[RECAP] Season 8, Episode 5 of The Walking Dead, "The Big Scary U"

Why miss out? Subscribe to our blog via E-Mail!

At the beginning of this much anticipated (and much hyped) new season of The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman and Scott M. Gimple promised a raucous and action packed start which is entirely what we have received for the past few episodes.  Now that we have arrived at Episode 5, "The Big Scary U", the show scaled down the action dramatically to offer a much needed character study episode surrounding its star villain, Negan himself.  And after much anticipation, we finally got a chance to see the answer to the burning question we've had in our heads since the 100th episode premiere: What in the world happened to Negan and Father Gabriel since getting trapped in that trailer?

The show starts off by showing us a brief moment of Father Gabriel in church, by himself, telling God that he doesn't fear death anymore as he used to.  His fear now is a "fruitless death" and how if he's going to die, he wants it to be with a purpose.  If that's not foreshadowing, I'm not sure what is.  Remember this moment folks because Father Gabriel is likely not long for this world for too much longer.

Moving on, a major strength the show has always had is being able to illustrate jumps in time exceptionally well and here is no exception.  The next moment we see is Gregory at the Sanctuary, speaking to Simon.  Well, more so expressing his undying allegiance to him and The Saviors.  Simon hears him out but states that he will need to speak directly to this boss (because middle management exists, even in the post apocalyptic world).  In the next scene we have all the lieutenants sitting in their own "conference room" of sorts with Negan at the head of the table.  It becomes clear that Negan isn't fully buying Gregory's devotion to the Savior cause (as well he shouldn't), as he tells him that he gets the impression that he's playing both sides (which is true).  Simon tries to back up Gregory, even going so far as to say that if the Hilltop does NOT obey Gregory's order, they will show up with a show of force and kill everyone in sight if they need to.  It's at this point that we see Negan slam Lucille (his bat, for those who aren't familiar and if so, why in the world are you reading this?) consistently on the table and make it clear that they are NOT to go in and arbitrarily kill people because as he repeatedly says, "PEOPLE ARE RESOURCES".  This very important point illustrates how regardless of how much of a sociopath Negan may be, there is a method to his madness.  We even get the impression that there is some sort of history between Simon (the right hand man) and Negan, particularly when Negan asks him if he's "backsliding" and if he's forgotten what "this" was all about.  I'm hoping we'll get more on this backstory later...

But it's at this point, that gunshots are heard and we understand where we are in the timeline: This meeting took place the day that Rick and crew stormed the Sanctuary.  We get a brief glimpse of the moment Negan and team stepped onto the balcony to confront the situation and then we fast forward to where we left off in the season premiere: Negan and Father Gabriel in the trailer.

Negan wastes no time in tackling Father Gabriel to the ground, disarming him immediately.  He informs him that they'll need to wait this out, to see if The Saviors can break them out.  As they sit there, Father Gabriel discovers what he feels is is his purpose and he believes it is to take Negan's final confession.  We then spend most of this episode with Negan and Father Gabriel, in the trailer as walkers start to break through.  We learn some interesting things in their exchange to bear in mind for the future: Negan worked with kids in the past, before the apocalypse (perhaps Vice Principal that also coached?).  Negan does not feel any remorse whatsoever for the murder of Abraham and Glenn, because he says that Rick got them into that position (kind of true, to an extent).  Negan feels that he needs to get back to The Sanctuary as soon as possible because without his leadership, he feels that they'll succumb to attacking each other like a bunch of wild jackals (very true).  But one of the most enlightening moments is when Father Gabriel apparently hits a raw nerve by questioning Negan on his "wives" (to which he responds by saying each lady has a choice in the matter) but going as far asking him if there was a wife BEFORE all this.  And was he faithful to her?  This is the second time on the show that we see Negan ask Lucille to "give him strength" essentially to not kill Father Gabriel right then and there.  What ultimately ends up happening is "Negan's Confession" where he DOES confess to being unfaithful to his then ill (and presumably dying) wife, who he could not bring himself to put down, even after becoming a walker.  A situation very similar to Morgan's own situation (coincidence?).

After Negan confesses, Father Gabriel breaks out of the trailer bathroom and the two get to the task of covering themselves in the guts of walker that Negan drags in, in order to pull a Walking Dead classic move: Covering yourself in walker guts to throw off the walkers.  We end up seeing Negan and Father Gabriel deftly moving among the walkers until they have to start fighting back as a team, Negan even going so far to save Gabriel when at one point he falls.

Within the Sanctuary itself, we see that the natives are getting restless (literally).  Among the top of the brass, we see that the lieutenants are trying to figure if Negan's dead, what happens now?  They are trapped with the walkers swarming the Sanctuary and have gotten to the point of shutting down resources such as the AC to preserve fuel and power.  Think about that point for a moment:


IN THE POST APOCALYPTIC SOUTH, THE SAVIORS HAVE CENTRAL AIR. 

That makes for a pretty compelling case on why they have so many on their side, as it is.  But that's besides the point.

