I said somewhere else that I think this is the most solid 8 consecutive episodes in a long time, perhaps since the first 8 episodes of the series. I give them a 9.5. Yes its definitely rare that a show is starting a brand new story arc going in to season 9. I'm more excited about this season than I have been in at least a couple years.

 

Great thread......allow me one suggestion though, you should add a poll

If I tally up each rating I gave for each episode I come up with an average Dnae rating of 8.875

Hind sight is certainly 20/20. Some of reasons I gave "low" ratings of 8 seem out of place now that the 8 episodes have aired and I can see the rhyme and the reason

So I am taking liberties and rounding my season 9A to a wonderfully robust round number of 9

A 10 (from me) would require all 8 episodes to be flawless and while I did love each of them they were not without their blemishes.

 

Going with Dnae's method, I get to a solid 7,5 - and that was brought down by the rating I gave to the midseason's finale out of frustration (little gimmicks that were avoided until then). It really didn't deserve that low a grade.

I'll give 9A a solid 8. And I agree with Neuro, might be the best half we've had.

 

Well there is that!

Stop feeding your cat fish!!

 

The meal everyone was eating at the Hilltop actually came from the gardens on set. There was yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, corn and peppers.

 

LOL I love the 1 and 10 ratings.

 

I do not get it

 

I give it a 10.

Incredible introduction of a new villain, great overall story and buildup to the friction that's occurred between the communities.

The actors did an excellent job of pulling it off.

The show is stronger than ever and that is an accomplishment in itself considering this is S9 so yeah I agree with the consensus on that.

 

I gave it a 10 because I honestly can't remember enjoying a half-season more than this one.
Angela Kang has set a great pace for the story and I feel like we're getting more meaningful/believable dialogue.
I also love the dynamic of the new group.
I hated the killing of Jesus, but I also hated the killing of Glenn and Abraham. It's just part of the type of show it is. The fact that they make me so upset by these deaths is a tribute to the writing and acting.
I can't wait to see where they go next.

 

I gave it a 10. Not every episode was a 10, but the overall storytelling was a 10.

I love the backstory style of storytelling, especially after missing such a large chunk of time. Ftwd tried it and failed miserably. I have faith that Angela can do it right. The way we are getting hints of what happened during the time jump is great. Gives us so much to speculate over and it appears we have at least two, maybe more, big reveals coming. Plus the current story is interesting. New peoole, Henry trying to fit into a new community. A new enemy. All under this cloud of mystery over what happened during the last 6 years.

The whisperers introduction was perfect. Not being a comic reader but having a basic understanding of what they are. People who wear skin and hang out with walkers. I didn't think that would work on the show. It feels like an idea better displayed in a comic book.

Yet they pulled it off perfectly. The first whisperer ducking under Jesus's swing and stabbing him. Shit, that's a top 5 moment of the entire series for me. Watching them come running out of the fog. Even though I knew they were people, it was such a jarring thing to see. We could understand their confusion over the whole thing.

And Daryl...yes my boy is awesome. I think he started to understand what was going on. He knew they weren't evolving. He knew something was up. You could see him working it out. I like that he's still busted up over Rick and doesn't want to let him go. I love that he's missing a wing. It goes right along with my winged vest theory. He's not taking charge and becoming the leader of a community, he's taking charge and becoming *one of* the leaders.

I like that we are getting a mix of s3 Michonne with the softer more understanding Michonne.

Carol....Carol just can't stop setting people on fire. This is what, the second time she's burned people alive. To go along with the time she burned David and Karen....at least she killed them first. She's still a total badass.

 

Wow that's a lot of 10s. Lol.

No question the first half of this season is one of the best ever. I mean it's rivaling seasons 6 and 5 for me, two of my favorites. But I think I'll hold off on giving it a 10 as there are certainly a few things that could have been done better or made more sense. I do give it a 8.5. Sure Rick, Maggie and Jesus are all gone and some things surrounding how the exits happened are head scratching. But overall it's been a damn fine season so far. The best thing about it is how they've set the second half up to be just as good with all of the unanswered questions we all have.