Mini-Review: The Walking Dead "Hearts Still Beating"

I'm hoping to get more reviews out by doing this mini-review format. If I want to go into actual depth on this show I'll do so via multi-vlog reviews or other posts.

In this review of The Walking Dead episode "Hearts Still Beating" there will be spoilers. So if you haven't seen the episode, stop reading now and go see it before continuing.

Spencer's Death

Okay, I was never a big fan of Spencer Monroe. He was a douche and I knew he would have to go at some point. There was going to have to be a time when he did something stupid and wouldn't be able to come back from it.

Basically: he died and nothing of value was lost.

Say what you want about Negan but he has a code of honor. It can be one that's a little darker than one wants, but it is there nonetheless. It is because of his code that he kills Spencer.

People had pointed out before this episode that someone like Negan wouldn't work well with Spencer. The charismatic leader likes people who are strong and doesn't care for the weak. The last person Spencer should've gotten to try and kill Rick was Negan.

Negan smells a coward and makes Spencer pay the ultimate price for being one.

My  favorite part of this scene was, hands down, when Spencer touched his guts. His look of 'wtf' was pure gold.

It was disgusting but funny. Or maybe I just have a very twisted sense of humor.

Rick's Change

The Walking Dead Season 7 started with Rick being broken. Throughout the Season so far the leader we've all come to know and love has been a different man. A weaker man. One intent on pleasing Negan because of the fear of something worse happening.
You can see this weakness when Aaron is beat up. Rick watches helplessly as he isn't able to fight the Saviors. It doesn't seem like he can make himself find a reason to defend the man and that scares him.

Luckily Michonne's conversation with Rick helped snap him back to his former self. She is able to help convince him to put up a fight. Previously she had gone out on her own to kill Negan, but found her love for Rick stopping her. She wanted it to not be HER decision but THEIRS.

It wasn't just Michonne's conversation with Rick that helped change the man, but the stuff and things that went down in this episode.

The end of the episode didn't melt my cold heart and make me tear up. Nope. Nope.

Anyways...with Rick's group united again, he plans to go up against Negan. With Rick back on his feet, Negan will be facing a very powerful enemy.

The Mystery Man

A new character appears, sort of. During the scene at the lake we see a pair of boots indicating a man watching Rick and Aaron. Not much is known except that the man owns the boat and the supplies. For some reason he didn't attack Rick and Aaron.

This strange man also appears during the post-credits scene of the episode. All that is known here is that the mysterious man knows about Alexandria.

There isn't really anything known about this guy so I can't tell if he's good or bad. I don't know enough about the comics to be able to tell if this is a reference. Maybe this guy has appeared in the comics before. Maybe he hasn't.

I can't wait until the second half of this season so I can figure out what is going on.

Rating: 4.5/5

Additional Notes:
*Daryl killing the Savior seems out of character as if Negan has broken him
*Olivia getting killed hurt
*Negan continues to be an odd combination of scary and funny
*Carol continues to not want to be bothered
*From the preview in The Talking Dead, Jesus knows about the Kingdom
*Everything has a post-credits scene nowadays