The walking dead villain watch season 8, episode 16: wrath
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But a season-ending climax is an opportunity khổng lồ bring all the threads together. I’ll be analyzing the season’s final episode through its presentation of Negan: how he acts, how he delivers his jokes and threats, and most importantly, how his character develops in contrast to our supposedly virtuous heroes. We’ll look at all the traits a villain is supposed khổng lồ excel at — including those we detest — & boil it down into one single score on what we are calling the Negan-o-meter™. A score of 10 means he’s the best, most complex villain we’ve ever seen; a score of 0 means he’s pretty much the same ol’ Negan he’s always been. Hopefully, in these final episodes, The Walking Dead can turn Negan into the big bad audiences have always wanted.
At long last, The Walking Dead has arrived at the conclusion of the Negan saga. Over the past few weeks, the show has displayed a level of unpredictability that would have seemed impossible back at the season 7 premiere. That’s when Glenn was killed off và the show began feeling shackled by its comic book source material. Now, nearly two seasons later, the cheap character deaths & gimmicky cliffhangers have all but disappeared as more momentous world-building, narrative closure, & character explorations have taken center stage. Perhaps not surprisingly, the show’s ratings have responded accordingly.
But last night’s season finale, “Wrath,” fails lớn build on that creative momentum. The episode may ultimately be a satisfying episode of television, but aside from a few minor curveballs it plays things safe, and it takes almost all of its cues from writer Robert Kirkman’s comics storyline. In that sense, the TV show’s version of the Negan saga ends the same way that it began: resigning itself lớn mediocrity by focusing on telling someone else’s story.
Setting the stage for battle
Following last week’s last-minute surprise, in which Dwight’s turncoat tactics came khổng lồ light & Negan plotted an ambush against Rick, it seemed lượt thích TV viewers might get a radically different conclusion to lớn the “All the War” storyline than the one that the comic book delivered. But “Wrath” throws the entire Dwight subplot overboard in the first 15 minutes of the episode, wasting the immense emotional investment the show has encouraged viewers to lớn make in his character.Xem thêm: Chương Trình Học Tiếng Anh Online Cho Trẻ Em Miễn Phí, Tốt Nhất
While Rick và the others felt they were going lớn be able khổng lồ get the drop on Negan, they quickly discover that they were being phối up when they take out a group of Saviors that just happen to lớn be carrying a bản đồ of Negan’s actual location. Thinking they’ve kept the advantage, they arm themselves và head out to take him down. But first, the show takes a breath with an emotional moment Rick finally asks Siddiq to tell him how Carl had become infected.
Meanwhile, the show cuts back lớn the Saviors, where a conversation between Negan and Gabriel reveals that bản đồ Rick has just found is also a fake, a backup decoy just in case the original plan lớn use Dwight to lớn spread disinformation didn’t take. It completely sidelines Dwight for what feels like a completely unnecessary (and convoluted) reason, right when the show had the opportunity to vì chưng something unique và original. Instead, it pivots right back lớn the comics.
Eugene’s redemption
Rick, Maggie, Daryl, and nearly every other high-level character on the show walk into a giant field, thinking they’re about to turn the tables on the Saviors when they suddenly hear Negan’s voice on a loudspeaker. Thanks lớn Eugene’s bullet-making operation, the Saviors are prepared khổng lồ wipe every single one of them out. Negan holds Gabriel hostage và announces his intentions, echoing the moment when Negan first introduced himself & bludgeoned Glenn khổng lồ death.But this time, things go a bit differently. As the Saviors mở cửa fire, every single one of their guns backfires, blowing off hands or otherwise severely injuring every single thành viên of Negan’s army. It becomes clear that boobytrapped bullets are to lớn blame, và in one fell swoop, Eugene has apparently come khổng lồ everyone’s rescue. Rick và the others seize the opportunity lớn charge. Gabriel & Dwight, both of whom were dead men walking just a few moments prior, try khổng lồ take Negan down themselves, but he escapes with Lucille, Rick close behind.
After all the back & forth, the turn of events feels way too easy — particularly with the Saviors injured, but not killed, from lớn the stunt, letting Eugene claim the moral high ground. I suppose it’s nice that his role pays off in a big way, unlike what happened khổng lồ Dwight. But Eugene has become so unlikable over the course of the story that it became an irritant every single time he appeared on-screen. It comes off as punishing the audience, all in service of a cheap trick.
Rick’s pivotal choice
The final showdown between Rick và Negan kicks off in a location we’ve seen before: the tree with strange glass arrangements hanging from its branches, that first appeared in a mysterious flash-forward in the season 8 premiere. Rick gets a shot off, shattering a hole in the glass but just misses Negan’s head. Then, despite having a working firearm, Rick waltzes right into hand-to-hand combat with Negan — and is almost immediately disarmed as Negan pushes him to the ground.It’s here that Rick evokes the words of Carl to lớn try và reason with his nemesis. Rick asks for 10 seconds before receiving a fatal swing of Lucille to lớn the head, and he uses that precious time to psychologically hammer Negan where he knows it hurts. He explains that Carl wanted lớn find a peaceful way forward and that things don’t need to over in violence. Negan almost looks convinced, tears welling up in his eyes. But Rick, it turns out, has the upper hand — psychologically and physically. He slashes Negan’s throat with a piece of shattered glass from the ground.
