[Episode 112] Season 6, Episode 5 of Fear The Walking Dead, "Honey"

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♾ This Dwight AND Sherry-focused episode heavily relies on cyclical storytelling, the idea of who is playing the role of whom, and an incredible amount of call-backs and Easter-Eggs (from #AllOutWar to the ever repeating dark-mirrored themes reflecting #FearTWDseason4). And, uhhh, enjoy some #ASMR... #TheEndIsTheBeginning ♾

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David Cameo:	Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Rachael Burt:	Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

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• ASMR intro
• Episode Impressions
• Season 7: The last time we see Sherry?
• Triggered by timelines
• Return of Savior Dwight
• Sherry’s letters
• ♾ Ouroboros and Infinity symbol: The End is the Beginning & June’s (daughter Rose's) bracelet 
• Talking Dead hiding behind a paywall when SQUAWKING DEAD is free. Just sayin'
  
  
• Role reversal: Dwight leaving messages for Sherry
• Sherry’s last letter
• Skatepark vs. Pool: a nod to Austin Amelio?
• Change in Opening Credits music: Is there a connection to all the title scores? Do the colors blend?
• The 3 appearances of Robinett’s Eggery in FearTWD
  
  
• Virginia's Outcast's Shared leadership: Sherry, Rollie, and Ozzy
• Rollie all freshened up and taller 
• Dwight is not a half naked lady: Ginny’s outcasts kidnap Dwight
• Sherry, Al, and Dwight on horseback
• Wolf-dog makes us think of Daryl: found at a wildlife sanctuary and Dwight sets wolf/dog free (role-reversal)
  
  
• Little David Merkins: Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today
• The Tragic Love Story of the Sun chasing the Moon: 
• Dwight and the Ranger Driver Guy, "You’ve got guts"
• Dwight’s journey impacts Rollie
• The Chess pieces guy
• Getting Swatty back: `member when door broke back in season 4? I `member
• Ginny's Rangers watched the videos
• Ranger Driver Guy survives!
• Dwight & Sherry looking out for one another
• People changing for those they love and retaining the lessons they've learned
• Sherr's FearTWD S6 promo video, "This is the only way"
• Tainted relationships
  
  
• Morgan & Dwight talk
• Will Swatty survive this season? R.I.P. R.V.
• Morgan, Dwight, and Al's discussion during lock up
• Clarification of groups, with Dakota as a wild card
• Charlie & Dakota parallels 
• It’s not going to go the way you think: living with consequences
• Al needs to (re)interview Morgan
• Morgan’s building his community 
• Some Sarah & Rollie scenes (please)?
• Grace is carrying the future
• Dave predicts Yellow color for next episode (Alicia?)
• Sherry’s been with the outcasts a few months: Dwight called out Ginny’s bullshit
• Dwight’s role in ALL OUT WAR
• Would Ginny give Al and Dwight a proper burial? Would you say their rouse was... Eugenius?
• Texas map and the keys
  
  
• ASMR sexy time outro

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Sanctuary |8x09| Fear The Walking Dead

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Everything gets a return -- Every character in this episode is connected and violently confronted by the same trauma that's plagued them from the beginning of their arduous journey; but it takes the next generation who crystalizes any possible hope for the future to finally push them over that seemingly insurmountable hump.

Since this recording is based off of a livestream, there is no unedited version available for streaming; however, support our hard work by tipping us and/or joining a membership tier on either Ko-fi or Patreon!

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David Cameo:
Sherrandy Swift:
Bridget Mason-Gray:

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• First thing's first: watch, listen to, or read about our interview with Phil McLaughlin, who Directed this episode. He's been Editor on Fear The Walking Dead for several seasons and this interview gives you a heaping spoonful of the production process! You can also get a sense of his love and appreciation for the material and all who are involved in making it. He also has a short film ambling it's way through the globe called Toad Boy, which we asked a few questions about, as well.
  
  
  
• And, of course, we can't forgot to mention (yet again, because we had to in our interview) how Phil donated a signed 12-pack of 3 Floyds Zombie Dust (minus the actual beer) for our TWDU Trivia Charity Battle, which Sherrandy ended up winning. It may have taken a while to make it to her, but Phil made it worth her while by signing it, himself, and getting the signatures of all the main actors in this episode, whom he directed: Christine Evangelista, Austin Amelio, Jayla Walton, and Jenna Elfman.
  

