If you don't want "Spoilers," scroll down to the "Non-Spoilers" section where I give my broad conclusion and overall thoughts
Spoilers (In-Depth Analysis)
- The slow pacing
Normally I feel like I should always skim through the first 10 minutes if I re-watch episodes again but not this one because it starts with Dwight, then Dwight talking to Negan, then Dwight talking to Simon. Pretty much they still don't know Dwight is the mole. I wouldn't skim through this because now he plays a big part to the war and from where S08E11 "Dead or Alive Or" ended. Other than that I don't care much about scenes from Hilltop especially with Enid.
When the camera was spinning around Dwight you hope the girl who shot him in the arm would appear but sadly she didn't. That would be cool though.
Big tease
So we have two big characters clashing against each other. Rick and Negan. I like the fight scenes in this one than S08E08 "How It's Gotta Be". People complain why is it always got to be in the dark but I'm not complaining. The writers can throw plenty of twists and turns as long if it convinces me. In fact its better than in the house in Alexandria. You got a bit of the Fast & Furious action where they're car crashing each other. So people who nit pick that it's always in the dark. I disagree. Who would win in a fist fight? Obviously Rick because he worked as a cop before the war while Negan worked as a gym teacher. Cops are trained to fight when they catch criminals and I can add that he has more experience since he is in more uncomfortable situations than Negan. I like the part where Negan swings his bat but Rick dodges by sliding through the door way. I like the part where Rick threw his ax which made Negan fall. I also like how he set the bat on fire which I have to give bonus points for. In their confrontation you really see the buildup from S08E10 "The Lost and the Plunderers". Negan knows Simon disobeyed him. It was pretty cool where they were attacking each other with a flamed bat while also fighting walkers surrounding them. The stakes are higher. I bet they if they do confront each other again its going to be once and for all like a trilogy cause 3rd time confrontation.Future episode theory
I don't know much from part 2 of "All Out War" from the comics so don't tell me but I know because of this revelation Negan obviously needs to get back on track. With the ending we got a big surprise. Jadis is back and she is holding a gun to his head in the car. After watching "The Key" Simon takes over the army and they head to Hilltop. I feel like Simon is going to lose. I feel like for the rest of second half of season 8 there will be another two episodes about Negan being kidnapped by Jadis then later taking control AGAIN of his army just like how the Governor build his army second time to attack the prison in the middle of season 4. If the writers do want to go at a slow pace then for the next episode they should just show how Jadis knocked Negan out and brought him to her car. I also predict the writers will take us away from the war and focus on the girl who shot Dwight. Maybe she lands in Oceanside. Whatever happens in between, the war should end in a final confrontation between Rick and Negan and because of this episode it seems that the war is going to last all the way through to the 1st episode of season 9.The direction the writers are taking
With Carl dead it may be a good decision or bad one but the creator of the comic approved so I have faith. So same for this one. Also Negan has a BIG army but it feels like he is losing. I feel that even though it looks like Negan is losing he still has more firepower/men than Rick.
Side story was interesting and good that it wasnt stretched out but sadly Hilltop scenes are getting boring.
- Unanswered questions
What happened to that girl who shot Dwight?
Will the writers have more story to tell or are they still dragging out the war? (Hard to say)
What is that helicopter that Rick was chasing at the end of S08E05 "The Big Scary U"? (Still waiting for that answer)
Non-Spoilers (Overall Thoughts)
This episode was MUCH BETTER than the last episode that is for sure.
The beginning part was slow as usual just like all their previous episodes but it starts off with the right character.
This episode has a twist so if you read the comic books you would see the big change where they inject a new story but please don't give me details from the comic book because I only read bits of certain chapters before "All Out War pt.2"
S08E10 "The Lost and the Plunderers" strongly links to this one and you want to watch both of them as they go hand to hand with each other.
When I watch "The Key," it gives you a good feeling that maybe they won't stretch out the 2nd part of the war too thin because now with this one they have more story to show from the war.
Looking back to the 1st 8 episodes of season 8 the only episode that was crap was S08E06 "The King, the Widow, and Rick".
In conclusion this episode makes you think a lot about the rest of season 8 as the result will be the same from the comics but the buildup is going to be WAAAAAAY different.
Another way to describe this episode was that it may be a tease but it was a great tease and it showed what's more to come (unless the writers rush the story).
From the pacing and the cliffhanger of season 6 where we don't know who Negan knocked out with Lucille it seems they won't rush it.
My Grading Rubric:
This simply means that it is CRAP. It also means that for an amount of time you spend watching a movie/episode is also the amount of time you are never going to get back. I can simply have another picture that is two-thumbs-down to prove that it is dog shit but this picture grade shows that it is horrible and you want to avoid it at all costs.
My Grade For This Episode:
If you guys enjoyed reading this check out my other previous episode reviews of The Walking Dead:
