Small Screen Favorites: The Walking Dead's "Some Guy"

This season of The Walking Dead has been a mixed bag so far, all the more noticeable due to the show being in its eighth season. While it has done a much better job at juggling characters and providing excitement than the unbearably dull Season 7, it has somewhat floundered in the writing department. With that in mind, this episode was a massive improvement and easily the best episode of the season so far.

Although I and many others have criticized the show for its overuse of single-storyline episodes in the past, the format actually benefits this episode for once. This is mainly due to the focus being on Carol (Melissa McBride) and King Ezekiel (Khary Payton), two of the most charismatic and interesting characters in play. Ezekiel in particular is given a hefty dose of development and screen time, allowing Payton to really demonstrate his acting chops in a manner that was not as apparent in previous episodes. While Carol receives less focus in comparison, her storyline is compelling as well and presents her with some interesting moral dilemmas.

In terms of action, this episode also delivers some of the most creative fight sequences in the season. Walker and human combatants are weaved in cleverly, and there is some genuine suspense in spite of the fact that the show has somewhat lost its "anyone can die" cred. That is not to say that this is a fun action romp--"Some Guy" actually carries a great deal of emotional weight, particularly impressive when considering how few characters it deals with.

If I would have one complaint to make about this episode, it is that there is a section in the middle involving Ezekiel that feels extremely heavy-handed and bogs down the pace of the episode. In spite of this, I am pleased to see the show deliver such a quality episode in spite of some disappointing previous installments. I would give this episode 4.5 stars out of 5.