Among the top of the staff, it is clear that they are trying to determine who the mole is within the Saviors that got them into this situation.  As to be expected, most suspect Eugene, since he DID come from Rick's camp.  Dwight does come to his defense which Eugene later thanks him for in his room.  This interaction eventually supplies Eugene with the pieces that he puts together to realize that it's actually Dwight that is the mole within The Saviors.
What he will do what that information is still left to be determined.  Eventually the workers start to get restless at the conditions they are having to contend with (even though they are providing the labor expected) and are wondering where Negan is and if he is alive.  Simon tries to quell this potential uprising but someone in the crowd inevitably takes a shot and Regina (one of the lieutenants) immediately executes this individual.  It's at this point, that we hear the infamous Savior Whistle (which is pretty cool, honestly), everyone genuflects and Negan shows up with Father Gabriel in tow.  He puffs out his chest and demands a word with this right hand man and Father Gabriel is gingerly taken away.

Weaved into all of this, as a small side story but not to be neglected, is Rick and Daryl, picking up on where we left off after the assault on the Saviors carrying the 50 caliber weapons.  The Savior is eventually killed, but before that, they learn that everyone from the Kingdom (soldiers wise) were killed.  They see that beyond the guns, the Saviors also have explosives that Daryl feels should be used to blow the Sanctuary wide open in order to guarantee an immediate surrender.  Rick is not in agreement however, since there are workers and women and children within the sanctuary but at this point, Daryl looks at all innocent bystanders as collateral damage (much like Simon, as a matter of fact).  They reach an impasse and even end up coming to blows believe it or not, with Rick throwing the bag of explosives out of Daryl's reach...that promptly leads to the car and all its weapons going up in a spectacular fireball.
.

Well, so much for that option.

Rick then informs Daryl (after some awkward silence) that he's going to continue on the mission by himself.  He starts walking and notices a black helicopter flying overhead.

Your mind at this point should be saying, WTF???

Finally, we come to find out that Father Gabriel was put into a cell and Eugene has come to bring some comfort elements (much as he did with Sasha).  Unfortunately, we see that Gabriel is feverish and sick, deliriously talking about how they have to get Dr. Carson to Maggie immediately.  Hence my earlier prediction on Father Gabriel's death and foreshadowing.

PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK: Based on what we see for the teaser, we will be seeing characters we haven't seen in some time (Carl, Michonne, Rosita, as well as Maggie & Jesus).  It also seems that Tara and Daryl come to an alliance on taking stronger action toward the Saviors.  This doesn't sit well with me, since I really hope these two don't go on a Sasha/Rosita type suicide mission (because we all know how THAT ended up).  But I guess we'll get more insight into all that.

Also, expect in the coming weeks for Eugene take on a more definitive role in getting Dr. Carson back to the Hilltop, possibly with Dwight's assistance.

But that's just MY take...

CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST ON "THE BIG SCARY U" TO HEAR OUR LOVELY TAKE FOR YOUR OWN EARS!

[CAROL'S COMIC CORNER] Season 8, Episode 5 of The Walking Dead, "The Big Scary U"

Why miss out? Subscribe to our blog via E-Mail!

By Carolina Gallardo (@carolgallardo)

In episode 805, entitled "The Big Scary U", we finally got the long awaited Negan-centric episode we've been longing for (or was that just me?).  This episode provided some much needed depth and dimension to our newest villain that added a layer of complexity to the character and, most likely, began the framework and argument for why the show will likely NOT kill him, come the end of the All At War story arc (much like what occurs in the comic).

This episode primarily centers on the dialogue between Father Gabriel and Negan, as they are trapped in what appears to be a General Construction trailer right outside The Sanctuary walls.  This is due to the swarm of walkers that has descended onto the Sanctuary after Rick and Team's offensive attack at the onset of the season.  Negan immediately disarms Father Gabriel (not like he was a serious threat, come on) and they then choose to wait it out until the Saviors manage save them (Negan thinks).  As they wait longer and longer, the trailer becomes a sort of "confessional" for Negan who decides to confess his deepest regrets to Father Gabriel, when it starts to look as if they may not make it out of this situation alive.  He doesn't regret any of the people he's killed but rather who he COULDN'T kill: His sick wife.  Apparently, before the Apocalypse, Negan was a married man, though admittedly a philandering husband, who was running around on his terminally ill wife.  Upon her hospital death, he could not bring himself to fully put her out of his misery, since at that point,  she turned, as everyone else at that point when they passed away.  Instead he ran and left her in the hospital.

This is his only true regret, and we see the emotion resonate on his face and he explains all this to Father Gabriel through the barrier of a door within the trailer.  Upon his confession, Father Gabriel opens the door and the two plot their escape from the trailer and make their way back into The Sanctuary (after, you know, Negan punches Father Gabriel in the face).

This background information coincides with Negan's history that is illustrated in the comic, albeit in a different format.

