Power Pair in The Walking Dead episode Honor

There were many great exchanges in The Walking Dead mid-season premiere. But which pair of characters made the biggest impact on-screen this week?

Goodbyes

The Walking Dead episode 809 titled ‘Honor’ was chock-full of goodbyes. Seeing Carl pass the Sheriff’s Deputy hat to sister Judith was immensely touching as were the words of hope he bestowed upon her.

The exchanges between a dying Carl and his “best friend” Michonne were also extremely heartfelt. Their declaration of friendship was a powerful nod to the relationship we have seen developing throughout the series. Seeing Siddiq share the Big Cat candy bar with Carl was a sweet throwback to the playful times that Carl shared with Michonne as well.

Let us not forget the goodbye that Siddiq shares with Carl. The newcomer promises to honor Carl in his life. It is a moving tribute to the sacrifice that Carl made to bring Siddiq to the group.

Kingdom players

We also see some interesting and powerful duos at The Kingdom during the episode.

Carol and Morgan team up to take down the Saviors holding The Kingdom hostage. They do not always agree, often instructing the other  one to “wait” or “now”. But they certainly get the job done.

We also see Ezekiel and Gavin paired on-screen for some interesting dialogue. I know many people wanted to see some redemption for Gavin, often referring to him as the “reluctant Savior”. I believe Ezekiel saw this potential as well.

Ezekiel prompts Gavin more than once with the phrase “It is not too late to walk back from something decided”. But Gavin dismisses the possibility. The Savior continues to buy into the idea of doing things you disagree with in order to survive. Gavin tells Ezekiel that he had the right idea when he was paying tribute to the Saviors regularly and abiding by their rules.

Gavin was also a rule follower. They just were not his rules, rather those dictated by Negan. Many of us held out hope that Gavin would declare allegiance to Rick’s group instead. However, this never proved to be the case and young Henry took Gavin’s life.

Power Pair

While there were so many thought provoking and tearful exchanges in the mid-season finale, I believe none rank higher than the goodbye shared between father and son.

Rick and Carl reminisced about the past and things they wish they had done differently. They talked about Carl’s hopes and dreams for the future.

They debated what a father should do for his son. Carl insists that loving your son is what you really need to do. And Rick most certainly loved his son.

When Rick leans over Carl telling him that he loves him, it reminded me of the pain in Rick’s face when he realized Carl had to put down Lori. As distraught as Rick was about Lori’s death, he also carried the burdens of his son. Why? Because he loves him so much.

It was also very powerful to see Rick accepting instruction and guidance from his son before Carl passed.

I select Rick and Carl Grimes as this week’s Power Pair.

The tears, memories, advice and declarations shared were some of the most powerful I recall from The Walking Dead.

Next: Talked about scene for The Walking Dead 809

And learning that the dream sequences belonged to Carl shows us that he wants such good things for his father. I am not so sure how I feel about Negan showing up in that dream, but it is clear that Carl passes with hope of a better future for his father.

I am anxious to see what plays out in Rick’s story going forward. Will he choose to protect Judith differently than he did with Carl. Will he keep his promises to Carl?

Please share your pick for this week’s Power Pair. Did we agree?