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The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 3 'Warning Signs' Review: Weak Morality Debate, Too Many "Rick-as-Jesus" Allegories

Welcome to Bleeding Cool's weekly review of AMC's The Walking Dead, as we take a look at the third episode in the game-changing ninth season for the long-running drama-horror series, 'Warning Signs.'

Less than two years after Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Michonne (Danai Gurira), and the rest of the communities banded together to bring down Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors, work on rebuilding society continues on – as Negan stews in a prison cell. And while the communities may be working together, not all are created equal: the Sanctuary is unable to grow its own food – or move out from under the shadow of the Saviors, thanks to those still loyal. Add to that a growing view among the communities that they shouldn't feel obligated to save a community that once tortured and killed their citizens – a view Maggie's shared since Rick made the decision to let Negan live.

So to say that the peace between the communities has gotten a little tense over the past two episodes would be an understatement, based on long-standing resentment aimed at the Sanctuary and the stink of Negan that still permeates it. Not helping matters is that a number of ex-Saviors have gone missing from Rick's bridge-building project – and while it was initially written off as just a bunch of Negan followers who decided to move on to greener pastures, the growing number of missing is starting to make both sides nervous.

With this week's episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, we get way too much "Rick-as-divine-savior" and questionable decision-making, wrapped in a morality debate that's a little too one-sided. So check out our review of 'Warning Signs' to see why we should have heeded the title's warning.

Spoiler Warning: I'll be covering some themes and takeaways involving major and minor plot points from the episode, so just keep that in mind. Definitely not looking for pitchforks and torches outside my apartment.

The Walking Dead s09e03 'Warning Signs': Rick's vision for the future is threatened by a mysterious disappearance that divides the work camp where the communities are building a bridge.

Here's a look at the teaser for next week's episode of The Walking Dead, 'The Obliged':

The Walking Dead s09e04 'The Obliged': Rick's vision of a civilized future is threatened by a sudden reckoning with past sins that remain unavenged and unforgiven.

Last season brought the culmination of "All Out War," which pitted Rick Grimes and his group of survivors against the Saviors and their cunning leader, Negan. With Negan's life in his hands, Rick had a character-defining choice in front of him. By making the unilateral decision to spare Negan, Rick upheld the values his late son, Carl, championed in order to build for the future, but created conflict within his group.

Now, we see our survivors a year and a half after the end of the war, rebuilding civilization under Rick's steadfast leadership. It is a time of relative peace among the communities as they work together, looking to the past to forge the future, but the world they knew is rapidly changing as man-made structures continue to degrade, and nature takes over, changing the landscape and creating new challenges for our survivors.

As time passes, the communities confront unexpected obstacles, danger, and of course, walkers, but nothing quite prepares them for the formidable force they are about to encounter, which threatens the very idea of civilization that our survivors have worked so hard to build.

Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, "The Walking Dead" reigns the number one drama on television among adults 18-49 for the last six seasons. The series is executive produced by chief content officer Scott M. Gimple, showrunner Angela Kang, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse, and Denise Huth.

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