In the comic, Father Gabriel and Negan NEVER interact and this whole "confessional" scenario never occurs.  Instead, the reader learns about Negan's backstory through a separate number of issues that run parallel to the comic story line (sort of like when we all of a sudden got a Morgan backstory episode for example, like "Here's Not Here").  In those issues, we learn that Negan was a school teacher, before the apocalypse,  He was indeed married and although he loved his wife very much, he was not able to remain faithful to her, even through her sickness.  He is by her side, however, in the hospital during her last few days and moments and is there when she inevitably dies and turns.  Negan, stricken with shock and grief, cannot bear to kill his now walker wife and he leaves her behind (not all that similar to Morgan's situation with his own wife).

Oh and by the way, Negan's wife's name was Lucille.  It all makes sense now right?

Beyond that, though, there weren't too many other direct similarities to the comic.  Some of the fighting that we see when Negan and Father Gabriel escape the trailer and start fighting off the walkers can be compared to the moments in the comic when Rick's walker herd first descends on The Sanctuary.  In the comic, Negan doesn't get trapped in a trailer but rather fights off a considerable amount of walkers before being trapped inside the Sanctuary with the rest of his Saviors (much as Simon and his lieutenants are during the duration of this episode).  

Perhaps the biggest DEPARTURE from the comic source material is the TV interpretation of Eugene versus the comic version of Eugene.  On the show, Eugene is a spineless coward with moments of bravery but by far, most of us can agree that he is the weakest link.  In the comic however, Eugene is DEFIANT in Negan's presence, even as his prisoner.  While I have a feeling that we likely see more moments of bravery from Eugene, he will likely never mimic the courage that his comic counterpart exhibits.



This episode however was very much all about Negan (he is after all, "The Big Scary U") and, as already stated, started to lay the very important groundwork for humanizing his character and making a case for how he and Rick are perhaps not THAT far off in their intentions.  My thought is that we will continue to see more of this development in the second half of the season, especially in light of Carl's imminent death and the effect that will have on his conscience.

NEXT TIME: CAROL'S COMIC CORNER COVERS EPISODE 806 (THE KING, THE WIDOW & RICK) + EPISODE 807 (TIME FOR AFTER)

[RECAP] Season 8, Episode 11 of The Walking Dead, "Dead or Alive Or"

Why miss out? Subscribe to our blog via E-Mail!

By Carolina Gallardo (@carolgallardo)

This week's episode of Walking Dead entitled "Dead or Alive or" we got a seemingly filler episode focusing on mostly Daryl and the now refugee Alexandrians and a Father Gabriel/Dr. Carson team now on the run.  At first glance, the episode appears to be a filler episode but there were plenty of Easter eggs that could potentially develop into something much larger.

In the case of the Alexandrians, our group is on their way to the Hilltop, the last remaining beacon of hope.  With Daryl is Tara, Dwight and Rosita and there is an uneasy alliance to eventually comes to a head.  Dwight has now completely turned his back on The Saviors and is fully supporting Rick's cause, however Tara is still incredibly mistrustful of Dwight and would like to see him eliminated immediately.  Daryl at least has enough sense to understand that Dwight is incredibly useful to their team but Tara cannot put aside her emotions to see this.  Which quite frankly is surprising and hypocritical considering that we MET Tara via her alliance to The Governor.  But I digress.

Eventually Dwight leads them to a swamp that if they can make their way through, they will be on track to get to the Hilltop as well as not be detected by Negan and his team, since the area was deemed "too dangerous". 

As Daryl and Rosita work toward executing all the swamp walkers (some with growing mushrooms...gross), Tara finally cannot hold herself back any longer and decides to take a shot at Dwight, forcing him to flee.  She chases and they find themselves hiding in a bush from a group of Saviors, patrolling the area for the Alexandrians.  Dwight eventually pops out and fools the Saviors as being just one of them and being wounded.  The group of Saviors is none the wiser and they all go off, Dwight having essentially saved their lives.  Daryl is livid with Tara that Dwight got away but Tara now realizes that Dwight can in fact be trusted. 

The group eventually arrives to the Hilltop with the news of what happened at Alexandria as well as Carl's death.  As viewers we do not exactly hear what is said, but we can read Daryl's lips and understand that he says the word "Carl".  We see Maggie and Enid eventually crumple to the ground, weeping at the news.

In another area, we see that Dr. Carson and Father Gabriel have escaped from the Sanctuary and are trying to figure out how to get to Rick and his group.  They are in a car but they are very much lost.  Eventually they stumble upon a random house that contains (3) very important elements that could potentially become factors in the future:

• Antibiotics that curb Father Gabriel's infection (A possible link to a potential cure?)
• A map to the Hilltop hidden in a piggy bank (Why the Hilltop?  And why would the map to the area be hidden?)
• A ham radio (***SPOILER ALERT***: For those that have read the comic, I'm sure that many viewers' eyes enlarged at the site and reference to that ham radio; $20 says that that ham radio is affiliated with the mysterious black helicopter; Just sayin')

Beyond these elements, we realize that sadly Father Gabriel's infection has done serious damage to his eye sight and he is slowly going blind.  This is a sad and horrifying premise for existence in this world: How can one survive this apocalyptic environment as a disabled person?

