The Walking Dead Review: The King, the Widow, and Rick (Season 8 Episode 6)

The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 6 “The King, the Widow, and Rick” takes a break from the non-stop fighting and gives us a tame episode full of moral quandaries and eye-roll inducing dialogue.

It’s been a day and a half of fighting and plotting. The Hilltop, Alexandria, and the Kingdom all share letters about their obstacles, their losses, and their wins. Rick says that it’s time to start phase two of weakening the Saviors.

So, Rick heads to the Scavengers. /We haven’t seen them since Season 7 and haven’t missed them at all.

Rick tells Jadis that he’s come to them with a better offer and shows her Polaroids of how he has attacked the Saviors.

Jadis: Still alone, you.

But Jadis wants no part in Rick’s plan and wants to go back to crafting in the nude.

Seriously, who talks like that? And why do the Scavengers walk around in weird circles? I’d be happy if we never saw them again.

Did Rick really think that they were going to come fight with him? And really, why does he want them to? They can’t be trusted.

Rick (who doesn’t get a cool moniker in the title) is left to sweat in the nude as he waits to be rescued. His people know he’s there, so someone will come get him, right?

The Hilltop storyline isn’t that much more interesting. Gabriel keeps calling Maggie Margaret and Jesus likes to just stand stoically outside with the Savior prisoners. Plus, a random Savior keeps talking so I guess we’re supposed to pay attention to him.

Jesus isn’t wrong about not killing the prisoners—but this storyline has been done to death on The Walking Dead. It’s important not to lose one’s humanity especially in this world, but every season, a character on The Walking Dead has the same dilemma.

Jesus’ cause isn’t new nor is it being approached in a fresh way. He can just ask Carol or Morgan or hell, even Rick, how it all turns out.

I’m glad though that Maggie put Gregory in with the other prisoners. It’s a smart decision.

I actually like Gregory sticking around because he can be entertaining in his awfulness.

At the Kingdom, Ezekiel is refusing to talk to anyone. Carol eventually pushes past Jerry to see Ezekiel, who is a broken man. He can no longer play the king part, even when Carol tries to persuade him to at least continue acting.

It’s only been like a few hours since the Kingdom had been slaughtered. Maybe she should give Ezekiel a little bit of time to chill out and process things.

Carol may have to lead, which I’m fine with. If Jerry is right beside her.

The other two plots include Carl making a new friend in Siddiq, the guy who Carl and Rick had run into at the gas station back on the first episode this season.

Siddiq has killed 237 walkers because his mom believed that killing them perhaps freed their souls. Carl tells Siddiq he’ll bring him back to his base.

Can Siddiq be trusted? Eh, who cares? At least he knows how to kill walkers and set traps.

Rosita and Michonne make an appearance which makes the episode worth watching. Neither of them should be out on the road alone since Michonne had the crap beaten out of her and Rosita had been shot.

The scene between them and the two Saviors is tense—the best on the episode. Rosita blowing away the Savior with the rocket launcher is cool but the conversation they have in the car is so pointless.

It’s like the writers wondered how to get Rosita and Michonne out of Alexandria and someone came up with the idea that Michonne had to “see” the Sanctuary. What does that even mean?

Rosita and Michonne meet up with Daryl and Tara which is bad news. Both Tara and Daryl want quick revenge and I’m sure they’re going to screw up phase two.

Overall, “The King, the Widow, and Rick” is an okay episode.  It’s a little boring and a bit contrived. With two episodes left until the winter finale, we can only hope that things start moving a bit more quickly and that the stakes are raised.

On a separate note, it’s been announced that Morgan will be leaving The Walking Dead and heading over to Fear the Walking Dead as the series’ first crossover character. Morgan isn’t my first choice, but I’m very interested in seeing what happens on Fear the Walking Dead when he shows up.

What did you think of this episode of The Walking Dead? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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

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