The Walking Dead: World Beyond review, “The Sky is a Graveyard”

In this week’s episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, yet another truth bomb is dropped as the group puzzles through what to do with Silas.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond has certainly upped its game over the course of these last two episodes, and you can color me impressed. I’m still not a huge fan of some of the characters, mainly Iris (Aliyah Royale), but the others make up for it.

After last week’s “whodunnit” cliffhanger, this week focuses on the repercussions of what the group believes to be Silas’ (Hal Cumpston) actions. However, I wasn’t convinced that Silas was to blame for the murder of Tony (Scott Adsit) and maybe of Percy (Ted Sutherland), who I think is alive somewhere out there and is the real murderer. And Elton (Nicolas Cantu) more or less agrees with me.

What reasons do we have to believe that Silas may be innocent? Let’s explore.

All tied up

I’m not sure the punishment fits the crime, but this is the apocalypse and options are limited. The group opts to tie Silas to a swing set while they mull over their next steps.

And by “they” I mean Felix (Nico Tortorella) and Huck (Annet Mahendru), who try and make all the adult decisions for the group but aren’t great at it. After discovering Tony’s grotesque and battered body and Silas hiding out in the closet nearby, it’s hard not to assume Silas is the one to blame.

But as we’ve seen over the course of this season, Silas is a very complicated individual. He grew up in an abusive household, and flashbacks indicate that he may or may not have killed his father. I think the series has done a great job of drip-feeding us Silas’ story so we don’t immediately assume the worst of him now, even if we understand how others might jump to that conclusion.

Tied up, Silas can’t help but blame himself for Tony’s murder. After all, he’s blacked out before and snapped out of it to see the worst had taken place. Could the same thing have happened here? Cumpston’s portrayal of Silas battling his inner demons deserves a shout-out.

To believe or not to believe

While the group grapples with the situation, Elton argues that Silas is innocent. I always knew Elton was the voice of reason, but he really steps it up this week. He knows Silas has gone through a lot and has a dark past, but it doesn’t mean he did this.

He’s willing to vouch for him, regardless of the skepticism of the rest of the group. It’s precisely why I adore him so much. He’s willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and work with them to understand who they truly are.

Unfortunately, Hope is quick to accuse Silas of the murder, and sure, we get it, the evidence is quite damning. But still, is she one to be pointing fingers at anybody? Huck is more of the same and decides to look through Silas’ bag. She finds Iris’ drawings that she had thrown away. Silas had taken them out of the trash and kept them, and while some may find that odd, Elton doesn’t think it’s conclusive.

Huck’s theory is that Silas killed Percy because he was jealous of his and Iris’ connection. Again, I see the sense in that, but I’m not sure I’m on board with it. It just seems too…simple?

A broken past

Throughout this week’s episode, we get flashbacks of Silas’ past and the fateful day his father died. Up until now, we’ve been led to believe that he was responsible for his death, with the show giving us plentiful images of Silas slamming someone’s head into the ground. It’s hard not to assume the worst.

But as we come to learn, things didn’t unfold exactly as we imagined. After Silas chose to tune out his father during a meal, his father beat him. But this time around, it was a bit too much for Silas, who fought back with anger. The next thing he knows, his father is beaten to a pulp. Not yet dead, but not quite alive either.

Silas’ neighbor overhears the noise coming from the house but is sent away by Silas, who is worried about anyone seeing his father in this state. Unfortunately for Silas, his father does pass away from the beating, and soon enough rises as an Empty.

What follows next is still bothering me. Instead of doing anything about his undead dad, Silas runs upstairs and locks himself in the room until he hears his mom come home. Didn’t he realize his dad would immediately try to attack her?

Anyway, in one last bout of fury, Silas continuously bashes his empty dad’s head into the ground until there’s nothing left but blood and zombie pulp. Silas’ mother is frightened in the corner and doesn’t seem to want anything to do with him.

We get it, she just saw him go beserk, but she’s still his mother. Didn’t this moment call for some comfort?

Denial or acceptance?

Later that night, Silas seems to be on the edge of convincing himself that he’s a murderer, despite Elton pointing out that he’s only ever been in rage when he’s protecting others or in self-defense. When an Empty begins crawling towards him, he doesn’t shout or fight, but rather accepts death.

Fortunately for him, Hope kills the empty, even though she wholeheartedly believes Silas is the killer. But death has been plentiful lately, and she doesn’t want someone else to die.

Surprisingly, Iris, along with Elton, believes Silas is innocent and pleads with him the next morning to say he didn’t kill anyone. But Silas doesn’t believe it himself.

Silas decides it’s time to part ways with the group (and his Walkman!), and leaves after breaking free of his restraints by himself.

Truth hurts

“The Sky is a Graveyard” finally addresses the elephant in the room for Elton and Hope. For weeks now, Hope has known that she killed Elton’s mom. And when he reveals that he’s leaving the group, too, Hope decides to come clean.

Naturally, Elton is absolutely shattered. We don’t get to see too much of what happens, but based on what we do see, he’s a hot mess. Will his logical, loving side make sense of this? Or will he turn to the dark? Stay tuned.

Finally, the episode ends with another huge reveal: Huck is a secret CRM agent! I’m not sure how I feel about this, but it makes for some drama, which I’m always here for.

If you recall, Huck told the group she was going to scout for locations and was gone for a couple of days. Well, during that time, she went to check in with Colonel Elizabeth Kublek (Julia Ormond), who also happens to be her mother. Say what?!

In the closing moments of the episode, Huck is asked if the “asset is safe,” and she says yes. Is the asset a person? An object? We have no idea, but this mystery definitely has me eager to find out more.

The Verdict

“The Sky is a Graveyard” continues to keep viewers invested as things begin to unravel. The series has taken its time getting here, but I think it’ll be worth it.

Next week is the two-hour season 1 finale, which means there may be even more surprises headed our way. Perhaps in the form of Rick Grimes? Pretty please?

I think if we get anything related to Rick, we will all be happy. It might not be him directly, but any hint or sign of his being alive will suffice. Given how these last two episodes of World Beyond have been going, I’m starting to have faith that the series won’t let us down.

See you all for the season 1 finale next week!

Grade: B-

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime, and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels