Check out our review of this weeks episode “Swear” of The Walking Dead on AMC.

The Walking Dead – Season 7 episode 06: “Swear”

Warning: There will be spoilers.

Some quick recapping then we’re just diving right into it…

Welcome to Oceanside – Cabin Motor Court

Robert: This week, the show catches up with Tara & Heath on their two week salvage trek where Heath has issues questioning his morals and Tara takes a trip off a bridge only to awaken in Oceanside where the visit isn’t as pleasant as it sounds.

Ian: I find it interesting that this episode got lots of flack from other sites, being dismissed as filler but there’s so much more going on in this episode compared to Negan’s comes to collect. There’s more insight into Tara/Heath’s outlook in their roles as scouts, the whole Oceanside village and some limelight for Tara in general.

Robert: So this week showed the strength & depth of The Walking Dead. Strength in Tara for now being a fully rounded character on the show who can handle herself when the stakes are large & death is looming. Depth because we got to see outside just the small walls of Alexandria and Rick’s crew, again this season of The Walking Dead does more world building in giving the audience Oceanside and their women & children homicidal residents.

Robert: After Tara follows up on the young woman, Cyndie who saved Tara back to Oceanside to find a new world of no men, only women and children fighting to survive in this new Walking Dead world. Unfortunately, Tara found their base and they can’t have it even if they act like they want to work with Tara and Alexandria, the reality is that they’re not going to work with Tara back to her community. They elect to just attempt to kill her instead just in case Negan and the Saviors ever find them, yes, the Oceansiders are survivors of the Saviors and want to stay that way at ANY means. Even killing anyone who comes across them. Talk about trust issues.

Ian: The trust factor is kinda strange. There’s some clear open hostile action as Tara has to dodge bullets once she sets off too many alarms (the chimes and rustling of trees) but she manages to gain a bit of an upper ground until Tara is outnumbered. The elder deems her worthy enough to be part of the Oceanside village but it’s sorta of a ruse since Tara wants to find Heath, she’s back to being a liability to the town.

Ian: We learn that this town already had an encounter with the Saviours and it went terrible for Oceanside so how can they really perceive Tara’s group as much of a threat? Granted that the raid by Rick’s gang carries more weight than it really should, it’s kinda fuzz logic that acts as a convenient narrative hook to put Tara back into danger again.

Robert: Cyndie (Sydney Park) saves Tara again and helps her back to the bridge that Tara & Heath were separated at after an attack from buried Walkers but ONLY if Tara SWEARS not to tell anyone about Oceanside. Unfortunately Heath left with the RV but Tara found a keycard & was upbeat at the possibility of Heath still being alive despite him losing his glasses. Tara makes her way home to Alexandria and finds out about all the grave news.

Ian: The fake out with the similar looking Walker actually got me. I was generally pissed at that moment with the idea that Heath already joined the ranks of the dead but HEATH LIVES… Possibly… Most likely the keycard probably has some ties back to Saviours, maybe another facility they’re using as base, what could you really use a keycard for after all?

Robert: I REALLY like this season of The Walking Dead. The world building AND how strong they’re building of key characters like Tara this week. Maggie last week. The Walking Dead is making a very well rounded show with great depth and I’m worried. Why? Because it means more attachment to these characters which isn’t a good sign on this show.

Ian: Yeah, this is the season where we get a bigger perspective of how the world is post Walker outbreak and it’s far more refreshing than just relying on character drama to push along the plot. My biggest complaint when it comes to TWD in general, more so for the comic as the tv show follows along, is the lack of an end plot goal as merely struggling to survive doesn’t hold that much weight when even the Walkers aren’t that much of a threat.

Robert: Can we talk about Alanna Masterson for a minute? She’s been a great addition to the show for years now but WOW did she take control & show some great strength in both her acting, great comic timing and stunt scenes. Seriously, she’s one of the best additions to the show and I can’t wait to see MORE of her for years to come (fingers crossed). Also Alanna Masterson is sexy as well, I can watch her all day lo… oh sorry.

Ian: The funny thing about Tara’s character is how much of a stereotype her character could be if it was any other show. The snarky female wise cracker with tons of talent is so overplayed in comics and yet, Tara is fairly entertaining as everyone else feels muted while she’s making quips despite being held semi-hostage by community of survivors that have dealt with The Saviours. She has her own voice in a sense and it’s entertaining when she has someone to riff with such as Heath.

Robert: As for the Oceansiders, the survivors of the Saviors who lost all their men and boys were the only two dimensional characters we’ve meet this season. Even those living in the Saviors base of Sanctuary had more depth. I’m unsure if they’ll ever come back here but when Tara took note of their armory, I’m thinking Tara might break her promise to Cyndie.

Ian: At first, I thought it was going Lord of the Flies with kids being looked after by teenagers, the whole spear stabbing Walkers along the beach was oddly serene but the concept of Oceansiders is pretty neat. Given the plot details that occur after Negan and Rick go All Out with their feud, it could be an interesting twist on introducing another group of survivors.

Robert: One thing though is that I’d like to have seen more of the bridge & those who were living there although given how close that strange, salvages community was – could THAT have been where the Oceansiders used to be? Are the buried mummy Walkers those the Saviors killed? The men? I don’t know, no young boys were there and some women were there.

Ian: Since Tara first noticed bullets in the sand, it seems most likely the fate of guys of Oceanside is tied to the Walker Sandpit trap. A majority seemed male aside from the Heath look alike but I believe that Walker being part of the trap was more meta in doing the fake out setup more than anything.

Robert: Overall, this was a strong episode and is doing the slow burn for what’s to happen next with Rick’s Crew & Negan. Normally, I find that many TV shows overdo the slow burn but add in the world building and The Walking Dead is doing a great job. I’m looking forward to what they do with all these puzzle pieces in the coming weeks and the second half of the season.

Robert: Oh oh lastly, ONE thing I’ve found annoying are that the Walkers this season SUCK! They RARELY get to kill anyone. Are they even a threat anymore? How many legless, stuck in sand, half body Walkers have we seen that either get killed by a kid with a WOODEN SPEAR or just have characters walk away from them. Look, I understand the drama is about humanity vs humanity but the Walkers NEED to BECOME a threat again on The Walking Dead. I’m hoping that the mid-season finale has Hilltop & Saviors fending off against a huge Walker herd or something where they’re the dominate threat of the world like they have been in seasons past.

Bits & Pieces

• Cyndie is a crack shot, I’m betting she joins the fight against The Saviors later
• WHAT THE HELL IS THAT KEYCARD?! Is it from the Saviors outpost they killed everyone at?!
• Eugene spoke volumes in that sad scene when he sees Tara’s returning to Alexandria.
• Great dead Heath fake-out with a Walker chick with the same hair & shirt as Heath.
• MUMMY Walkers FTW!
• Sandpit trap was pretty clever, it’s always neat seeing Walkers get used in new ways

Next Week…

Guess we get to see what happens with Rich & Crew if you don’t have what Negan & The Saviors want. Also Jesus & Carl sneak into The Sanctuary but how does that work out? I’m guessing that Spencer will turn on Rick & Alexandria to join the Saviors then fnck up and get made example of. Not saying it happens next week but it starts then. We’ll see.