The plan involving Alexandrians, Kingdommers, and Hilltoppers unfolds; as Rick continues to fight, he encounters a familiar face.

The Walking Dead‘ continues the action in the second episode in which the alliance of the Hilltop, Alexandria, and the Kingdom press their attack against the Saviors in an episode that’s a long gun battle along with some more stealth operations. It’s action packed, a change from the previous season, and feels like it has addressed criticism by some that the series has dragged.

The episode is a decent one with some interesting aspects but it’s really three that stand out to me.

King Ezekial’s interactions with Carol are particularly fascinating in that you can never quite tell if Ezekial believes what he’s saying, is putting on a show for his followers, or is convinced he’s full of shit. There’s lots of Carol calling him on it and you can’t say that he doesn’t inspire his people. We know that the confidence will crack, it’s just a question as to when and how much it’ll crumble.

Next there’s the interaction between Tara and Jesus. Tara has gone cold and is taking no prisoners while Jesus feels like they should be doing that when it’s appropriate. It’s two striking philosophies and you have to wonder when there’ll be repercussions from either decision. I’ll throw in Morgan to this too as he is the character that embodies the middle of that debate as he struggles with exactly that through the episode.

Then there’s Rick who is confronted with his past, quite literally, in an episode that explores decisions he’s made and made it subtly. The episode ends on a cliffhanger for him but his story will lead to folks googling who has shown up. You can see Rick struggling with his decisions in the episode and as the conscious of the show in some ways, it embodies the struggles of everyone.

There’s lots of death, quite a few folks are injured, and a lot is left in the air. The episode continues a breakneck speed season that is full of action so far.

Overall rating: 7.95