episode must have come in way under budget. This is the first time I remember the Walking Dead using significant chunks of music. I kind of wish it had been product placement new EDM stuff. Someone edit that scene with Rick and Carl and drop a Bieber track on it for me. Then all my favorite things would be merged into one!

An 7.5 out of 10 episode. Not terrible. Not great. But it moved the story forward!