When I first watched this episode, I was impatient. I didn't like it, because of what happened in the earlier episodes, I didn't like it because I was desperate to find out what happened to Glenn, what happened to Rick. I couldn't appreciate it, because I didn't care about Morgan's backstory, I cared about the main story. Having watched it twice since, it's become one of my favorite episodes of the show. This is more than a tv show episode, it's a film in its own right, you could watch this without having watched a single TWD episode, albeit with a couple extra minutes of introduction to the "state of the state". That being said, with the knowledge of the story, and without the impatience of an initial viewing, it's even better! We are upset with Morgan, most of us I assume, because of his unwillingness to accept the world, because he doesn't kill. After all, if he had just killed the two Wolves when he first met them, they probably wouldn't have found Alexandria, and the plan for the herd wouldn't have been compromised, and so many lives would have been spared. More lives, than what he spared that fateful day. An underlying theme throughout the series, is the bigger picture. Action lead to reaction, but so does inaction. In the world of The Walking Dead, is it okay to kill, if it saves other lives? Is it okay to spare a life, even if it costs others? The show never answers those questions, it makes us think for ourselves, but Morgan makes a strong case for the latter. And for the viewers to get an understanding, and such a deep and profound one, of why makes the choices he does, is what makes this episode so great!
Also, in my book, John Carroll Lynch makes everything he participates in just a little better!
Also, in my book, John Carroll Lynch makes everything he participates in just a little better!
