Betrayal & Brutality: Walking Dead “Lost & the Plunderers” New Episode Recap
(~500w, 2nd Person)
Warning – spoilers ahead.
Life’s hard in the zombie apocalypse, especially when you piss off the friendly town protection racket
Titled “The Lost and the Plunderers,” this week’s Walking Dead saw allegiances tested and the gore-factor cranked up big time. New tensions arose, and old decisions came back to haunt some characters with fatal results.
Here’s our countdown of this episode’s top five moments!
05. Oceanside Shows Enid and Aaron Mercy
After Enid killed the leader of Oceanside in what seemed to be defense, she and Aaron faced execution. But Cyndie, the older granddaughter, spared them. It’s interesting to compare the talk the Oceansiders had with Enid and Aaron to the one Morgan, Ezekiel, and Carol had with Gavin last week. One person’s hero can be another’s villain.
04. Rick and Negan Have a Serious Chat
No theatrics, puns, or bravado – just the show’s two leading men having a serious talk about the war, their losses, and how it all could’ve possibly been avoided. Negan blamed Carl’s death on Rick – harsh, even for Negan. Carl sent last words to his loved ones through letters, and their names were used as the episode’s title cards in a creative touch.
03. A Special Delivery Arrives at the Sanctuary
While Carl sent some heartwarming letters, Maggie sent an emphatic message through a very grim package. Upon prying open the coffin and finding the zombified Savior, Negan and Simon clashed on what to do. Maggie’s move may have helped breed more division between the boss and his right-hand man. Speaking of which…
02. Simon Takes Out the Garbage, People
After being assigned to visit Jadis and her “Heapsters” to get them back on board with The Saviors, Simon was agitated by their willingness to work with Rick. Despite being ordered to kill only one person, Simon killed two – immediately after confiscating all their weapons. When Jadis hit him in retaliation, he ordered the execution of all her people. He aimed to make them feel remorse, but will he be the one who’s sorry once Negan finds out he disobeyed orders?
01. Jadis Disposes of Her Zombified Trash-Family
That’s the politically correct term, right? The garbage people are so hated, the writers decided to kill them twice in one episode – the second time with a machine designed to grind-up trash. This was actually a very powerful scene. It combined the creative gross-out factor of seeing walker after walker ground into red goo, with the sorrowful sight of a near-catatonic Jadis soaking in the trauma. She tried to convince Rick and Michonne to help her escape the walker-filled pit, but her plea was rejected. Can’t blame them – guess the triple-cross wasn’t such a good idea in hindsight.
Our Rating: A Return to Form – 8/10
This episode had everything that made us fall in love with The Walking Dead. Amidst the artfully brutal visuals was a strong statement about betrayal, loss, vengeance, and forgiveness. The best part? It makes us want to tune in next week. We hope you’ll do the same, and join us after for more Walking Dead discussion.