The Walking Dead - “JSS” Review. A Sheep in Wolves Clothes.

Season 6, Episode 2

Air Date: Sunday, October 18, 2015 at 9/8c on AMC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Leave. Please.” – Morgan

Just stay safe? Just stay sane? Just stop sulking? Enid (Katelyn Nacon) keeps writing the letters “JSS” but what do they mean? She doesn’t just write them when she’s afraid. She writes them every time she is able to sit and think about where she is and how she came to be there. Her circumstance of being alone, without her parents, and having probably watched their deaths, always seem fresh in her mind. While we get to know more about Enid’s backstory, “JSS” is about much more than that. The Walking Dead (TWD) tackles the idea of community, what it means to be safe, and how to remain human during inhumane times.

Friendly Fire

Raw tortoise, anyone? Enid takes JSS to a whole new level.

I love the silence of the opening sequence. One can never forget what it means to be alone with the never ending silence of a single traveler ringing through loud and clear. Until, of course, the blaring truck horn shakes things up. Who would have guessed an Alexandrian was the cause of the noise? I sure didn’t. “JSS” is a tension filled, action packed episode. I was on the edge of my seat, heart pounding in my chest, waiting with bated breath to see who would bite it next. And although no one is actually bitten, the death toll is just as high as a walker attack. So who’s to blame for the invasion?

Morgan (Lennie James) and his “Kumbayah” moments are unconventional in this world. I understand his reluctance to kill but at some point you have to think about the consequences of inaction as well as action. What happens to the person you let get away because you did not want to put out their light? What happens to that psycho who didn’t have a gun before but now has one due to letting them go? Living in a world where death is only a heartbeat away, trying to reason with irrational human beings is not going to do it. Violent people only understand violence. Kindness is a flavor they’ve either never tasted or have long since forgotten. Morgan doesn’t want to turn into this newly conformed Rick (Andrew Lincoln). One man holds onto his humanity, while the other has let go of the man he used to be in order to protect those he loves.

What Do You Think About…?

Carol is no sheep but she wears the Wolves clothing well. I fear she and Morgan will clash again.

I can’t get over how lovely the homes are that the survivors are living in. They have gourmet stoves, fabulous granite countertops, and all the amenities that come with the $800k price tag. And because I mention this fact, all hell breaks loose, erasing the serenity of “safe” living.

Does anyone care about the Alexandrians who lose their lives in”JSS?” No? Yeah, me neither. I think now they’ll understand what Rick has been trying to get through to them. They’re nothing but a bunch of cowards. “The best thing for me to do is to stay out here.” Sure thing, Deanna (Tovah Feldshuh). Although, it’s a horrible way to learn a lesson.

Carol (Melissa McBride) is frightening—not in a bad way, though. She’s such a chameleon. I wonder if she learned how to shape shift, if you will, because of her abusive relationship with her deceased husband. She’s completely badass in “JSS” blending in with the Wolves and holding no punches. But is she walking a fine line? Will she become someone she doesn’t want to be? She has a poignant moment where she wonders about the senselessness of the deaths during the attack. Funny that Carol now has to eat her own words dished out not an hour earlier to poor Sam (Major Dodson). But will she be able to “live with it” and move on?

Aaron (Ross Marquand) also has to live with his inadequacies. He’s the one who lost the bag containing pictures of Alexandria. Is he the reason the Wolves wind up there? Would they have found Alexandria anyway? I mean, there is a huge sign on the road pointing anyone in the right direction.

As an aside, the caliber of acting on TWD is always top notch. With that said, I hate to mention the lack of believability of Ron (Austin Abrams). Abrams is a little too dramatic, which reads as overacting. He needs to take a cue from Nacon and dial it down a notch.

Memorable lines

Will Morgan change his thoughts on people in the zombieapocalypse after facing off with the Wolves?

Enid to Carl: “This place is too big to protect; there’re too many blind spots. That’s how we were able to…”

I’m sorry, what was Enid about to confess? Could she be a baby wolf?

Morgan: “You don’t have to kill people.”

Carol: “Of course you do.”

Morgan: “Carol. You don’t like it.”

Is this some insight into what happened with Morgan on the outside—why he’s unable to take lives now?

Eugene: “You don’t want to be a coward. I know.”

Way to be motivating to someone, Eugene (Josh McDermitt). Without his words, Dr. Denise Cloyd (Merritt Wever) would be living with regret.

Overall

“JSS” or “just survive somehow” is a turning point for the Alexandrians. They finally understand what the world is like outside their walls. They are learning the ins and outs of what it means to survive. Will the Alexandrians straddle the fine line between surviving and kill or be killed? It’s also a turning point of the season for me. I was beginning to think season six would be a bit of a letdown. I enjoyed “JSS” more than I thought I would and don’t mind the juxtaposition of what’s going on inside and outside of Alexandria. Seeing how easily things can change, I know we’re in for a real treat with upcoming episodes. Let me know what you think about “JSS” by dropping me a line in the comments section below or tweet me @ellemoe.

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Elle

Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle