Rendition (The Walking Dead)

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"Rendition"
The Walking Dead episode
TWD-11x4-DarylAndLeah.jpg
Daryl, held captive by the Reapers, is interrogated by Leah.
Episode no.Season 11
Episode 4
Directed byFrederick E.O. Toye
Written byNicole Mirante-Matthews
Original air dateSeptember 12, 2021 (2021-09-12)
Running time43 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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The Walking Dead (season 11)
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"Rendition" is the fourth episode of the eleventh season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. The 157th episode of the series overall, the episode was directed by Frederick E.O. Toye and written by Nicole Mirante-Matthews.[1] "Rendition" was released on the streaming platform AMC+ on September 5, 2021, before airing on AMC on September 12, 2021.[2]

In the episode, Daryl (Norman Reedus) reunites with Leah (Lynn Collins) while the Reapers hold him captive at their headquarters, Meridian, and torture him for information about his group. The episode received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot[]

In the woods, Daryl tries to flee during the Reaper attack on the scavenging team with Dog. He soon directly fights one of them who is set upon by Dog, only for the Reaper to throw the whimpering canine down a hill. One of the Reapers attempts to stop their companions from attacking Daryl, who takes the opportunity to flee and search for Dog; the Reaper who spares him stares in shock at Daryl's presence. The following morning, Daryl comes across Dog, who is sitting next to a masked Reaper cloaked in black. The Reaper then removes their mask to reveal herself to be Leah—Daryl's former romantic partner he connected with during the six years he spent isolated looking for Rick's body after his assumed death. Leah begins asking Daryl if he is with Maggie's group. Trying to conceal his involvement to save his friends, Daryl lies that he bumped into them recently on the road; Leah is unconvinced. Daryl then tries to take Dog and leave, but the canine refuses to leave his original owner's side; a group of Reapers surround Daryl.

At the Reapers headquarters, Meridian, a bound and hooded Daryl is dragged into their camp. Alone with Leah inside a shed, Daryl confides to Leah that he came back and looked everywhere for her; Leah smothers him into unconsciousness. Daryl soon wakes up in-between coughs and gasps for air as Reapers waterboard him, and insists that he only briefly traded with Maggie's group, claiming that his family are all gone after losing a fight with another group of survivors; nonetheless, he continues being tortured until Leah eventually orders them to stop. He is then dragged into a dark cage; his cellmate across the way is Frost. When Frost asks for any information on the others, Daryl quickly shuts him down and lies to him that he doesn't care about the others; Frost seems to understand what he's doing and plays along. Leah then again orders Daryl to comply and surrender any information lest he face the wrath of the her leader, Pope. At Pope's quarters, Leah learns that fellow Reaper Michael Turner was found dead as reported by another Reaper named Bossie. As the Reapers' preacher, Mancea, prays and chants over Michael's body in tongues, Leah and the Reapers grieve their fallen brother; Pope demands his people to make Maggie's group feel his and God's wrath.

Afterwards, Leah returns to Daryl's dingy cell as Frost is taken away for interrogation and confides her grief over Michael, who she saw as a younger brother and is also the first person she has lost since him. Daryl protests that he did return to her cabin to be with her, but hesitated due to being scared of giving up his search for Rick's body. Leah admits she still has feelings for Daryl, who insists he would help her if he could and claims he is not lying to her about not being part of the group. Daryl gives in and offers vague details on the group, claiming that a woman (Maggie) is leading the group with Gabriel and Negan by her side; however, Daryl lies to Leah about speaking code with them because he's an outsider and that they were meeting up with three dozen of their fighters. Satisfied, Leah reports back to Pope to vouch for Daryl and inform him about the intel given to her about Maggie's group, and also convinces Pope to let Daryl join them. However, Pope mocks Leah for her feelings towards her former boyfriend, along with the fact that she could've "ended him out there"; he eventually relents and agrees to test him.

That night, Daryl and Leah are left alone in the interrogation room, only to be locked inside; the shed is set on fire and the room is engulfed in flames. Daryl is able to break through a window and helps Leah out of the burning room, and follows her to safety outside where they find Pope and all of the Reapers gathered outside. Shocked and having not known of the test, Leah quickly realigns with the others. Pope, impressed that Daryl not only escaped but saved Leah before himself, welcomes Daryl into the group. In his quarters, Pope sits with Daryl and asks him if he believes in God; Daryl says not anymore. Pope then explains how his people were traumatized Afghanistan war veterans who couldn't cope with civilian life after finishing their tour of duty and had become mercenaries until society fell, at which time politicians who hired them tried to exterminate them in a fire; after they survived the fire in a church, Pope became convinced they were "chosen" by God. Daryl is then implored by Pope to believe in God. Outside, around a campfire, Pope accuses Bossie of abandoning Michael in battle, and throws him into the open flame, holding him down until he burns to death; Daryl remains silent, forced to play along due to being outnumbered.

Production[]

"Rendition" marks the return of Lynn Collins as Leah, who was absent since "Find Me"

The episode marks Lynn Collins' second appearance as Leah, making this her first appearance since the episode "Find Me" the previous season.[3][4]

Reception[]

Critical reception[]

The episode received generally mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has an approval rating of 67% with an average score of 6.8 out of 10, based on 12 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Daryl is an involving tour guide through The Walking Dead's final batch of antagonists, although 'Rendition' won't convince the skeptics that The Reapers are much different than the murderous militias who have plagued the series before."[5]

Ron Hogan of Den of Geek gave the episode 4 out of 5 stars, praising Toye's direction and the performances of Reedus and Collins in their scenes together, writing that: "Nicole Mirante-Matthews walks a fine line in these moments, with Daryl and Leah pushing at one another without losing that core connection."[6] Rob Bricken of Gizmodo praised the development of the Reapers' backstory, but expressed wariness with where the writers were going with it, saying: "I doubt The Walking Dead will define the Reapers’ religious affiliations beyond them being on a mission from 'God.' I’m much more worried about how bad the concept of the Reapers could break if the show isn’t careful with it."[7]

Writing for Forbes, Erik Kain criticized the repetitive nature of the storyline, comparing it disfavorably to Daryl's arc with the Claimers in the show's fourth season. Kain wrote that: "What this season lacks, so far at least, is any sense of true danger or high stakes. This is the final season of the entire show but it feels altogether safe—safe in ways the earlier seasons never felt. Whatever tension we stumble across is too contrived and predictable to matter much."[8]

Ratings[]

The episode was seen by 1.88 million viewers in the United States on its original air date.[9] It marked a slight increase in ratings from the previous episode, which had 1.87 million viewers.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ Bojalad, Alec (June 24, 2021). "The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode Titles Get Mythological". Den of Geek. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Hansen, Renee (August 19, 2021). "AMC and AMC+ Walking Dead release dates, let's clear up the confusion". Undead Walking. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Anderton, Joe (September 13, 2021). "The Walking Dead boss responds to character return in season 11's latest episode". Digital Spy. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Acuna, Kirsten (September 12, 2021). "'The Walking Dead' star talks her big return, her 'relationship' with Daryl moving forward, and how she had to keep the final season a secret when she joined the show". Insider. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "Rendition". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 4 Review: Rendition". Den of Geek. September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "The Walking Dead Revealed the Origin of Its Newest Homicidal Nitwits". Gizmodo. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  8. ^ Kain, Erik. "'The Walking Dead' Season 11, Episode 4 Review: The Reapers? More Like The Repeaters". Forbes. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 14, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.12.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 8, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 9.5.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 8, 2021.

External links[]

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