The Walking Dead Season 7: 3 Ups & 6 Downs From 'Swear'

Ups...

3. The Oceansiders Offer Something Different

The Walking Dead Oceanside
Gene Page/AMC

Another week, another new community. The show spent years exploring the isolation of Rick's group, only coming across a new community once a season. Since they got to Alexandria, they've expanded to Hilltop, the Kingdom, the Sanctuary, and now Oceanside. You'd think they'd be a little more spread out, but hey-ho.

Anyway, the show introduces the Oceansiders this week, which is a surprising move - but not a bad one. The reason for that is this is a community rather unlike the others currently in play, for two distinct reasons: they're all female (or anyone over 10 is, at least), and they kill on sight, a different. M.O. from everyone else, including the Saviours.

They aren't fleshed out much beyond that, but there are signs they could play an interesting part in what's to come (they have a fair few guns if nothing else). Cyndie plays well alongside Tara, and she's a rare character to offer some hope, even if she is an outlier among her group. Netania, too, could come into it more; a leader who knows the threat Negan poses and will protect her group at all costs, she's different from the broken Rick, the cowardly Gregory, and the eccentric Ezekiel - and that may come in handy during the conflict with Negan.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.