The Walking Dead Review: The Same Boat (Season 6 Episode 13)

This week’s episode of The Walking Dead, titled “The Same Boat,” is an exploration of internal conflict, good versus evil and Carol Peletier. We’ve spent some time with world expansion in the second half of this season and, now, we are taking the time to delve a little deeper into the moral greyness of this show.

It is an interesting and infuriating journey, to say the least.

Of course, at the heart of this debate is our beloved Carol. Initially, when she and Maggie are first taken by Polly and her crew, we are convinced that she is feigning weakness. We are so, so certain that Carol is simply toying with her captors, biding her time until she can spring free and tear these people to pieces like the badass we all know her to be, that we spend the vast majority of the episode on the edge of our seats, eagerly anticipating that moment…

Except…it never happens. Carol’s hesitance, her fear, is genuine. It seems as though her talks with Morgan about the value of life have gotten to her, and she is struggling with the weight of the things she has done to survive. Carol, at the most inconvenient of times, a time when she and Maggie both really need the ruthless Carol we know and love, is questioning herself, her decisions. She doesn’t recognize herself anymore — she is afraid of who she has become and what she is capable of.

She genuinely doesn’t want to be the one to kill these people simply because she knows that she is capable of it — that is would be all too easy for her. She knows that she has that cold blooded mercilessness inside of her, and it scares her.

Is this newfound self-awareness a good or bad thing? Given the episodic circumstances: it’s an awful thing.

In the grand scheme of things? It’s sort of up in the air.

On the one hand, Carol has always been able to do what must be done. If she continues questioning herself like this, she may easily crumble and begin to second guess every single decision she makes.

On the other, it could be beneficial that Carol knows just how far she can go, that she is aware of how dangerous she can be. Knowing that could make Carol a more complete force because, now, she is able to check herself if she feels she is going to far. If she can harness her fear of the woman she has become, she can control herself, and she could possibly recognize when others have gone beyond the point of no return. She could be even greater than she already is.

That being said, this reviewer is already missing the self-assured Carol that we’ve grown accustomed to. Carol needs to learn to trust herself, and her judgment again — and fast — because her people will need her soon enough.

However, as intriguing as this week’s journey in to Carol’s psyche is, the most interesting aspect of this episode is, arguably, the “We are all Negan” sentiment expressed by The Saviours. Now, as mentioned in last week’s review of “Not Tomorrow Yet,” the faceless Negan is still an ideal — merely a phantom that provides leadership and guidance to these people who are willing to live and die by his name. More and more, with every passing week, we are given the impression that Negan has built a cult around himself. He has found a group of devout followers who are willing to obey his every word. These people, it seems, worship the ground this man walks on. They are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect his true identity.

Or, perhaps, they are genuinely convinced that Negan is more than just a man — that whatever he represents lives in all of them.

Either way, it’s enough to send a chill down your spine.

I don’t know about you guys, but I am just dying to meet this man.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let me know in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

The Walking Dead airs Sundays 9/8c on AMC.