The Walking Dead Review: Bonds (Season 10 Episode 6)

Looking for a connection is a strong starting point for The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 6, “Bonds,” as those at the forefront of the episode find themselves both seeking approval, and seeking a means for peace.

This quieter episode is all about getting closer to someone despite the pitfalls. Negan is trying to get closer to Alpha; Eugene is trying to get closer to the voice on the other side of the radio; and Daryl is trying to get closer to Carol, where trust may be slowly falling apart.

The shaky relationship between Carol and Daryl leave the once-strongest pairing at a crossroads. Carol’s attempts at conversation and winning Daryl back over are sincere, but they have a strong sense of hiding something behind them that makes Daryl’s suspicions a very real worry. Her actions don’t reflect back on her as much as they do on everyone else. Taking on a Whisperer as a captive will only lead to more pain.

But her proactive temperament is perhaps what is most needed now. An abundance of caution has left the communities in a state of fear, not wanting any more of that pain. Carol comes prepared, and gets exactly what she wants with a hostage to find out more about the Whisperer walker horde.

Carol is doing all of this loosely and without reason, leaving too much at risk, but at least so far there have been no major repercussions.

While Daryl treats her as growing untrustworthy, the episode frames it as her taking matters into her own hands and getting results. Both may be true, as it’s a fine line to work on.

Negan, too, is taking matters into his own hands, and doing so as noisily as possible. It can be difficult to know if Negan is two steps ahead of everyone, or if he just wants to create problems. He appears to be getting the respect of the Whisperers, though, with one slipping him some food and with Alpha being curious about him.

But Beta sees right through Negan. Their back and forth is the most fun part of the episode, two dominant presences trying to negate one another and find a way to submission. There’s a lightheartedness to the sequence, Negan making headway in the Whisperer group while Beta pushes him harder and harder.

It’s a sign that Beta wants the rules to stay intact, when really the entire Whisperer mantra is about there being no rules. He’s feeling threatened by a new energy changing the dynamic of the wolf pack, and sees Negan as a turning of the tide of not only his spot at Alpha’s side, but maybe even Alpha’s leadership being spread thin by allowing an agent of chaos in, a fox in the hen-house of sorts.

Negan can be pretty charming when he wants to be, and so his infiltration of the Whisperer clan can only bring darkness upon the group. The show is smartly setting up Carol as the main antagonist for Alpha, but will Negan change the dynamic before she can get there?

The stomach bug infecting Alexandria is a curious plot point.

The source of the sickness may not be a bug at all, but Gamma’s “poisoning the well” by placing walkers into the water supply. It’s mentioned during The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 5, “What It Always Is,” that the reasoning is to dry up the supply with a dam of bodies, so perhaps this is an extra bit of cruelty placed on them.

Siddiq’s direction is one of the strongest on the season, using his PTSD and survivor’s guilt to tell of the internal struggle that takes a toll on someone’s mind. That he is now losing track of time and place is a development that leaves him as not only a danger to himself, but to others. Avi Nash has been handling the ever-changing Siddiq incredibly well, making Siddiq a dedicated but weary figure.

Eugene’s chats at the radio system comes as an overwhelming need for contact. Rosita’s sickness leaves him to find a new chatting partner, one of unknown origin. There’s an earnestness to Eugene on the episode, Josh McDermitt bringing some pathos that has been missing. It’s a chance for the character to break out of his shell, as he spends most of his time retreated into colloquialisms for most of the time.

Is this the larger community that Rick potentially ended up at, and potentially where Maggie is, as well? A larger power has been hinted at for some time since the introduction of Alexandria, and could be a major turning point for The Walking Dead if it’s setting up for something beyond the Whisperer threat for later down the line.

The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 6, “Bonds,” moves at a steady, confident pace, the larger narrative settling while some characters search for the cracks in the armor of their enemy and others search for, right there in the episode title, a bond.

Those bonds can be difficult after so much heartache and misplaced trust, but some characters, like Eugene, are willing to take that leap of faith to see if there’s still good out there.

 

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

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