Warning – FULL SPOILERS for Tonight’s “The Well”:

Last week’s skull-crushing premiere was obviously taxing enough that The Walking Dead wouldn’t immediately want to return to that misery, making “The Well” more or less a fresh start. The events of last season left more than a few threads dangling (poor Tara still hasn’t heard about Denise’s death), and if Season 7 was ever going to find some neutral ground, catching up with Carol and Morgan would be the way to do it.

If I’m being completely honest, whatever moral dilemmas Morgan and Carol faced last season got a bit swallowed by the hoopla of Negan’s kill (she was tired of killing, and he was finally forced to?), so there isn’t some emotional bar “The Well” generally has to clear. The most important bit seems to have been introducing King Ezekiel and his mysterious Kingdom, the pompous “ye olde” humor of which is about as lighthearted as The Walking Dead will probably ever feel. The series has a habit of elevating some of the more unique comic characters, and I don’t know if I ever pictured Ezekiel quite so buffoonishly regal, but it made for a stronger character moment later on when he finally drops the act with Carol.

And that’s mainly it, beyond the introduction of another band of Saviors to establish that The Kingdom and Negan’s people are also acquainted with one another, and perhaps on better terms than Hilltop or Alexandria. In between learning the ins and outs of Ezekiel’s brand of leadership, Morgan also found himself with a padawan of sorts in young Benjamin, though it seems easy to imagine the series killing him off in dramatic fashion before long. The Walking Dead has never been particularly great at making new communities stand out beyond the extras in the background, even when “The Well” adds dashes of flavor like choral performances or a tiger.

We didn’t really get to spend much time at the Hilltop last season either, so my hope is The Walking Dead won’t end up too bogged down in the politics of new communities. I can barely remember the names of anyone in Alexandria as is, let alone the Hilltop. I do like the idea of Ezekiel as a love interest for Carol, or at least a friendly face to pull her out of her spiral, and it was smart to have him eventually see through Carol’s cobbler-loving act as a happy camper.

The Walking Dead Season 7 definitely isn’t on the surest footing just yet, and it would seem a bit early in the season to introduce a rash of new characters, especially with no way of knowing whether Morgan or Carol will return to Alexandria, or learn what became of Glenn and Abraham. We definitely needed a break after last week’s torture porn, but there really wasn’t much of anything happening tonight.

AND ANOTHER THING …

  • Not sure what was being said by Carol drifting in and out of consciousness, and seeing all the walkers in their human form. The one with its face sliced off was neat, though!
  • Can’t decide if I love, or hate Jerry. Damn it, Jerry.
  • So, the pigs are fed walkers in the hopes that The Saviors will get sick?
  • Good grief, Khary Payton’s wig. Not even close, guys.
  • And Carol … is just going to live in a random house, now?

The Walking Dead Season 7 will return November 6 with “The Cell,” airing at 9:00 P.M. on AMC.

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