The Walking Dead Review: Scars (Season 9 Episode 14)
Some scars heal, and some do not on The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 14, “Scars.”
A Michonne-centric episode has been sorely missing from the ninth season, and the reveal of her distrust in allowing new people into Alexandria becomes the central focus.
Rick Grimes hangs over the episode in spirit, with the world he and Carl wanted being challenged at every turn. The conversation Daryl and Judith have on the small boardwalk makes the main point of the episode, about how society is unable to continue when closed off.
The episode presents the counterpoint, however, through where openness gets Michonne. It’s sped up, unfortunately, but it comes from the simple idea of someone you have known most of your life becoming a nightmare – or, in this case, turning children into feral, heartless killers.
Rutina Wesley’s Jocelyn is as normal as they come when she spends time with Michonne in the kitchen; it’s what makes her sudden turn a little chilling. It’s a little half-baked, likely needed over several episodes rather than one.
The reflection of the past and the present works for the initial half of the episode, as it’s all about opening the doors to those you trust.
It’s on the back half of the episode where the episode stumbles a little bit. There is no indication Jocelyn is teaching a group of children to be hardened killers before the reveal, or that the children brought back to Alexandria have such a dark outlook.
Something a little extra in that area is something lacking in the payoff. The episode, however, is about the protection of Judith and the differing views of trust both she and Michonne share in the face of both age and experience. This is where the episode does work quite well.
A quick scene between Michonne and Negan is a much-needed exclamation point on Judith’s relationship between the two. There’s a distance between Michonne and Judith, as the end of the episode proves. It’s not a mother/daughter rift, but rather a difference of opinion.
Michonne having to put down the feral children in order to save Judith is a little darker than I thought the show would go, but it frames it with her searching for Judith in the present, cutting back and forth as though anyone, living or dead, is an enemy regardless when standing in the way of her daughter.
Danai Gurira is the main draw of “Scars,” with her heartfelt and compassionate performance. Michonne’s deep loss over the course of The Walking Dead makes her fiercely protective to keep things as is, and her drive to keep what is left is a riveting and compelling arc to rest the episode on.
The pain Michonne goes through in the episode is so palpable due to Gurira’s incredibly grounded performance, and she continues to bring Michonne more emotion and pathos each time we see her.
Still holding trust, even after trust has been exhausted by so many broken chances, is not quite subtle by the end of the episode in how much is made over it. But it is the point of the series, after all, so many years removed from normal times.
The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 14, “Scars,” is still a successful episode because of its strong lead performance in Gurira, and for telling a more human story in how lost trust erupts into something far grander.
What did you think of this episode of The Walking Dead? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Reviewer Rating:
User Rating:
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.