Finding all these elements however, further makes Father Gabriel feel that God has a purpose for them and that these are all signs that they are on the right track.  It's interesting to see the dynamic between this Man-of-Faith vs. Man-of-Science relationship.  At a certain point, after Father Gabriel finds the strength to be able to miraculously shoot off a walker from an already injured Dr. Carson, the good doctor starts to come around to this positive way of thinking...until they are ultimately recaptured by Saviors.  In a seemingly act of suicide-by-cop, Dr. Carson grabs a Savior's gun which gets him immediately shot and killed.  They drive off with Father Gabriel weeping throughout the car ride back to The Sanctuary.

Meanwhile back at the Sanctuary, Negan is putting the pressure on Eugene to get his Armory outpost up and running and making bullets to replenish their supply.  Eugene is not working fast enough and during a confrontation when Negan brings him a captured Gabriel as extra help, Eugene suggests using walker parts as weapons (throw the bodies over the wall to the Alexandrians to slow them down).  Hearing this and seeing Father Gabriel's state gets Negan's brain immediately working and we can tell he's come up with an idea.  They are to coat all of their weapons in walker blood so that just a cut or scrape or touch with an infected weapon will be enough to do just that: Infect the enemy and turn them into weapons themselves.  He gathers all his men together and informs them that they will be utilizing the might of the walker illness to their advantage.

Post-Apocalyptic Bio-warfare if you will.

With all all of our heroes now gathered at the Hilltop, expect next week's episode to be action packed with many of our main characters on center stage.

THE WALKING DEAD AIRS SUNDAYS, AT 9PM EST ON AMC.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live |1x05| Become

⬇️Listen Now⬇️

⬆️Tap the above graphic⬆️
to listen to this episode
in your favorite Podcasts App

---

---

We always say The Walking Dead Universe allows you to be the person you were meant to be. This episode spotlights what The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has been trying to show us the entire time: The Walking Dead Universe allows couples to Become what they were meant to be, too, in all their unique forms. Jadis had her day and - with the help of Father Gabriel Stokes - Anne Stokes found grace.

🎬We left so much on the cutting-room floor, including a zesty pre-show, tons of material in the middle, and an insiders-only post-show. Stream the raw version of this episode by either tipping us on Ko-fi and/or joining a membership tier on either Ko-fi or Patreon.

Tap the above image to stream it on Ko-fi
or tap here to stream on Patreon.

---

David Cameo:
Rachael Burt:
Sherrandy Swift:
Bridget Mason-Gray:

---

• NEW DESIGNS Available for purchase in the Merch Store, but the banter of how (some of) these designs came about is free:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 🎖️SURVIVORS Tier Member Aliza Jones' Birthday Shoutout and the birthday video compiled by 🤫WHISPERERS Tier Member Aidan Atkin:
  
  
  
• The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is doing so well, it's being advertised on Smart TVs!
• Why we didn't receive screeners for the final two episodes: Father Gabriel's Return! We had just talked about Suddenly Seth in our Instagram group chat, last week, with a bunch of attendees of The Camp. Seth Gilliam's nickname is derived from the several amount of times we've seen him just show up (like God, he's everywhere) at conventions and around Senoia, GA, but never officially invited as a guest.
  
  
  
• Video Game Adaptations to TV and Movies: There's a character in Fallout whose background story is eerily similar to that of Father Gabriel's (and Fallout came out first). We go into why video game adaptations were classically bad and why they're starting to be good now: obviously The Last of Us on HBO and touching on the TV series Halo on Paramount+ a bit, as well.
• The Execution of Father Gabriel's Introduction: Sherrandy loved the way they cinematically introduced Gabriel, from starting at his feet, the crunching of the leaves as he stepped, and the silhouette that kept you guessing. Beats introducing another new character they're just going to kill off in the same episode.
  
  
  
• The Tracking of Ramen Wrappers and Dead Walkers: Though we loved Pollyanna McIntosh's performance this episode, Sherrandy's suspension of disbelief did not extend to being able to track Rick Grimes & Michonne via slain walkers and Tasteful Noods ramen wrappers. We chalk it up to Richonne's carefreeness. It's also somewhat of a parallel to Hope Bennett leaving a trail for Felix Carlucci and Jennifer "Huck" Mallick to follow at the very beginning of The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
  
  
  
• Appreciating World Beyond Flashbacks: because some of us really loved that limited series and the flashes to Anne "Jadis" Stokes' confidant, Huck, was validating.
  
  
  
• The Tension Between Maintaining Your Own Humanity and Saving Humanity: It's something Dave brought up in the last episode, to blank stares (mostly). The show further explores the possibility that maintaining one's own humanity might come at the expense of future generations. Rachael chimes in that one can certainly do both, which is what Michonne says out loud to Anne when the latter asks if they are going to leave The Civic Republic Military be. This is also something that came up, frequently, during our World Beyond Season One recap with Brains Gone Bad and Aim for the Head podcast.
  
