Last week’s “The Well” was a nice little break from the doom and gloom of a post-Negan world, but The Walking Dead isn’t just going to give us tigers and eccentric faux-kings as the crew attempt to build what is being pegged as their darkest and most emotional season yet.
“The Cell” was very much a continuation of that despair, with the theme of Negan mentally breaking our protagonists down through mind games and violence focusing in on Daryl. In theory, this slow and character-focused bottle episode was going to be a nice showcase of Norman Reedus, which it mostly is, but our time spent with a very broken man in captivity is diluted with a dull but necessary look at Dwight and how he in some ways sees himself in Daryl.
To the writers’ credit, Daryl’s guilt over Glenn’s death isn’t wasted with exposition as we basically watch layers of the man stripped away through dog food sandwiches and tortuously peppy music. Towards the end of the episode Dwight cruelly throws a polaroid of Glenn’s smashed head into Daryl’s cell and we very slowly, painfully watch as grief comes pouring out of a character who for the past six seasons has been consistently robust with only a handful of vulnerable moments. Reedus is most valuable here, saying a lot with little to no dialogue, brooding and trying to come to terms with the fact that he just inadvertently caused his friend’s death. This was the strongest side of “The Cell”.
It was obviously going to be necessary for the story to, at some point, take a look at Dwight and through his backstory provide some clearer insights into the structure of the saviours. The reality is darker than it first appeared to be, and surprisingly “The Cell” does a decent job at least somewhat providing Dwight, a very unlikeable character, with a layer of sympathy. This is mostly done through very slowly piecing together a backstory that goes as far as last season’s “Always Accountable” when Daryl first encountered Dwight out in the woods.
The fact that this backstory was revealed isn’t an issue, but the way it was done and the pacing is a bit confusing. The Walking Dead basically fell into the same tautological routine it always does, throwing us into a bunch of scenes that essentially say the same thing in different ways. This has been a frequent issue for the show, but it has mostly been saved by the characters and entertainment value; neither is the case here, many of these scenes felt dragged out only to have Negan come in and explain it all at the end. The scenes I’m writing about are those between Dwight and ex-wife Sherry, awkward encounters that are enough to let you know that Negan has driven a stake between these two, and neither are very happy about it though both are willing to go with the flow.
As it turns out, that stake is marriage. Tina, Sherry’s sister who was bitten and killed in “Always Accountable” was originally intended to be Negan’s unwilling wife until she escaped with the assistance of her sister and her brother-in-law, Dwight. Upon Dwight and Sherry’s eventual surrender and return, Dwight was supposed to die by Negan’s hand until Sherry offered herself up as a bride. Negan obviously accepted, married Sherry and, just for fun, burned half of Dwight’s face off with an iron. Of course, the specifics needed filling in after all the episode’s frugal dialogue, but it felt like a forced summary and hand-holding for the viewer.
In some ways, Daryl reminds Dwight of the man he wasn’t able to be, which could explain the awkwardly imbalanced animosity versus quiet sympathy between the two. It’s obviously something that’s going to fester within Dwight and lead to somewhat more exciting developments there, especially when coupled with the escapee who Dwight shot and killed out of mercy, right before the ex-saviour explained that he’d rather die then go back to Negan. The scene starts to hint at another theme that may be a current throughout this episode, and that’s one of asking whether it’s better to just give up and die then to live in this increasingly bleak world – what is the cost of living and why is it worth it?
Juxtaposition between Dwight and Daryl was an obvious theme throughout the episode. Daryl defiantly refused to say one word (admitting he is part of the hive mind by claiming to be “Negan”) that would have led to a life of relative luxury as one of Negan’s henchman. It’s the opposite of what Dwight did, although Daryl empathetically let his captor know that he understands why he gave into Negan, because he was doing it for someone else. And here’s the real tragedy of it all: the deeper reason for Daryl predictably refusing to become one of Negan’s henchmen (the pragmatic decision because it would allow for easier access to kill the big bad) is Glenn. Glenn’s honour and integrity will live on in Daryl, ensuring that he never comes close to compromising who he is, out of guilt and shame for doing what he did. He feels like he deserves the punishment and is willing to take it out of self-loathing, but will never give in to the man who smashed Glenn’s head into the ground.
Review Score: THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights
- Daryl’s grief coming in waves
- Daryl showing some sympathy for Dwight
Lowlights
- Dwight and Sherry scenes undercut by Negan’s wordy explanation
Stray Thoughts
- It’s obvious that Dwight and/or Sherry will turn on Negan at some point, but will this really be enough to redeem Dwight’s character? If he’s such a tortured and unwilling prisoner then why did he shoot and kill Denise?
- Most of The Walking Dead’s finest episodes have been self-contained bottle episodes, but some of their worst have also taken this approach. “The Cell” falls somewhere in the middle but I really do hope the show doesn’t overindulge in bottle episodes this season – I have a feeling they will.
Episode MVP: Daryl
The Walking Dead Season 7 will air in Australia every Monday on FX, fast-tracked from the U.S at 1:30pm AEDT and again at 7:30pm AEDT.
Image: AMC.
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