The Walking Dead Awards: War against the Saviors begins

Season 6, Episode 12: Virginia is for lovers
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The Walking Dead
Photograph by Gene Page/AMC

(Spoilers ahead)

Each week, we comb through the guts of The Walking Dead, much like a horde of hungry walkers, to bring you the episode’s best moments, surprises, and other post-apocalyptic curiosities. This week: Jesus saves, badass Gabe, and what on Earth was Morgan welding? (Our money is on a cage.)

Season 6, Episode 12: “Not Tomorrow Yet”

Worst cookie: How can you make a cookie out of acorns and beets? If anybody knows, feel free to provide us with a recipe; we’d like to know if such a thing could actually be tasty.

Most out of left field: We know weeks have passed since the First Walker Battle of Alexandria, but we still didn’t expect Carol to find a love interest.

Reality check: We’ve spent six seasons watching the gang take down walkers clothed in lacy nightgowns. But in the 21st century, does anyone actually wear these?

Mission accomplished: The Ricktatorship seems to have fallen in the last two months, replaced by the Representative Rickocracy. Truly, the group was greeted as liberators.

Most introspective: Carol is clearly wrestling with her brutal past. She tallied the number of people she’d killed. She smoked cigarettes. She asked Tobin how she was able to do such hideous things and acted fiercely protective of mom-to-be Maggie. Sadly, though, whenever a TWD character turns self-reflective, it usually means the end is nigh.

Worst breakup: We knew that Abraham and Rosita were going to implode after last week’s lingering shot on the forgotten necklace, but we didn’t think they’d go out with such a cruel bang. Good thing Eugene was right there to pick up the slack. After all, Virginia is for lovers.

Heaviest sleepers: We find it hard to believe that in the zombie apocalypse, a person could sleep so soundly that he’d miss folks walking right outside his bedroom, the door opening and spilling in light, and someone standing over him with a knife. And yet it happened three times.

Best picture: The people in those Polaroids that Glenn found in the Saviors’ camp really seem like victims of Lucille bashings. This show has been beating Glenn’s maybe-forthcoming death into the ground more than . . . Glenn’s head. But despite all these signs, what if they’re actually going to pull the rug out from under us?

Worst fashion accessory: Sorry, Abraham, you can’t pull off that bandanna.

Longest 10 seconds: Did anyone else have a minor panic attack after Heath and Glenn fired 10,000 bullets into that door? We were terrified they’d killed one of their own, until the door finally opened and revealed they’d taken down only Saviors.

Breaking Bad: That sure looked like weed growing in the Savior house.

Best line: “The Saviors, they’re scary, but this prick’s got nothing on you.” —Andy to Rick

Best kill: When Daryl took out the first guard at the Saviors’ compound. It was so stealthy it made us jump even when we knew it was coming. Bravo.

Most disturbing image: Carol placing a cookie on Sam’s grave. We know it was meant to show remorse for the things she’s done in the past, but all it made us think about was how terrifying her actions have been. We agree with Tobin. Carol, you’re scary.

Episode MVP: Glenn, for sparing Heath the pain of having to kill in cold blood. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we’re glad to see Glenn continue to cement his role as a group protector.

And once again, where exactly does Rick fall this week on the calm/crazy scale?

The Walking Dead
Illustration by Matt Walljasper; Photographs courtesy of AMC
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