  

  
  
  
• You still have an opportunity to participate in our TWDU Secret Santa, which will be included as a segment in our upcoming benefit we're holding for Robin Overton (fan artist most commonly called The Black and White Guy), who is battling stomach cancer and could really use financial assistance. Essentially, characters will be assigned to participants at random and they have to personalize a "gift" they've selected on their behalf. You don't need to buy anything and you can be as creative as you like, even if it's just explaining what you got for them and the reason why. Just DM Sherrandy on Instagram. Here's the one we did just a few years ago, as an example:
  
  
  The date for the benefit will be Sunday, December 10th at 2:00pm (Eastern/US -- barring any unforeseen circumstances) and we're planning on having some very special guests in attendance who you don't want to miss!
  
  
• Walking Dead Eternal really likes the SQUAWKING DEAD / FearTWD logo (representing our discussions on the latter half of the final season), which allows us to mention that it (and a variant) is available in our merch store: on shirts, mugs, stickers, and more!
  
  
  
  
• On the note of GWilsons comment about comparing this episode to 8x02, Blue Jay, but falling a little short, Sherrandy says that they had the same storyline setup, but a different outcome (making good come out of something bad) and June wasn't as savage (whacking off them fingers).
  
  
  
• We dive right into some of the criticism towards Odessa "Dove" Sanderson, mainly from Mitchell Shoemaker, calling her annoying and whiny. We immediately defend her behavior: she is reacting like any human would in a similar situation after having their world turned upside down, being let down by very folks who did it and, now, she's supposed to trust. Bridget acknowledges that Dove can be seen as a typical angsty teenager, but emphasizes that she is still a kid dealing with trauma and instability. Dave highlights the contrast between Dove's capabilities at the start of the season, comparing her to Judith Grimes, and now that she is in such a vulnerable position,the lack of stability exhibited in the people who are supposed to be her role models around her disappoints and even angers her. It also prompts us to mention how similar her character was to Wes who, when we first met him, acted like (what Phil referred to in our interview) an audience surrogate: on the one hand, they are also yelling at their screens for our characters to get over their issues, and on the other, they are an opportunity to take us out of how locked in we are to the drama in order to reframe it.
  
  
  
• On the note of first impressions, we felt deeply about this episode. Even when many of the scenes were almost 4th-wall-breaking in the way they were pointing out callbacks, it was well executed and attention to very important details (in order to remain faithful to The Walking Dead, as well). On top of being well-received, this episode had characters that hadn't been seen in a while: and having so much of Dwight & Sherry's grander storyline coming full circle, with The Sanctuary completely collapsing, was tremendously appreciated.
  
  
  
• On the note of actually rebuilding The Sanctuary, we give so much kudos to all the set pieces and construction that made us feel like we were back there, again. We do get into the return of the metal headed walkers, which received a lot of criticism: though, considering that they had a working foundry and a bullet making facility, it wasn't a giant leap. More than just that, in the realm of some plot points being too on the nose, the purpose of all that was to immerse Dwight & Sherry in their original trauma in order to get a true second chance to get things right, again. The furnace and even the iron that burned the left side of Dwight's face - the very thing that subjugated him to Negan and The Saviors - become salvation.
  
  
  
• June's character arc involves confronting a litany of past trauma and letting go of all the guilt she had associated with them, to which we couldn't not compare hers to Carol Peletier: even trying to tally who technically lost more children throughout their journey. But June was able to make something good come out of her trauma by letting go of it enough to heal Dove and come out of the other side with an even larger family. She and everyone else in this episode, as Dwight says in the furnace, were necessary for all of them to see what they were doing to harm themselves and find their way through a better future:
• Dwight and Sherry were devastated by the death of their son and feeling like they couldn't keep anyone safe. They had to acknowledge their mutual pain was something they could share in order to face the world's tremendous challenges.
  
  
  
• June and Dwight both had to snap out of feeling as though they are cursed to only hurt the people they love. Jay's statements - about helping people being the reason why we're even here and how a week of life is better than being dead immediately (even when you lose everything) - is the seed that grows within Dwight in order to see it. And, after all, Dwight still has his wife, Sherry, and an entire found-family of children who still need and love him.
  
