Here we go again, another exciting episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Episode seven is titled ‘Truth or Dare’ and it takes that name from a scene where the group finds some old alcohol and decides to have a relaxing party. The party leads to them playing a game of Truth or Dare that inevitably ends with someone asking Hope to admit what she did on the night the sky fell.
This episode was a lot of fun as they get into how the military reacted to the outbreak, what Huck was doing when the outbreak actually happened, and the things she did as a soldier that can never be forgotten. This was a powerful episode that really swayed my opinion of Huck, and showed us some of the darker sides of the group.
1. Love Drunk Elton
This seems to be the first scene that caught everyone’s attention, but it was also quickly forgotten. The kids getting drunk on old alcohol was great, but also a poor choice. How can you fight zombies when you can barely stand up? Once the alcohol was working its magic with the inexperienced children of “World Beyond,” a game of Truth or Dare ensued, but it wasn’t a good idea for Hope to play a game designed to expose secrets.
As Hope stormed off, upset, Elton was quick to chase after her. Inside the stairwell, he is given the opportunity to face his fears and tell Hope how he really feels. But it turns out that Elton is just a puppy dog and booze makes him sleepy. There was something great about how tiny and cute Elton was in that scene as he unsuccessfully tried to connect with Hope, only to be sabotaged by the fire water itself.
2. Felix Bonding with Tony
Percy and Tony decided to work with the group, but they never really set anything in stone, and they aren’t exactly the most dependable or trustworthy duo. So I had expected them to get our characters somewhere and then leave them out to dry when they get what they needed. But this episode really solidified some connections and relationships, notably between Felix and Tony.
These two getting drunk together and Tony expressing his love and concern for his family really spoke to Felix considering how rejected he had felt by his own family. Tony was very charming as a performer in the previous episode, but to see him raw and vulnerable next to Felix was a really great way to make the character connect and have Felix drop his guard and let someone else in. Though it appears he won’t be back, the impression he left on Felix is going to cause some problems between Felix and Silas.
3. Percy V Silas
The most direct through-line between the previous episode and this one is the relationship between Silas and Percy. Silas has a dark and violent past, and a big part of that has been triggered by his fringe existence. Just as he was really getting in good with the group, and feeling accepted, Percy came along and stomped all over that. This episode continued that trend, with Percy pretty much completely blocking Silas out from Iris’ purview.
The most concerning aspect of this tension is that it is predominately one-sided. While it does seem like Percy is intentional in his actions, I don’t think he even realizes the effect he is having on the group. It doesn’t even seem like Iris is aware of what is going on, but Silas does. And the last thing anyone needs is a homicidal maniac for a bodyguard. Silas took things exactly where they predictably would, but what does that mean for his relationship with the group moving forward?
4. The Adventures of Huck
This series has been full of backstories since the first episode. It’s a natural part of the story here because these are people that had previous lives, but none of them have gone to the places that Huck’s story did. Hope tried to coax it out of her in the fifth episode, but only got the origin of her name. I didn’t think we were going to get much on her until the season finale. But here we are on the other side of a big twist for the series, and Huck is someone to be admired.
Continued belowThe episode quickly introduced us to past Huck. She was a marine when the outbreak happened. Unfortunately, the military was not prepared for this, and made a bad call; kill anything that moves to stop the spread. This really exposed Huck for the person she is and showed the level of conviction she has to her beliefs. Things get pretty dark from there as she is forced to turn on her fellow soldiers and do the unthinkable to save lives. And that moment really seems to be the distinguishable change between the Huck we know and the Huck from the night the sky fell. This is the most positive I’ve felt about Huck all season.
5. Hope and Huck are the heart
Huck has a terrible accent, bad prosthetics, and a strained walk that I hate to even watch. But to her credit they have written some fantastic dialogue for her, often imparting wisdom on someone like Hope. That got turned up to eleven in this episode when she shares a rooftop scene with Hope.
Hope came into the scene in the middle of an anxiety attack brought on by some things she had to do the night the sky fell. Huck calms her down, gives her some great advice, and even gets a confession about killing Elton’s mom. That was a pretty big bombshell in my opinion but I think Huck’s response was perfect, wise, and ultimately set up the big reveal in her own backstory. Huck may be the worst dressed, but she is the most interesting for sure.
In Summary…
The first five episodes of this show were pretty standard fare, but the last two episodes have paid off in great ways, rocked the boat in some interesting ways, and raised the stakes each step of the way. I can’t wait to see what next week brings, but I do hope it is a little more ‘backseat Huck’. She has grown on me a lot after this episode, but she still isn’t a character I want to see much of other than the scenes with Hope.
