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The Walking Dead: World Beyond S02E01 Konsekans: 4 Thoughts & A Theory
Directed by Loren Yaconelli and written by Matthew Negrete, the season opener of AMC's The Walking Dead: World Beyond didn't waste any time jumping back into the action. Of course, with this being a limited series final season there are only a few hours left to tell what's turning out to be a pretty epic story. Iris (Aliyah Royale), Felix (Nico Tortorella), and Will (Jelani Alladin) are still alive & planning their next moves, realizing that the only way to take on CRM is to take risks and do what's least expected. As for Hope (Alexa Mansour), she finds herself enduring an unexpected test of her "faith in the future" by Elizabeth (Julia Ormond) as Huck (Annet Mahendru) realizes that CRM's objectives and changed- and she's beginning to feel as much of an outsider as Iris and Felix. So with that in mind, we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and throwing down an image spoiler buffer before we offer four thoughts & a theory on the season-opener "Konsekans"
First things first, why four thoughts and a theory instead of a straightforward review? Excellent question. With TWD: World Beyond originally planned as a two-season limited series, my feeling is that it's a premeditated storyline with a structured beginning and endpoint. So in that sense, I'm taking a "pseudo-movie review" approach before offering a two-season "report card" at the end of the series run. That said, "Konsekans" was a solid start to the season that met the main requirements I look for in a season-opener. First, it did an effective job of recapping the previous season in a way that didn't make me feel like I was sitting through a three-credit course called "Intro. to 'The Walking Dead: World Beyond'." Second, it laid the groundwork for what's to come in a way that has me wanting to come back. Oh, and bonus props to the episode for not feeling the need to cram everyone into the first return episode. The focus was on the main players critical to the conflict still to come.
Thought #1: Elizabeth Keeps Her CRM Pimp Hand Strong: To say we're getting an amazing performance from Ormond would be just a matter of us repeating ourselves. We knew the excellence we would be getting from her the moment her casting was announced. And you need no more than this episode as proof of that, as Elizabeth keeps the mind games going to the point where she pretty much has Hope and Huck ready to apologize for the things she put them through. But if she can't win you over with ten tons of passive-aggressiveness, she'll just destroy your community. No biggie. And yet? Huck still knows where the opening in the armor is to slide the knife in.
Thought #2: "What Do You Live For?": I'm fascinated by how some form of this question has appeared over the years in The Walking Dead & Fear the Walking Dead, and how it's used to determine worthiness in a community. While there are a number of examples, Rick Grimes' (Andrew Lincoln) interview pre-Alexandria always comes to mind first. As we saw tonight, it's a question that really does have a range of answers- and has a group willing to do whatever it takes to make their dreams a reality.
Thought #3: Forget "Caryl," Folks- We're All About "Willix": First, they had us with their reunion in the first season finale. Then just to remind us why they might be the best TWDU copy going, they hit us with that heartbreaking scene where Felix breaks down & cries in Will's arms after the weight of the previous season and the homes that they lost finally becomes too much to carry alone. With this being the final season, I'm expecting a pretty high body count before the final credits roll. But that said, what's the harm in letting "Willix" live to keep fighting for the future?
Thought #4: If Hope's "The Asset" Then Iris' "The Asskicker": Royale already impressed us with her performance in the first season, but the way in which she evolved Iris just enough to match the changing world around her to kick off the season has us seeing her as the leader she spent the first season questioning she could be. While some might see that kill scene at the end of the episode as foreshadowing that Iris might end up leading out of risk-anger than reason, you could just as easily argue that Iris has grown up & had her eyes opened. She's taking the war to CRM in the same way CRM would take the war to them.
Our "Dumpster Fires of Random Speculation" Theory: Pollyanna McIntosh's Anne/Jadis is a CRM official- but she's also working undercover to take down CRM from within. Who is she working for or with? Well, we mentioned them earlier, they're supposed to have a big-screen adventure on the way soon-ish, and their name rhymes with "Rick Grimes." Think we're nuts? Or maybe brilliant? Or you have another theory on how TWD: World Beyond will tie into feature film affairs, let us know in the comments below and we'll meet you back here on Bleeding Cool next week for more thoughts and a theory on "Foothold" (directed by Loren Yaconelli and written by Carson Moore)
The Walking Dead: World Beyond Season 2 Episode 1 "Konsekans"
7.5/10
Directed by Loren Yaconelli and written by Matthew Negrete, the second season opener of AMC's The Walking Dead: World Beyond didn't waste any time jumping back into the action. Of course, with this being the limited series' final season there are only a few hours left to tell what's turning out to be a pretty epic story. Iris, Felix, and Will are still alive & planning their next moves, realizing that the only way to take on CRM is to take risks and do what's least expected. As for Hope, she finds herself enduring an unexpected test of her "faith in the future" by Elizabeth as Huck realizes that CRM's objectives and changed- and she's beginning to feel as much of an outsider as Iris and Felix. So with that in mind, here's a look at our four thoughts & a theory based on the season-opener "Konsekans."
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