The Walking Dead
Season 10 - Episode 16 - "A Certain Doom"- SEASON FINALE
Daryl & Judith: Daryl has no tolerance for Negan's BS at all, but on the Carol front, when she said "i'm here," he shot her a look, and with the New Mexico talk coming up again, that's setting the spin-off in motion.
Beta / Whisperers: Before it happened, I wondered why the heroes--knowing that living people are among the Whisperer horde--would use rifles to target any obviously living people, so their screams of pain would instantly draw the walkers to eat the wounded....and that's what happened...only with arrows. Good stuff. Beta could not possibly kill the wounded and/or redirect the walkers from their natural instinct.
Negan / Lydia: Sharp of Lydia to see where Carol's mind could have been drifting toward (surrogate mother--again) and break the idea on the spot. I was not convinced she would convince Negan to become a hero, but it was a pleasant surprise to see her join the others--and save Carol. In a season filled with strong character moments, this may have been the best.
So, Negan finally came through, and in the biggest shock of all, its Daryl who not only saves the man who murdered Glenn and Abraham (at the top of a long list), but he ends Beta's freakish, worthless ass. Potent scene.
Ezekiel / Eugene / Yumiko / Juanita / "Princess": Ezekiel's little speech was the motivator sad sack Eugene needed, but it was a bit self-serving, since he's thinking he will die out of the sight of those he cares about most.
No Stephanie, but armored guards with not markings linking them to any other WD series...yet.
Father Gabriel / Maggie: I love how Father Gabriel has turned into such a strong leader. That is real character growth from the way he was introduced in 5A. I expected Maggie's return, but not in so satisfying a way as saving Father Gabriel, just when I honestly believed he was going to be killed.
...and the masked fighter. He or she has to be someone of note. The series is building he or she up too much not to have a memorable payoff.
NOTES: Moving through the horde actually restored some of the menace they lost over time. I was just waiting for one of the main characters to slip up... Poor Beatrice--most of the original Oceansiders were killed off, and now she joins them. Horrible way to go.
Connie lives--and is rescued by Virgil. Now it has me wondering what he's doing so far away from home--again, and is the tease for the Rick movie, with Virgil dropping hints well into season 11?
For its 10th anniversary, it could not have topped this level of justified character behavior and action; no one just committed some act just to fill a scene or the hour. If the 11th--and final season is as lean and solid as this one, The Walking Dead will hold on to its crown as the greatest fantasy series of this century.
Fear the Walking Dead returns on 10/11 at 9 p.m.
GRADE: A+