The Walking Dead Season 7: 3 Ups And 4 Downs From 'The Other Side'

1. It Dragged A Lot

A lot of these problems come with the pacing of the episode which, despite not being one of the oft-flawed longer episodes or anything (it's a couple of minutes longer than average, but that's it), feels like a complete drag until the final few minutes.

It gets off to bad start with a cold open that is both very long, clocking in at around five minutes before the credits kick-in, and where nothing really happens. We move through the Hilltop, seeing nameless, unrecognisable faces receiving training, and that's about it. It doesn't spark the episode into life, nor is it particularly important to what follows (maybe in the long run against Negan and the Saviours, but a couple of training sessions aren't gonna help too much now).

It sets the tone for what's to come, which is a whole lot of nothing. The Saviours arrival is portended as a big dramatic moment, but it doesn't really play out that way, and the lack of other storylines being involved means there are far too many moments where you can just see the wheels spinning. The show is in a tricky spot right now, because it's just waiting to get to the explosiveness of the finale, and this is definitely an episode where heels are being kicked.

What did you think of The Other Side? Let us know down in the comments.