The Walking Dead 7×13 Review: Bury Me Here

Sadly, tonight’s Walking Dead episode “Bury Me Here” was a near-perfect example of one step forward, two steps back.

Seriously, last week’s “Say Yes” was by far the best episode of the season, and I honestly hoped that the show would continue on that path; unfortunately, “Bury Me Here” was yet another bloated season 7 installment. The entire plot focused on The Kingdom, which was great in terms of furthering that story line…but it was also maddening at some points.

First, has anyone ever really liked Richard? Does anyone care that he’s dead? No? Good. Because he’s been nothing but trouble since he was introduced, and I for one am glad he’s gone…I just hate that he only died because he got Benjamin killed. Sure, it was pretty obvious early on in “Bury Me Here” that Benjamin wasn’t going to live long, but he really was an interesting character, and I don’t care for the fact that he was killed simply to further Morgan’s plot. (Let’s be real, if he was a female character, I’d throw my hands up and call his death ‘fridging‘.)

And don’t even get me started on the treatment of Carol in “Bury Me Here”. At the very beginning of the episode she stomped over to The Kingdom to figure out what was going on…only to have Morgan tell her nothing. Then the delivery crew showed up at her house to use her medical supplies…only to have Benjamin die anyway. Still, they didn’t tell her anything. It took Morgan having a complete breakdown for her to find out from him that Negan beat Abraham and Glenn to death, and even then she merely convinced Morgan to wait (I think?) and made her way to The Kingdom, only to have Ezekiel tell her that yeah, they would fight, but you know, not right now. I mean, is anyone else frustrated by this? Or am I alone in throwing my hands up?

Listen, yes, there are three episodes left in season 7, but this “you can go…and not go” nonsense is just that: nonsense. I simply can’t imagine how everyone and everything can come together in only three episodes, which means that Negan’s reign is likely going to last into season 8, and maybe I’m the only one who feels this way, but I’m over it.

All that said, I hope I’m *not* alone in wanting to know more about Nabila! I mean seriously – she’s well-versed in gardening/farming, Shiva the tiger likes her, she has a great sense of humor, AND SHE WEARS A HIJAB. This show isn’t the worst in terms of representation, but it’s not great either, and I really hope we get to see Nabila again. I mean, the fact that one moment she was talking about how they could destroy the royal garden but if they replanted it, it would come back, and then the next she was saying “Okay, I think I just pissed myself” in response to Shiva’s snarl…well. What else can I say other than that I want to see more of her?

Anyway, in regards to Morgan – who killed Richard to prove that The Kingdom understands their agreement with the Saviors – has gone off the deep end after Benjamin’s death. Listen, as frustrated as I’ve been with his insistence on not using violence, this break may be a bit much…especially when Benjamin’s last words were a quote from Morgan’s book: “To injure an opponent is to injure oneself”. I kind of assumed that Morgan and/or Carol wouldn’t survive this season, but knowing that Sonequa Martin-Green has been cast in the new Star Trek TV show makes me think that it’s more likely that Sasha won’t survive. Of course, this is The Walking Dead…while they might not kill off Morgan, Carol, *and* Sasha, they could certainly take out two of those characters. I’d love to hear your thoughts on who may or may not survive season 7!

While certainly not the worst episode of the season, “Bury Me Here” did leave a lot to be desired, which was disappointing after how much I enjoyed “Say Yes”. But while it may have been slower and more bloated than I would have liked, it did move the story forward at least a little bit, and I’m hoping that the last three episodes of the season feature better momentum.

Author: Tara Lynne

Tara Lynne is an author, fandom and geek culture expert, and public speaker. She founded Ice & Fire Con, the first ever Game of Thrones convention in the US, and now runs its parent company Saga Event Planning.

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