The first two scenes of “The Last Light” (2×10), the last chapter of The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Scott M. Gimple and Matthew Negrete, 2020-2021), serve to contrast the attitude and limited skills that the sisters Hope (Alexa Mansour) and Iris Bennett (Aliyah Royale), Elton Ortiz (Nicolas Cantu) and Silas Plaskett ( Hal Cumpston) in “Brave” (1×01) compared to those that now characterize these four young people. I mean, they want to show what the protagonists have evolved of the second spin-off zombie in its twenty episodes.
They do not forget, on the other hand, to board soon feelings for death of Percy (Ted Sutherland) in “Death and the Dead” (2×09), which is unnecessary for two reasons: his specific circumstances, what he tries to do when it happens, are insubstantial, and the dramatic construction to reach a point where They take another character to the limit, defective. A waste, Wow. But these decisions have to be grappled with, and the wise thing to do is still dealing with the emotional consequences for the closest survivors.
The invincible mediocrity of ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’
Then they come dialogues about a possible life fleeing the horror, so common in the franchise of The walking dead (Frank Darabont and Angela Kang, since 2010) and with a recent example in the chapter “Reclamation” (7×06) of Fear the walking dead (Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson, since 2015). AND successive clashes that occur were to be expected due to the escalation of the dramatic conflict since “Returning Point” (2×08), which includes some duels that do not worry us much because they have not been able to cement themselves with true rage.
Four of the ten episodes that make up season two of The Walking Dead: World Beyond have been led by Loren Yaconelli (Shameless): “The Sky Is a Graveyard” (1×08), “Konsekans” (2×01), “Foothold” (2×02), the aforementioned “Death and the Dead” and the ending, in which the sequence of scenes makes sense but they never offer us a really elaborate sequence in which the narrative flows, not a single interesting virguería. And the understandable emotionality that is insisted on is not hollow, but not very effective for “The Last Light” either.
The grateful details of the ending and their glimpse into the future
Nevertheless, alternate mounting of the clock and its countdown and the situation of Jennifer “Huck” Mallick (Annet Mahendru), whose course seemed predictable by the reckless and dark spirit of her character, is satisfactory, which is closest to a good audiovisual idea in this chapter together with the multiple closure composition. But it’s not about the best scene, a small honor that corresponds to the verbal clash between Elizabeth Kublek (Julia Ormond) and Jadis Stokes (Pollyanna McIntosh), for which both actresses prove their worth.
But they are also helped by the convincing words of their encounter written by Matthew Negrete himself (The walking dead), co-executive producer Maya Goldsmith (How to defend a murderer) in his fifth script for the series after “Shadow Puppets” (1×06), “The Deepest Cut” (1×09), “In this Life” (1×10) and “Family Is a Four Letter Word” (2×04), and Carson Moore (The Closer), which only the aforementioned “Foothold” had signed before. I wish the conversations from The Walking Dead: World Beyond would have been this eloquent more often.
It cannot be denied, despite everything, that they have chosen a pleasant variety in the fate of the characters main; and Elton Ortiz’s, specifically, is to join the Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) club of The walking dead from “Seed” (3×01) and Alicia Clark (Alycia Debnam-Carey) from Fear the walking dead starting with “Father” (7×08). What’s more, unforeseen circularity of “The Last Light” does not get rid of his invincible mediocrity but it is appreciated. As it ends up opening the door to the future of the zombie saga.