The Walking Dead season 8 episode 13 spoiler review

*Spoilers follow for the Walking Dead's latest episode*

This week’s episode of The Walking Dead was, simply put, a thrill ride of an instalment, and one that tore along at a quick-speed pace which kept on giving until the very end. The careful balancing of numerous plates - in the show’s case, characters and their specific situations - was dealt with perhaps more admirably than ever, the writers clearly enjoying their new-found groove: it's taken some time but this feels like The Walking Dead of old, the frantic action evoking the wham-bam thrills of the latter stages of season 2.

For this episode has it all - fist-pumping action, gunfire, gore peppered with brief but rewarding character interaction. Every single character find themselves in one place for a showdown that comprises the first half of the episode: 'Negan' - well, Simon (Steven Ogg) - leads the charge assuming he can go about his business and be home in time for tea. Gone are the days of Gregory, however - instead, he’s met by the widow herself, Maggie (Lauren Cohan), who leads the Hilltop in the show’s most charged defence yet. Forget last season's climactic battle at Alexandria.

This is the payoff the past seasons' worth of community-introduction has been leading to. Extraneous interaction, be gone. Even Siddiq (Avi Nash) has assimilated into proceedings nicely, his skills as what is essentially a war medic coming in handy. Try not to cheer as Rick (Andrew Lincoln) - fresh from his scrap with Negan - shows up from the scuffle dodging Saviours and judo chopping his way around the opposition with a cleaver. Deranged Grimes is back, a loyal doberman of Maggie’s - and let's not forget Morgan (Lennie James) who is reverting back to the version of himself the former ran into back in season 3.

It’s all futile, of course. The action is so thrilling it skilfully deters you from remembering that "oh crikey YES, these arrows and knives have been doused in walker blood." So as wounded characters begin to re-animate and creeps towards a bustling Hilltop mansion filled with everyone we know and love (top and tailing in what looks to be the least cosy set up that’s ever existed), the tension remains rife especially in the wake of Carl’s death (anyone who's anyone can die).

While our heroes lose a lot of numbers from within - despite gaining a fair few in the form of former-prisoner-Saviours-turned-allies, it's hard to feel morose about it when it's just atken place in an episode that could well be the best 13th episode of an eighth season of any television show.

The Walking Dead season 8 continues on AMC every Sunday with the UK premiere arriving the next evening on FOX as well as being available to stream on NOW TV.

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