The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode that airs tonight has one major issue. It moved slowly. A TV show’s greatest transgression is undoubtedly making you feel bored, and although this episode had the potential to be captivating, passionate, and tragic, it ultimately seemed repetitive.

I am aware that Danai Gurira authored it, and the fandom is exploding with excitement over that information and the fact that this episode had some really powerful moments. Regretfully, it was also extremely repetitious, and I believe it could have been much better with a little effort.

Last week, Andrew Lincoln’s character Rick and Danai Gurira’s character Michonne leaped out of a helicopter and landed in the ocean. There were no survivors when the helicopter itself crashed into a nearby structure. Because the CRM is so powerful and secretive, they even came and destroyed the building to hide the evidence.

Recap

This is an excellent chance to stage your demise. They could exit the CRM without Jadis retaliating if they staged a death. If they’re dead, she really has no reason to care, and considering the crash, there’s no reason to think they staged it. Even Michonne admits as much, but Rick rejects it.

They quarrel about it for the better part of the remainder of the show after that. And that disagreement goes on and on, once broken up by a much-needed sex scene and once by a fight with walkers. Michonne believes Rick is foolish for sticking when there is a clear chance they may flee.

Rick is a lunatic; he acts like a broken man and rambles on about his dreams. However, it is still incomprehensible. Rick’s entire strategy—to alter the CRM internally—is unreal. It just doesn’t feel very Ricky to me that he cut off his own hand to escape and is now declining to accept this chance.

Yes, he does agree in the end, but did it really need to take this long? The fight to escape the building, the sex scene, and the dispute about his dream “confession” could have all been resolved in a matter of minutes. After that, we may have continued with the main plot.

I laughed at the stick shift moment. The building they ended up in was also rather wonderful, but once our heroes get there, that nice spot can’t endure long. Recall that the one constant in The Walking Dead and its spinoffs is that the enemy encampment or safe haven our survivors wind up in will eventually be destroyed.

And so, after jumping into the lake (or ocean? ), with such incredible luck, they find themselves at this still-somehow-functional condo, which collapses.