  
  
• The Last Light and Portland: It seems unfathomable to Sherrandy that the Civic Republic would stand up to the CRM, once the truth of what they've done is revealed, since the military has all this might. Dave asks and answers his own question: what would be the point of wiping out The CR, unless they had a backup plan in the form of Portland, whom they are now dangerously close to (even though the kids in World Beyond have probably already warned them that they are moving against them). Or smaller settlements, sure. The point is, that would rid The CRM of the CR.
  
  
  
• The Beauty of Jadis' Story and Redemption: Watching Anne's story with Gabriel and Richonne taking her first/final confession was moving. When she finally admits that she should've died an artist, while showing flashbacks of her making art in the heaps and zooming in on the portraits of hers she commissioned for Maggie Rhee took us all emotionally by surprise. It's relatable: the struggle of working hard to make amends and taking the easy way out and doubling-down. It's easy to forget her story arc, especially a character who is not in the comic book.
  
  
  
• Lighthearted Moments with Rick and Michonne: Touching again on their care-free nature, this episode. Rick is making up for lost time by wanting to get souvenirs for the kids, replacing the 'M' pendant she lost, and preparing the booze for later.
  

  The “M” necklace
  byu/TwilightZone1751 inTheOnesWhoLiveonAMC

• Gabriel and Anne Stokes: Thus begins the great debate over the depths of their connection. Dave heavily argues, effectively, that near the end of the flashbacks with he and she, that he married her (and she accepted). Bridget merely thinks he has love for her, especially within the context of them bonding over how they the sort of outcasts of our group of survivors in Season 9 of The Walking Dead. Rachael sort of thinks the same and breaks even with Gabriel being in love with Anne, but not so much the reverse. Sherrandy thinks the kiss between them was more of a goodbye to what might've been. Sherrandy brings up a good question: how did they even find each other? Dave responds: they both were visiting the spot where Rick met his "demise" on the anniversary of its occurrence and decided to meet each other there on an annual basis.

  

  AMC Networks

  

  
  
  
  
• Gabriel and Rosita Espinosa: credit to Takeerah's spoiler-ridden live tweeting of this episode at 3am, she suggested that this may have been the reason why Gabe felt he could no longer be with Rosita by the time they made it to The Commonwealth.
  

  I guess we finally know why Gabe and Rosita were broken up in season 11 #theoneswholive

  — Kera (Noir&Nerdy, TWD TOWL Podcast) (@ConnieDixon4Lyf) March 24, 2024

• The Importance of Choice, but Rolling It Back: Even though she was so close to staying and being her true self with Gabriel, Anne pulls away and commits to upholding the last light with The CRM; however, making that choice means having to waste Father Gabriel. In the end, she doesn't do that, which is a reciprocation of Gabriel gesture of faith and love in the form of what would've been Rick's wedding ring to Michonne.
  
  
  
• Rick and Michonne Weren't Married, but It Doesn't Really Matter: Gabriel informs the audience that Michonne and Rick were never actually married. Everyone agrees that marriage in the zombie apocalypse just means being together and surviving. Dave only brings this up because a certain contingent of fans has suffered severe online harassment when anyone seems to make this distinction. Why Dave even brings this up in the first place is that, as podcasters, these are the kinds of distinctions we try our best to get right; however, on top of it not really being that important, the harassment we've seen has been a factor in why we've never broached the topic.
  
  
  
• Handfasting and A Marriage in Two Phases in Judaism: This was a great opportunity to discuss beautiful alternatives to contemporary marriages, based on ancient traditions.
• Hell is Repeating We Can Do Anything: Sherrandy revisits the trauma (a la Fear The Walking Dead's final season) of telling the audience, repeatedly, what Richonne is capable of (spoiler alert: everything). Dave thinks the writers are intentionally getting you to doubt them, especially when you consider the bittersweet lyrics of Tony Bennett's The Good Life playing in the background in the scene following the title sequence: the song basically alludes that nothing good lasts. The Walking Dead Universe often finds a way to make that happen.
  
  
  
• Beautiful Storytelling and The Fragility of Survival: Rachael praises Michael Satrazemis' ability to direct a great story. Dovetailing from nothing good lasts and we can do anything, will Rick falter once he sees The Echelon Briefing? It seems like even strong-willed 'A's like Command Sergeant Major Pearl Thorne fall in line once they do. Moreover, the way the camera zoomed in on Anne's portrait of Glenn Rhee, TWD's heart, might be foreshadowing tragedy. Through much childish laughter, Rachael also thinks the geysers around Yellowstone National Park are a foreshadowing of pressure being built up that will explode in the next episode.
  
  
  
• Calcified Walkers and Gorgeous Cinematography: One thing we know Satrazemis is great at is incorporating great b-roll and thoughtful shots into the narrative to create excellent visual storytelling. All of it reminds Dave of his younger days, traveling the countryside and sleeping under the stars on top of a picnic table near Green River. Sherrandy ties this to The Last of Us when Joel Miller finally reunites with his brother, Tommy Miller, in Jackson. The appearance and explanation of the calcified walkers (a product of their environment) was such a treat.
  
