The Walking Dead review: Episode 1122, “Faith”

The fate of our group hangs in the balance in The Walking Dead’s third-from-final episode, “Faith.” Everyone is spread out and nobody is safe from the Commonwealth.

Beware, there are SPOILERS below!

This is very much a Negan episode. It begins with one of those flashbacks we’ve seen all season, narrated by Judith, reminding us of some of the awful things he’s done in the past.

“Faith” balances three storylines: Eugene’s trial in the Commonwealth, Aaron’s group on the road to Oceanside, and the attack on Alexandria.

The labor camp

The previous episode saw Negan, Ezekiel, Annie, Magna, Kelly, and the others get evicted from their lives within the Commonwealth and sent to a hostile prison camp where they are put to work. All the while, Negan plots an escape but keeps getting himself in trouble. In typical Negan fashion, he simply cannot keep his mouth shut. Unlike old Negan, however, he’s not only trying to save himself. This time, his main motivation is to save his pregnant wife Annie.

The warden (he never reveals his name) in this camp is intolerable. I really hate him. I liked what Negan said to Annie: “I’ve known men like him my whole life. Hell, I used to be him.”

Negan and Ezekiel cannot see eye to eye. Their past puts a block between them, so Negan decides to take things into his own hands…even if it kills him.

Alexandria

As Maggie promised in the previous episode, the group plans to invade Alexandria and “put things right.” When she said this, it sounded like a promise, but the team wastes no time executing o a plan. I liked how the episode got right into the action. Sometimes The Walking Dead can procrastinate.

Alexandria is also where the group in the prison camp are kept overnight. So when Maggie, Carol, Daryl, Connie and the rest infiltrate the place, they catch the tail end of the other plot. The warden puts Negan on his knees in front of everyone, including his wife. Negan is a broken man. He begs the guards to kill him and not Annie. Eventually, one trooper (who we know has been mistreated by the Commonwealth over the years) decides they’ve had enough and stands up to the warden. This changes everything.

The warden starts to panic and puts a gun to Kelly’s neck, but in comes Daryl to kill him. It’s all a little predictable. I know that I’m sounding like a broken record, but I once again feel the need to mention that the suspense of certain moments is totally ruined by AMC’s bizarre marketing strategy; they announced spinoff shows before the main show was over, so we know a lot of these characters will survive. When Negan is on his knees, begging the Commonwealth soldiers to kill him instead of his wife, we know he’s not actually going to die.

Aaron’s group

We also catch up with Aaron’s group on their way to Oceanside. I didn’t really see much point in this plot, other than to welcome back some old characters.

I was surprised by the return of Luke and Jules. To be honest, I’d almost completely forgotten about them, but it was nice to see them back. When Aaron tells them that they’re heading to Oceanside, Luke gives him the bad news: Oceanside is now occupied by Commonwealth soldiers, and they’re currently on the run and being hunted down.

I was hoping that we’d learn more about the outcome of Lance’s coin flip, although nothing is explicitly said about it. I take it that no news is good news. From what’s been said, it doesn’t sound like masses of the community were killed.

This storyline is pretty stale in comparison to the others. There’s a small period when it looks like they could get found by the Commonwealth, but Lydia employs the classic tactic of blending into a zombie horde to disguise themselves. At one point, Lydia drops her knife and we see a zombie lean down and pick it up. Evidently there are more variant zombies among them. Hopefully this adds some more spice going into Episode 23.

Eugene’s trial

Previously, Yumiko declared that she would stand up against governor Pamela Milton and defend Eugene in court. Now the day has arrived. Eugene’s trial is perhaps the most farcical thing I’ve ever witnessed. The judge is totally biased towards Pamela. Eugene didn’t have a chance from the outset. At one point, Pamela tries to convince everyone that the voice played over the speakers wasn’t Sebastian’s. Crazy!

Yumiko quickly understands that there’s absolutely no way that Eugene can win. Therefore she seizes the opportunity to try and expose Pamela in front of her people. But the power-hungry Pamela Milton always gets what she wants; Eugene is ultimately found guilty and sentenced to death.

I knew that the ending of this episode would pull its punch. There’s no way Eugene was going to die. And lo, just as he’s about to be executed, Mercer seemingly steps in to save him. Eugene has got the strangest knack for evading death. Will that continue into the final two episodes?

Verdict

This is yet another riveting installment in the final season. It’s action-packed from beginning to end. There are so many amazing emotional moments, including ones that play on our nostalgia like Carol talking about losing Sophia.

Some moments feel predictable. The episode also pulls its punches. At no point did I think any major characters would meet their demise. All of that said, these final episodes are crafted so brilliantly and with so much love that I can’t complain too much.

Episode Grade: A-

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