Building a better community is no easy task, and Rick learned the hard way on Sunday’s episode that he was not going to be able to blend these communities in the way he hoped.
The episode was all about the revival of the bridge which was obliterated thanks to a storm. Without access, it was difficult to make supply runs, so it had to be fixed.
While Aaron and Daryl were chatting as the communities rallied to fix the bridge, a fight broke out between Henry and a Savior named Justin.
Henry was tasked with giving water in exchange for hard labor, and Justin did not want to play by the rules. But Henry proved that there would always be a punishment, so he knocked the man off his feet with a stick.
As expected, it resulted in a full-on battle between everyone on the bridge. Rick arrived and was unimpressed that these people could not work together to secure the future of the blended community.
Daryl continued to have doubts and told Rick that the Saviors would actually be an asset to them down the line if they’re already causing trouble.
Daryl left the scene immediately when Rick defended why they were doing it, and it was down to Carol to let Rick know that he might be dreaming if he thinks any of this is going to work.
Tensions were still high at the Hilltop following Gregory’s well-deserved execution. Tami Rose was not allowed to see her husband Earl for his involvement in the plot to kill Maggie.
It didn’t stop Tami from trying to get more people on her side to turn against Maggie. The true shocker was that Jesus was not fully on board with Maggie.
“I don’t know if she hanged Gregory for everyone, for herself or both,” he shared, “but I’m not against a grieving mother seeing her husband.”
Instead of fully turning against his friend, Jesus went to Maggie to find out where her head was truly at. He admitted that she was going way too far by ostracizing Earl and that there would be some pushback. These decisions were ballsy, according to him.
This gave Maggie some food for thought, and she agreed to let Tami Rose visit her husband. Once his wife was gone, Earl got a visit from Maggie who wanted to know more about him.
Earl was desperate to know why Gregory was the one who was killed, but Maggie skirted around giving an answer. It turns out; she wants to hold her cards close to her chest.
“What I did to you was in me,” Earl confessed. “Gregory didn’t make me do anything.”
Okay then.
Things took a wild turn when thanks to a siren not being sounded, the walkers showed up at the bridge, and the unarmed Saviors were sitting ducks.
Jed was scared to death, and let go of the rope he was holding … allowing all of the lumber to crash down and trap Aaron’s arm. Rick managed to dispatch of most of the walkers, but there was no saving Aaron’s arm.
Daryl tried to make sense of what went down and opted to blame Justin. He was supposed to sound a siren to send the walkers away, but he didn’t.
His defense?
The walkie-talkie was dead, and Daryl was not buying it. He went all in kept hitting the kid before Carol showed up to tell him to quit the BS.
Back at the Hilltop, Maggie and Michonne got into it over the recent decisions.
“We can talk about common laws, but I’m not giving up the right to do what I think is s best for my people,” Maggie said to her friend.
They continued to bicker, and Maggie relented that she did not regret wiping Gregory out because he was a danger to everyone.
Meanwhile, Justin continued to prove he was a loser when he lashed out at Rick, trying to throw all the blame on him for what went down.
“Stitches won’t fix what I do to you,” Rick yelled after telling him to get the eff out of the Sanctuary.
As for Aaron? He did not blame Rick for losing an arm. Instead, he said that his friend was a beacon of hope.
“You changed all that, Rick. It’s not the end of the world anymore; it’s the start a whole new one,” he said.
Rick closed off the hour by visiting his nemesis, Negan.
“It was a hard day,” Rick said. “People were at each other’s throats… [But] when the day was done, they came together. Not all of ’em. But enough.”
“That’s a real pretty picture you paint there,” Negan responded. “When do I get to see it?”
“You’re gonna die behind these bars,” Rick snapped.
In all honesty, if the likes of Jesus is worried about Maggie, then there’s a good chance she’s going to be relieved of her duties before long.
That could lead to her running off with her child or worse; she could be killed off. This is The Walking Dead!
What are your thoughts on the episode?
Hit the comments below.
The Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC.