  
  
• They Were Lucky: Michonne muses on their encounter with the three survivors on Three Pines Trail and how not only how one of them managed to get caught in a snare, but why she and Rick aren't more cautious. Dave thinks that these people may have belonged to either Omaha or Campus Colony and were lucky enough to be away from it when the CRM destroyed it. Rachael immediately thought of Carl Grimes and how, even after all these years, walkers can get you with a single bite. We also absolutely loved Will Brill's humor in his role as Dalton, one of the three survivors (accompanied by Red and Tina), who peed himself when faced with the possibility of retribution for trying to take all of Richonne's stuff.
  
  
  
• Clearing Up Timeline Confusion:
• The opening scene deliberately contained no time signifier to keep you guessing as to whether Jadis actually enacted her contingency. In reality, it is She and Gabriel's initial encounter 5 years after the bridge collapse (and Rick's departure from TWD). The tell is Gabriel's facial hair.
• Gabe mentions the ham radio: which isn't the super-powered one that Eugene Porter uses to maintain contact with Stephanie (Maxxine Mercer) throughout TWD Season 10, but the initial iteration Gabriel himself finds in Season 8 with Harlan Carson.
• The people Michonne is trying to help resettle at The Hilltop are Yumiko Okumura, Connie, Kelly, Magna, and Luke Abrams.
• All of the prior points relates to the 3 years ago meet-up, all of which are fine. This is where things become confusing. In the 2 years ago meet-up, Gabriel says, The group we were in conflict with [THE WHISPERERS], they compromised our walls. Food is scarce. Children are hungry [The very end of The Whisperers War, moving into the bonus episodes of Season 10]. He then he proceeds to ask for help, which causes Jadis to check-out, he apologizes, and gives her the ring. Dave lays out several reasons why this time placement is wrong (the long time span from the first encounter of The Whisperers all the way until the Beta's demise at the end of the war was definitely more than a year, plus the ages of Coco Espinosa, Judith Grimes and RJ Grimes), but the most airtight evidence was when Michonne left, which amidst the final throes of the conflict and took a year to recuperate from the Chlorine Gas. Even the most generous interpretation of events doesn't place what Gabriel describes as happening two years ago, but one year ago.
• Had he not mentioned it there, and said that they were starving in the One Year Ago meet-up, it not only would've been correct, but would've heightened the tension when Jadis pulls a gun on Gabriel to tie up a loose end after he loses his cool and asks for help once more.
• Redditor u/DeadCalamari1, loosely supports some of what Dave is saying in their own Reddit post:
  

  TOWL and Here's Negan contradict eachother on the timeline.
  byu/DeadCalamari1 inthewalkingdead

• Satrazemis' Love Letter to FearTWD: The Three Pines gift shop was eerily reminiscent of McNeill's Bait and Beer (what Sherrandy refers to as Bill's - Bill McNeill) which had several mounted fish which reminded us of the singing Big Mouth Billy Bass that John Dorie had in Season 4. The whole place had a take what you need, leave what you don't vibe that we got from that series.
  
  
  
• Yellowstone National Park and Here's Why You're Wrong: After ribbing Dave for saying that Three Pines Trail/Cabins/Gift Shop was near Yellowstone in Wyoming, he discovered that it makes complete sense and provided a map with annotations for the final edit of the episode. One interesting tidbit is that Yellowstone is just north of Bridger-Teton National Forest, which is reminiscent of Bridgers Terminal in New Jersey, which is all a play on Rick's final moments on TWD.
  
  
  
• It Could've Ended Here(?): Save for (arguably) Episode 3, almost every single episode in the series was a film unto itself and could've ended the season/series. Dave disagrees though because, like the geyser, there is too much build-up to not want the next episode. It is definitely an example of another cool thing each episode did: the episodes were constructed in a way where the end of each episode could've happened somewhere near the end, but just kept going to give us more great story.
  
  
  
• Blessing This Marriage in Advance: Gabriel's yearly pilgrimage to the site where Rick "met his demise" was a holy one. He was making holy water from the waters that would've been beneath the bridge. If the ring is a symbol of faith and love, and we know prayer starts with intent, then Father Gabriel blessed their union way ahead of the ring reaching Michonne's finger.
• Will it Wrap-up in Six Episodes? Bridget expressed tremendous doubt while Dave reminds everyone that the other spin-offs somewhat managed to do so while adequately setting up their already announced Sophomore Seasons.

  

  AMC Networks

  
  
• Anne's Death Parallels Huck's: Michonne manages to drive an axe into Jadis' side, similar to how Jadis shivved Huck's side during their final fight in World Beyond.
• Saving The People From the People: This prescient National Parks sign's message plays out, in its various forms, throughout the entire episode, most notably in the way it foreshadows Richonne's decision to inform The CR (the people) of The CRM's dark machinations.
  
