The Walking Dead S08E14 "Still Gotta Mean Something" (My Review)

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If you don't want "Spoilers," scroll down to the "Non-Spoilers" section where I give my broad conclusion and overall thoughts

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Spoilers (In-Depth Analysis)

The Disguise

• Gotta say the scene with Jadis from the beginning was very ingenious. Not the part where she pretended to play dead but the part where she made herself look life she lives in a dump but actually is nice fancy room. It made me think the garbage people are like the people of Wakanda. Wakanda looks like a third world country but it is actually a technological advanced place just like how the Scavengers are seen as garbage people living in a dumpster field but they actually live in nice homes. Speaking of Wakanda you should check out my Black Panther Review. Back to the topic I wish they show more of the Scavengers way of life and what their hideout really looks like or its just Jadis place that looks fancy.

Dumb parts

• The writers have to be consistent with the characters with Daryl and Tess. Before Daryl believed that Dwight is good while Tess believed Dwight is bad. Now Daryl believes Dwight is bad while Tess believes Dwight is good. I can't believe these two characters are discussing over such a simple topic. They could have just stick to one opinion about Dwight and wrapped it up in a few sentences then discuss something else like how long can he keep the secret before Negan knows.
• The part with Morgan hallucinating is tiring to watch. We see his character lose his sanity then regain his sanity then lose his sanity AGAIN. I hope for the writers sake they make him regain his sanity and just stick with that cause he lasted this long in the game and he should by now already see all kinds of crazy shit that don't phase him anymore.
• With Negan strapped to the stroller how did he manage to get the pictures and hold the torch? I'm just going to let this one slide cause its really a minor issue.

Parts I enjoy

• I FINALLY see the helicopter again. Its been quite a while since I last saw it which is at the ending of S08E05 "The Big Scary U". I really hope we see more of this. I hope the buildup to this is done right but WE REALLY DONT KNOW if the writers will do it right.

For example, the ending of S08E02 "The Damned" we see Morales all the way back from season 1 and then he quickly died in the beginning of S08E03 "Monsters". The buildup for this was just ridiculous since it was dragged out for too long. Maybe it would've been better if we seen ALL previous characters who went their separate paths from the early seasons on Negan's side instead of just Morales. HOWEVER the buildup for Jared's death was WORTH IT. This was a very good scene and it made the previous parts where they carried the captured Saviors to Hilltop and the previous episode where they escaped worth watching.

Parallelism

• You see the strong parallelism with Rick making a fake promise to the Saviors and Negan making a real promise to Jadis. "Still Gotta Mean Something" really fits with this episode's title. It makes you question the two's characters. Is Rick out of character? In my opinion I think he was really upset about his son's death that drove him to wanting to kill every Savior and Negan personally. Also it makes you think maybe this is why Negan is a stronger leader than Rick because his methods brings in more people than Rick.

It gets even better

• Negan is finally back to taking leadership AGAIN but doing it in secrecy which gives us more excitement for the upcoming episode. We do not know who is Negan talking to when he pulled off the road to let the person inside the passenger seat. Could it be Gregory or Laura (the girl who shot Dwight)? The BIG question it gives us. Is Dwight screwed? Simon for sure and we can't wait to see what happens to him. If you want my opinion I don't think it is Laura because for the previews of the next episode I don't see her but then again I don't Gregory either and I know a little on what happened in the comics. I hope the next episode shows what happened to her or some other character cause it will help writers from dragging out certain scenes. Also Daryl and Rosita are on the move giving us another reason to be excited.

When will Oceanside join? Or what will they do?
I was going to question about the helicopter but since I saw it again I guess I won't. I have a theory it will appear again during the FINAL battle between Rick and Negan.
Will the war be FINALLY be over in this season finale? AGAIN I have a theory if it actually ends we will get a glimpse of the future with Rick and Negan being friends.
I am excited to see exactly HOW Negan will take back his leadership.

Non-Spoilers (Overall Thoughts)

This episode was much better than the last but the buildup for this one was worth watching. I thought the writers were trailing off with what happened in S08E13 "Do Not Send Us Astray" but they didn't and successfully wrapped it all up. There is strong parallelism with protagonist and antagonist and you probably question their characters but if you read my spoiler review you would understand it better. AGAIN the parallelism is strong in this one which is critical if you have multiple stories in an episode. The way this episode ended gives us multiple reasons to be excited for the next one.

My Grading Rubric:

This picture grade means that it is simply AMAZING. It shows that the replay is high and makes you want to watch it again and again. It also means that the show excel in every bit with drama/story/plot-progression/build-up while leaving you excited for the next episode. The two-thumbs-up ALSO proves that it is highly memorable one.

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This picture grade means that its GREAT if not amazing. It means that it while it is not perfect it still has more strengths than weaknesses meaning that some parts are slow/boring while the rest is exciting or it gives plenty of thrills but overall generic. Even though it is not a two-thumbs-up the show can still be very memorable after watching the whole entire season.

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This picture grade shows at it is just MEDIOCRE at best. There is plenty of good parts that make this show still enjoyable to watch. Replay is low and after watching it once you don't feel like watching it all over again unless you a HARDCORE fan and/or if you just skim through it to watch a few scenes.

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This simply means that it is CRAP. It also means that for an amount of time you spend watching a movie/episode is also the amount of time you are never going to get back. I can simply have another picture that is two-thumbs-down to prove that it is dog shit but this picture grade shows that it is horrible and you want to avoid it at all costs.

My Grade For This Episode:

If you guys enjoyed reading this check out my other previous episode reviews of The Walking Dead:

S08E01 "Mercy"
S08E02 "The Damned"
S08E03 "Monsters"
S08E04 "Some Guy"
S08E05 "The Big Scary U"
S08E06 "The King, the Widow, and Rick"
S08E07 "Time For After"
S08E08 "How It's Gotta Be"
S08E09 "Honor"
S08E10 "The Lost and the Plunderers"
S08E11 "Dead or Alive Or"
S08E12 "The Key"
S08E13 "Do Not Send Us Astray"