The Walking Dead season 8 episode 2 analysis and review

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Episode 2 of The Walking Dead’s eighth season aired and it’s the thrill of the fight we’ve all been waiting for. Here’s a review of “The Damned.”

This episode was a long time coming. I begged. I pleaded. I wrote nonstop about how desperately I needed this season to be different than the last. And ohhhh, did they deliver. Episode 2, “The Damned,” was a damn good episode of television and reminded me exactly why I started to watch this twisted apocalyptic thriller of a show.

Even though it has an unfortunate drop in viewers and ratings, season 8 of The Walking Dead is already proving to be the most shocking season yet.

Let’s review:

Action. Action. And more action.

Now this is the kind of show I have been waiting for! I never started watching The Walking Dead because it was aesthetically pleasing and had intense cinematic moments. I started watching The Walking Dead because people were thrown into an apocalypse where death and sacrifice were just as common as eating and breathing. I wanted to escape into a faux world of blood and gore and zombies and I needed to be kept intrigued by action and horror. Enter season 8.

Episode 1 began a little slow, but episode 2 did not disappoint. It was packed full of guns, fighting, devastation, and the “all out war” that the tagline promised. I specifically loved watching Morgan and Tara’s character arc throughout the episode and think that both of these people will play a huge role in what’s to come this season. I’m also pretty crazy about the Jesus/Tara relationship. They both come from very different leadership styles and have their own way of doing things but I think them together will be fun to watch.

Seeing how much Morgan has changed is truly a testament to how much this show has changed. He began as someone who wouldn’t hurt a fly, who only used his staff to knock people out. He now has a gun in his hand and could potentially become the most lethal on the show.

Lennie James as Morgan Jones – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

The entire hour was intense and fun to watch and I’m ready to see where this season brings us.

A familiar face

After the 100th episode last week, we’ve seen quite the array of season 1 Easter eggs, so it was no surprise that the “familiar face” this week’s synopsis teased was someone from the very first few episodes of the series. Morales was one of the very first people that Rick had met after Glenn saved him in Atlanta and dragged him into a department store to hide from the zombies. He proved to be a decent guy and has a loving family back at the camp. He was the one who refused to go to the CDC with everyone else, and apparently, this worked out in his favor. Kind of.

It seems as though his family is gone and he now plays for the Saviors but I just don’t see him killing Rick (like how they intentionally wanted us to believe when they ended the episode). I want him to pull a Dwight and end up helping Rick and his buddies take down Negan. I hope this season continues with these “flashbacks” to episodes before because I think it reminds us how far these characters have come.

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes  – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

One scene that particularly stood out to me was when Daryl opened the cell. It was a short scene but meaningful and sent a wave of goosebumps down my arms. Each person on this show has gone through their own form of trauma, heartbreak, or torture, and each one lives with demons they’re still facing. This’ll absolutely effect how they’re involved in the war against the Saviors and how far they’ll go to defeat them. “The Damned” was only the beginning of this.

It takes an army

I thought I would hate how many separate stories there are going on in this episode. Each group of people is attempting to take down a separate part of the puzzle so scenes were short and sweet. This proved to be one of my favorite parts about it. Unlike the first episode, each scene was meaningful and moved the plot forward. There was no fluff or padding or scenes that could’ve been cut. Just pure goodness.

I have one question though and that’s who is this baby? And what are we going to do with it? I’m sure that hit a soft spot for Rick as Judith is back at Alexandria, and visions of her future are dancing around in his head.

All in all, I thought this episode hit it out of the park with an action-filled plot and character development I could only dream of. What did you think of it? Was it better than the season premier? Will you be watching next week? Whose baby do you think that is? Let us know in the comments!

Next: Once Upon A Time: How are Alice and Hook related?

The next episode of The Walking Dead will air on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC followed by a new episode of Talking Dead.