SHOCK gives you a spoiler-saturated recap of THE WALKING DEAD’s sixth season premiere.
After the grim finale of Season 5, THE WALKING DEAD Season 6’s premiere episode opens up with a monochromatic recap of Ricks Deanna-authorized murder of Pete before jamming into a full color, epic visage of a canyon filled with corpses. This flip between a black and white rendered past and a colorful present is the schizoid structure for the duration of the extra-long episode; a bravura creative choice that is handled beautifully by TWD FX kingpin and episode director Greg Nicotero.
As we pan out from the ghoul-filled crevice, we see that Rick is instructing the team or at least select members of the team, including members of Alexandria and some new faces we havent seen before of their plans to draw the ghouls out. Unfortunately, what was meant to be a dry run is scotched when the dead smash their truck-guarded confines (shades of Romeros DAWN OF THE DEAD), pushing an entire rig off a cliff while other slither between vehicles, scraping off their flesh to the bone (this season seems to be even more dedicated to flipping stomachs than other rounds). The entire set piece is epic in scope and feels like something out of WORLD WAR Z (the book and the film); its a stressful opening for what is surely the most stressful show on television.
After the team races off to execute the plan, we slam into the familiar opening with composer Bear McCrearys now-iconic theme, before returning post-commercial break to the black and white past. With Pete and Reg now dead, the residents of Alexandria in shock and Morgan making a welcome appearance at the camp, we then slide back into the color present, with the team weaving between rows of parked cars, leading a parade of corpses down the road, to fates unknown. Back in the past, Morgan and Rick spend some time together, with Rick amused by his old friends newfound martial arts skills and Morgan wary of Ricks icier, less humane demeanor.
While Eugene is filling in at the wall watch, a trio of Alexandria alumni appear after weeks on the road. Eugene is initially concerned but after some lively banter, he lets the group in. Meanwhile, two graves are being dug, one for Reg and one for the disgraced Pete. Rick refuses to bury a killer within these walls and Deanna, still in deep mourning, concurs and orders Petes body to be buried in the woods (let the trees have him, she says). Meanwhile, Petes oldest son Ron watches on the sidelines
Morgan and Rick take Petes body into the forest. Rick suggests they just leave the body there to rot but Morgan reminds Rick of who he is and insists a proper grave be dug. While the two men circle each other, Rick hears a low moaning whispering on the wind and the pair go off to investigate. There, they find the elephantine canyon from the opening, alive with the trapped and rotting dead. Rick understands now why Alexandria has remained safe: the ghouls cant get to them. But he and Morgan understand that its only a matter of time before the canyon fills up and their fortunes collapse. Suddenly, Ron appears with a gaggle of ghouls on his trail. Rick and Morgan decimate the zombies and throw them off the cliff, before sending the seething Ron back to camp.
Back in the present, Daryl slowly drives his new motorcycle down the road in an iconic scene that is like a Messianic EASY RIDER by way of a zombie-centric Pied Piper. Its a great, iconic sequence with McCrearys music channeling a primal, percussion-based Jerry Goldsmith.
Glenn and his former antagonist Nicholas form an uneasy alliance at a diner where some noisy ghouls are distracting the herd from following Rick and Darryl down the road to their ruin. Glenn, along with new member Heath, advises Nicholas that they have to break into the diner and silence the zombies immediately. They agree to the plan, only to find the door entombed by a covert steel shutter.
Back in the silver-toned past, Rick tells the residents about the canyon and his dangerous but essential plan to draw the zombies out. The plan is controversial and creates dissent but Deanna silences the naysayers by demanding they listen and follow Ricks lead.
In the present day, we are treated to Michonne, Rick and Morgan on the other side of a metal partition in which, in a Fulci-esque sequence, the dead slam into the wall like drunken moshers, with some of the ghouls splattering their already withering skulls to smithereens. Its an awesomely disgusting scene.
Abraham begins to unravel and, in yet another nod to DAWN, starts hot-dogging, psychologically unraveling like Roger before a savvy zom bites his leg. Its only a matter of time before we lose Abraham, I think
Meanwhile, Connor, who had previously planned a coup to overthrow Rick, accidentally sabotages the zombie parade: when a peek-a-boo ghoul jumps out and bites half his face off. Michonne, Morgan and Rick find him, kill his undead assailant and urge him to stop screaming. When he cannot, Rick drives a knife into the base of his skull. Morgan and Michonne are depressed by this cold act but, as Morgan says and Michonne echoes, I know the way it is
With past and present timelines now aligned, the zombie death parade seems to be working until an ominous horn blasting distracts the ghouls and they exit stage right, running into the woods to find the source of the sound, straight to the gates of Alexandria .
Thanks to Nicoteros skillful direction, this lengthy, 70 some-odd minute opening was an ambitious, exciting and nerve-jangling start to yet another free-fall into episodic shock.
As to who sounded the death horn could it be The Wolves? Tune in next week, same bloody bat time, same bloody bat channel.
