The Walking Dead: Ep. 809 – Honor
Honor marks the return of The Walking Dead from its mid-season hiatus with Carl’s fate hanging in the balance. The emotional episode begins with more flash-forwards of old man Rick with Sidiq, now a part of the community before shifting to the sun drenched duo of Michonne and Rick working shovels. A jarring flashback to when Carl received his injuries cuts into the narrative and lead to where last episode ended.
After being bitten by a walker, Carl and Sidiq take to the sewers to join everyone in Alexandria. Thinking that the Saviors are behind Carl’s injuries, he calms everyone down and sets the record straight. Stoically facing the inevitable Carl its business as usual for the young Grimes as he waits for his father to arrive. In the meantime he takes to writing a plethora of goodbye notes to those he holds dear.
Honor plays out like Carl’s farewell tour making the best of his final hours before becoming ravaged by the walker virus. The long goodbye tugs at the heartstrings even if you’re not a longtime fan of the show. Seeing Michonne and Rick at their most emotional and Carl at his bravest is an emotional journey for viewers and no doubt the actors involved.
While most of the plot surrounds Carl facing death, Honor also fills in some of the gaps surrounding how the Saviors got past the walkers and escaped their compound. As death hovers over one major character, another one experiences a rebirth. Carol leads the members of the Kingdom to freedom while Ezekiel remains captive in his community. Now overrun by the Saviors Ezekiel puts on a brave front unaware that Morgan and Carol staging a rescue mission on his behalf. Before Carol and Morgan arrive however, Ezekiel and Gavin throw barbs at each other in a couple of enjoyable scenes.
Morgan and Carol make like an 80’s action hero duo as they attempt to save Ezekiel. Morgan’s shift from pacifist warrior to cold-blooded killer has been teased for some time and he makes some surprising strides towards his new stance on violence. Honor completes his transformation in a gut-wrenching scene on Ezekiel’s throne.
Honor leans on the old “and a child will lead them” saying as Carl’s heroism and sacrifice gives the resistance the strength it needs during its darkest hour. The decision to kill Carl remains a curious one especially considering how integral a role he continues to play in the comic books. Putting that aside however what does appear to come of his demise is the galvanizing of Rick’s crew. The war on Negan has shredded some of the bonds that bind the group but with Carl’s death they now have something to rally around.
Although The Walking Dead has employed a shifting timeline over the last few seasons they are beginning to disrupt the flow of the narrative. If the flash-forwards are to be believed old alliances that have gone their separate ways come back into the fold once the war comes to an end. While they do create some foreshadowing they also diffuse some of the tension of what’s to come since the images potentially indicate some of the survivors of the conflict.
Honor explores how the choices we make not only affect us but those around us. Morgan’s inner battle juxtaposed against Carl’s insightful deathbed revelations expose how wars kill on the inside and out. The real struggle sometimes lies within the individual who must sacrifice parts of their soul for the greater good. On a show where no character is safe, Carl’s passing still comes as a surprise. Only time will tell as to whom the Grim Reaper has next in his sights and whether a decision in the Writer’s Room will have any negative lasting impact on AMC’s flagship show.
