The Walking Dead - “Last Day on Earth” Review. You Are Alive But All is Lost.

Season 6, Episode 16

Air Date: Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 9/8c on AMC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Hi. You’re Rick, right? I’m Negan.” – Negan

Who’s the villain we love to hate? Negan!

We wanted him and now we’ve got him. But does this depiction live up to your expectations? I haven’t read a single The Walking Dead (TWD) comic but I certainly want to now. I have so many thoughts running through my head about “Last Day on Earth,” yet my number one question still remains: Who are these people? The Saviors remind me of the crew Daryl (Norman Reedus) ran into in season five, the Claimers. Remember them and how they claimed whatever they wanted by basically calling dibs? Well, the Saviors have a similar mentality, leading me to believe they all may have crossed paths at some point. The stance of “Give us your shit, or I will kill you” throws me for a loop. Who is Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to make up this rule, this new world order? Isn’t now the time for all survivors of this zombie apocalypse to join together and rebuild the world? It is interesting to learn there are more groups out there who aren’t like the Saviors. But that isn’t always a good thing.

What Do You Think About…?

It is obvious the Saviors know about Alexandria and have probably been keeping their eyes on it. Why haven’t they attacked yet? Why wait until now to even consider going to Alexandria? Were they waiting for the walls to fall? Did they know about the Wolves or the other dangers lurking about? I am so beside myself, I don’t know what to do with all the unknowns swimming through my head. Can you imagine the manpower the Saviors have and how they came about it? Not only that, Negan must have some awesome powers of persuasion to keep so many people under his thumb. I don’t think swinging his barbed baseball bat, “Lucille” around puts the fear of God into anyone. There has to be more to the story.

Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is put under some major damn pressure. Just watching makes me feel the stress he’s enduring. There’s no way around it; Rick has bitten off more than he can chew. How much can a leader take when faced with impossible odds? We watch as his confidence level goes from an 11 to a negative two. If you watch his face during every scene where the group runs into the Saviors, his panic creeps out and knocks his bravado down a notch. Once Negan enters the picture, Rick is so scared, he’s pissing his pants, crying internally, and sweating profusely. But then I think he’s just pissed off, so much so he can’t do anything but rage on the inside. We know what happens when that wrath is released.

Morgan (Lennie James) appears to tear up when taking care of a trapped walker. Is it because of the life that was lost or the fact he has to deal with everything that has happened since the beginning of the end? To tackle another angle of his story arc, we finally see Morgan do something he says he’s no longer going to do. How that affects his character probably won’t be explored until next season but if Morgan meets Negan, I think all bets will be off. There will be no more hesitation when it comes to taking a life. Morgan will become the damn Punisher, bringing some pain. But for right now, he is off on another adventure and I’m looking forward to seeing where that goes.

What in the world has happened to Carol? I’m worried she won’t come back from this.

Carol (Melissa McBride) is found but man is she lost. I almost feel she’s given up completely. She wants to be pulled out of the game. Carol is giving off the vibe of a major league baseball pitcher, throwing her final game, and wanting the coach to tell her to sit this one out. Carol is simply done. She can’t be, damn it. We need her to woman up and go on the attack like she did against the Wolves. We need Carol to know she’s not a killer but a survivor. We need Carol.

Has anyone else yelled at the TV for Rick and the gang to stay off the main roads? Yes, I know the RV probably won’t make it through the woods but there has to be some other way for them to travel that isn’t as visible. And then they do and I apologize profusely to my TV because yeah, didn’t see that coming. Again I ask, who are the Saviors and how many of them are there? It almost seems like all the assholes in Georgia found one another and decided to terrorize the known world.

Quotes

Gabriel: “Are you comfortable with leaving me in charge of Alexandria’s defense?”

Rick: “Yes.”

Um, no. I’m very uncomfortable with this. Though I like Father Gabriel’s (Seth Gilliam) take charge attitude, I just don’t know how successful he’d be against the Saviors.

Rick to Spencer about what to do if the Saviors show up and want to deal: “Tell ‘em to wait for me; I got a deal for them.”

I bet he does. Probably ends with his .45 in their faces. Or, you know, talking.

Abraham: “What the bitch?”

I am so using this line. Although, I feel certain Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) wants to say something a lot worse, this describes the feeling I had during this scene perfectly.

Savior to Rick: “Okay, friend. Plenty of ways to get to where you’re going.”

Who knew where that place was? This is what floors me the most about “Last Day on Earth.” The Saviors seem to be everywhere all at once. How is that possible?

Carol to Morgan: “If you care about anyone, there is a price, Morgan. And you’re going to pay it. I have and I can’t anymore.”

Abraham: “Bitch nuts.”

Probably the most notable laugh out loud moment of the entire episode. We need some comic relief in this shit-show.

Abraham: “We are neck deep up shit’s creek with our mouths wide open.”

Well, that’s one way to put it.

Overall

What would you differently if you were in Rick’s shoes?

Um … what to say. “Last Day on Earth” turns out to be an intriguing episode. I can’t handle the stress of not knowing what’s happening, what’s going to happen, and why it’s happening to begin with. I love that Negan finally makes his appearance. I know next to nothing about him and look forward to learning more. I enjoyed the episode but didn’t love it. I could do without the runaround the group endures, and seeing our ‘good guys’ brought to their knees, literally. I’m still expecting Morgan and Carol to ride in and save the day but I know that won’t happen. Damn, how I wish it would though.

The writers of TWD enjoy toying with our emotions, as you may well know just from watching “Last Day on Earth.” The opening scene brings about a bit of calm with Morgan finding a stranger’s horse. Then we run into the Saviors and learn they aren’t about anything good. Finally, we see Rick isn’t always going to have things go his way. What a blow to the ego that must be. I’m still rooting for the group, hoping this menace is dealt with and the mystery murdered person isn’t who I think it is. But that’s another conversation. After seeing all the villains our survivors have run into, do you think they’ve finally met their match? Let me know what you think about “Last Day on Earth,” Negan, and Daryl surviving being shot 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