Walking Dead S6 Ep6 “Always Accountable”
The Walking Dead’s time shifting method of storytelling was in full effect once again tonight. After last week’s focus on the aftermath of the siege of Alexandria, Always Accountable went back into the past a little and focused on what Daryl, Sasha and Abraham have been up to as they continued to lead the hoard of walkers away from the community. While the decision to pace the season in this manner may have some viewers unhappy since its stretched out the storyline in a nonlinear fashion, it has allowed the team behind The Walking Dead to produce some entertaining solo episodes focusing on individuals or small clusters of the cast without chopping the narrative up into small, uneven chunks. With so many players to give screen time to, this strategy has been quite effective. It has also provided the writers with the opportunity to create unusual cliffhangers like the one at the end of tonight’s episode. So far we’ve had excellent episodes focusing on Morgan, Carol, Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Enid and Deanna. This week the spotlight was given to Daryl, Sasha and Abraham.
Always Accountable opens with the trio continuing to lead the walkers away from Alexandria. After some playful banter about Sasha’s ride the episode turns into a first person shooter video game as the three of them are ambushed by some heavily armed individuals just as they enter town. During the mayhem, Daryl finds himself separated from Sasha and Abraham and in a desperate bid to flee his pursuers, gets lost in a forest and crashes his bike. After taking a few moments to recover, he wanders around until he stumbles upon two women hiding in the woods. It doesn’t take Daryl long to figure out that they’re not alone and that his troubles have just begun.
Meanwhile back in town, Abraham and Sasha manage to give the gunmen that ambushed them the slip. Finding refuge in an abandoned building gives them a few moments to bond recounting some of their past experiences while pondering Daryl’s fate and staying out of the sight of their attackers. During a scavenger hunt to get some supplies, Abraham reconnects with his military past and a face to face experience with a walker provides him with an introspective moment and a new outlook on life.
One of the unanswered questions posed during Always Accountable is who were the men that were chasing Daryl and his captors through the woods? They were heavily armed and well organized, a sure sign that they are not with the Wolves. Could they have any connection to the recent news that Jeffrey Dean Morgan is joining The Walking Dead cast later this season? Morgan is slated to take on the role of Negan, one of the big bads from the comic book series. If that’s the case then Rick and the group’s lives will only get more difficult as the season progresses.
Overall Always Accountable was a satisfying episode that gave the spotlight to some characters that have been underused so far this season and potentially introduced a new antagonist. It helped to fill in a few gaps from previous episodes but didn’t answer some of the burning questions that have plagued the audience for weeks. Perhaps next week’s episode will have the final answer to Glenn’s fate, but the likelihood of that happening is slim.
