"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," Irish parliamentarian Edmund Burke famously said, probably never guessing he would one day be quoted in an article about a zombie show. There's been a lot written of late about television in the age of President Trump‚how the new and returning shows of 2017 already seem to be speaking to our new political reality in eerily specific ways, despite having been in production since long before the election.
The Walking Dead is not generally a show that moves me. Its relentlessly bleak world and blunt-force brutality, which has been taken to alienating extremes in recent episodes, means that I can only be entertained if I keep it at arms length. But tonight's mid-season premiere, "Rock In The Road," was different, for reasons that have less to do with the episode itself than the moment in which it aired.
The episode finds Rick & co. desperately trying to convince other groups—first the Hilltop Colony, and later Ezekiel's Kingdom—to join them in the fight against Negan and his dictatorship. For anyone in need of a refresher from the last half-season, Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan is a charming sociopath who keeps his hoards of loyal followers ("Saviors") in line via a mix of scare tactics and psychological mind games, and credits himself with "bringing civilization back to this world." He's wildly unpredictable, takes great pleasure in wielding power over others and appears to have no genuine emotion for anyone, evaluating people solely in terms of how loyal or useful they are to him.
Having reached their breaking point in the mid-season finale, Rick and Michonne are now leading the charge to end Negan's reign of terror. It turns out that Jesus is even better connected than we realized, and takes Rick on what's essentially an army-recruitment tour of the various camps. "We're strong, but there aren't enough of us," Rick explains, making the argument that all they need to overpower the Saviors is more manpower. It's no surprise that Gregory refuses to help, because Gregory remains the worst. "Sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like," he says, in characteristically spineless form.
But though Gregory is a coward, his attitude isn't unusual. Life is good at the Hilltop, the colony's uneasy deal with the Saviors keeping them from harm, and—like many people whose rights are not directly affected by an oppressive political regime—they'd rather take the path of least resistance. Keep quiet, don't rock the boat, don't question the status quo. Follow orders. Stay safe. These are understandable, instinctive human responses to danger, and evil throughout history has flourished because of them. Dictators don't grow organically; they're made by the people who look the other way.
It's a bigger disappointment when King Ezekiel, advised by Morgan, refuses to join forces with Rick. "Your Majesty, no more waiting for things to get worse," Rick pleads—but Ezekiel, as we know, is less of a strong leader than a very ordinary man hiding behind a crown. He looks to Morgan to make the decision for him, and Morgan half-heartedly suggests they take a less risky strategy, like capturing Negan alive, clearly not even believing it himself.
At this point, Rick tells the story that gives the episode its title and encapsulates its central "if not us, who?" question. There's a rock in the road which everybody ignores, walking around the edges of it, while horses break their legs and carts are smashed to pieces trying to pass by. One girl finally stops to wonder why the rock is still there, and moves it herself with great effort, making her hands bleed in the process—only to discover a bag of gold underneath the rock. Long story short, those who take action get rewarded. Negan is the rock, and I guess the bag of gold in this metaphor is a world in which your biggest problem is zombies. That's the reward Rick, Michonne et al. are fighting for, and despite all the hurdles they run into here, it's finally beginning to feel like victory is possible. Because although Gregory says no, Enid persuades several of Hilltop dwellers to ignore his decision and join Rick's cause, while Ezekiel's head of security Richard seems primed to defect from the Kingdom. Fear spreads like a virus, but so does protest.
This episode of The Walking Dead is airing at the end of a week in which President Trump suffered his first major defeat, following relentless protests, rebukes and shows of resistance from civilians and government officials alike. The fact that there is no way any of these parallels could have been deliberate—the episode was written and filmed months ago, the show and its characters are based on comics that have been around far longer—doesn't matter, because art always takes on meaning from the context in which it's seen. Now that this newly hopeful pro-rebellion mood seems set to carry us through the rest of the season, leading up to a finale in which the smug, charismatic, deeply unhinged leader is finally defeated, I'm more excited for the next seven episodes than I ever expected to be. Resistance matters.
Some stray, non-political observations:
- Richonne. Richonne. R I C H O N N E. In the car after their close shave with the steel cable and the Saviors, when they lean on each other and Michonne whispers to a shaken Rick, "We made it. We can make it. We're the ones who live." It's taking every ounce of restraint I have not to just post thirty heart-eye emojis right here, but I will instead say that theirs is an incredibly textured, affecting, emotionally convincing connection that has benefited so much from its slow-build.
- Daryl's kicked puppy face when Rick told him he had to stay at the Kingdom was a goddamn tragedy. (Daryl's lanky hair is also a goddamn tragedy. I know it's a zombie apocalypse and he's on a clock but good God was there no time for a shower at Hilltop?) But there could be a silver lining for him, because surely his new locale means that a Daryl/Carol reunion isn't far off? Please?
- "It pleases me to see you." "It pleases him indeed!" "Jerry..." Poor Jerry. Always doing the most.
- No Jeffrey Dean Morgan this week, but he did appear in audio form over the walkie-talkie, giving an unconventional eulogy for poor Fat Joey.
- "We are all here to show... the King... how serious we are." Michonne low-key trying not to roll her eyes as she addresses Ezekiel is all of us.
- If there's any justice on the internet, Rick's delightful pronunciation of the word "king" will become a meme on the level of "Stuff and Thangs". KANG.
- Jesus is that guy in high school who was kind of friends with everyone and also friends with no one. He's chill and inoffensive enough that he can move pretty seamlessly between cliques, and nobody ever really has a problem with him, but they also can't quite pin him down. Which is probably about the right personality type for a guy calling himself Jesus.
