“Talks too much,” says Junkyard leader Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) in the latest episode of The Walking Dead season 8 in reference to Rick Grimes, Andrew Lincoln’s long-suffering leader who - after eight seasons and 106 episodes - looks more in need of a strong drink than ever. Conveniently enough, her words could also be applied to this weeks’s outing, a sluggish slam on the brakes undoubtedly designed by writers as a ‘calm before the storm’ that serves nothing more than to highlight the show’s weak points.

Following on from the subtle thrills of the past two episodes dealt out with a stylistic flair the show hasn’t deployed in some time (case in point: the juxtaposing match on shot in episode four), the instalment - titled ‘The King, the Widow and Rick’ - is clearly a breather designed to move the pawns into place ahead of the final two episodes before the midseason break. It’s an effort to enjoy handing extended screen time to the show’s less exciting players.

The Hilltop, for example, is just not that interesting a location to watch, The scenes showing the truly dislikable Gregory (Xander Berkeley) calling Maggie (Lauren Cohan) the wrong name or Jesus (Tom Payne) preaching from the misplaced book of an AWOL Morgan (Lennie James) don’t help either failing to do anything but irk - a real shame in Jesus’ case: his status as the sprightly breath of fresh air he was first introduced as when Rick and Daryl met him back in season 6 is dwindling rapidly.

Thankfully, Michonne and Rosita - two of the show’s strongest female characters - return to the fold after off-screen events forced them to take unofficial hiatuses (Danai Gurira for her role in forthcoming Marvel film Black Panther, Christian Serratos due to pregnancy). Finally leaving the walls of Alexandria to get a smell of the action, the duo wade right into danger in a tensely-executed yet ultimately pointless scene which culminates in the latter literally sending a Saviour sky-high with a rocket launcher. Talk about making up for lost time.

The most shocking Walking Dead moments Show all 10 1 /10 The most shocking Walking Dead moments The most shocking Walking Dead moments Sophie's a walker (season 2, episode 7) Much of season two's opening half is spent looking for Sophia, the missing daughter of Carol (Melissa McBride). Turns out she was locked up in Hershel's barn as a zombie all along. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Shane reanimates without being bitten (season 2, episode 12) When Carl (Chandler Riggs) guns down a deranged Shane (Jon Bernthal) to protect his father, the shock arrives when he manifests into a walker despite not being bitten; turns out everyone's infected with the virus and will turn whichever way they die. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Axel's bullet to the eye (season 3, episode 10) A character introduced in the show's prison arc, Axel is a reformed prisoner who strikes up a friendship with Carol - until he's gunned down mid-sentence. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Carl kills Lori after she gives birth (season 3, episode 4) Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) goes into labour at the very moment a zombie siege breaks out at the prison. Unfortunately, she doesn't make it through the procedure with her son Carl being the one to put a bullet to her head. The most shocking Walking Dead moments The Governor slays Hershel (season 4, episode 8) The Governor makes his dramatic return for a showdown at the prison after he captures Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Hershel (Scott Wilson). Rick reaches out, attempting to reason with him - but The Governor starts a war when he proceeds to decapitate poor old Hershel instead. The most shocking Walking Dead moments "Look at the flowers" (season 4, episode 14) In a standout episode from the show's fourth season, Carol is forced to take drastic measures when young teenager Lizzie murders her sister Mika in the belief that she'll live on as a zombie. Realising Lizzie's depraved mind would endanger those around her, Carol puts a gun to the young girl's head and, telling her to "look at the flowers," pulls the trigger, fighting back the tears. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Carl's bullet to the eye (season 6, episode 9) Season six returned from its mid-season break in typically dramatic fashion when an iconic moment from the graphic novels came to life: Carl takes a bullet to the eye. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Beth is killed (season 5, episode 8) Upon being kidnapped, Beth (Emily Kinney) is taken to Grady Memorial Hospital managed by Atlanta Law Enforcement. Forced to reside there against her will, the group - including Rick and Daryl (Norman Reedus) - eventually find her - only for her to be accidentally shot in the head by her captor. The worst thing? Her sister Maggie (Lauren Cohan) had just arrived outside. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Negan kills Abraham Season seven opened in brutal form as we discovered it was Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) at the opposite end of Negan's baseball bat. "Suck my nuts," the soldier growls as the Saviours' leader brings Lucille raining down on his head until nothing remains but a pulpy mess. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Negan kills Glenn Negan decides to punish the group once more after getting clocked round the face by Daryl. Without expectation, he thwacks Lucille round the head of poor Glenn. With his eyeball popping out of his head, he manages: "I'll find you, Maggie before Negan proceeds to finish the job ending the former pizza delivery boy's life.

In perhaps six unsurprising words: the episode belongs to Melissa McBride whose character Carol Peletier finally gets something to chew on for the first time in what feels like an entire season. Her irritable impatience with King Ezekiel’s decision to mope over the massacre of his Kingdom army is peak Carol, her refusal to leave him wallowing in pity while clutching the chain of his deceased pet tiger Shiva almost witty. She re-establishes herself as the best actor on this series (the writers clearly had a good day in the office when penning her scenes) and plants a seed of excitement for the inevitable reunion she’ll have with her old friends. Watching McBride at work is simply a joy.

Honourable mention also for Carl (Chandler Riggs) who we are led to believe has spent the past few episodes milling about on his lonesome in an attempt to track down Siddiq, the character he met in one of the season’s very first scenes. He showcases his leadership skills asking Siddiq the questions his father asks strangers the group encounters and is even further proof that we could see Grimes Jr. overtake his father as leader one day in the future. The scene is a nice reprieve from the war antics taking place elsewhere and is played nicely by both Riggs and series newcomer Avi Nash.

The episode ends back at The Junkyard with a moment sure to increase the heart rate of fans as Jadis - having refused to join Rick in the fight against The Saviours once again (those polaroids were for her benefit) - strips and locks him in a crate for an unknown purpose. We see her scribble a mysterious ‘A’ onto it, an odd cliffhanger which seems to - yet again - hark back to an earlier season. It's unsure how Jadis and co will factor into the season's game plan but whether you'll even care remains the bigger uncertainty.

The Walking Dead season eight 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