Following on from last week’s established mysteries, “Warning Signs” slows down to uncover who or what is picking off the Saviors working at the bridge camp and even grants an insight into who might be flying the helicopter. Tensions continue to rise amongst the different groups and even the leaders themselves, leaving us to question who we should follow into this new world. Warning: spoilers below!
1. Rick’s New World
Rick still has his sights set on Utopia this week, and as the episode begins, his vision looks achievable. We get a real sense of the scale of what he has managed to build at Alexandria as he takes a quiet morning stroll through the settlement’s crops, even stopping to pick up a ripe tomato. There are nice, idyllic moments at the start of this episode, including a really sweet montage of Rick and Michonne playing with Judith, as well as a romantic discussion between the couple which leads to baby planning – a more intimate way to contribute to the future. Personally, I’ve always struggled to buy into the Richonne relationship, and this was the first time it didn’t seem overly forced to me. The conversation, while still cheesy, felt more natural – perhaps a combination of the actors’ performances and more convincing scripts to work with.
2. Collapsing Bridges
However, outside of Rick’s domestic bubble, tension continues to rise, nearing boiling point. Despite Rick’s certainty that people will always come together for the greater good, recent Savior disappearances has the bridge camp rattled. As Justin’s murdered body turns up (being torn into by walkers in the cold open, before he gets up and shambles off to join an undead herd himself), it’s evident his death was caused by a human rather than a walker attack. An aggressive fist-fight breaks out as the Saviors, led by a guy named Mud, accuse the other groups of targeting them, naming Anne/Jadis and Daryl specifically as suspects. Not being trusted with guns, the Saviors feel unsafe, and there are perhaps few things more dangerous than fear.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that there’s still a way to go before reaching a harmonious world, with trust being fully tested and effective leadership being called into question. With Rick’s final episode fast approaching, could his overly optimistic outlook ultimately be his downfall?
3. A or B
Upset at being considered a suspect in murdering the Saviors, Anne/Jadis returns to the junkyard the Garbage People used to call home. Amongst the discarded rubbish, she digs out a working radio – which makes you wonder what else she might have carefully tucked away amongst the bags of trash. It works. She’s well aware that whoever is on the other end is in range, confirmed by the sighting of the helicopter last week. An unnamed voice replies querying whether she has “an A or a B”.
Anne/Jadis can’t get far without a suspicious but caring Gabriel on her heels though. It turns out he followed her and overheard the entire radio conversation. Upon confronting her, Anne/Jadis reveals that there is another safe place far away and offers that they leave together. In a scene where she is being awfully untrustworthy, she asks him to trust her. Gabriel, however, stands with Rick. Anne/Jadis’ sweet persona turns cold as she sneers at him, “All this time, I thought you were a B” before smacking him on the head and knocking him out.
I was left with two key questions after this scene. The first – is Anne/Jadis really who she seems? It’s possible she could simply be a good person who makes bad choices, so used to looking after herself that she won’t let anything stand in the way of her own survival. Radioing a group in hope of escape could be purely reactionary to being accused by her campmates. Or, have our heroes let a genuine threat into their camp? Being so distracted by the potential trouble the Saviors could cause, they may be missing a threat that’s right under their noses. The second – what does A or B stand for? Could it be “Alpha” and “Beta” in a nod to the upcoming Whisperers storyline or is it simply a red herring to get audiences excited? Either way, it’s worked, and I’m curious to see how this plotline develops.
Continued below4. “Every Life Counts”
The Saviors are at it again as the episode nears its end. Mud and a cohort ambush Rick and Carol as they are out searching for missing Savior, Arat. Here we see fear at its most dangerous. Instead of rationally working together, they feel divided and threatened; isolated from the rest of the groups. All they ask for are guns to protect themselves as they leave the camp. Rather than discuss their options calmly with the group leaders, they once again resort to violence, holding a knife to Carol’s throat. It’s evident that they don’t feel heard or valued as they question Rick’s mantra of all life being important.
You’d have to be foolish to hold Carol at knifepoint, though. Always prepared, she easily releases herself, stabbing Mud in the chest – though not with an intent to kill him. Instead, the pair of rogue Saviors are taken back to the camp, Mud’s wound is treated, and the entire group leaves in the morning to return to the Sanctuary – Mud squashing a tomato with his boots on the way out. With over half of their workforce gone, Rick’s left questioning whether they can possibly finish building the bridge they have worked so hard on: an on-the-nose metaphor for whether or not these groups can ever truly cooperate and find peace living together.
5. War Crimes
While Rick’s still focused on saving lives to build new foundations, Maggie and Daryl perhaps have a more realistic view of what’s needed for survival. Previous episodes have established Maggie’s stark view on rebuilding, though she wishes she could share Rick’s optimism, looking forward rather than looking back. Daryl is also cynical about the union of the groups, especially considering what some of the Saviors took from the various settlements. The pair continue their own search for Arat and discover a walker who has been shot with an arrow from a harpoon, which leads them directly to the culprits behind the missing Saviors: the women from Oceanside.
