The TWD: World Beyond Season 2 Episode 8 Scene Fans Thought Made No Sense
Once upon a time, AMC's "The Walking Dead" was a modest little post-apocalypse show thrust into a world dominated by "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men." However, that time has long since passed, seeing as the series is now recognized the world over as a staple of television, merchandising juggernaut, and a benchmark for virtually all forms of zombie media. Come 2022, the original "TWD" program will finally bid audiences farewell after 11 seasons, but this doesn't signal the end of the overall continuity. Several spin-offs are in the works, and some are already a regular presence on the small screen.
The first title to venture into these uncharted waters was "Fear the Walking Dead," going unaccompanied for around its first five years on the air. This trend ended in 2020 thanks to the arrival of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond": an offshoot centering on a group of youths whose entire lives up to this point have been plagued by the zombie outbreak. As of this writing, the initial batch of 10 episodes is already in the books, and the second is rapidly approaching the finish line, with only two more installments yet to arrive.
The latest Season 2 entry, "Returning Point," did a lot to move the "World Beyond" story forward while sprinkling in some high-intensity action at the same time. Nevertheless, there's something about this episode that fans noticed didn't make a lot of sense.
Fans feel the gunfight was messy
In a brief action scene, "Returning Point" features an explosive gunfight between troops from the Civil Republic Military and Will Campbell (Jelani Alladin), Dennis Graham (Maximilian Osinski), and Silas Plaskett (Hal Cumpston). With the residents of the Perimeter settlement held at gunpoint, our three heroes leaped into action to try and free the innocents. Though the encounter leaves Dennis severely wounded and a few Perimeter residents met a grizzly end, they succeed for the most part. The sequence doesn't last long, but "Walking Dead: World Beyond" fans couldn't help but pick it apart.
Reddit user BeastyBoi195 first brought up the scene, referring to it as "ridiculous." They point out that the CRM troops' reactions are painfully unnatural, and they make little effort to defend themselves or kill their hostages once Will opens fire. Beluga617 agreed wholeheartedly with this and called it "an action scene to have an action scene" — effectively labeling it unnecessary.
BunnyMystery brought up that even the Perimeter's people got on their nerves for not getting out of there once the firefight began, much less picking up weapons and defending themselves. Redditor TuunDx likened the CRM forces to stormtroopers from "Star Wars" due to their inability to fight properly and called out the show for continually failing to establish the CRM as a legitimate threat.
Whether it's because of issues in the edit or purely a matter of poor fight choreography, it's clear that "Walking Dead: World Beyond" viewers aren't buying the gunfight from "Returning Point."