The Walking Dead 813 – Do Not Send Us Astray
Do Not Send Us Astray has a lot going on from The Saviors and Hilltop finally facing off against each other, Maggie’s mettle as a military leader, Morgan’s painful decent into madness to some tough moments for Carol. The weight of war is a heavy burden and as the conflict escalates new revelations and situations force many of those involved to reassess their positions and in some cases turn away from the directions they were initially headed in.
The mantle of leadership is a curious one and it is interesting to see how Maggie and Simon lead their troops into battle. Simon has essentially usurped Negan in his absence and now has free reign to control things the way he sees fit. Maggie, faced with challenging decisions for a few episodes, must now defend her people. Decisive in the field, the enormity of her responsibility hits home in a quiet moment at the top of the stairs when she looks at her people lying peacefully on the floor.
Morgan has more than just the usual demons to battle as he’s haunted by visions of Gavin throughout the episode. Nearing his breaking point, Morgan’s inner turmoil will only get worse as the season continues to countdown. Struggling in another way is Tara who is forced to reassess her opinion of Dwight. She’s starting to see the possibility that he may indeed be on their side but Daryl doesn’t share her feelings.
Carol has some time to reflect with Tobin after the initial assault on the Hilltop but the moment is tinged with regret. Lost in thoughts of what could have been and crushed by the never ending cycle of struggle and killing has forced her step back emotionally from everything. That sense of loss and hopelessness are only magnified when things become even bleaker for her in the waning moments of the episode.
Do Not Send Us Astray starts out as an ode to war movies but after Negan’s plan of tainted bullets begins to bear fruit things morph into an old fashion horror. Infected by the walker stained ammunition and weapons, the injured soon become walkers providing another challenge to the survivors. That combined with Henry’s ill-advised decision to exact revenge leads to a costly night.
There are a lot of elements in play as the season finale approaches. How will the rest of the Saviors react when Negan inevitably shows his face again? What will the coalition do now that they know the Saviors have tainted weaponry? There’s also the role that Jadis is yet to play before the TV screen goes black for a few months. While the War on Negan has been uneven at times this season, the final steps toward the end of Season 8 appear to hold some promise.