  
  
• Red's Red Gun: Even the look of Red's janky colored red gun was humorous. We (really don't, but it's funny to) think they somehow found the bucket of nail polish the kids used in World Beyond to power the raft they constructed to cross the Mississippi.
  
  
  
• Looking After Oneself: Along with the toothpaste and Jadis waking up the lovebirds up like Paul "Jesus" Rovia did in Season 6, these nods are a great entry point into the overall sentiment it tried to impart on our survivors, which is how you can't save everyone. You can try to leave no man behind, but sometimes you have to prioritize saving yourself. Michonne, in particular, tried to impart this wisdom to Heath and he learned it in the hardest way possible in the very same episode. It also reminds us of a great conversation that we had with Benjamin Scotford of Just Keep Walking podcast. But, in the end, what does it all mean? Are they telling us that one of them will be forced to save themselves?
  
  
  
• Sippin' Whisky While the World Starves: We enjoyed the good life Rick & Michonne were having, but the 3 survivors they meet are a reminder of the state of folks out in the wild. It transported us back to One More (TWD 10x19), wherein a tipsy (ironically enough) Father Gabriel and Aaron were drinking Duane Jones whiskey just before they meet Mays, who is an excellent reflection of the state of people who are out there for a little too long.
  
  
  
• Jadis' Already Has A Day: the transliteration (from Old French) of Jadis name. Today was that day: the very day that she and Father Gabriel we supposed to meet was where she met her maker(s). The end result, though, is that she left this world fused with all her selves and finally became who she truly was meant to be.
  
  
  

⭐⭐🌟Like What We Do? Buy Us a Coffee!🌟⭐⭐

[RECAP] Season 8, Episode 16 of The Walking Dead, "Wrath"

Why miss out? Subscribe to our blog via E-Mail!

By Carolina Gallardo (@carolgallardo)

Well, we finally arrived at the Season 8 finale of The Walking Dead.  In reality, it was a clear cut episode that avoided being too winded by keeping the episode at an hour and 15 minutes (which, without commercials probably comes out to a solid hour of content).  That being said, the writers couldn't avoid to waste too much time so we got to the task at hand fairly quickly.


We join Rick as he finally has the courage to speak to Siddiq, as he tries to better understand Carl's mindset in those final moments.  Siddiq explains to Rick what we already know: That Carl was trying to honor Siddiq's mother in his attacking of those walkers.  This thought apparently stays with him and ultimately comes up to the surface at the very end.

Everyone is apparently preparing for the battle on both sides and we see Eugene assuring Negan all the ammunition has been prepared as requested.  Negan goes so far to use the gun offered by Eugene as a test (shooting a scare crow labeled "Rick") and it passes with flying colors.  Negan questions whether Eugene really wants to come with them and witness this slaughter himself but he assures him that he NEEDS to be there.  At that point, we see Negan direct a group of, quite frankly, EMO looking Saviors (color me surprised that even exists) to a certain checkpoint while at the same time directing other Saviors to bring Dwight along for the ride.  Since we last saw Dwight, he has been branded with the scarlet "A" (literally) and is basically getting the same prisoner treatment Daryl received when he was held in the cell.

Once everyone is clear on their orders, Negan tells Eugene and Gabriel to ride along with him on their way to this final battle and of course, they oblige.  During that car ride, Negan uses it as another opportunity to have a "confessional" and he informs Eugene and Gabriel that the plan shared with Rick was a fake plan.  He tells them that he's taken things a step further by planting his EMO saviors where he thinks Rick will find them and likely murder them but not before he finds another set of false plans on them.  Rick will assume that these are the correct plans and follow those which will lead them right to where the Saviors will be waiting for them.  Father Gabriel is so disgusted with this plan that he, blind and all, decides that he would rather tuck and roll and jump out of a moving car (which he does).  Once he lands, he tries to navigate himself through the forest with his near blind tunnel vision.  Inevitably of course, he is caught by, of all people, Eugene.  He is livid with Father Gabriel and asks him at gunpoint "Where does your faith go when you truly need it??".  Father Gabriel is completely unaware that Eugene had far bigger plans and that he should've had some faith in his fellow man.  Regardless, Negan eventually finds them and gets them back in the car.

Back with Team Grimes, our group is confidently following their map, assuming its the right course of action.  We see them encounter the EMO saviors we saw earlier and, as Negan anticipated, they made quick work of them.  Morgan murdered one Savior in a particularly savage manner that caused him to have another hallucination in the form of Jared, the Savior that he held down in the bar while he was devoured.  Morgan is clearly on edge, as was evidenced at the start of episode, almost taking out little Henry in another moment of hallucination.  Regardless, they keep moving forward and eventually come to a large, fairly open field (PS: We'll come back to their comment on the large "herd" at the end of the recap).  All of a sudden, we hear the infamous Savior whistle coming from all sorts of directions.  We hear Negan use a bullhorn to tell Rick about how he had a master plan, how Dwight got intercepted, how Eugene helped make this happen and how Gabriel was going to have to be killed off now.