  
  
• Sure, there were some 4-th-wall-breaking and cheesy, on-the-nose moments in this episode, but having meaningful moments and fan-service embedded in some of those instances (and beyond) - in the form of callbacks and easter eggs - meant it really didn't bother us all that much. Some of those moments contained levity, which offset some of the heavier themes and performances throughout the episode. Even the most obvious moment of seeing the finch land on the furnace, in the aftermath of The Sanctuary's collapse, touched some of us who've lost loved ones: Bridget using a personal example of seeing a cardinal, which reminds her of her grandfather. Going back to execution, though: in light of the continued presence of  some shaky writing, the execution and obvious attention to detail served as a massive counterweight.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Dave wonders whether it would have been interesting to have them hint that the people living at The Sanctuary might've been (at least affiliated) with the The Croat, from The Walking Dead: Dead City. Immediately, Bridget says that Dwight would have been questioned about Negan if that were the case. Speaking of their leader, Marty, his demeanor and line-delivery were similar to Negan's and Phil, the guy Dwight throws in the furnace (immediately evoking memories of when Negan did this with the first Dr. Carson) was not only a stand-in for Dwight but also issues similar lines to Negan, evoking consequences. Oh, uh, and the way Marty was making his last stand with Dwight almost looked as though he was about to kiss him.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Jay's insulin is a callback to how Dwight & Sherry ended up involved with The Saviors to begin with, by way of them doing so in order to get Sherry's sister, Tina, the insulin she needed for her Type 2 Diabetes. It was also really interesting to see how Dwight was calling out for Daryl Dixon to finally end his life when you consider that Daryl is often seen as a sort shadow of Dwight from the comic book. The way Dwight passes out, as Sherry arrives, right on the Home Sweet Home welcome mat is great, but Bridget couldn't help but focus on the fact that one can purchase it from Target for only $13.99. On first watch, though, Sherry's arrival is a little suspicious when you consider the comic book storyline and how she was supposed to take over as leader of The Saviors. The sudden thought that she might be involved with Mary and co at The Sanctuary definitely occurred to some of us.
  
  
  
  
• One of the first notable sequences was the opening shot with Dwight's figure reflected by flashing lightning in the puddle. Dave mentions, considering puddles and lightning, that it's somewhat similar to the way 8x06 King County starts out, with Morgan Jones face down in water on the railroad tracks. For some odd reason, it reminded Sherrandy of the moment when Dwight & Sherry found and protected the cellar they used to escape the nuclear blast in 6x16 The Beginning.
  
  
  
• It looks like we solved the mystery of where zombie Alicia Clark is located because a walker wearing a St Christopher medallion had it dangling off its neck: seen both prior to and when the fence collapsed on top of Sherry. You get a better look at it as it basically hits Sherry right in the face through the fence.
  
  
  
  
• In the beginning, Dwight is seen grabbing and whittling away at the king chess piece in order to shape it into a prosthetic finger for June, which might even symbolize her importance to him. It also brings up a grander theme that, for once, isn't actually spoken out loud even once throughout this episode, but is felt: no one's gone until they're gone. Dwight just couldn't help himself from, well, helping where he could, even though he invites death.
  
  
  
• Madison Clark is seen, by many, as a terrible person who made a mess and left everyone else to clean it up. Dave even suggests that maybe Madison is already the villain that Dave Erikson (the original show-runner) actually promised, though probably not in the same manner. Still, Dave is a fan of what they are doing with her character.
• When Tracy Otto is revealed on screen for the first time, Dave had an emotional reaction because, even though he doesn't think she is Alicia's daughter, he couldn't help his mind from wandering in that direction (and what the implications would be for both himself and, especially so, for Victor Strand). Antonella Rose's face is very expressive and the screaming she provided amidst the otherwise calm and pleasant environment Strand was attempting to create for her was a very excellent scene choice. But it also adds to the mystery of whether Strand is Stranding and, if he his, whether he's doing so on behalf of himself or the common good, this time. If Victor even suspected she was Alicia's daughter, there is no telling the lengths he would go to preserve her last remnants. We almost forgot, the room that Strand is using to house Tracy is the same one Madison was locked up in for several years.
  
