The Walking Dead: “Knots Untie” Review

“Confrontation’s never been something we’ve had trouble with.”

Thanks to a time jump, last week’s Walking Dead opened up the show to new adventures, a brand new kung fu vagrant, and a new romance. This week’s installment – “Knots Untie” – pushed the show into even newer territory, refusing to rest on its laurels. And I’m liking the quickened pace of this season’s back half.

Rick, and most of the series regulars, left Alexandria to head over to Jesus’ compound – a walled, wooded refuge called Hilltop. A place, we’d discover, is the main food provider for a network of communities that have entered into a trading pact. A place that’s a little more Colonial Williamsburg than Rick’s suburban slice of tract housing.

Where’s Carol in all this? Not sure. We haven’t caught up with her or Morgan yet. It’s odd to not have her be a part of the away team here, but we briefly heard that she wasn’t in town. So, presumedly, out on a run? The core RV team was pretty strong though. Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Abraham, and the parents-to-be. As mentioned, this episode could have taken its sweet time. In fact, the little pit stop everyone took, to rescue Jesus’ comrades, felt like inserted danger. You know what I mean. Walker confrontations just sort of thrown into episodes that wouldn’t have had any action otherwise.

That was not the case however as things got notably, and almost comically (darkly so), bloody in Hilltop very quickly. And one of my favorite parts of this episode was how much it really leaned into Rick’s (and everyone’s) ultimate worth. He’s a killer. I know the Alexandria arc was all about him being a capable alpha saddled with a bunch of coddled, sheltered homeowners, but by the end of this episode – Rick took a kill mission. Hell, Daryl was even the one to broker this deal. Maggie solidified it, but Daryl spoke up about actually going out there and rescuing the missing dude and killing off Negan’s men.

So what does Rick and company have to offer? In the end? After Rick’s previous attempts to be a farmer? A cop? A father who wants to show his son a new world of prosperity? Well, they’re thugs. Heavily armed, tactical thugs. A tight knit unit. Hardened after years of trauma and torment. They’ve seen SOME S***. And the show’s always nicely played with the blurry lines between our heroes and the actual villains out there, prowling the landscape. So now, thanks to Maggie, Rick’s crew are the new gang taking HALF of Hilltop’s stash. I mean, they’ll be nicer about it overall – they won’t kill the town’s citizens (well, not any more) – but it’s still a shakedown. “Protection money.”

Enter Xander Berkeley as Hilltop’s leader-slash-douchebag. So far, the zompocalypse world has either turned people into psychos or cowardly mushes. Oh, the luxury involved in being able to remain a dick. Gregory was, basically, a jerk in a way you wouldn’t assume the wasteland would tolerate for more than a minute. He was callous, rude, and fake-oblivious. And he ALMOST bit the dust here after Negan sent one of Gregory’s own men back to kill him. A move that made Gregory not even want to rescue the guy’s brother out of pure spite. And all the while, Jesus was trying to play intermediary. Like, “I know he’s an asshat but hear us out.”

I mentioned the comedy behind things getting so violent in Hilltop, but – of course – I don’t mean “ha ha” funny. Just perversely so. Like, of course Rick’s face is covered in blood soon after arriving at a new community. Only Rick and his crew can attract this type of trouble. And no, it’s not their fault. That’s the show. But this episode did bring Negan into the mix in a big way, even though he’s still unseen. We now know how and why he and Rick will cross paths and what Negan’s group is all about. Well, mostly.

I also enjoyed Abraham’s scenes a lot this week too. Which was great because I haven’t really been into any of his post-(fake)cure storyline at all. But right now he’s in a bit of a pickle romantically. And torn about whether or not he himself would like to start a new family in the way that Glenn and Maggie are. The fact that Abraham’s life has now slowed down, and calmed down, so much in Alexandria that he can even entertain the notion of leaving Rosita – and maybe trying something with Sasha – is both a blessing and a curse. The zompocalypse is suppose to have no room for these types of trials of the heart, so – again – I guess one could say Abraham’s life is both in a good and bad place.

And let’s hear it for Maggie this week too. Her mostly offscreen job as leader/planner/stay-behinder wound up paying off this week during her back-and-forths with Gregory. He batted her around like a ball of yarn for most of the episode, but then she came back strong after he realized just how powerless he was against Negan’s ever-increasing greed. So good on her. And good on the show for giving her a powerful scene outside of worrying about Glenn.