Spoilers ahead for the "Some Guy" episode of The Walking Dead.
The latest episode of The Walking Dead was one of the deadliest of the series, as a surprise attack from the Saviors resulted in the deaths of the majority of The Kingdom's forces. Those who survived the initial barrage of bullets had to face the reanimated corpses of their former friends as well as Saviors who were walking around. Ezekiel survived with only an injury to the leg, but he was captured and very nearly killed by a Savior. Fortunately for Ezekiel, Jerry charged up with his giant axe and literally sliced the Savior's body in half vertically in an awesomely gruesome stunt. A behind-the-scenes video has been released that breaks down everything that went into the crazy stunts, and it's worth checking out.
In case you had any doubts that actor Cooper Andrews was really the guy swinging the massive axe around on The Walking Dead, this video should settle your mind. Apparently, Andrews already had some martial arts training before coming to the show, and he trained extensively for his violent sequence in "Some Guy." Honestly, we should probably give some credit to Khary Payton as Ezekiel and all the stunt people doubling as zombies in "Some Guy" for not flinching every time they saw Andrews swing that axe. Between his size, the gigantic weapon, the blood, and the berserker scream, Andrews cut a pretty scary figure.
All the effort that went into filming the sequence makes it all the more remarkable that Jerry wasn't killed off in the episode. His rampage with his axe had all the makings of a heroic last stand to protect his king; given the fake out earlier in the episode that gave the impression of Jerry's death, the show could have easily killed him off. In fact, once his axe broke, I was on the verge of giving up on him completely. I've never been more happy to be wrong when it comes to The Walking Dead. Who doesn't love Jerry?
The video makes it clear that Cooper Andrews and Khary Payton have as solid a dynamic off-screen as they do in the show as Jerry and King Ezekiel. Considering how many people were killed in "Some Guy," they really might need to lean on each other in the aftermath. Ezekiel seemed to have pretty much given up toward the end, especially once he saw his beloved Shiva somehow ripped apart by Walkers, but Jerry wasn't ready to give up on his king. We'll have to see if and how Ezekiel and the Kingdom are able to recover after their terrible losses in this episode. If they're now out of the game, Negan only has the forces of Rick and Maggie standing in his way. At least Rick may now have a big advantage over Negan.
Check out AMC on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of The Walking Dead. The next episode should be must-see-TV, as the trailer indicates that Negan and Gabriel will be back to pay off on that crazy twist from the Season 8 premiere. Don't forget to take a look at our breakdown of 2017 TV cancellations as well to catch up on what won't return to the airwaves in 2018.