  
  
• Sherrandy signs-off for the evening because she has a headache, leaving just Bridget and Dave.
• The importance of fall of The Sanctuary and the finality it brings, not just to the majority of Dwight and Sherry's overarching struggle, but to The Walking Dead Universe, overall, was very well handled. Dave still can't help but think about what happened to The Saviors after Negan's fall and, again, whether The Croat is in any way further tangled up in The Sanctuary's history. Bridget advises that the encounter between The Croat and Jerome (The Savior who told him what happened during All Out War) might not have even occurred at The Sanctuary. Examining some of the more narrative callbacks, Marty behaves a lot like Negan: the way he puts away his gun while speaking to them, then proceeds to bargain away Dwight's life to save Dove's life is a scary do-over. When Sherry hears this, you immediately see her body language completely change: she is determined to not allow history repeat to repeat itself, at all costs.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Adding June's turmoil as a sleeper component to this storyline, then Dove's dramatic obstinance, mutually elevated not only everyone else's performance, but the entire episode's story, on the whole. It was a much-needed reprieve amidst a smattering of lackluster episodes in the final season. This allowed us to remark on how, in stark contrast to the anthology-style episodes in Seasons 6 and 7, at least Season 8 had a healthy balance of characters on screen. The return of Dwight, Sherry, and June - and allowing them to come together to overcome their demons - was a lovely canon to when we saw them last in 8x02, Blue Jay, when they were in the depths of despair.
  
  
  
• Madison's return was initially met with hesitation, but the Bridget had always appreciated her character in previous seasons. Though the writing in previous episodes felt somewhat ham-fisted and disappointing, this episode (on the whole) gave it relevance; however, we all want more show, don't tell, especially in the remaining episodes, since most of the audience isn't dumb and shouldn't need the writers to spell out key story elements for them (especially by way of throw-away dialogue).
• But there are even more redeeming qualities than the embedded message of No One's Gone Until Their Gone throughout this episode: The high protagonists in the universe, which include Madison, Rick Grimes, and Morgan, have always shown the extreme lengths they are willing to go for their loved ones: but even more extreme when their loved ones are gone. This season has, thus far, been flirting with exploring what Madison looks like and even becomes without her children, similar to Rick and Morgan's respective journeys. Madison is rudderless and trying to prove herself to the children she stole over the years. At the end of the last episode, she -  just like Dwight in this one - realizes she is the problem and decides to leave, proclaiming that the help they always seems to provide always makes things much worse.
  
  
  
• Bridget had always hoped for the same redemption story for Madison that she wants for Strand and wished part of that would be in the form of prioritizing others with the same ferocity as she had her children, minus the risk-seeking behavior that leads her to some of the more questionable decisions she's made over the last decade. Bridget proclaims that a lot of her actions are driven by an unhealthy codependency with her children, but Dave had always admired the way she allowed Nick Clark and Alicia to leave her when conditions became too unbearable for them to stay with her (though Bridget sees this as another possible manipulation on Madison's part).
  
  
  
• But more than redemption, Dave is more interested in seeing what TWDU allows Madison to become, now that she is officially a part of it. The first few seasons of FearTWD were The Clark family - a dysfunctional family that finds out they are more functional in the zombie apocalypse - attempting to navigate a mad world. Because of this, you only saw hints of them becoming who they were meant to be. Season 4 provided a dramatic shift towards that end and only now, without her children, are we starting to see what Madison finally becomes in Season 8, which might not be a great thing (as we've seen from those whom we might consider villains).
  
  
  
• Speaking specifically about the dramatic scene between Dove and June, we wanted to highlight the importance of how a young person's optimism and a belief in their own future guides their actions. Young people can't comprehend their mortality as much as adults, especially in this episode, which makes it so much easier for Dove to mistrust their ability to protect and guide them as their guardians. Case in point, even when Dove notes everyone's reconciliation in the furnace, she resigns herself to June's ability to heal her with the simple line of, Ask me [if I trust you] after you take the bullet out, which doesn't necessarily mean she trusts her: she's only acknowledging that she is her best shot.
  
  
  
• After Fear The Walking Dead completes its run, SQUAWKING DEAD will be on break between then and February 24th, which is purportedly the release date of the Michonne and Rick spin-off The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live; however, we will continue to release content, like the benefit for Robin Overton.

