Ever since the third episode of season five, which, for those who don't remember, saw Rick kill what remained of Gareth and his cannibal friends-boy that was a good episode-the show has been trending downwards, both in quality, and likability. Fast forward to the season eight premiere, and the show's 100th episode, the love that I once had when "Four Walls and a Roof" premiered, is one that barely exists at this point in time. Going from a show that was built on intriguing character dynamics and more often than not, entertaining dialogue, which had us cry, think, and become attached to our beloved characters, has been bastardized by an executive team that cares more about making money, than delivering a product most would deem worth the hour from our Sunday nights. What was once a show that had me on my toes, had my heart beating, and my mind on the fritz has become mind-numbing and lacklustre at times, due to contrived plots and decisions made out of character to advance said plots. Parts of season 6 (i.e. Glenn's fake-out death, the finale cliff-hanger, the scene leading up to Denise's death, etc.) and much of season 7, exemplifies this to the bone. Above all, this revolves around the crux of the show's problems: Negan. Tonight's episode 'Mercy' showed how this cartoonish, over-the-top fiend couldn't even go one episode without saying something crude, as a means of "invoking fear" within Rick and co. I get it, his character is exactly like this in the comics, but sometimes, some things do not translate well on the big screen, and he is one of them. The sooner they kill him off, the better. Besides my disdain for Negan as a character, this episode, as a whole, was far from the much-needed adrenaline shot it so desperately needs. This episode would have been a step in the right direction, if Negan was not in it. Matter of fact, it would have been better if less bullets were needlessly wasted and if there was some actual meaningful carnage in the episode. Because of how convoluted the final 10-15 minutes were, I cannot give this episode a rating higher than a 7/10. The build-up in the first 20 or so minutes ACTUALLY progressed the plot quite nicely, despite little pay off in the episode itself. However, I remain CAUTIOUSLY optimistic that the intermingling of the three timelines will pay off by the midseason finale. One can only hope.. That being said, I am not sold on Gimple being the show's saviour, nor am I sold that Negan was worth the hype he has garnered since season 6 episode 9, and that really showed in tonight's below-average (but still decent episode) premiere.
Review of Mercy
