The Walking Dead - “Thank You” Review. At Least the Horn Stopped Blowing, Right?

Season 6, Episode 3

Air Date: Sunday, October 25, 2015 at 9/8c on AMC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Rick was out there. I was out there. We know; you don’t.” – Michonne

Really, Annie? Really? There’s no falling in a zombie apocalypse!

Rule #1: You do not trip and fall when being chased by walkers.

Rule #2: Someone says, “Just go,” you don’t argue; leave their butts.

Rule #3: You fall, I’m not turning around to help you. Sorry.

Rule #4: Don’t be a hero because you feel the need to prove to yourself you aren’t a coward.

The Walking Dead (TWD) usually keeps me on the edge of my seat. However, I do not feel the urgency I am usually overcome with during most of “Thank You,” and the episode plays with my emotions. I enjoyed “Thank You” but it did not invoke the typical OMG moments until we near the last 20 minutes of the episode. The shock and awe moments are nothing new for the most part until, of course, the zombie horde enters the picture again. TWD ramps up the shock value and tension with a well placed scene to get your heart rate going. Then, and only then, do I find myself thinking I am afraid—very afraid. I know our core group of survivors can face down some serious situations but this one … I’m having some doubts.

I do not believe the people of Alexandria are meant to survive outside their walls. They get bitten, shot by friendly fire, and bitten again. Why they aren’t all wearing the red tees from Star Trek that symbolize they are going to die in this episode is beyond me. I’m blown away by the various ways someone can be taken out by a walker. There is a drinking game in there somewhere. The point to this continuation of last week’s “JSS” is that no one is safe—not the survivors we know and love, not the newbies who pop up every so often, and certainly not the fans.

What Do You Think About…?

How do you think Michonne feels since she isn’t able to keep her promise to David?

The opening scene to “Thank You” makes me wonder just how sharp Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) katana is, and how she keeps it that way. I know how hard a human skull is. They are tough to break for a reason. So to see her slip her katana through a person’s head like it is butter both repulsed and amazed me. When the heck does she find the time to sharpen it? Why am I waxing poetic about the katana? In a zombie apocalypse, it would be my weapon of choice. But I’m sure I’d probably hurt myself.

Sometimes I forget how oppressive the heat is in Atlanta. The waves of heat shimmering across the screen does a lot for the shot of Rick (Andrew Lincoln) running down the road. It shows he’s facing more than the walking dead. He’s fighting fatigue, thirst, and sweat. How intrusive is it when sweat rolls into your eyes, stinging, obscuring your sight? How about the sensation of a single bead of moisture slipping down your back so fast you can’t catch it? Never a good feeling. With all that in mind, do you think you could concentrate on staying alive and killing walkers too?

Rick slices open his hand making me think about the infection and how it spreads. Everyone already has it, so cutting his palm and getting zombie blood mixed into it doesn’t mean anything. Does it? Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) faced the same thing last season and he’s still around. And yet, the idea is there that something will come of this. Will Rick lose his hand?

If you were Glenn, would you have tried to save Nicholas no matter the cost?

I’m not buying Nicholas’ (Michael Traynor) so-called redemption. He is that guy who leaves people behind. Sure he may have needed a wakeup call to figure out the proper way to do things during an apocalypse but I don’t trust him. I wouldn’t consider him part of my crew until he truly proved himself capable of being a human being. He is a coward, through and through, and proves it with his actions. I have to ask if the Alexandrians are to blame for being the way they are. Hiding throughout most of the zombie apocalypse left little opportunity for them to learn to defend themselves in order to truly survive. Kudos to Traynor for portraying Nicholas’ fear and despair with such realism, it’s scary. It is clear how great an actor he is in playing his character to perfection. But I think we are learning an important lesson here. *cough* Carol (Melissa McBride) is proving to be right *cough*.

One final nugget for you to chew on: Rick pulls baby food out of the pocket of one of the Wolves he encounters. He now knows they’ve been in Alexandria and that is the turning point for his need to get home as quickly as possible. Forget the walkers converging on the community there are thinking, planning humans out and about. What else can go wrong?

Memorable lines

Glenn to Michonne: “We all have a job to do.”

Foreshadowing, much Glenn (Steven Yeun)? Your job isn’t to save everyone, no matter how hard you try.

Michonne: “Hey. You have a problem with me?”

Heath: “Just looking out for my people.”

Michonne: “And you think that I’m not?”

Well, Heath (Corey Hawkins), you don’t know Michonne but you will, dude. You will.

Rick to whomever is listening over the walkie talkie: “We keep going forward for them. We can’t go back because we’re afraid.”

Abraham: “We ain’t afraid.”

I think Rick is, though. You can see it on his face. If Rick is scared, the rest of us should be too.

Nicholas: “Thank you.”

We now know why the producers chose this line as the episode’s title. You are not welcome, Nicholas, you yellow bellied bastard.

Overall

What are your Glenn theories?

The Walking Dead writers hit it out of the park with “Thank You.” It leaves me with my heart pounding so hard, I’m afraid it will come out of my chest. I don’t have the words for the awe that overcomes me when I think about the massive production we’re presented with. I can’t express how I feel when faced with the potential death of beloved characters. I’m overwhelmed and blown away. And I really hate Heath’s wig.

Let me know what you think about “Thank You” 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