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Synopsis: Rick’s vision of a civilized future is threatened by a sudden reckoning with past sins that remain unavenged and unforgiven. (IMDB)
Writer: Geraldine Inoa
Director: Rosemary Rodriguez
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 44mins
Airs: Sundays at 9pm on AMC (Canada/United States)
The beginning of the end for Rick and it stumbles the whole way which shouldn’t be that big of a surprise at this point.
Michonne is bored with the monotony of new life of community building so she decided to kill some Walkers on the side. She stopped when she noticed a Walker hanging from a noose. Meanwhile, Maggie was making a quick stop at the Hilltop before going on another trip to Alexandria so she could make things right. Jesus was worried about her and thought that she may be heading on a similar path to Rick.
A sudden change in weather made any work to finish the bridge repair next to impossible. Carol’s abandoning control of the Sanctuary so she can lead the people from the Kingdom back to their home. She didn’t think it was going to work with the Saviors. Rick got word that Maggie was heading to Alexandria and headed back with Daryl.
Alexandria was facing trouble with their tomato crops while Negan was refusing to eat. Daryl had a different plan with Rick by taking him away from Alexandria to keep him away from Maggie. A quick tussle led them to the bottom of a deep pit. Back in Alexandria, Negan wasn’t eating because he wanted someone to talk to. She begrudgingly gave in to his demand. In the pit, Rick and Daryl aired their grievances with one another. They talked about the past and Glenn while Daryl shared what Oceanside did with Rick and called Rick out on his treatment of others. Daryl believed that Rick should let go of the people he was still trying to hold on to.
Negan delivered some pretty spot on commentary about Michonne. She knew he was right but she defended her actions. Negan then opened up to Michonne about his wife and how he wouldn’t want her to see what has happened. This was apparently all for Carl but Negan called her out on whether Carl would have wanted Negan imprisoned. The conversation shifted to the child Michonne lost. He compared Michonne to his late wife and how they were perfect for each other. This was too much for Michonne.
At the scrapyard, Anne prepared Gabriel to be her sacrifice. He forgave Anne for what she was about to do and took responsibility for not being able to help her. This would be enough for her to spare his life. Back at the camp, the Saviors weren’t leaving without weapons. They knew Oceanside was responsible for killing them and they wanted their revenge. A shootout ensured while Rick and Daryl continued to try and escape the pit. Michonne was still thinking about what Negan had said so she went back for more. He tried to explain himself but she was adamant that they were not the same. He believed that she feared that she’s become like him. He also wanted Lucile.
Walkers were falling into Rick and Dary’s pit as they tried to escape which they of course did. A horse came just in time so Rick can lead the Walkers away from the camp. Gabriel woke up from a shipping container and found a note from Anne confirming that she left him. For some reason, Maggie finally got to Alexandria while Rick and Daryl were dealing with the Walkers and the camp.
Rick’s horse dropped him near the bridge where he was impaled all while herds of Walkers approached from multiple sides.
Overall, this was yet another mostly filler episode that avoided any real answers by throwing several crises at us. Obviously, this was meant to be a two-part episode focusing on Rick’s fate as a character (which was spoiled after the credits of this episode). This and a few other things are going to happen in the next episode but the lack of resolution kind of hurt this episode. Rick and Daryl’s pit talk was the best part of the episode though they of course had to be interrupted by Walkers. The Negan and Michonne scenes were fun too because it was nice to see more Negan (I miss Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Anne and Gabriel was also kind of underwhelming as well. Also, why did Maggie take so long to get to Alexandria? Hopefully, the season will not make the same mistakes that past seasons have made with other departing characters though expectations at this point are not very high.
Score: 7/10
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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.