If you would like to read Keith’s review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: In the season finale, the communities join forces in the last stand against the Saviors. The season’s story lines culminate in all-out war. (IMDB)
Writers: Scott M. Gimple, Angela Kang and Matthew Negrete
Director: Greg Nicotero
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 44mins
Airs: Sundays at 9pm on AMC (Canada/United States)
“Wrath”starts off with a flashback to Rick and Carl before the apocalypse as they walk down a country road. Back to current time, Alden walks down a road followed closely by walkers and Rick checks on the Hilltop’s baby when he passes by Siddiq who he asks about how it happened with Carl and we get a touching moment between the disgruntled leader and his son’s last friend. The team at Hilltop discuss their plans for the Saviors’ attack while they discuss the fears and realities of death. Sounds like some foreshadowing. Oh and Morgan is going crazy. Rick suggests Morgan stays behind given his current state, but Morgan says that both he and Rick aren’t good people and they need to finish this to save the people they love.
Back to The Sanctuary, where Eugene and Gabriel walk around as they cart off bullets around them. They see Dwight, battered and in shackles, who is loaded up by Negan for the big fight. Negan tests out some of the bullets before and he, Eugene and a reluctant Gabriel head off to the battle. Negan sent some of his own people as a sacrifice to make it look like his plan was still the one Rick has. Not gonna lie, that’s smart. As Morgan takes out one of the Saviors, he sees Jared taunting him about death and its inevitability. Rick and the gang find a map on one of the Saviors and believe it’s a trap, but again it’s just Negan setting them up again so he can kill every last one. Gabriel cannot accept that and jumps out of the moving vehicle. DUDE YOU’RE BLIND.
Gabriel runs off into the woods, but Negan and his guys chase after him with Eugene threatening the priest at gunpoint. Negan hits him in the gut with Lucille and almost takes a swing, but loads him back up into the van. Jesus and Morgan discuss his issues and suggest he doesn’t kill people, only walkers. As they walk through a field they see a massive horde of walkers, but that’s the least of their concerns. The Saviors have mounted an attack on the Hilltop. As Rick and the gang walk through the field they hear a whistling around them and Negan’s voice on a loudspeaker. Shit is about to hit the fan.
Rick and Negan taunt each other with the Saviors leader discussing he has Eugene, Dwight and Gabriel at gunpoint. He counts down and the Saviors shoot they guns which backfire on all of them! EUGENE YOU BEAST YOU. The three captives attack Negan, but he runs off frantically as Rick and the gang charge. Meanwhile, at the Hilltop everyone is running away to the rendezvous point when Tara, Alden and the rest of the defectors help buy the community some time. Fire erupts outside the Hilltop which surprises Tara when she sees the Oceanside community throwing Molotovs at the Saviors to stop them. As Eugene is about to be killed, Rosita saves him and Jesus stops Morgan from killing. The remaining Saviors kneel to surrender to them leaving Rick out on his own chasing after Negan.
Negan is able to get a hit on Rick with Lucille, and split open his gut, before they fall to the ground in fisticuffs. Negan gains the upper hand and stands overhead with Lucille in hand. He taunts Rick with Carl’s death, but Rick is able to knock him down. He asks for 10 seconds to explain the world Carl wanted, but uses the time to swipe a piece of glass across Negan’s throat seriously injuring him. Everyone walks over to see what happened and Rick tells Siddiq to save him which causes Maggie to scream in frustration. Rick gives a speech to the communities, Savior and Hilltop, that the way of life is changing and that they must work together to survive. It is them against the undead and they have to make sure there is something worth living for. Rosita asks Eugene if he sabotaged the bullets and she punches him for the puke, but forgives him. Morgan decides it’s time to leave and rediscover himself, sparking his crossover onto FTWD, and it returns to the shot of Rick under the tree, not injured and dying, but relieved it’s finally over.
Back at the Hilltop, the community is readjusting. Alden confronts Maggie and asks if he can help them build the world of tomorrow and she allows it. Rosita and Tara bring resources to the Sanctuary to help fix it up showing how they want to help each other. But then Daryl brings Dwight out into the woods for a little chat. Dwight breaks down and accepts his fate, he knows he’s done bad things and he deserves what is coming to him, but Daryl instead gives him a vehicle and tells him to leave and never come back. Um what? Meanwhile, Morgan pays a visit to Jadis at the dump and offers her a place in their community. She agrees to come back with him, but he explains he has to be alone for a bit. Dwight drives off to where he thinks his wife is and instead finds a letter that says ‘Honeymoon.’ Maggie thanks Jesus for saving the Saviors from the outpost, but she doesn’t agree with Rick’s decision regarding Negan and shows her own Negan side coming out with Daryl emerging from the darkness and agreeing.
The episode ends with Negan waking up in the infirmary surrounded by Rick and Michonne who give him a lesson in the proper way to lead and how they need to work together to survive and thrive. However, Negan will not be a part of this and will be this new civilization’s first prisoner to show how things can be like they used to with laws and structure. Gabriel walks through the burnt down church in Alexandria where he prays and opens his eyes revealing his vision is back. Rick writes a response to Carl’s letter as we see him, wearing his police uniform, walking with a younger Carl down that old country road thanking his son for bringing him to this new world.
Overall, this was a decent, albeit anticlimactic, episode. The war is over and yet it just was not satisfying. As many characters are justifiable frustrated with Rick’s decision, it will be interesting to see how these communities and their relationships are strained going forward and where allegiances will fall. It was a shame in a show where no one seemed safe that this war ended with no deaths whatsoever. Hopefully next season pits friends against one another over their ideological differences in how the new world needs to be built and sustained. Unfortunately, this finale was a filled with a bunch of misfires and a whole lot of setup.
Score: 7.5/10
What did you think of “Wrathâ€? Did you expect that ending? Let me know in the comments below!
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