If you would like to read a recap of last week’s episode, click here. This season so far has put different characters in different places and has devoted episodes to these characters. This episode is no different and focused on Maggie and Sasha and their whereabouts since the season premiere. It’s just nice to get more of a standalone episode after being beat over the head so many times with Negan. I understand he’s not going away but the show has to be better at using him from now on since he has gotten worse and worse since the premiere.
This episode starts off with Maggie waking up in Dr. Carson’s (R. Keith Harris) office. He tells her that she’s been at the Hilltop for a while. Her first thought was about the baby but it is fine. He tells her that she needs to take it easy and that she needs to stay there for the duration of her pregnancy in case something happened. She walks out and is greeted by Sasha outside. She asks them where they (the bodies of Glenn and Abraham) are both and she takes her to their graves.
Sasha gives Maggie Glenn’s watch which she then places near his grave. Sasha just feels like everything is wrong but Maggie tells her that not everything is. They debate whether or not they should stay but Sasha will. Jesus comes and Sasha thanks for him for taking care of the flowers in Maggie’s room and on the graves. Gregory then shows up and is confused because he thought they had taken care of all the Saviors but Maggie tells them that they just took care of an outpost.
Gregory gets their names wrong and wants them to go despite what Dr. Carson said. He is also upset about the graves since they burn their dead. He is worried that their presence might make it look like they were helping them which would look bad to the Saviors. He lets them stay the night but they have to leave in the morning. Jesus offers to take them home. Sasha tells him that Maggie’s pregnant but he makes it out to be her fault.
Rick asks Carl if he wants to go with him and Aaron to get supplies for the next time the Saviors come but he wants to stay with Judith. He’ll be gone a few days. Carl is upset about the way it now is. He gives Michonne a goodbye kiss. She didn’t go because she has to figure things out so. Carl asks her what and she says how to do this if they can. Even if Michonne thinks it’s wrong, she doesn’t know.
Carl goes outside and witnesses Enid plotting her escape over the fence. She wants to go to the Hilltop. She says she’ll be fine. Carl tells her that he’s not saving her anymore. Enid claims that locking her in the armory was not saving her. She hops over the fence.
Jesus tries to convince them to stay. Jesus says he’s not in charge because he’s not a leader. Sasha offers to leave so that Maggie can stay. Jesus doesn’t want that, he just wants to help. He hands Sasha something from Abraham. Jesus liked him. He always said things that could make you smile and wince at the same time. Maggie comes in. Jesus is sorry about it. Maggie asks why they burn their dead. He says it is so they can keep going. She asks what they have to remember them by and he says themselves.
Sasha wants to stay but Maggie suggests they take the night and that things would be clearer in the morning. Enid is riding a bike near old gas station when a Walker shows up. A strange car comes out of nowhere and hits it. When it is still alive, the car comes back and hits it again. Carl is inside. He tells her that he just wanted to go out for a drive.
Sasha and Maggie wake up to Hilltop being overrun by Walkers. The gates are open, there is fire everywhere, and a car is playing loud music. Sasha sneaks out though the roof of their trailer and urges Maggie to stay behind. Maggie gets out too and calls onto Jesus and some other residents. The start attacking the Walkers while Sasha struggles with opening the music playing car. Jesus wants her to close the gate.
Maggie then shows up with a tractor and runs over several Walkers and then the music car. Carl and Enid talk about what happened with Negan (in the premiere). She says it’s messed up but that’s how it is. Carl wants to kill him and she says she’d do it too. She says we do things for those you love or loved. Carl apologizes for locking her in the armory.
Jesus begs Gregory to let Maggie and Sasha stay. He claims to not know who Sasha is.Gregory tells him that the Hilltop can be his if says the word and if he sticks around and becomes part of place. Maggie and Sasha comes in and Gregory offers them rhubarb preserves for helping them with the attack. Sasha offers to go but it’s no deal. She asks how can they make it work. Gregory seems to imply sexual advances but Maggie tells him to go to hell.
