First Time Again

The sixth is the best season of the series so far and this episode is a great reflection of its potential.

The episode is divided into two time periods until both reach the same point. In the past the plot focuses on the characters and the problems that the characters went through after Pete's death and the arrival of Morgan and we are also shown the plan to control the horde. At present we are shown the execution of the plan and how people manage their situation and their past.

The episode achieves a great balance between great action and walkers with excellent character development and direction.

the interactions between the characters are very good, like rick and morga, morgan and carol, jesse and rick, abraham and sasha, glenn and nicholas. All characters receive great participation.

the sequences of acciom are very good and it was good to show the terror of the walkers and the danger they are.

Carter's character gave a lot of conflict and was very interesting. showed a part of the alexandrinos and the relationship between rick and his group with the alexandrinos, something that is going to develop throughout this first half until the end of the arc.

The cliffhanger was spectacular and made me look forward to seeing the next episode.

to sum up an excellent episode

It was a solid start to this season, the episode was well written and directed, I particularly loved the music in this episode, it made the scenes very intense. The performances from Andrew Lincoln and Lennie James were excellent. I'm glad to get some more humor in these lines and funny interactions between characters, it's been so serious and depressing for so long. The character development in this episode was very good, especially for Rick and a couple other characters. It's a must watch in my honest opinion. The flash backs could be annoying for some, but I would think people would understand this effect was used. The action was great, there were a ton of zombies/walkers to keep people satisfied and a lot of dialogue to even it out.

The single greatest line in this episode!

This was a great way to start season 6! While not as good as yhe legendary season 5 premiere, this was still a great time, that build off from where season 5 ended while also setting up the next conflict right from the beginning!

The first scene was really good! An intense start! The amount of Walkers remined me of "The army of the dead" from GOT!

From there it jobs back and forth between past and present to give us an idea of how things went from the season 5 finale..and now!

Rick was by far the one who stole the show! After all this development and build-up.. Rick manages to become what he fought against in earlier seasons!

This is why Shane was ahead of his time..cause now...Rick is becoming more like him!

I also enjoyed the scenes with Rick and Morgan!

For me, in its prime 'The Walking Dead' was a brilliant show. That prime period being Seasons 1-5. Sure Season 5 wasn't quite as consistent as the previous four and there were some disappointing (by prime 'The Walking Dead' standards) but far from terrible episodes, but at its best the season was of extemely high quality. Which is why it is sad that it declined so badly from Season 7 onwards, one of the biggest declines for any show along with 'House of Cards'.

Season 6's season premiere "First Time Again" is how to start a season with a bang. One of the best episodes of that season, one of the best latter season episodes and one of 'The Walking Dead's' most ambitious and unique episodes. "First Time Again" has a lot going on, is taut, is uncompromisingly tense, emotional and is exceptionally well made (actually stands out on that front), like the best of 'The Walking Dead'. Can totally see why it was critically acclaimed, even if it is more mixed here, and it deserves it in my opinion.

As said, "First Time Again" looks wonderful. The gritty and audacious production design still remains, photography worthy of a film, suitably frightening make-up and visuals that don't look amateurish in any way and like they were made with heart and effort. The black and white has a lot of atmosphere and visually "First Time Again" is one of the more interesting 'The Walking Dead' episodes and stands out, the past and present shots providing storytelling unlike any seen before on the show. The music is haunting and affecting, without being intrusive. The direction is some of the best of the whole of 'The Walking Dead' up to this point, both visually and providing the right amount and kind of drama.

There have not been this many walkers so well used in many an episode (not even in the Season 5 finale "Conquer"), and they are really quite terrifying here. The writing is as taut as can be and the dialogue-driven scenes didn't come over as too talky to me. The story is always compelling and makes the most of its unique structure, the coherence never being an issue and the action-driven scenes have genuine uncompromising tension. The massive set piece is a rich feast of emotions and is edge of the seat excitement, while the cliffhanger is a shocker. Love the sense of community, the character development is some of the latter seasons' richest by quite some way and the same goes for the character interactions.

Just as good are the performances, Andrew Lincoln's acting is some of the best on the show and a sly Melissa McBride is pretty unforgettable even with her screen time not being large. Lennie James kills it again and really shines in his chemistry with Lincoln.

In summary, outstanding start to the sixth season. 10/10

The screenplay of this episode is inspired by Nolan's memento. I didn't see it intriguing as the climax of the episode is already shown in the opening shot and there is absolutely nothing that happens in the episode. The only major plot that happens in the next 55 minutes is that Rick scheming to help the people get to a secure location, which is pretty much the same plot as every episode. I might get a lot of hate and down votes for putting it this way, but I feel the show writers need to stop being lazy and portray their thoughts meticulously and cleverly.

Would you take if a director makes a one hour show with a one line plot? I don't think so. Even if you scratch my lines and say that there is much of characterisation left, you are wrong. We all have seen countless episodes that built up the characters. Now all we need is some progress in the show.

The zombies are great , the killings are cool , but just ramp up the story!!

My rating 8/10