Final Thoughts From the Walking Dead Episode "The Same Boat"

OK, to be fair, there were some pretty intense moments during the final minutes of the episode. But, overall, this was actually an episode that just seemed to drag on.

I'm perfectly fine with soap-opera-like drama. But, only in small doses and this episode had a bit of an overkill with it. I think a big part of the reason I feel this way was the fact I kept waiting for Carol to reveal she was faking her reluctance to fight and was really just biding her time for the right moment. Watching her nearly get killed more than once because she was reluctant to pull the trigger just isn't what I signed up for.

On top of it, what the heck was up with that interrogation scene with Maggie? It's hard to feel concern for her safety when she's the one asking all the questions.

Obviously, from the various spoilers, they will have an appearance by Negan at some point this season. But, based on some of the comments that were made in this episode, I do have some doubts about whether or not he is really Negan.

Instead, it almost sounds like Negan is a fictional composite and the Saviors don't really have a leader. Or, maybe it's a cult thing and everyone claims to be Negan to protect the real Negan. I guess we'll have to find out which it is.

When I think of the phrase "bad guys," I think of a group that isn't afraid to sacrifice one of their own. Yet, that wasn't the case this time. The people that captured Carol and Maggie kept them alive because they wanted one of their own back and, at least in my opinion, seemed to be avoiding executing the trade simply because they didn't trust Rick to keep up his end of the deal.

In fact, even though there were plenty of threats thrown around, I honestly wasn't convinced they even intended to harm Carol and Maggie. At most, I'm guessing they would have just left the two of them behind.

This does, in all honesty, make me once again wonder about the Hilltop Colony and whether or not they are legitimately the victims or really the bad guys.

One of the subtle revelations that came out of this episode was the mention of the President of the United States and members of Congress being evacuated from Washington D.C. before anyone else.

That's somewhat intriguing because, if they were evacuated then there's a good chance they are still safe. And, if that's true, then it begs the question "where are they now?"

Actually, the more I think of it, the more I think that would be an interesting spin-off from this series. Instead of "Fear the Walking Dead," which honestly isn't much different than the original series, they should do "Walking Dead: The West Wing," and make it about the president and his staff trying to regain order.

The episode did manage to reveal a couple things about the Saviors and potentially the state of the United States government. However, as I said, the episode, overall, was kind of dull and I wasn't that impressed with it as a result.

My Grade: C