What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

 

 

The Walking Dead

Sigh.

Rick takes a note out of a microwave on the side of the road.

Carl opens the gate at Alexandria, letting the caravan in.

A memorial is created at the Kingdom, remembering Shiva, and the others that we lost.

In a voiceover, Rick says the plan is working. They’re winning. They’ve lost people, but when it was over there weren’t any Saviors left standing. Maggie says, Jesus took prisoners. They’re holding them until they decide what to do. Carol tells about the ambush. She, Ezekiel and Jerry are the only ones left. Rick says it’s scarier than he thought it would be. Sasha was the first, and they need to make it right for them. He’s headed to the next step. The Sanctuary is cut off from any supplies. They’re to meet there in two days to end it, and win it all. They fought every step of the way to this moment. The path led them to who they are, to each other, and to now. This can be their last fight.

Jesus passes out food to the prisoners. Maggie is irritated, but he says they had a bumper crop of turnips; even the Saviors didn’t want them. I understand, having had more zucchini than I could handle one year. Gregory says to build a gallows already; save the bullets, and be done with it. Maggie tells him to go inside – now. He says she knows he’s right. Maggie tells Jesus that he shouldn’t have put them in this position. He wonders what they’re fighting for, but she says they have to end it. He tells her they have to make sure what’s left was worth what they lost when it’s over.

Jerry says the King isn’t receiving visitors, but Carol knocks anyway. She says they promised to meet Rick, and need everyone who can fight. Jerry tells her Ezekiel wanted him to go away, but this is what he does. Henry asks if he can help, but Carol tells him to stay there.

Tardis Jaundice Jadis and the Garbage Pail Kids have captured Rick. These people are weird and annoying. Jadis asks what he wants, and he says the same thing he wanted before – a deal. She says they killed his people. He says they killed some of hers too, but they need him, and his people need them. She knows they have the numbers to take the place. He announces the Saviors are finished. Negan and his people are trapped by walkers. Until they surrender, they stay there. He’s there to offer a better deal; it’s their choice to forget Negan, switch sides, and be part of what they’re building together. Or they’ll be destroyed. Threats and dreams. He passes out the Polaroids that he took after the attack. His people know he’s there. What they do next, depends on what Jadis does right now. She smiles, and says no. Rick is led away. She says he talks too much. Ha-ha! He does.

In his old office, Gregory tells Maggie that people who aren’t leaders always think they know better. It’s not so easy. Maggie thinks it was easy for her not to sell out Hilltop to Negan. He says what he did was in the best interest of the community. She says he was scared, and tried to save himself. He tells her not just himself. He’s sat in the leader chair. She needs someone to tell her it’s okay to follow her gut. Jesus might try to make her feel bad, but she’s the shepherd, and they can’t have wolves among the flock. It’s that simple.

Michonne decides to go out and look for Rick. Rosita tells her not to, but she won’t listen, so Rosita gets in the car. Tara tells Daryl he was right not to kill Dwight. They wouldn’t have gotten this far without him, but when it’s over, she wants to be the one to kill him. Daryl says maybe they could do it together. Geez. It was an accident for Pete’s sake.

Jesus looks through the fence as he guards the prisoners. A Savior asks if this is what he signed up for, but he doesn’t respond. The Savior says he was by himself for a while. Different guys kept taking over, but he didn’t care since he was getting food. They sent him to put up a fence, and now here we are. Jesus tells him to stop. None of them are innocent. The Savior says he’s no angel; there’s no such thing.

Rosita asks why Michonne needed to come out. Michonne says it’s like a siren has been going on in her head that she can’t turn off. She helped get it started, and needs to see it, turn the alarm off, and go back home.  Rosita seems satisfied with her answer. They hear something, and Michonne tells her to stop the car.

It sounds like opera. Rosita doesn’t think it’s the Sanctuary. Neither does Michonne, but she says they don’t know. They walk into the woods, ready for a fight, following the music. They come out and move toward the building it’s coming from.

In the middle of the woods, an impaled zombie grabs for a bag hanging from a tree. A guy kills it, and it’s the guy from the gas station a couple of episodes back. Carl makes himself known, explaining that his dad was firing warning shots at the gas station, and introduces himself. The man says he’s Saddiq. Carl asks if Saddiq wants food and water. He remembers Saddiq saying his mom told him to help people, and Carl’s mom said to do what’s right. He tosses the supplies to Saddiq, who drinks greedily from the water bottle. Carl is glad he found him, and tells Saddiq that he and his dad are in a community. He asks Saddiq to answer honestly. How many walkers have you killed? Two hundred and thirty-seven, give or take a couple. How many people have you killed? One. Why? The dead tried to kill him, but they didn’t. Carl asks if the traps are how he killed so many. He says that’s only part of it. His mom hoped that killing them freed their souls. Maybe she was right. Carl asks if it doesn’t just make things harder, interfering with his own survival. Saddiq says you have to honor your parents. Carl says if he did that, they wouldn’t be talking, and he wouldn’t be asking him to come to the community.

Henry whacks at zombies with a stick in the woods. Carol shoots them, and says kids who go into the woods are never seen again, or if they are, they’re monsters. He says she needs fighters, and he’s fighting. He asks if she was going to the Sanctuary by herself, inferring that it’s not too smart. He wants to kill the ones who killed his brother. Carol asks if he knows how to use the stick, and Henry tells her that he watched her train people. She tells him to stay close.

