Outpost 22

The pacing of these episodes is as close to watching paint dry as you can get. As we lumber towards the series inevitable conclusion, we ask, is it really worth it?

One long drawn out monologue after another. One convenient accident after another. I suddenly realise the walking dead might actually refer to the audience. Zero excitement, just none.

Back in the good old days you were invested in the struggle to survive against over whelming odds. The Governor, Negan, Alpha.....all worthy adversaries but the greatest threat to this series has become the need to lengthen each episode and strangle the last dying breath from each moment.

They've really given up on the audio post, haven't they? This is the worst dialogue I've heard in a long time. Perhaps they couldn't afford to ADR. I can hear the noise reduction but I still can't hear all the words. It's not that hard, but it does take a budget and it's clearly not going on the audio. I'll just repeat all that to make up the quota: They've really given up on the audio post, haven't they? This is the worst dialogue I've heard in a long time. Perhaps they couldn't afford to ADR. I can hear the noise reduction but I still can't hear all the words. It's not that hard, but it does take a budget and it's clearly not going on the audio.

The premise of episode 11.21 titled "Outpost 22": Maggie, Gabriel and Rosita manage to escape and eventually link up with Daryl and Carol as they track the Commonwealth's train to the mysterious Outpost 22. Jim Barnes penned the script for 11.21 and I think it wasn't the same quality as the previous episodes but okay, the dialogue wasn't good though. I also think they failed Maggie in this episode, making her less capable and not being smart in her actions. Two characters who had good and believable dialogue was Negan and Ezekiel, their conversation and the acting between the two actors were great, a highlight even. Overseen by Angela Kang, the writing for this episode is mostly consistent of the previous episodes in Part 1 and 2, but the direction she's going in is far from what I would have done. The episode uses the big budget wisely, making it brilliant both technically and the acting and so on, the camera work are brilliant and visually a great episode, an overall impressive production. There's so many shots in this episode that are brilliantly shot, such a stunning looking episode, but that doesn't make a great episode.

Tawnia McKiernan directed "Outpost 22" and being a guest director (except for directing an episode of Fear TWD) she actually did quite a good job. McKiernan's vision and direction were alright, nothing special here. The episode has tension beneath the script and direction but is executed poorly. One thing that haven't changed are the cinematography and the other departments, especially the makeup and special effects departments. The attention to detail and all the shots in the nature, they nailed it on the camera side of things. The cinematography is once again breathtaking and incredible, just right for the show, the way it was shot and so on, simply brilliant. The sets were detailed and perfect, and so are the art and production design. I also found the effects to be fantastic in this episode, practical effects always makes it so more real, and The Walking Dead is known for their practical effects and they didn't let us down for this episode. Superb sound design and a musical score both gripping and dramatic. It's one of many things on the technical side of things that the show succeeds perfectly with.

The Commonwealth arc is a big part of this episode so if you're not a fan of that, there might not be a lot to your liking, if non at all. The plot moves forward slowly and honestly it feels like nothing happened, it's a filler with good acting and poorly executed action sequences. But the acting was good, my favorite performances being: Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene, though the writing for her character in this week's episode was bad, her performance remained extremely strong. Khary Payton as Ezekiel and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan. But thats it, really.

This episode kept the story going much more but it doesn't feel like they're building to a grand finale, it feels so basic and the story is getting interesting, it's also not the direction I want the show to go but there's nothing we can do about it except for enjoying what we're getting. I hope Angela Kang will tie things up nicely, but the already announced sequel spin-offs removes the unpredictability that the show is known for. I never find myself on the edge of my seat anymore, there's tension and suspension sure but no real risk. That goes hand in hand with my previous reviews how there are also too many characters in the main cast, most don't have anything interesting to do and they then fail the characters, most of them. The build up is leading to nothing special, I was wrong in my prevent review but I hope it changes. Another huge criticism similar to Fear's seventh season, they skip important events, like us not seeing the breakup between Gabriel and Rosita earlier this season. But let's tie up this review, episode 11.21 has most of the cast in it, it finally feels like an old episode of The Walking Dead but unfortunately it has some of the worst writing in season 11. Even the action sequences aren't very good. There's only three episodes left and they slow things down too much, it's sad really, how the final season of a show as big as The Walking Dead could be mishandled so much. Angela Kang, to me, succeeded with season 9 and 10 (before Covid). The direction she took for this final season have been a roadblock after roadblock, unfortunately, Part C have not been very good.

As we move into the very last episodes of the show, this episode turns out to be pretty good - and fast-paced at the very least. It offers a new milieu in the welcome form of a return to Alexandria, looking very different from the last time we saw it. The plot splits and divides between various sub-plots as usual, but the most interesting ones are those following the characters infiltrating a much tougher enemy. I did like the train scenes too, which add something to the show that hasn't been done before. This means that characterisation suffers for the sake of action, but in the case of this series I don't think that's a bad thing.

So I thought Rick would come back in the episode called "Who Lost," but he didn't, and because he hoped he'd come back in the next episode, or in the series titled "Family." And if he doesn't, it would be better if he even returns in his own series with Michonne because it will be an end game for the walking dead and crm And the beginning of the spin-off series For me, the series that I'm excited about is Carol and Daryl's series after Rick, of course, because they are without a doubt the best couple in the world of the walking dead. The company must rely on duos in its series leaders like Maggie and Negan and this is amazing.