All the Saviors appear on the horizon as a massive force to be reckoned with and the countdown begins to the planned slaughter...except that the slaughter doesn't happen.  At Negan's call, the Saviors open fire, only to have their ammunition backfire and injure and/or kill the shooter, all courtesy of Eugene.  This provides Rick and crew with the opening they need to go with a full attack and start defeating the surviving Saviors.  Even Father Gabriel gets in on the action by punching Negan, followed by a beat down by Dwight (hey, you can't blame the guy for getting his licks in).  Negan does manage to run off though, his hand injured by the faulty ammunition, with Rick in hot pursuit.

What follows is the "Final Stand" between the two men, by the same tree with the same hanging stained glass elements we've seen in all the "Bleary Eyed Rick" flashes.  Before Rick can do any significant damage to Negan, he is "Lucille-ed" in the side, explaining the bloody injury we noticed in those flashes.  It's at this point that Rick implores Negan to give him 10 seconds to plead his case, on why it doesn't have to end this way.  Negan starts counting down as Rick tearfully requests for peace, even citing about how this is what Carl would've wanted.  It's at this point that time almost stands still and we get a moment where we see not just Rick in tears but Negan as well.  Then, in a moment so fast that you almost miss it, Rick slices Negan's throat, with a shard of stained glass.  Negan drops to his knees, clutching his bleeding neck, uttering the haunting sentences of "Look what you did.  Carl didn't know a damn thing".

These sentences uttered by Negan before losing consciousness haunts Rick as well, as he turns around and noticed that The Saviors have all surrounded and they, as well as his own people, have been frozen watching the exchange.  Rick breaks free of his trance and then calls to Siddiq to come save Negan.  It's at this point that Maggie almost makes a leap for Rick and/or Negan, only to be held down by Michonne.  She breaks down in tears and screams with anguish on how Negan murdered Glenn and how it's not over until Negan is dead.  This was definitely pretty painful to watch, especially hearing Glenn's name mentioned again after so long (let's not forget, Glenn was killed almost 2 seasons ago).  Rick stands by his decision though that this is all part of a NEW way of moving forward, a way that involves living together and cooperating together for the greater human good, especially in a post apocalyptic environment.  And that involves essentially rehabilitation rather than simply annihilation.

After this point, we see the immediate aftermath and wake of Rick's decision: Eugene and Rosita reconciling; Alden telling Maggie that he wants to help build Georgie's plans for the future, to which Maggie agrees to; Daryl dumping Dwight in the woods with a car and keys, telling him to go find Sherry (we see that he DOES go back to their home and she WAS there, evidenced by a note saying "Honeymoon Forever"); Morgan opting to leave his violent way of life behind and isolating himself at the junkyard, urging Jadis (aka, Anne, WTF double agent) to go and join Rick's new society; Father Gabriel visiting his old church and now able to see again (???); Tara and Rosita visiting the Sanctuary to aid them in rebuilding; Rick and Michonne telling a hospitalized Negan that he will be locked up for the rest of his days for what he has done.

The most jarring moment though, comes when we see Maggie back at the Hilltop in her office speaking to Jesus.  She tells him that the Saviors that they captured are truly an aid to the rebuilding efforts but that Rick and Michonne's decision to keep Negan alive is wrong.  Then she ominously adds that after rebuilding and restrengthening, they would "show them" how wrong they were.  To which Jesus nods in agreement and Daryl comes out of the shadows in vocal agreement.

This is essentially the end of the episode, and now with six months until season 9 begins, here are some points/questions that we will likely keep in mind:

• Can we expect to see Negan locked up in Morgan's cell?  All signs seem to point to YES.
• Will Morgan ever cross paths again with the Grimes Group?  Or did we see Morgan's official exit forever?
• Can we expect to see a Civil War with Maggie/Daryl/Jesus vs. Rick/Michonne?  All signs seem to point to YES.
• Does the fact that Father Gabriel regained his vision mean that there is a potential "cure" to curb the effects of the zombie infection?
• Why does Jadis now want to be referred to as "Anne"?  Is that her birth name?  And if so, why was she going by "Jadis"?
• Will we see Georgie and her group again come Season 9, after an assumed jump in time to a rebuilt Alexandria and neighboring communities?
• Will we see the black helicopter again that Jadis/Anne was so desperate to flag down?
• What will become of Dwight?  And where is Sherry?
• COMIC SPOILER: Will the new season bring the official arrival of "The Whisperers", based on the subtle hint/acknowledgement of the immense presumed Walker herd on the horizon? 
• And finally, where in the WORLD is Heath??

In any case, we'll have a full 6 months to speculate.  All in all though, season 8 was a vast improvement over season 7 and after two full seasons of conflict with The Saviors, it was a resolution long overdue.  Now it's time to look to the future...whatever that looks like.

CONTINUE TO FOLLOW OUR BLOG FOR RECAPS OF "FEAR THE WALKING DEAD" (AIRS AT 9:00PM EST, ON AMC)