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

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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.

[RECAP] Season 8, Episode 7 of The Walking Dead, "Time for After"

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Here we are, believe it or not, Walking Dead Fans.  We have arrived at the penultimate episode leading to the mid-season finale, aptly titled "Time for After" (or what should've been called, Time for What Happens Next, in my humble opinion).  This episode largely focused on the players on both the Saviors side and Team Grimes side, and the choices made on both sides that'll likely set in motion the firestorm (literally) that we'll soon see.  Unfortunately there was a lot of Eugene talk and Garbage people talk so we hope you had your Closed Captions settings on.  But we'll walk you through all that, since that's what we're here for.

While we have the comic relief side show of Rick and Garbage People (let's be honest now) the real depth of the episode lays on the Savior side, specifically with Eugene.  The evolution of his character has been pretty incredible to watch this season and this episode is no different.  We see how the Saviors are still trapped within their walls by the overwhelming mass of walkers still banging at their doors.  Negan is still looking to his lieutenants to come up with a way out of this mess and Eugene is taking that responsibility very seriously.  Negan and Eugene even have a one on one conversation where Negan looks Eugene eye to eye and gives him a handshake, a sign of mutual respect, something that most people don't get from him he says.  This is right after Eugene tries to kiss Negan's hand (come on Eugene, he's not a mob boss), but I digress.

He's not a mob boss, Eugene...geez.

After this interaction, Dr. Carson flags him down in the hall and informs him that Father Gabriel's health is going downhill fast.  He asks if Eugene could spend some time with his "friend" (or as Eugene prefers to refer to him as "traveling companion") so that he could see what medicinal herbs he can use to TRY and tend to Father Gabriel, as best he can.

It's during this time together that Father Gabriel asks Eugene to help him get Dr. Carson back to the Hilltop to tend to Maggie.  It's clear that Father Gabriel is still holding fast to trying to ensure that even if he dies (and it's looking more and more likely) that he at least doesn't die without a purpose (a fruitless death).  While Father Gabriel continues to calmly preach to Eugene about doing the right thing, when the time comes, Eugene makes it abundantly clear at this point (and throughout the episode) that in a world where morals and values are so ambiguous, self-preservation is his sole purpose.  Oh, and he also has a few funny one liners about looking like a potato in a s&*t casserole.  HA.

Moving on though, we see that Eugene downright confronts Dwight, which is rather bold for a guy like Eugene, in my opinion.  Eugene levels with Dwight that he KNOWS that the's the mole and that he is asking for him to stop any espionage work that he was doing (although I'm not quite sure how much more Dwight could do since it seems that if events had run their course, the Sanctuary would've fallen).  It's at that point that Dwight sits Eugene down and tells him just that, that the Sanctuary WILL fall and that all he has to do to remain quiet and be on the right side, when the time comes.  Eugene tells Dwight that this is unlikely since Negan is not the "dying type" (FORESHADOWING COMIC FANS) and he insists that he IS Negan, they are Saviors and they need to SAVE people.  Dwight then goes into an excellent monologue telling Eugene that he believes that NOW because he hasn't had to involuntarily kill for Negan.  He tells him that the time will come and he will have blood on hands and there is NO going back at that point.  EXCELLENT POINT DWIGHT.  But unfortunately it all falls on deaf, hair covered ears.

We then see Eugene's life in The Sanctuary, still trying to determine how to fix the problem of the walkers outside.  One of Negan's wives (I believe her name is Tanya) arrives to pick up her fixed boom box (hey, I mean, if you're going to die anyway, might as well listen to some music on your way out).  Eugene, incredulous that she's even focused on her boom box right now, tells her that he'll work on it but he would still like to have the bottle of wine that she was going to give him in exchange.  Tanya informs him that no amount of alcohol is going to help him sleep at night and that he HAD his chance to help her and wives poison Negan and he chose to look out for himself.  OUCH.  But, she's right.  In any case, she leaves him the wine and leaves Eugene to chug his wine, in consolation.

