#The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 19 Review: One More

Trust The Walking Dead to throw in a game of Russian roulette when you least expect it.

The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 19 started as a run-of-the-mill supply run episode, but by the midway point, I was covering my eyes and yelling at the screen every time I heard the gun click.

Aaron and Gabriel have never been my favorite characters, but “One More” was a perfect way to shed light on some of the finer details of them before throwing them in at the deep end.

By the end of the episode, I was completely and utterly invested in how this deadly situation would shape how they approach strangers in the future.

While Mase initially seemed like a loose cannon, it was thrilling to see the layers pulled back on him before our eyes as he had the upper hand in a scenario in which he wanted to make our beloved characters pay for taking his food.

The issue with Mase from the get-go was that he had hardly secured the building, so it was easy for Aaron and Gabriel to enter and think they had lucked out when they found their dinner and some alcohol.

They truly had the day from hell up until that point, but nothing could prepare them for the sheer horror they endured when they woke up with a hangover.

Credit where credit is due for an episode that wasn’t even supposed to be a part of the series, this was one of the best in many years. The psychological horror aspect of it worked wonders for the narrative.

If you watch The Walking Dead online, you know supply run episodes haven’t been all that in the past, with the characters miraculously stumbling on something they can take back for their people.

The moral dilemma about whether Maes could truly go with them to Alexandria was simply tragic. The apocalypse had not been kind to his mental state, but the way he knew his way around weapons was highly concerning.

What if, god forbid, they took him back, and he killed one of the kids, or even someone else? Gabriel nor Aaron would be able to forgive themselves.

Gabriel murdering Maes when it seemed like they were out of the woods will go down as one of the biggest shockers in the history of the series.

Previously, Gabriel gave people chances and used his faith to assess whether people pose a threat to his people.

But after losing so many people, the war with the Whisperers, and now, the Reapers, Gabriel has been forever changed.

Aaron strived for the good old days when he was out finding new people to join Alexandria, and he was particularly impressed with the way Gabriel used to be.

The character development for them both is excellent, but Aaron is too much of an optimist, and I hope the altercation with Maes will veer him away from trusting people blindly.

If recent seasons have been any indication, the world is getting worse, and the characters are finding more peril than ever before.

With the lack of civilization, the remaining humans feel like attacking other communities is the best course of action, and it kind of makes sense. Why wait around for people to strike when you could take the first hit?

Maes keeping his identical twin locked up was the bigger surprise. Having the same actor play both roles threw me until we got to see the brothers’ photo in happier times.

Unfortunately, the brother was also not in a good place. It looked like he witnessed his family dying, and he was chained up next to their corpses for what looked like years.

It’s a tragic tale, but the brother was too far gone and felt like the only way out was to kill himself. It’s rare for shows this late in the game to tell a truly satisfying self-contained story that begins and ends in the same episode.

I’ve been on the fence about the Tales from the Walking Dead anthology series in development, but these bonus episodes of The Walking Dead Season 10 have taught me that these stories can work well.

“One More” also had some more stunning cinematography. The switch to digital filming has really excelled the series’s look, and I only wish they had gone digital sooner.

Whether Gabriel and Aaron will make it back to Maggie in one piece, I don’t know, but I suspect they will have many questions about why the building with Maes and all the supplies was not on the map.

Are we to believe Maggie encountered them in her quest? On a side note, did anyone else think Leah would emerge from the shadows and help out?

Leah was a great addition to The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 18, and she needs to return.

What did you think of Gabriel and Aaron’s mission? Do you think it was handled well, or did you expect more? Did Maes being killed harken back to Carol killing the young girl on The Walking Dead Season 4?

Hit the comments.

Catch new episodes Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.