The Walking Dead 1008 spoiler-free reaction and preview

The Walking Dead fans are in for a big treat with The Walking Dead season 10 mid-season finale, “The World Before”. Here are my spoiler-free thoughts.

The final episode of The Walking Dead of the decade delivers everything fans would hope for, and more, as the season 10 story fills in and sets up a thrilling second half of the season. Fans will be very happy with where the story ends up in “The World Before.”

After the stunning turn in The Walking Dead episode “Open Your Eyes,” I was very curious to see where the first half of season 10 would end up, and how it would tie into the second half of the season. I think the writers have taken care to make sure things make sense, both from a narrative perspective and from a story perspective. Season 10 has not featured bottle episodes the way we’ve seen in past seasons, and I think this has helped keep the story moving without leading fans on wild goose chases that never lead to anything substantive.

After season 9’s mid-season finale that featured the debut of the Whisperers, the stakes were higher than ever with episode 1008.

And it delivered.

“The World Before” was directed by John Dahl and written by Julia Ruchman. Here is the episode’s synopsis: “In the mid-season finale, a fight causes tensions in Oceanside while the Alexandrians set out on a high-stakes mission.”

My spoiler free thoughts, in no particular order:

• Season 10 writers are very adept at explaining away plot holes. Everything I was wondering was wrapped up with a big red bow in 1008
• The opening minutes will blow your mind.
• Great seeing Michonne and her group back after all of this time
• Some people never learn
• There’s a moment that you will not see coming. Trust me.
• Fun parallel between a scene from Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead (I’ll explain more when the episode airs!)
• Wait, did that just…really?
• Cailey Fleming can convey emotion in a single expression in a way that some adult actors can never achieve
• Read Thomas Hobbes to understand [Redacted’s] statement
• SHHH

“The World Before” features fantastic performances from Christian Serratos, Danai Gurira, Ross Marquand, Seth Gilliam.

The pacing is a little strange, I’m not going to lie. It’s a great episode, no question, but it feels a bit more like a premiere than a finale and at 54 minutes it ebbs and flows in some spots but blows your mind in others.

“The World Before” definitely sets the stage for what’s coming on The Walking Dead in 2020 when the second half of season 10 resumes, and if 10A is any indication, BIG things are coming.