After much tinkering and visiting Sasha's old coffin (did anyone else jump at that Sasha Walker flashback?  I did), Eugene uses components from the boombox, from Sasha's old iPod and other elements to create a musical drone, in an apparent plan to launch it off the roof and over the walker herd, to try and lead them away from the Sanctuary.  Right as he's recording his steps but before he hits the launch button, we see Dwight come out on the roof and confront Eugene, putting a gun to the back of his head.  He tells him to stop and that his actions will lead to the death of Rick, Rosita and all his friends (again, Eugene insists, traveling companions) and that he's working WITH them to save people and preserve the greater good.  Eugene says that no matter what he's screwed: Either he does nothing to improve the situation at the Sanctuary and Negan kills him OR he takes his chances trying to save the Sanctuary and he gets POSSIBLY killed by a sometime ally/sometime foe in Dwight.  Ultimately, Eugene launches the drone over the Walkers, only to be shot down by Dwight...but not before Eugene records the whole conversation on his tape recorder that was documenting the launch?

Which brings us to Daryl, Tara and Morgan.  After Michonne and Rosita came to their senses and decided that Daryl's plan was way too risky and left, the remaining members of the group decided to continue to follow through.  Although I will say that Daryl at least seemed SLIGHTLY conflicted, whereas impulsive Tara and suicidal Morgan were fully on board.  Upon hearing the gunshots from Dwight on the roof (SIDE NOTE: Why didn't Morgan and his snipers pick off Dwight and Eugene when they were on that roof having their confrontation?), Tara opens fire on the windows of The Sanctuary and Daryl puts the pedal to the metal and crashes the truck into the building, jumping out of the truck in time to run off with Tara and leaving a gaping hole for the walkers to start flooding in.  And flood in they do.

What we see next is utter chaos on the main floor of the Sanctuary, which we learned from earlier episodes, is where the "workers" primarily reside, including men, women and children.  The lieutenants do their best to get as many of the walkers as possible and we see Eugene frozen on the steps in shock, fear and anger over the situation.  He is literally shaking.  He then lets out all of his frustrations on Father Gabriel, informing him that he has NO intention of helping him at ALL with Dr. Carson and that he is fully Negan and will do everything he can to save these people.  He then storms off and goes to Negan.

In Negan's conference room (that's what it is right?), a determined Eugene informs Negan that he has a plan on how to escape this precarious situation, but he would need him to help him get to the abandoned metal shop (remember?  The one that Eugene and Abraham were at when Eugene said he use this place to make bullets? God, I miss Abraham).  Negan TOTALLY strokes Eugene's ego, calling him "magnificent" and Eugene offers more Intel to top that.  Negan is all ears, but it's at that point that the rest of lieutenants show up and Eugene cowers at the idea of ratting out Dwight right in front of him (clearly that's what he was going to do).  Instead, Eugene mentions that he can fix the intercom system too.  Fabulous.

So let's now visit Rick and the Garbage People (as much as I don't want to).  After some bizarre pseudo-naked photos, Rick is held down and Jadis brings out essentially Winslow, Version 2, being maneuvered by a metal helmet attached to a stick.  Rick immediately reacts and fights off a couple of Jadis' people and eventually pulls the Walker's head off , fights off Jadis, and eventually (finally) pinning her down.  It's at this point that she instructs her people to surrender and after some hard bargaining (what is with this chick and the strange deals?), she agrees to help him.

A fully dressed Rick and the Garbage people then arrive at the Sanctuary, with Rick trying to radio in the cavalry, to no avail.  He then sees a sniper hanging down from his post, being eaten by walkers, with his face missing (FORESHADOWING COMIC BOOK FANS).  He kills the walkers and climbs the post and is shocked to see the truck crashed into the Sanctuary and it being completely clear of walkers...and people.

So we're now left with the following questions:

• What was Eugene's plan that got rid of the walkers and got the remaining Saviors out?  Where did they all go?
• How much time has passed since Rick was held by the Garbage People?
• How will the Saviors now retaliate, since Negan informed Eugene that he fully intends to?
• What will be the ultimate repercussions of Daryl, Tara and Morgan's actions?
• And finally, who's dying in the mid-season finale??  Because we all know that's going to happen.

To help with these burning questions, we'll be posting possible predictions tomorrow morning to see just how good we are.  Stay tuned...

The Walking Dead's mid-season finale will air on Sunday, 12/9 at 9:00PM EST and will be an extended 88 minute episode.