The Walking Dead Season 7: 5 Ups And 2 Downs From 'New Best Friends'
The show continues its upwards curve, but some parts of the episode are just trash.
Prior to Season 7 returning, showrunner Scott Gimple promised things would be "very different."
The comments came after a lot of criticism of the first eight episodes, which ranged from overly sadistic to just completely boring. Two episodes in, and Gimple's mostly been true to his word. While it's probably too early to proclaim that The Walking Dead is really good again, New Best Friends certainly continues the upwards curve started by the mid-season premiere.
There's a renewed sense of purpose, a feeling that we're moving towards something, and the characters are even allowed to crack a smile and occasionally a joke.
New Best Friends picks up with Rick and co surrounded by a new community, who we begin to learn more about during the episode. Meanwhile, there's a heavy focus on Daryl, and the slow-build to war gains a little extra momentum. Not everything it tried came off, but it was yet another step in the right direction.
(Warning: review contains spoilers from this point onwards.)