The Walking Dead Review: Bounty (Season 9 Episode 11)
Alpha offers a fair trade on The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 11, “Bounty,” a back to basics tense episode which helps focus on the supporting cast to great benefits.
It’s an hour which has a lot on its mind, through the issue of delivering an abused daughter back to her abuser, facing an enemy who can effectively control walkers, while the Kingdom group wants to look to the future.
It uses all of its moving parts effectively and elegantly, providing the best episode of the midseason section so far. The balance between a tense story and the more relaxed Kingdom mission works to its favor, allowing some breathers and to dig into characters better.
Outside of Daryl, this is an episode squarely interested in providing more to its supporting characters. They are given the chance to shine, and shine they do.
“Bounty” does an excellent job of using a lot of its normally supporting cast in smart ways.
The conundrum of returning Lydia back to Alpha is a great moral paradox for Daryl and Hilltop. Daryl’s experience with abuse, and the story Lydia told on The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 10, “Omega,” makes it a nearly impossible move.
But with friends hanging in the balance, there’s no real choice to be made. Samantha Morton’s appearance in the episode is a more measured “fair’s fair” attitude than what we saw in the previous episode.
But she does show her true colors when one of the Whisperers’ babies starts crying. Her view of a child merely being another animal is heartless and shows a window into her soul, so dark and empty. It’s not someone who can technically be reasoned with.
It’s what makes the trade so suspicious. It happens so easily, it likely isn’t the simple end of business as the episode implies. Seeing more of the Whisperers and the unease Alpha causes will be a fascinating wrinkle to the rest of the season.
The Kingdom side mission is something the show could use a lot more of. Simply going out in the hopes of providing entertainment to the community through a film projector bulb is such a simple but effective storyline.
It’s a thoughtful reminder that the characters now lead a more normal lifestyle in their homes, building families, and so leisure time would come with the territory.
Cooper Andrews’ Jerry has at times been a small focus here and there on the show, but he is given a little more of a spotlight in this episode, and he’s always fun to watch.
It does give the worry that something might happen to him, as past spotlights on characters have been death sentences for them during their episode, but here he’s given a lot of charm and personality which the show has needed.
Connie (Lauren Ridloff), separate from Magna’s group, becomes a really interesting character. Her instincts to protect the baby from the walkers, and the ensuing sequence of fighting them off in the cornfield is an incredibly intense moment.
The scene adjusts the sound, and even some shots, to Connie’s point of view, where each attack is sudden and far more threatening with the possibility of the Whisperers being that next strike.
The episodes pairs Connie with Daryl at the end, going out to find the Whisperers and Henry, and it comes as really great potential.
Relying solely on notes and sign language will add a unique aspect to their partnership, and Ridloff alongside the new lead of the series hopefully means she will be around a lot more. Ridloff is great on the show so far.
“Bounty” is The Walking Dead at its best: allowing characters the room to breathe and be more personable, while also delivering unique action the show hasn’t done before.
This has been the best of the new batch so far and sets up some great threads to continue down.
Some stray thoughts:
- Turning on the boombox and panning over the Kingdom mission runners is such a neat little moment. The group digging the music and bobbing along, and Jerry mouthing the words, adds some personality the show certainly lacked at times. I would love more of this.
- Henry continues to do things in everyone’s worst interests, even if his heart is in a good place. He feels like he belongs in a different season at times.
- The theatre mission allows for some gross-out creature and make-up effects, like the walker coming through the popcorn machine. Some great work from the effects department this week.
What did you think of this episode of The Walking Dead? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.