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The following incorporates spoilers for Tales of the Walking Dead Season 1, Episode 3, “Dee,” which aired Sunday, Aug. 28 on AMC.
Tales of the Walking Dead had a rocky begin with its first two episodes. While stylistically totally different and mind-bending, they weren’t well-received by followers, lacking the chance to get again to the glory days of The Walking Dead. The third episode, “Dee,” turns issues round by getting in a darker path that was a lot wanted.
While solely midway by way of the season, Episode 3 is shaping as much as be one of the best one, interval. Samantha Morton is scrumptious as Alpha/Dee, and she or he eats up the position each time she’s on-screen. Young Lydia actress Scarlett Blum can also be in a position to carry the load of a frightened and abused baby in a post-apocalyptic setting. Another rendition of Dee’s backstory could really feel unwarranted contemplating that is her third flashback episode within the Walking Dead universe. But author Channing Powell and director Michael E. Satrazemis (each veteran Walking Dead crew members) give her — and viewers — one thing recent and alluring this time round.
In Alpha’s final two backstories on The Walking Dead, she was both knee-deep into her survivalist mindset or completely recent to the outbreak. This time round, she’s strolling a positive line between the 2. Approximately a 12 months into the apocalypse, her obligation as a mom is in battle along with her obligation as a survivor. She is not Alpha at this level; she’s nonetheless known as “Dee” by her fellow survivors. It’s apparent there is part of her that loves her daughter, and it isn’t an understatement to say it is a massive a part of her. Dee simply has a sick manner of displaying her love, and it will get extra twisted because the troubling years move. But other than being a mom, Alpha desires to outlive. Death shouldn’t be part of her plan, and sadly Lydia’s confused and equitable concern places a wrench in that plan.
It could be too straightforward for the writers to mess this story up. Alpha was a cookie-cutter villain by way of and thru in the principle sequence, however there’s a totally different layer to her that’s devoted to the love she has for Lydia. How can Tales of the Walking Dead painting this love with out forgetting she’s a horribly disturbed individual? The steadiness is intricate and fragile, however the anthology sequence pulls it off splendidly with little moments of Dee snapping at Lydia or feeling jealous that Lydia favors one other lady over her.
In the ultimate moments of the episode, Dee nearly makes the grave option to kill Lydia. Dee would not need Lydia to expertise the merciless hardships of the world. But one can not help however ask: is Alpha additionally eliminating the one factor that can sluggish her down? Is this a purely egocentric act? It’s extremely laborious to differentiate, which makes the scene rather more stunning and memorable.
These considerate moments are what Tales of the Walking Dead missed within the first two episodes. The duos in every episode had moments of battle that spoke to their characters, however they had been surface-level conflicts. Their tales wrapped up in a neat little bow that did not enable a reflective dialog available. And what’s extra, “Dee” is not foolish. “Evie/Joe” muddied the waters between comedy and drama, however the time-hopping dilemma in “Blair/Gina” did not dwell as much as The Walking Dead‘s status of being tense and scary. “Dee” does dwell as much as that status — it is disturbing and paying homage to early Walking Dead storylines that centered on character and questioned if people had been the true monsters on this story.
This additionally proves that the anthology format would not work for The Walking Dead universe. On paper it is a sexy idea, however with just one episode faring properly with viewers and critics alike, the anthology would not have a vivid future. However, there’s one answer to Tales of the Walking Dead‘s downside: bringing again The Walking Dead and even Fear the Walking Dead characters for future episodes. Viewers don’t need new characters launched in one-shot outings — individuals need established characters they already know and revel in. There are nonetheless three episodes left in Tales of the Walking Dead to evaluate, so let’s hope the sequence can pull out extra wins like “Dee.”
New episodes of Tales of the Walking Dead air each Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and stream every week early on AMC+.
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