The Walking Dead – JSS

Warning: This piece contains spoilers for the most recent episode of The Walking Dead.

Well that escalated quickly.

While Rick and the gang were off dealing with a big hole full of walkers, the town of Alexandria was terrorized by The Wolves, a group of…we’re not sure what, yet. A group of something really, really bad anyway.

Part swamp people and part post-apocalyptic dumpster divers, these savages wreaked havoc with machetes on some of Carol’s most cherished friends (they could have started a baking club, I seriously thought that’s where the episode was going at the beginning) and left as quickly as they showed up. So what did we learn from this little massacre?

The horn question has been answered. Some dude in a truck barreled through the gates and took out a building or two before receiving a few dozen bullets to the face and coming to rest – yep, right on the horn. So that answers that.

We also discovered an interesting relationship between Carol and Morgan. Two very different styles of dealing with bad guys, yet they worked together at one point to outsmart their would-be attackers. Personally, I’d love to see these two gang up again and see what other trouble they can get themselves into/out of. And by the way, TV Academy, time to set that Emmy aside for Melissa McBride this year. She’s long overdue.

We saw a glimpse of Enid’s backstory and what brought her to Alexandria, though the recurring theme of her scribbling ‘JSS’ into things is still a mystery. She’s starting to look a bit shady so one would be smart to watch his or her back if she’s in the room. Something smells suspicious. Maybe that’s just the stench of raw turtle meat though (yeah, she ate that.)

Oh, and Jessie, with a pair of scissors, means business.

Overall, last night’s episode was one of the more graphic we’ve seen, and it’s going to take its toll on the citizens of Alexandria. While we didn’t lose any key cast members, the town is now without a licensed surgeon and all medical needs are in the hands of a nervous psychiatrist, so any more of these little riffs with outsiders could cause some serious damage to our group. We don’t know how these people got in, though a few black and white photos found on one of them could give us a clue or two.

Rick and the gang are going to have their hands full next week. The Wolves may be gone, but the walkers are on their way. Let’s hope that fence holds.