The aptly named episode, “The Same Boat” sums up where are favorite survivors are in relation with the rest of the population. This was a very female centric episode with Carol and Maggie on one side and Paula, Molly and Michelle on the other side. In so many ways, Paula and Michelle represented mirror images of Carol and Maggie. They are all hardened by personal loss and feelings of despair. The star of this episode however was Carol (played by Melissa McBride). Warning, spoilers ahead…
Carol for me represents all of us. The Carol we see now is a far cry from the one we met six seasons ago. She is not the same battered wife and mother from season one. But as this episode evolved, we started to see a sense of fear in her eyes. Albeit not a complete about face but there was a sense of “what have we become?” in her eyes when her and Maggie were reunited with Rick and the others. Last Sunday we saw Rick lead an assault on Negan’s compound. They all thought that they had eliminated the threat. That wasn’t the case as Carol and Maggie were taken hostage by one of Negan’s people, Paula (Alicia Witt).
Much of “The Same Boat” was confined within a small room with a bond and gagged Carol and Maggie sitting on the floor opposite of each other. All the while their capturers tried to figure out how best to handle them. Melissa McBride’s acting range was on full display. She was able to convince Paula that this moment has broken her emotionally. It leads Paula to believe that Carol is weak. She also sees her as very protective over the pregnant Maggie. This leads Paula to have Maggie removed from the room to be interrogated by Michelle. Paula had a subtle yet telling comment for Carol, regarding believing that Carol’s group, the members of those who attacked Negan’s compound were the good guys because they’re not. I think in this world black and white, right and wrong has been replaced with dark gray.
By the end, Carol and Maggie use their smarts and their physical abilities to defeat Paula and members of the Saviors to make their escape and once again be reunited with Rick, Daryl, Glenn and the rest of Team Alexandria. Seeing Rick execute Primo who claimed to be Negan furthered that same look of fear that Carol had showcased earlier. Has Rick and Team Alexandria become the very thing they’re fighting against? The one thing we do know is that the real Negan has yet to surface and the violence they’ve experienced will pale in comparison.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
