The Walking Dead Review: Twice As Far (Season 6 Episode 14)

This week’s episode of The Walking Dead, titled “Twice As Far,” seems like a whole lot of nothing to bring us to something, to a point. Perhaps the point of all that nothing was simply to, once again, make us feel for the Alexandrian that we are about to lose — but, honestly…it means nothing. It’s an awful lot of nothing.

The second half of this season has been going so freaking well that it was really only a matter of time before we took a bit of a dive. Fans won’t be too diverted by this little detour, however, since we’re all undoubtedly anticipating some serious excellence in the upcoming finale (Negan, you guys. Negan).

But…still.

This episode is exactly the sort that we were struggling to drag ourselves through during the first part of this season out of loyalty to what this show can be when at its prime. “Twice As Far” is slow, and, honestly, up until the last few seconds, it seems pointless.

But, for the heck of it, let’s search for a meaning in this little break from the action, shall we?

So, last week, we spent a lot of time with Carol and her inner turmoil over the lives she has taken during her journey through this post-apocalyptic world. In a continuation of that exploration, we spend this episode with Daryl, Rosita, and Denise; and Abraham and Eugene, respectively. The focus seems to be primarily on the weaker members of both parties — Denise and Eugene. We’re really not going to spend much (if any) time on Eugene because, honestly, that plotline does seem legitimately pointless.

Denise’s journey, however, feeds in to Carol’s narrative quite nicely, tying in with Carol and Daryl’s discussion about the group he’d spared in the burnt forest. On the one hand, we have Carol berating herself for killing those Saviors — on the other, we have Daryl chastising himself for not killing those Saviors in the woods. Daryl insists that he should have killed them when he had the chance, and he is right. Had he killed those people, Denise would be alive. Eugene would never have been shot.

If Carol had let the Saviors live, how many of their people would have died?

It’s all a whole lot of “What If?” and it’s a dance that could go in circles endlessly. On Carol’s end, they don’t have to wonder what would have been different, because they know that that mercy would have cost them dearly. Daryl knows it, Carol knows it. She openly admits that she knew he was right the moment he said it.

But then, for some reason, Carol chooses to leave Alexandria because she…no longer has it in her to kill? This is a developmental pill that is really, really tough to swallow. It’s perfectly understandable that Carol would be tired — they are all exhausted, really — but for her to up and leave her people because she doesn’t have the strength to kill for them anymore? Doesn’t have the strength to love someone because she isn’t willing to fight for them?

That’s…interesting, to put it delicately. It’s interesting that she draws the line here, at killing people who would have killed her, Maggie, and the others without a second thought — after everything else Carol has done to protect her people. What she did to those Saviors was justified, she has to know that, Carol’s too savvy not to, so…why is she taking this giant leap back now?

Hopefully, it’s purely so that she can make a triumphant return once Negan enters the picture.

Honestly, at this point, it’s safe to say we’re all just sort of waiting for Negan to come and shake things up. The most interesting episodes of the season have, already, been those centered around him — and he hasn’t even made an appearance yet.

What did you think of “Twice As Far?” Let me know in the comments below!

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