The Damned

At a Savior outpost in an abandoned insurance office building, one of Rick's groups of combined militia attacks. They slowly cut down the number of Saviors, then watch as the dead turn and finish off the rest. During the attack Aaron's boyfriend Eric is severely wounded. Aaron rushes him away from the scene, as the man continues to bleed out.

Rick, Daryl, and others enter the building from another direction. They go from room to room, searching for the weapons armory. On one of the upper floors Rick has to kill one of the Saviors, then is filled with self-loathing when he realizes that the man had been guarding a baby. He is then caught unprepared, as another man steps out and holds him at gunpoint. It turns out that this Savior is Morales, who Rick hasn't seen since the earliest days of the outbreak. Morales tells Rick that he's called more Saviors on his walkie, and they'll soon be arriving.

Meanwhile, at the Satellite outpost that was once cleared out by the Survivors, another battle takes place. Morgan, Tara, Jesus, and others attempt to remove any resistance. Morgan and Tara want to kill any Saviors they find. Jesus, however, insists that they should capture anyone who is willing to surrender. Although angered by this approach, Tara resists the impulse to kill the Saviors who are gathered. In the end Morgan also relents, although this is put to the test when he sees that one of the survivors is Jared, the Savior who killed young Benjamin from the Kingdom.

"The Damned" propels the narrative forward by diving deeper into the multi-front war against the Saviors. The episode uniquely structures its narrative around several simultaneous assaults on different Savior outposts, showcasing the broad scope of the coalition's plan to dismantle Negan's grip on the region. This episode highlights the logistical and moral complexities of warfare in the post-apocalyptic world, as characters are forced to confront the reality of their actions and the implications of their decisions on both a personal and a communal level.

One of the episode's standout sequences involves Aaron leading an assault on a Savior outpost, resulting in a brutal and costly engagement that underscores the high stakes of the conflict. This battle is not only tactically intense but also emotionally draining, as it showcases the harsh realities of war and the toll it takes on the individuals involved. Meanwhile, Morgan's storyline offers a gripping exploration of the psychological impacts of violence. His journey from pacifism back to a warrior highlights the inner turmoil and moral dilemmas faced by those fighting for survival, making Morgan's character arc one of the most compelling aspects of the episode.

Another significant moment occurs when Rick encounters Morales, a character from his past, now aligned with the Saviors. This encounter serves as a powerful reminder of how the world has changed and how former allies can become enemies in the struggle for power and survival. The tension between Rick and Morales captures the theme of lost humanity and the transformative effect of the apocalyptic world on personal identities and relationships. The episode concludes with the sense that the war is far more complex than a simple battle between good and evil, setting the stage for further exploration of the characters' moral compasses and the lengths they will go to secure their future.

"The Damned" effectively advances the season's narrative by deepening the exploration of war's complexities and the moral ambiguities faced by those involved. It challenges both the characters and the audience to consider the cost of survival and the sacrifices necessary to achieve a semblance of peace in a world dominated by conflict.

It is impressive what the present writers are doing with "The Walking Dead", destroying the magnificent series originally written by the excellent Frank Darabont. They are capable to turn a full of action episode into something so stupid and boring that is difficult to understand who is who in the non-stop shootings and why so many raids at the same time. Sometime ago, ammunition was a problem to Rick and his group and they asked Eugene to try to make ammunition to supply their arsenal. But now the shootings waste so many shots that is amazing the reference of being short of ammunition. Jesus is a nice character, but his attitude is so stupid that it is hard to understand how Morgan, Tara and the other dwellers from Alexandria, Hilltop and the Kingdom could accept to leave Saviors alive after all they did. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "The Damned"

Well, my last review was my most hated ever, but I'm going to keep on making reviews because I love this show and want to get my thoughts out. Anyway, what makes this episode so interesting is that it doesn't focus on a single character or even the same group of characters. This is what makes this show so great is that we get a great cast of unique characters that all contribute to the story well. It was interesting to see some fight walkers and others fight living people. They actually overlap as one scene features the formerly living people transform into walkers. The action's as good as ever.

Rick and Daryl are the most noteworthy but we get lots of great bits too. There's Carol and Ezekiel in one group and Tara and Jesus in another. They hold a guy hostage who looks a lot more like Jesus. We get a great opening as we see shots of the main characters' faces. That's also what we end on. It doesn't use the same angles however which shows how diverse the storytelling is. Most of the conflict is still caused by the humans which is why it's great to see how an apocalypse affects the still normal people. I did miss Negan though. ***1/2

I recently started watching this show again since its been years since I last seen the early seasons. And it was how I exactly remembered it. Perfect just perfect. Well that was up until 7x02 and that's where things start going downhill.

The writing in season 7 was super slow with most of the episodes being based around one story/Area. So far season 8 has suffered the same fate. The show has loss the horror element.

As of right now the show is more focused on the war element which disrespects the whole point of the show being about humans vs zombies.

Overall A below average episode that does nothing nor entertains me.

Why are people hating this so much? It is 40 minutes of action. It is more action than the show ever had. I love the first two episodes of season 8