In Review: The Walking Dead ‘Here’s Not Here’

Millions of ravenous viewers of Robert Kirkman and AMC’s Zombie Mega-Hit, The Walking Dead, eagerly tuned in to last Sunday’s episode entitled, ‘Here’s Not Here‘, to find out whether or not original cast member, Glenn (Steven Yuen), was indeed killed off and eaten by a zombie horde in season 6’s third episode entitled, “Thank You.”

But the producers  of The Walking Dead chose instead to focus on Morgan (Lennie James) and his character’s evolution from insanity to an almost zen-like transformation at the hands of a newly introduced character named Eastman (John Carroll Lynch), in an extended 90 minute episode.

While fans across the country moaned with Glenn-ridden disappointment at the idea of yet another week or so of not knowing Glenn’s fate, the Morgan centered episode was simply brilliant and quite believable. Lennie James gave a tremendous performance, with an even more amazing performance by Walking Dead newcomer John Carroll Lynch as psychologist turned last living Aikido master of the zombie apocalypse.

What was so striking about ‘Here’s Not Here’ was the depth and emotional roller coaster ride of character development which the viewer was given a front seat for as it pertains to both Morgan and Eastman. To see Morgan transported back to season 3’s twelfth episode entitled ‘Clear‘, in which we see Rick (Andrew Lincoln) reunited with the memorable character of Morgan from the show’s pilot episode was a fun ride for all Morgan fans.

The question of just how Morgan could go from an insane PTS suffering victim/survivor of the apocalypse to a relative and subjectively sane lover of all living things was a question on many a fan’s mind, which ‘Here’s Not Here’ handled and answered in quite a sophisticated, elegant  and enjoyable way.

My only hesitation would be why the show’s producers would not have considered bringing John Carroll Lynch’s character on as a series regular or at the very least for a few more episodes as Eastman was a character unlike many others, who could potentially have become yet another fan favorite.

Even though the fate of Glenn is still unknown, ‘Here’s Not Here’  was simply a masterful episode from Robert Kirkman, along with Scott Gimple and the rest of the show’s producers and writers.