The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 3 Review

The Walking Dead 

The Cell

Season 7 Episode 3 Review

**SPOILERS FOR THE SHOW, EPISODE AND COMICS FOLLOW, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK**

Daryl Dixon is America's most lovable hillbilly redneck zombie apocalypse survivor.  He's been through the ringer in seven seasons, having to deal with the death of his brother Merle (and having to kill his zombified corpse), the death of Beth whom he saw as a younger sister, and having to face adversary after adversary.  At the end of last season it all came to a head when he tried to help Dwight and ended up losing his motorcycle and crossbow, only to have it reappear with Dwight on the road, after Dwight used it to send an arrow through Denise's skull.  Daryl felt responsible for Denise's death because he didn't kill Dwight, so he set out to do it himself, only to have Rosita, Glenn and Michonne follow him.  All four of them were captured and brought before Negan, and after Daryl rushed to Rosita's defense by punching Negan, he saw Negan bring Lucille down on Glenn, and he was thrown into Negan's truck and taken to the Sanctuary as a prisoner.

"The Cell" opens with an upbeat song and Dwight moving about the Sanctuary, showing how the community works: there's a point system, and the higher points you have, the more freedom you have.  While it seems civilized, there's still fighting and violence, and an entire yard of chained up Walkers to keep other Walkers and people away.  Dwight enjoys a rather delicious looking egg sandwich, and then makes another sandwich with dog food, and delivers it to a prisoner in a cell - Daryl - who readily eats it.

This shows how far Daryl has fallen into animalistic depravity.  Back in season three, Carl was about to eat dog food because they were so hungry, but Rick threw it out.  Here, Dwight uses dog food as a way of showing obedience, and Daryl has been through so much emotional distress that he doesn't consider himself fully human anymore.  He holds a deep resentment of himself for letting Glenn get killed, and he's acting more like a feral animal than a human.

Throughout the episode, Daryl hardly speaks, yet it's in the actor Norman Reedus's mannerisms, expressions and defiant nature that speaks volumes.  He may be a broken man, but he still tries to escape.  He might be demeaned and demoralized, but he doesn't allow Negan to affect his mind. 

However, even though Daryl is a main focal point, it's also his nearly identical counterpart that's given a more vibrant role.  In all our previous viewings of Dwight, we see him as a killer, a robber and a sarcastic know-it-all with very little redeemable qualities.  However, here we get a much different look at the man, and how much he's been willing to give up just to survive.  We learn that he and his wife Sherry (and her sister Tina) ran away from the Sanctuary because Negan wanted to marry Tina, and after she died at the hands of Walkers, they decide to return and beg forgiveness.  Negan was going to kill them, but Sherry saved Dwight by offering to marry Negan instead, and he seared Dwight's face with a hot iron instead. 

While talking with Negan, we also get an odd view into Negan's own psyche when he tells Dwight he can have his pick of any woman at the Sanctuary, as long as they say yes.  For being a cold-blooded killer with psychotic tendencies, Negan has a firm rule of no rape, something he also had in the graphic novels.  This is why I wasn't too worried about the women dying in the season premiere, because he doesn't kill women and he doesn't condone rape.  It's a weird rule for an otherwise ruthless man, but also adds to the mystique of the character.  Plus, he has his people so subjugated that whenever he walks by them, they kneel.  It's vastly different than Ezekiel's reign, showing Negan is the true King of his castle. 

Speaking of kneeling, that is something Daryl refuses to do.  He also refuses Negan's offer to join him as a full member of the Sanctuary, after he tells Daryl all he has to do is say "I am Negan" like all his other followers.  Daryl gives Negan a glaring look and replies, "I am Daryl."  That was such a powerful moment in the episode, and the series as a whole, and I had a thought in the back of my mind that Negan would kill Daryl right there, but instead he sends him back to his cell, with Dwight yelling at Daryl to just submit, or he'll die.  This is a different picture of Dwight with Daryl, where Dwight almost shows compassion for Daryl and wants him to live.  Daryl tells Dwight he understands why he does what he does - to protect others - and that's why he can't.  It's another powerful moment in the episode, with the most powerful moment having occurred previously.

When Daryl was in his cell, Dwight came and dropped a picture at his feet.  It was easily a picture the Saviors took of Glenn after his head got bashed in, and Daryl breaks down and cries so hard he vomits.  This is another reason Norman Reedus is a tremendous actor, as he shows deep, raw emotion in the most primal sense, and also shows the power the show has.  It wasn't a very action packed episode, but it still brought out the emotions and feels.

Finally, what this episode shows is possible cracks in Negan's world.  A detractor escaped, and Dwight was sent to retrieve him.  When he finds the man, he tells Dwight to kill him because he can't stand being in Negan's world anymore.  You can sense two things: 1) that man isn't alone in his thoughts, and 2) Dwight seems to agree.  He mercifully kills the man, and returns to the Sanctuary to talk to Sherry, in a way asking her if what they did was right, but in a way where he doesn't directly ask her but rather makes a statement in hopes of a positive response.  Sherry just weakly replies, "yes," as she walks away.  You can tell Dwight is changing, and if the show follows the comics, he'll play an important part in bringing down Negan.

Overall, this is yet another solid episode of what seems to be the best season yet.  Even though there's not a lot of action, there's some deep character development and we see into the world of Negan, as well as a more human side of Dwight, and the internal and external struggles of our lovable redneck survivalist.

The Score: A-