The Walking Dead

Robert Patrick: Best thing to happen to Walking Dead in years

Published

4 years ago

March 14, 2021

Nir Regev

Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

There’s levels to the acting game. When an industry veteran like Robert Patrick steps onto your screen you can tell the difference immediatley. AMC should make whatever cuts necessary to The Walking Dead’s cast & crew to pay Patrick’s full-time asking price. Today, not tomorrow.

This Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 19 recap contains spoilers for “One More”.

At first, tonight’s Walking Dead appeared to be stock full of the usual one-on-one NyQuil drenched conversations about tragedies from the past. Then Robert Patrick’s character Mays arrived out of nowhere like a mini-Negan to turn the show around. Diving back into the addicting mix of old-time Western and horror that made the series renowned in the first place.

No romantic sideshows or mysteries that can’t possibly deliver on their hype. Tonight’s Walking Dead was a return to testosterone and masculinity. Russian roulette over stolen Whiskey and a man’s boar.

Father Gabriel and Aaron broke into a man’s home and enjoyed his goods without permission. So they had to pay the price. Eye for an eye, as universally clear as it gets.

There was more striking character development in Mays’ lines about the Bible than Judith’s entire rescued group combined frankly. Look at Mays physical body language, its dominant yet shaky and unpredictable. There’s also a certain poised cadence to his line delivery. The same traits that made Simon such an intriguing character on The Walking Dead.

First Impressions Matter

Robert Patrick as Mays in The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 19. Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

You don’t know what Mays will do but realize he’s capable… And hungry. “One More” shows how important it is to have the right talent. Robert Patrick made you fully believe in Mays because he himself was fully invested in the character.

The Russian roulette scene was reminiscent of The Purge TV Series’ first season finale. Walking Dead wise, it was probably the closest scene to Rick Grimes’ famous “I hear Nebraska’s nice” line at the bar in almost a decade.

The only disappointment? That they had Father Gabriel ‘dispose’ of Mays when he should have been a lead talent along with Melissa McBride, Norman Reedus, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Seth Gilliam alone would have a season’s worth of material playing preacher to a non-believer. Especially one who claims to have to read the good book front to back before tiring of it.

It would be like The Governor getting a one-off episode instead of multiple fleshed out seasons. When you have talented actors, you don’t toss them aside. Bonus episodes or not.

AMC should do whatever it takes to pay Patrick’s asking price to be a full-time regular, it’s not too late. Mays was hit in the head but he wasn’t shot, you could still write your way out of this character death. Or simply do a line of flashback episodes if needed.

“One More” was easily the best of the three bonus episodes that have aired of The Walking Dead Season 10. Which started off rough with “Home Sweet Home’s” ’80s homage gone overboard.

There’s a reason why people have watched Mr. T-1000 in Terminator’s 2 truck chase scene the world over millions of times. Some talent just has an ‘X’ Factor and it’s always noticeable whether it’s Judgment Day 1991 or not. Box office records are not broken off weak or just okay material. You don’t hit the World Series with just a solid cast of players.

Sign Marietta, Georgia’s best officer back to active duty. Bring Robert Patrick on-board from action film star to TWD series lead.