Tara approaches Jesus, and tells him Maggie said to bring the Saviors in. He tells them two at a time, and they’re led into a pen. Maggie says they’ll feed them and not mistreat them, but won’t stand for anything less than total cooperation. Gregory says they can’t let people they don’t trust run around inside their walls. She says she grew up on a farm, and knows about sheep and wolves. Two guys grab Gregory, and walk him in with the Saviors. He acts like Sylvester the Cat, grabbing at things, and dragging his feet, trying to keep them from putting him in the pen. Savior Jared tells Maggie she’s going to get her people killed, but oh that’s right, she already did. He tries to grab one of the guard’s guns, and she cracks him one. She says she might regret her decision, but he’ll definitely regret his.

Carl and Saddiq hear zombie gurgles. Zombies are feeding on a deer, or moose, or Bigfoot, or something. Several zombies stagger toward them. One gets up close and personal with Carl. Saddiq stabs its throat, but they keep coming. It’s a pretty tense, oh sh*t! moment. Carl is totally trapped, and Saddiq gets one down, but he’s struggling. Finally, Carl gets a grip on his gun, and shoots them. I was starting to like Saddiq, then I remembered. Don’t like anyone on this show and invest nothing. Carl says he’s responsible for Saddiq now; that’s how it works. Saddiq doesn’t want to make trouble, and says Carl’s dad didn’t want him. Carl says sometimes kids have to make their own way and show the parents. Good point.

Michonne and Rosita follow the sound. They go inside a warehouse (?), and hear people talking. It’s two Saviors, a man and a woman, talking about saving asses and how what’s done can’t be undone. Tara and Michonne sneak around. Michonne accidentally kicks a tennis ball, and the Saviors see it. They draw their guns. Rosita takes out her gun. The Saviors shoot, and Michonne takes off. The Saviors search for them, one of them whistling. Tara looks in a box, and pulls out a drill. I think.

Michonne jumps out, getting the best of the woman, but she rallies, and they duel. She calls to her partner. He comes into view, and Tara points a gun at him. He says she’s not going to use that thing – which is like, a villain’s famous last words – and that wasn’t a gun, it was some kind of fire launcher. The second the words were out of his mouth – whoosh! – like Enoch, he was no more. The woman drives off in a truck, the back of it carrying large speakers, blasting the opera. As she gets to the intersection, BOOM! She’s T-boned by a garbage truck. Daryl is the driver, and Tara came along for the ride. Rosita says, that was too close, and Michonne says, it was.

Daryl says that was a Savior, and Michonne explains they found them scavenging. Tara asks why they’re out there, and Michonne tells Tara that she has to see the Sanctuary. Rosita says she does too. Rosita asks what about them, and Daryl says they have work to do; all of them.

Carol makes another try at seeing Ezekiel. Jerry says still not seeing anyone. She tells Henry to cover his ears, and points her gun at the door. Jerry says it’s not locked. Carol goes inside.

She finds Ezekiel, sitting on the floor in front of his throne, Shiva’s empty lead in his hand. He knows what she wants, and what he should be doing, but he can’t. She tells him the people out there need him. He says he played a part, and the stakes were their lives. He still played it; he knew, and yet he smiled. He can’t be what they need. He asks her to please, just leave him alone. Carol starts to leave, and stops. She asks why he kept coming to visit her? Ezekiel says it was his duty to make sure she was okay. She says she was okay; why did he really? He tells her that she made him feel real, not a fiction. Tears roll down Carol’s cheeks. She says he is real – to her, to the Kingdom; the people need their king to lead them. He says she could lead them, but she says it has to be him. He inspired them to build this place, to believe in something. He has to help them grieve, to move on, to end this. He owes them. Henry needs him. The people need King Ezekiel, and if he can’t be the king, do what he does best, and play the part. Carol says she has to act every day. It bothered her at first, but it’s who she is, and she’s still standing. They have to act like everything is normal. It’s what they need, and what he has to give them. Ezekiel says he can’t.

Jared works at cutting the bonds on his wrists with a rock. The guy who was talking to Jesus, slaps it out of his hand. He says Jared will get them all killed. Keep it together, and this place will be theirs. Gregory broods.

Aaron, Maggie, and Enid sit in Maggie’s office. Aaron says he keeps forgetting Eric is gone. He has moments where he thinks he’ll see him and be able to talk about how he’s feeling, and his mind catches up. He remembers, and the pain is knowing it won’t ever happen. Enid knows the feeling. He asks if it gets easier. Maggie says no, but it helps to do something about it. Jesus comes in, and tells them Gregory is trying to suck up to the Saviors; she did the right thing. He thanks her, but Maggie says, not so fast. She thinks they might be bargaining chips. Maybe they can trade them for some of their own people, so they might need them. But if they don’t, they can’t let them live. Jesus looks sad. Aaron walks out.

Aaron packs up his car. Enid asks where he’s going, and he says he’s going to make sure they win. She wants to come, saying he’s right; they need to win. He tells her to get her stuff, and some food. They might be gone for a while.

Daryl drives to an empty lot. He looks through a pair of binoculars, and gives them to Michonne. She sees the Sanctuary, and it’s coated with zombies trying to get in. Daryl thinks they should end this thing right now.

Jadis draws an A in chalk on a storage container. A naked Rick looks out from inside. She, and the garbage people (Talking Dead calls them the Heapsters), leave Rick at the dump alone.

Next time, inside the Sanctuary, Dwight has a talk with Eugene, and Eugene gets a gun held to his head.

🎆 It was a long weekend in more ways than one, and included my birthday, which included martinis. I’m trying to ignore Real Housewives of Atlanta, or at least not concentrate real hard on it, and I like to compile my 90 Day Fiancé thoughts into a once a month fiancé rant, so the Dead stands alone. Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. Now, back to work.

🐶 For the Dog Lovers…

🐱  For the Cat Lovers…

🐙 For Everyone Else…