Saviors show up and Gregory asks Jesus to hide them. Carl and Enid are walking and she appears to be emotional. Carl finds rollerblades for both of them. They ride around while holding hands. Gregory welcomes in the Saviors. Their leader named Simon (Steven Ogg) tells him that it is not a social call and that they need to talk. He needs to talk to him in the study because he wants to see Gregory’s painting. Simon tells him about the other guys (Rick’s gang) but Gregory pretends to not know anything about them.
He looks at painting and is amazed. Gregory thought the attack last night was a message from them but Simon seems to point out that it wasn’t. He’s trying to talk but Simon seems to be distracted by the painting and how nice his place is. He says that last night was an example of a service they provide. The Saviors unleashed them but they were going to take them out too but they were taken care of before they had the chance.
Gregory talks about being a team player but Simon tells them that the people he used to deal with were spoiled and became soft so they were replaced. The reason why was that they are all dead. Simon tells him that it all worked out. The people who killed the other guys now work for them.Gregory understands the benefits of crossing aisles.He recognizes what they bring to table. He’s pretty much sucking up to them.
Simon asks Gregory if there’s nothing else he should know. He ponders it and appears to direct them to Maggie and Sasha but it is really a closet full of scotch. Simon doesn’t like scotch but he was sure that he’s find someone who would. He believes that Negan will love it but he was going to take credit for it. He appears to sneer back at Jesus because he had to give up all his scotch. Simon tasks the other Saviors to go out and take half their stuff but before that, he asks Gregory to kneel for him. Jesus appears to not be impressed as Gregory is embarrassing himself in front of everyone.
Enid figures that Carl was just out to get her all along. He asks her to go help him kill Negan. But she says that it wouldn’t be for Glenn, Abraham, or Maggie but it’d be for him. She says what goes around comes around. They finally kiss. He tells her that he’s going home but she wants him to stay. She thinks he’s lying which he denies. She thinks he shouldn’t go but she can’t stop him. They are just outside the Hilltop and Carl is worried that they’ll see her but Enid assures him that they won’t see her.
Gregory is mad at Jesus because he didn’t hide Maggie and Sasha where he wanted. They confronts him with the fact that he was willing to give them up. Jesus threatens to tell the Saviors their deal with Alexandria if he doesn’t let them stay and Gregory agrees. Jesus doesn’t want to be in charge but he doesn’t want Gregory to be either. They’re all just going to be one happy dysfunctional family and Gregory will see them through it. Gregory claims to have made progress but Jesus disagrees because he was just embarrassing himself. He claims that the Saviors can be reasonable but Maggie punches him. Maggie stands up to him and tells him that since this is going to be their home, that he should start calling her by her actual name, Maggie Rhee.
Jesus tells Maggie and Sasha about his history with Gregory. He was already the leader when he showed up. He thought that they chose him for a reason and it just happened. He didn’t like how he did things but he couldn’t imagine anyone else in his place. He offered to talk about it more sometime. He apologized for not talking to Gregory sooner and promises to make it up to them.
Maggie tells them to meet her back at the trailer. Sasha tells Jesus that he can make it up to them by finding where Negan lives but he’d have to keep it between him and her. He doesn’t like that but she doesn’t either. Maggie finds Enid near the graves. She’s marked them with balloons. Maggie tells Enid that she’s not okay but she will be. She makes dinner for her back at the trailer. Enid hears about what happened with Maggie earlier. Sasha comes in and Enid tells them she came by herself. Maggie gives Enid Glenn’s watch. They don’t need anything to remember him by. They pray.
The Saviors leave the Hilltop. Sasha is sharpening her knife. Jesus stows away in the back of one of the Savior trucks and Carl is there too.
Overall, this was a better episode than last week as Negan wasn’t involved. It showed us Maggie and Sasha and reminded us of the Hilltop but it was still mostly filler. The episode focused a little too much on Gregory but that might not be the case too much longer. It did add a few more personal grudges towards Negan with Carl, Sasha and Jesus, and maybe Michonne to go along with Rosita last week and it will be interesting to see where it all leads.
Score: 7.5/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
