The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 6 Review: Bonds
Paul Dailly
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The old Negan is back. Who knew we would enjoy that?
The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 6 added another layer to the Whisperers arc when the former villain played nice with the new bad guys on the block.
It was clear Jeffrey Dean Morgan loved that his alter ego was free from his shackles and ready to cause some problems.
Negan was once the most quotable character on all of TV, but he was on another level during "Bonds." The installment successfully set up a rivalry between him and Beta.
At his core, Negan thinks he can talk himself out of dire situations, but Beta was ready to chop off his head from the get-go. We already know Beta relishes the fact that he's the second in command.
Negan: So cards on the table, then? Cool, I dig that. See, I'm not here for you. I am here for Alpha, so you go ahead, and you throw your little tests at me, and you scowl and throw me on the ground like a five and dime Frankenstein. I don't give a shit. see, big man, I ain't going anywhere
Beta: Finally...something we both agree on...you won't be going anywhere
Negan: Wait a minute, did you just make a goddamn joke? I would be impressed if I wasn't so pissed off right now
But we also know that the moment Alpha gives another person attention, his jealousy comes out to play. Need I remind you of the way he acted when Gamma was made the third?
Beta likes being the only one getting Alpha's attention, and that's evident. Beta is growing frustrated of the way Alpha is running things, and he wants her to start thinking about her decisions before making them.
There is poised to be a power struggle with the Whisperers, and there's a good chance that it could come down to Beta's belief that would be better to lead them to victory against the communities.
The pivotal moment was when Alpha questioned whether he wanted to battle her for supremacy. Beta dropping to his knees does not signal defeat. It feels more like he's biding his time to strike.
We need to remember that Negan knows that Lydia is alive. The moment that revelation drops, Alpha's place in the pack will be called into question.
It's possible that it could be the moment she turns on Negan. It would be easy for her to make everyone else believe Negan is lying, but Beta will wonder what he has to gain from that lie.
Negan may be wearing his leather jacket, but there's no way of telling whether he's really turning against the others. He talked a big game when he said he could spill all of the secrets he knows about his former captors.
If you watch The Walking Dead online, you know he's reformed over the years. He may never be at the stage in which he will be hailed a hero, but if he helps destroy the Whisperers from inside, that could change his fate.
Alpha: Test him. If he's worthy, I will hear him. If not, then, I kill him.
Beta: It is a mistake showing him our ways.
Alpha: Your questioning of my judgment has become a regular occurrence.
Beta: He is a threat.
Alpha: To Alpha, or to Beta?
Beta: I think only of our people.
Alpha: Is it finally time for the Beta to become the Alpha?
It's hard to believe the producers would allow him to slip back into his old ways because that would feel like a rehash of plots that have come before it.
The more likely scenario is that he kills or harms Alpha when she least expects it. That could be the moment the Whisperer war fully goes into effect. Beta will rise to the top spot and carry out attacks in the way he sees fit.
We have just two episodes left this season, so the action is going to have to pick up a bit. You know the series loves to close out the season in style with a buzzy cliffhanger.
The good news is that Carol and Daryl got some much-needed intel on how Alpha works her hordes, but it would have been nicer if she told Daryl the truth from the get-go. The two have the strongest friendship on the series, so they should not be lying to each other.
Negan: How long you and the boss lady been together? Is this like a Beta with benefits situation, you slide her a little Omega on the side?
Beta: You respect the Alpha, or I end you where you stand.
Negan: I didn't mean to offend you. I mean, hell, you keep things professional. I respect that. I think I was just thrown off by the whole kneeling thing. Not that there's anything wrong with the whole kneeling thing. I mean, that has tickled the dicks of many a fine man over the years. Me, myself, I used to have people kneeling for me all the livelong day, so I understand the benefits that sort of shit provides. I just never actually done the deed myself. And I admire your self-restraint and I'm saying this totally respectfully, but there is something about that whole bald head thing that just tightens my britches.
Carol is in a much better place now. The hallucinations have stopped, and all that's on her mind is taking Alpha down from her perch. It would be a full-circle moment if Carol was the one to take the evil woman down, but it's difficult not to be worried about Carol.
She's starting to become so consumed with revenge that she put Daryl's life on the line. She had a good plan to observe the herd of walkers to learn more about how Alpha was sending them.
Would it have hurt her to be more transparent with her ride or die? Granted, Daryl would have probably shut down her plan because we know how the Whisperers react to surprises.
At least she managed to kidnap one of them. The risk paid off, and everyone should get some answers from that Whisperer.
The person should also be able to tell them that the rest of the pack thinks Lydia is dead. That should be some good ammunition for the next war of words at the border.
That brings us to the spike in illnesses in Alexandria. There's no way that Alpha and the Whisperers don't something to do with this. Gamma always seems to be spilling walker guts into the stream, so my best guess that it is all her doing.
Siddiq is starting to concern me. He took one day off to spend some time with his lover and child. People need a day off now and then, and given that his PTSD is causing him problems, Dante should be in charge until he's better.
His blackouts are concerning, especially when he's picking his child up in the middle of the night and taking it to the walls of the community. He needs help, and fast.
Daryl: Where you going?
Carol: I'm gonna do another sweep for Negan.
Daryl: Cool, you want company?
[Carol smiles.]
As for Eugene, blech. He's a lonely man who wants to make a connection with someone who is not Rosita. That's why he was so enamored when he heard the new voice on the radio.
But still, keeping that on the down-low is problematic. Maybe we're veering away from the Whisperers to set up the next villain. If Eugene's desperation gets people killed, it will render him the worst.
"Bonds" was another strong installment of this AMC drama. There's so much we still need to learn about the Whisperers, and I can't wait to find more out.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.
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Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
