The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 4 Review: Silence the Whisperers
Paul Dailly
at
.
The Walking Dead has evolved into one of the most intriguing dramas on all of television.
Under the rule of Angela Kang, the light storylines are gone, and it's all about how the mysterious goings-on with the Whisperers are affecting the characters.
It was a ballsy move to have the tree fall The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 4 without confirming to the audience whether the Whisperers were behind it, but it added to the intensity of "Silence the Whisperers."
Given the actions of the villains, it was easy to assume they were behind what could very well have been a natural disaster.
But now that Alpha and her people are taking more land, it's becoming apparent to everyone else that it's only a matter of time before the villains come knocking.
My only complaint with the Hilltop storyline was that there wasn't much in the way of zombie fighting after Michonne and her gang arrived.
What could have been some epic fight scenes faded into oblivion, and it didn't feel like a natural jump forward.
Magna was a massive cause for concern throughout. It would have been easy to kill her off. It was almost as if she was asking for it based off the way she remained outside the Hilltop sparring with the walkers.
If it wasn't for Connie, then Magna's time in that post-apocalyptic world could have been cut short. She has some deeply rooted issues.
She and her people have not been on the show for long, and she's one of the most underdeveloped new additions. Aside from being earmarked for prison at one point, we don't know much.
What we do know is that she cannot stand being told what to do, even if it's for her own good. She was awful to Yumiko, the woman she is supposed to love.
Yumiko made a split-second decision that saved many lives. She has her head screwed on the right way and knows the perils of not making the right call.
These people took our friends, took our land. They must be stopped.
Aaron
As such, we may be in for some unrest in this pairing if they don't start to confront what is really going on with them. They are two of the best fighters at the Hilltop, so they really need to be on the same page going forward.
Ezekiel's actions felt somewhat disjointed. He spooked his horse into running away, so his trusty companion didn't have to watch him making a jump that would end his life.
If you watch The Walking Dead online, you know the former King has lost everything. He was living his best life at the Kingdom. He had a loving Queen and even a son. But life can change on a dime, and thanks to Alpha, he has none of that now.
Michonne was the best person to talk him down, but I wish there was more foreshadowing that this was how he was feeling.
Related: The Walking Dead: Lauren Cohan Returns!
It felt like a dramatic heel turn for a character who has had around two scenes so far this season.
It's a real shame he mistook Michonne's friendliness for affection. Michonne truly cares about the people and what happens to them. That's why she would not have forgiven herself if Ezekiel killed himself under her watch.
Then again, there's a difference between feeling like you want your life to end and actually carrying out the deed. We don't have a definite answer on whether Ezekiel would have killed himself had Michonne not stepped in.
The positive from this was that Michonne got to talk about how she felt with all of the loss in her life.
There's only so much one person can take before they snap, but some people manage to beat the odds and move on with their life.
Michonne: Ezekiel?
Ezekiel: You should go.
Michonne: Can you step away from the edge? Then, I'm not going anywhere.
[They hug.]
Michonne: It's okay, it's okay ... it's okay.
[Ezekiel pulls Michonne in for a kiss. She doesn't pull away ... at first.]
Ezekiel: I'm sorry.
My one true hope is that we aren't in for a romance between Michelle and Ezekiel, because they have no chemistry.
Just because most of the action took place at the Hilltop did not mean the characters elsewhere were not put through the wringer.
Lydia, more than most, has had a terrible upbringing. From witnessing her mother murdering her father, to her mother becoming an Alpha with a group of minions and not a loving bone in her body, it's been a horrible life.
Lydia found someone who respected both her and her past in Henry, but her mother took him away from her as an act of terror.
Related: Fear the Walking Dead Future Confirmed
Lydia wants a better life for herself, one that is part of a community, but she should have known it would be challenging to get that.
Margo and her minions were driven by rage to try to murder Lydia. It was a harrowing scene, for sure, but the last thing I expected was for Negan to accidentally murder Margo.
Negan does not have the best track record. He killed many people, but he has been trying to be a better man.
The split vote about what to do with him was a bit of a smack in the face given that he saved Judith's life on The Walking Dead Season 9 and that the two boys were blatantly lying about what really happened.
Michonne: Alpha said she would release the horde if we ever crossed her border. Carol took a shot at her and she only took land.
Judith: Maybe the rules are changing.
Michonne: Maybe. But, when you start negotiating with a bully, there may be no end to how much they try to take. Some bullies, you can live with. Others, you gotta fight.
Judith: Can we live with the skins?
Michonne: Well, they said we could But, never take your enemy at their word. You measure them by their actions. So, when their actions are unexpected.
Judith: You know how when we want RJ to go to sleep, the fastest way is to let him run around?
Michonne: Right.
Judith: Because then he'll be so tired that RJ will put himself to sleep. Maybe the Whisperers want to keep us fighting back until we get so tired that they have the advantage.
Even though Negan was horrible pre-flash forwards, he has evolved into someone else, someone who would not murder someone for the fun and games anymore.
Negan was an outsider of Alexandria, much like Lydia, and he could see that people were picking on her. That's why he wanted to make sure she was safe.
The big question now centers on who let him out of his cell because Daryl already confirmed that Lydia was lying.
Yumiko: We've got to get out of here. Magna, let's go! Come on.
Magna: We have to protect the wall.
Might we get a last-minute revelation that Daryl was the one to do it because he didn't want to take the chance of a clearly reformed man being put to death?
Related: Titans Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Jericho
Time will tell, but this does open up some exciting directions for Negan's storyline. If he bumps into the Whisperers, it's possible that he could sneak his way into the army and take down Alpha.
It would be a heroic move and one that would help him get back in the good graces of the remaining survivors. Then again, he's Negan, so they would probably continue to be at his throat.
"Silence the Whisperers" was another solid episode of this AMC drama.
The show is showing no signs of slowing down, and that's a good thing.
What did you think of Margo's death? Where do you think Negan is going? Hit the comments.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC.
Editor's Note: Our system got updated! Now, you'll be able to scroll through many articles at once.
That required a bit of a change to the comments, though, and now you have to click the blue "comments" bar at the bottom of an article to access them.
There are also two segments to comments now. You can either comment using Facebook or Disqus.
Either way, you can SEE both types of comments. We hope that will be more inclusive of our community at large and that the conversations will grow as a result.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
