The Walking Dead, S06E02, JSS, review: Disaster strikes in Alexandria

Maggie and Denise shine in their supporting roles

Out of firepower : Tovah Feldshuh and Andrew Lincoln as heroic Rick in 'The Walking Dead' (AMC)

If last week’s series opener delivered a legion of zombies on an unimaginable scale, this week’s instalment offers an altogether more human form of horror. ‘JSS’ stages a brutal, bloody fight for survival as the Alexandrians come face-to-face with the mysterious Wolves.

After last week’s zombie carnage this episode takes viewers back to the suburban streets of Alexandria, as the somewhat idyllic community is shaken to the core in the wake of an unprovoked attack. As violence sweeps through the streets, Carol, Maggie and Deanna lead a desperate attempt to defend the grounds. Morgan arrives to provide some much-needed aid, while Carl, Enid and Jessie do their best to protect their homes from the invaders.

By this point in the series, ‘community under attack’ is a familiar part of the Walking Dead calendar (it’s essentially the post-apocalyptic Christmas). And yet the episode manages to avoid any strong feelings of déjà vu by wisely focusing on its strongest characters and their emotional journey as they’re forced to take swift action.

At the centre of all this is Melissa McBride’s Carol, who is on top form this week as she morphs from domestic goddess to masked vigilante in virtually the blink of an eye. Not only does she shift from baking to bashing skulls in virtually no time at all, but McBride also shows all the nuances of Carol’s journey as she fights to protect her friends. From the regretful mercy killing of a doomed comrade to the silent moment of regret as she retrieves the cigarette packet belonging to a dead friend, her scenes are always tinged with remorse at the true cost of the violence.

It’s also a good showcase for the other female characters of The Walking Dead, including a few women we have not yet seen in the spotlight. It’s something of a turning point for Jessie, Rick’s on/off love interest who this week proves she’s more than capable of looking after herself in his absence. Her desperate struggle against one of the invaders is easily one of the bloodiest on show and it will be interesting to see what’s next for Jessie now that she has proved how desperate she is to survive.

Maggie and Denise also shine in their roles as on-the-ground support and medical support respectively. Denise in particular is a winning addition, thrust immediately into the intensity of the struggle as she tries to save a woman’s life without any real experience. Her scenes with Eugene and Tara feature moments of comic relief mixed in with the grief and help to lighten what would otherwise be a relentlessly depressing episode.

If there’s a sore point to be found it would have to be the enigmatic Enid, who makes a compelling introduction in the pre-credits sequence but ultimately fades into the background once the action kicks off. When Carl asks her not to tell him goodbye Enid simply responds, ‘I won’t.’ True to her word, by episode’s end she vanishes with nothing but a handwritten note to show for it. The hint is that she’ll be back with secrets to tell in the future, but it would have been nice to see her at least a little more involved in events after that tantalising opener.

The Wolves are another fitting addition to Rick Grimes’s ever-growing list of enemies, their maniacal, nonsensical talk and unmasked aggression offering a much-needed change of pace to the foes they faced last season. Morgan’s decision to let so many of them leave seems foolhardy at best, but no doubt viewers will look forward to their return and the chance to discover more about this disturbing group of outcasts.

The Walking Dead on Mondays at 9pm on FOX