Reviewed by Owen Bush.

We’ve been waiting for it, and it’s finally been answered. The question that’s been on our mind for weeks now, causing fans to fuel in anger, tweet in true disbelief, and harass both writers and actors. What I’m talking about, of course, is Glenn’s fate. Within the first 5 minutes of episode seven titled “Heads Up”, Glenn was, shockingly so (mind the sarcasm), revealed as being alive, and whilst I wish they revealed this instantly instead of making it out to be a huge shock, it did lead the plot into a nice, teasingly reveal at what to expect from the sure-to-be brutality of a mid-season finale. This episode, whilst again, nothing particularly special, did at-least give us a realization of the true coherence that could amount within Alexandria, it’s a shame that tragedy is seeping through the cracks…

Of course I’m glad Glenn is back, he’s been a fan-favourite since the beginning, however, this sly trick to push the plot forward seems a like a weak stance to mould together the story, it’s intriguing, and I can’t wait for what happens next, but it’s full of gimmicks. This rather ruthless and eager version of Glenn is something I truly enjoyed, for a character whom has been a bad-ass, but never particularly crucial in leadership, it’s fascinating to see how far Glenn has moved into a persuasive, yet, not passively so, figurehead. His scenes with Enid truly supported this change, for whilst you knew Enid was in safe hands with Glenn armed beside her, Glenn wouldn’t take her teenage-antics, and remained forceful in his attempts for salvation.

On the other side of things, those at Alexandria had some problems of their own, and thankfully, some little stranded plots began to weave themselves into the main story. One of those, being the contrast in personalities between Rick and Morgan, that conversation between them almost resisted the idea that they’d ever be on the same wavelength, crucially, of course, we know why Morgan has his passivity, as without him he becomes the man who lacks any sympathy. But in the same way, Rick, whilst sometimes balancing on a fine-line between hero and villain, has been through enough to substantially justify his passion for rage, and as he said in his own words, it’s the life they live now. The philosophical debate of ‘Whether you can justify murder in a world of zombies’ is one that has been tossed around TWD for a little while now, but it’s refreshing to see a new perspective of it between Morgan and Rick, considering they’re both influential in the groups continuation.

Heads Up saw more of that inconsistency within Rick, balancing between arrogance and leadership, especially with that subtle but meaningful brawl with Tara, this was one of my favourite moments in a mainly simplistic episode. The tension between characters whom don’t normally interact that much was truly refreshing, especially as Tara is a character who we’ve only really seen moments of excellence, but I was almost siding with her on this one, let’s hope we see more of these clashes between Rick and some of his own members, for a group is never completely cohesive and Rick can be a divisive leader. That being said, Spencer’s attempt at salvation was a little silly, but it’s Rick’s rage, and contrasting to that, sympathy, that prove he is a character that is slowly shifting in attitudes.

Tying up some strands that have seeped through the season so far, we finally saw suggestions of Carol beginning to work out Morgan’s big secret, that could surely cause chaos in the already hectic village. Alas, Morgan’s pacifism is already showing signs of weakening, as Rick pondered why he justified letting the Wolves go, and now, Carol is soon to find out that he’s keeping one of them hostage, and crucially, that hostage is bitten. This balance in perspective is interesting, but as previously stated, it feels like The Walking Dead is rehashing debate we’ve already delved deep enough into.

Whilst this is all well, Heads Up still felt like it was throwing many balls in the air without having anything to catch them in, the main thread of the season, seven episodes in, still feels absent. The walker herd is becoming a gimmick for only the plot to develop and the tension to bolt, it’s unfortunate that after such a strong use in the premiere that they are being used in a lackluster and actually, not that exciting of a way. That glimpse of the next episode does provide hope for better things, but it’s becoming all a little too tedious waiting for things to better, hopefully, considering it’s the much-anticipated mid-season finale, things will start to spark.

Verdict: 8/10

Heads Up isn’t particularly significant, with the main thematic of the season being a little too vague and distant. However, exploring some subtle character tensions, and whilst frustrating, re-instituting Glenn’s brutality through an interesting sub-plot, it seems finally that Season 6 will begin to shine next week in the mid-season finale.