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The Walking Dead season 11 episode 21 runs at a thousand miles per hour, but the show didn’t become a pop culture institution based on action scenes alone.
It is the moments between gunfights, bike chases, zombie killings, and snapping broken arms into place (yes, there’s some of that too), that make this episode special.
Consider if you will Maggie Rhee’s (Lauren Cohan) hesitation in killing a child walker when her own son Herschel is abducted. Or the heartfelt moment between her and Carol (Melissa McBride) shortly after.
Maybe even the tenderness displayed by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) towards his wife when they’re separated.
But perhaps The Walking Dead season 11 episode 21 will best be remembered for Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) reading the last rites to a Commonwealth Soldier.
“People remember the last thing you do, the end of each story is very important, how do you want yours to end?”
Chilling words, especially so in the final stretch of this landmark show. When Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) cannot use force to get his prisoner to speak, Father Gabriel’s mercy prevails over his wrath.
You realize, in these moments, why The Walking Dead is far more than a show about zombie mutilation. It is a deep and layered story, with characters who’ve been through the wringer. But those that crave action will not be dissatisfied with The Walking Dead season 11 episode 21 at all.
There is a train heist! Our protagonists find out that Connie (Lauren Ridloff) is being taken to parts unknown and they come together to battle the soldiers of The Commonwealth in an attempt to rescue her.
One has to admit that our beloved cast of characters aims just as badly as the Stormtrooper-ish Commonwealth Army does. Not enough ranges for target practice in the apocalypse, one gathers.
Ultimately, it is revealed that The Commonwealth’s location – Outpost 22 is none other than Alexandria. The same haven where Rick Grimes and his band arrived so many years prior. They would be taken hostage in their own home.
The Walking Dead season 11 episode 21 – Old wounds never heal
There is a moment where Negan tries to conspire with King Ezekiel (Khary Payton), but the monarch would have none of it. He still remembers the flawed man from seasons 7 and 8 and not the redeemed character from season 11.
This makes a lot of sense in the overall scheme of things. Why would Negan be forgiven by those he had wronged? Even if he is a changed man now, some wounds never really heal.
All said and done, The Walking Dead season 11 episode 21 will not be remembered as one of the all-time classics. In fact, it may be the weakest of the episodes from an otherwise strong block of eight. That said, this hour is a bridge between the previous episodes and the ones to follow. Things are just well and truly heating up. Pamela Milton does not know what’s coming her way.
Catch a new episode of The Walking Dead every Sunday on AMC.
