We’re halfway through The Walking Dead Season 8, and following the incredibly shocking reveal on the mid-season finale, there is a whole lot to process.
After The Walking Dead Season 7 left a rather sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths, the series is desperately attempting to win back many fans that seemed to have lost hope. During the first half the series’ 8th season, The Walking Dead did at times stumble along its path of redemption , but it also made some notable adjustments that unquestionably worked in its favor.
Check out our mid-season breakdown of some of the best and worst of The Walking Dead Season 8 so far!
The Walking Dead returns on Sunday, February 25th at 9/8c. Until then, you can watch The Walking Dead online right here at TV Fanatic.
Best Episode: Some Guy
There were definitely some quality episodes throughout the first half of Season 8, but “Some Guy” is the hands down winner of this category. Not only were we treated to an epic installment featuring Carol in action and doing what she does best, but Ezekial’s fall from grace provided an extremely poignent moment with the loss of Shiva. I don’t think any character’s death throughout this series’ run has hit me harder than the loss of a CGI tiger.
Worst Episode: The King, The Widow And Rick
While the first five episodes of the season were pretty solid, the sixth episode is where things started to get a bit rough. From a jumbled episode with little to no flow, coupled with poor editing decisions and disjointed pacing made this one an easy pick.
If you so dare, go back and re-watch this one. When compared to the rest of the season, the quality is night and day.
Best Twist – Morales’ Return
When Rick infiltrated the Savior outpost in search of their weapons cache, encountering someone from his past was the last thing we were expecting. The reveal that Morales was not only alive, but also in cahoots with the Saviors hit us with a nice double whammy.
Though his return was short lived, The Walking Dead was able to address his whereabouts since parting ways with the group in Season 1, and definitively bringing Morales’ story to a close.
Least Surprising Twist: The Saviors Escape
With Negan and the rest of his comrades trapped inside the Sanctuary for the majority of the first half of Season 8, it was not a question of if the Saviors would find a way out, but when. It was obvious that Daryl’s plan to flood the Sanctuary with walkers wouldn’t work the way he intended, and the end result merely aided the Saviors in their escape.
Perhaps if Daryl put a little more thought into his plan instead formulating it soley out of anger, it likely could have succeeded.
Most Intriguing New Character: Siddiq
We don’t know much about Carl’s mysterious new friend other than he’s killed roughly 237 walkers, and that’s what makes him so interesting. While I’m not as quick as Carl was to trust the guy, I don’t believe Siddiq poses any threat to the group.
In fact, with Carl’s recent walker bite reveal as a result of getting his friend to Alexandria, Siddiq will likely feel that he owes one to Carl, and that helping Rick going forward is the least he can do.
Character That’s Overstayed Their Welcome: Gregory
As dangerous as Negan is, and as much as everyone wants to see his head on a pike, Gregory is equally as threatening. Granted he’s not capable of leading a horse to water, let alone make it drink, but what he lacks in leadership he more than makes up for in manipulation. While he isn’t the type to look you in the eyes as he bashes your skull in like Negan, he’s the type of person who will swiftly and easily stab you in the back when you least expect it.
As humorous as it is hearing Gregory repeatedly calling Maggie by the wrong name, the manipulation and deceit has grown increasingly tiresome. The quicker the Hilltop takes Gregory out of the equation, the better off they (and viewers) will be.
Most Exciting Moment: Rick & Daryl To The Rescue!
Rick and Daryl flying into action to take on the Saviors in a high speed chase was beyond amazing. In arguably one of the best action scenes in the show’s history, and with Rick Grimes’ amazing Indiana Jones style jeep leap make this moment the clear winner.
Most Interesting Development: Negan’s Backstory
We were finally provided a much needed, albeit brief glimpse into Negan’s life prior to his role as the foul-mouthed leader of the Saviors. It was terrific seeing Negan in such a vulnerable state, which was uncharted territory for a character that up until that point, was lacking a human connection with viewers.
Hopefully we’ll continue to see those layers gradually peeled back throughout the rest of the season and beyond, and give us more insight as to what makes Negan tick.
Worst Development: Rick Imprisoned By Jadis
Rick attempting to convince Jadis and the Scavengers to once again to help him take down the Saviors was beyond dumb. These are the same people who not only betrayed and shot him once before, but also have basically zero communication skills. Beyond that, Rick went into the lion’s den with absolutely no contingency plan whatsoever.
After crafting such an elaborate attack on the Saviors, Rick going into the Scavenger’s territory alone and without having any type of backup plan was simply ridiculous.
Most Shocking Moment: Carl’s Bite!
I think we can all be in agreement on this one. This honor goes to the reveal of Carl’s bite during the closing moments of the midseason finale. After being bitten while fending off walkers in the woods with Siddiq, Carl’s imminent death will deal a significant blow to not only Rick, but to fans.
Take also into account the fact that since this is a major deviation from the source material, this reveal comes as even more of a shock to avid readers of the comics.
Biggest Letdown: Rick vs Negan
This meeting was over a year in the making. When these two finally clashed on the mid-season finale, it was an incredibly intense moment.
Unfortunately, the brawl was over as quickly as it started. Though there was something immensly satisfying in watching Rick get a few licks in on Negan, I can’t help but feel cheated with the idea that the physical exchange between these two could have been so much more than it was.
Standout Performance: Lennie James
If you think Lennie James’ peformance as Morgan this season has been anything less than mesmerizing, then we just can’t be friends.
Seeing Morgan frequently slip in and out of sanity, and watching him grapple with that internal struggle has been both enthralling and heartbreaking. Even though Lennie James will be leaving The Walking Dead to crossover to Fear the Walking Dead in the near future, there is no doubt that James will continue to bring something extremely special to the character.
Overall Grade: B+
The first half of The Walking Dead Season 8 hasn’t been perfect by any means, but its improved pacing, tighter structure, and reduced use of extended and filler episodes, make it a significant improvement over Season 7. Therefore, I feel comfortable in awarding the first half of The Walking Dead Season 8 a B+.
Some could argue that grade is being generous, but given the show’s obvious steps it’s taken in trying to right the ship, those efforts simply cannot go unnoticed.
Do you agree or disagree? What were some of your favorite/least favorite moments from Season 8 thus far? Hit the comments below and let me know.
