The Walking Dead season 8 episode 4 'Some Guy' spoiler review

*Major spoilers for The Walking Dead season 8 episode 4 follow*

“I’m not your king. I’m not your majesty. I ain’t nothing. I’m just some guy.”

As King Ezekiel's crown slips in a scene towards the end of the latest thrilling instalment of The Walking Dead season 8, so does his status as the show's biggest caricature - after a season of eye-rolling Shakespeare-spouting rabble-rousing, it's taken trauma - the death of his entire army and beloved tiger, Shiva - for Khary Payton's character to finally feel like a character worth rooting for.

The opening of the third episode, titled 'Some Guy,' is a statement of intent. It begins with what viewers immediately assume to be the same old spiel from the king before swiftly evolving into the season's first jaw-dropper: a match on action shot juxtaposing united members of the Kingdom surrounding their leader with their respective fates as a mound of slain corpses collapsed atop of him - the outcome of last week's climactic gunfire.

It's a visceral shock, the scene cutting from shots of torn limbs to bullet-ridden bodies in breakneck succession - the editing of which incites genuine discomfort. As his followers rise to follow him once more - this time in the form of salivating walkers - Ezekiel is thrown into a danger we've not yet seen him in; what follows is our best season 8 episode yet.

Just like last year's episodes came under fire for honing in a bit too intently on specific characters in varying locations, the trio of episodes that have opened this latest run may have been filled with action, but were sprawling in their nature, continually struggling to get the balance shift between the show's insurmountable ensemble right. It's a relief that 'Some Guy' feels like the most successfully fleshed out episode of The Walking Dead in a long while, fit with a pace that toes the line better than it seems to have managed in years.

The majority of screen-time is handed to Ezekiel as well as two surviving members of the Kingdom, Carol (Melissa McBride) and Jerry (Cooper Andrews) who splits a Saviour clean in half with his battle axe, a moment sure to have gore fans licking their lips in glee. There's also a late-to-the-party cameo from both Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) that almost serves as a tantalising preview of next week's action.

A quick thought: it's only upon reflection that the extent to which McBride - over the past eight seasons - has mastered the art of moving mountains with a little hits home; it's a genuine thrill to see Carol equipped with a machine gun and gaining the upper hand over two despicable Saviours - a far cry from the meek character she was introduced as. The series would really suffer without her.

Having experimented with full-on action, this week's outing made for an altogether bolder, more nail-biting and hugely entertaining experience that eliminated one this arc's key issue of too many characters in one cold-blooded shot.

As Carol, Jerry and a wounded grieving Ezekiel, arrive back to the Kingdom greeted by the loved ones of his massacred army.

Only now, he has no Shakespeare to quote: Ezekiel may have made it out of the episode alive but 'King Ezekiel' is no more.

The Walking Dead season 8 airs every Sunday in the US on AMC with the UK premiere arriving the following evening on FOX. It will also be available on NOWTV

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