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As I kind of patiently wait for my kids to nap so I can finally watch the mid-season premier of The Walking Dead I take a lot of quiet moment, but not so quiet moments as my toddler yells at me about Paw Patrol and keeps stealing my pens, to reflect back on what happened in the last episode
Most importantly Daryl escapes his prison with some help from an inside man, or woman we don’t know. But if I had to put my money on one person I pick Dwight. It’s clear that Dwight and his wife see their past selves in Daryl, a reminder of the people they were and a sick reminder of the people they decided to become. Daryl offered them help and sanctuary but they both thought the better choice was giving it up to Negan. How’d that work out for you guys?
Spencer tried to rat on Rick and get some kind of leadership role through Negan, but that ended very badly for him. Negan likes the strong, independent, needs to be broken in type and Spencer was none of those things.
So then Rosita decided it was time to do something and we lost another random person. Sure these people say they are ready to accept the consequences for stepping up against Negan but it’s the people around them that always pay.
The guy from the Kingdom wants Carol to convince Ezekiel to fight the Saviors but Carol is still being all angsty.
Father Gabriel tells Rosita to wait for her moment, which she clearly didn’t. Daryl finally reunites with his family in a big man hug and tears kind of way and Gregory is still a douche!
So on to this weeks episode “Rock in the Road”
So in true Rick fashion he literally spells out this title for us when he’s telling King Ezikiel some story his mom use to tell him about some awful road that lead to a kingdom. Rick sized story short… someone had to move something and then they got rewarded. Well the gang got rewarded in the form of some explosives this time!
Father Gabriel say it ain’t so…
Well, I guess it ain’t so? What is his master plan here? Is he just taking food and hiding it from the Saviors, is he going to give it to someone? I just know I’m watching him take everything thinking is Father Gabriel up to his old ways but then I think no he’s come so far from the sniveling coward to let his congregation eat each other I just can’t believe he would steal everything and leave without a solid plan in mind.
Once a D-Bag always a D-Bag
Oh Gregory… I really can’t wait till that day that Maggie stands by and watches as you get eaten by a Walker or ten. I guess it’s a strange thing to look forward too but really does Gregory have any redeeming qualities. All he can do is sit behind his big ole desk and point fingers that Rick’s crew didn’t solve the Savior problem the first time and refuse to join in the Savior take down.
Really it makes me think if Gregory just “hired” them as a setup. There’s no doubt that Gregory knows that there is more than just a handful of these people. If we know anything about this guy at this point it’s that he likes to throw other people under the bus and keep his nose nice and brown. And if Gregory catches wind that the Saviors are looking for Daryl… All the planning and explosives won’t be able to save Rick, Daryl, and company if Gregory gets that information to them.
The gang and the Kingdom
I think King Ezekiel really likes Carol and Morgan and really values their opinions for two reasons. One, they’ve been out there in the world fighting Walkers, bad guys and surviving. Like actually, kind of, surviving out there for all these years. Two, they are so the angel and the devil on his shoulder. And even though he hasn’t spent much time with them, let alone Carol, I think Ezekiel recognizes that. Which is why he ends up taking the peaceful route. Because with no Carol to balance Morgan’s ridiculous ideas of peace Negan is just going to continue to roll over everything.
Speaking of Morgan and Carol…. How can Morgan just conveniently leave out that Carol is just sitting in the green grass yonder the wall. You keep saying she’s gone Morgan but she’s not. Maybe what you should be saying is that she’s not the Carol that Daryl remembers. Since you probably mean her fighting spirit is gone.
Sweet little Benji
Oh, Benjamin. It’s been so long since we last meet and I barely remember you but I remember thinking sweet Benji our first meeting. You have so much to offer and I hope you get to show us before something happens to you. You’re like a baby Morgan and Carol rolled into one sweet little bright-eyed apocalypse burrito. But even your words of wisdom that the Kingdom just can’t sit by why someone else fights their fight couldn’t get Ezekiel to get on this Grimes train. Your dad told you “If you’re asked to be a hero be a hero” and that kind of talking makes me nervous that your days are numbered.
Clothesline walkers!!
Like how fricken awesome was that! When that herd came around the corner and Rick and Michone got in those cars I thought what and how are they going to show that. But you never underestimate the awesomeness that is Walking Dead special effects.
Lucky for the group that lonely explosion went off because seeing all those half walkers might have been a tip off to Negan and his merry group of hooligans.
Rick, have you meet hatchet?
I have heard about how Rick looses his hand from this hatchet in the comics. But there have been so many times over how many seasons now that they have foreshadowed Rick could be losing his hand. And here we have head Negan, I can’t remember his name, referencing it again. Dare I say in addition to losing Gregory by the end of the season Rick will lose his hand.
Who are these people?
And why is Rick smiling? Come on Rick, there are a whole lot of them and like five of you guys and your motivational speeches haven’t exactly been on point lately. You couldn’t get Gregory on board, no real surprise there, you lost King Ezekiel and you almost couldn’t convince Daryl to stay behind… side note good thinking there cause that Daryl manhunt would have ended a lot sadder if you hadn’t been thinking ahead like that.
Now that Daryl is living in the Kingdom how long will it be before he can read through Morgan’s cryptic “Carol’s gone”. Who will be the first to get Carol to be the bad ass we use to know, little Benji or Daryl. Could Daryl finally profess his like for Carol after all this time? All I know is there will probably be a lot of this strange new place the next episode and not a lot of the things we want to know about. Can broken Daryl and broken Carol find a way to put each other together again?
And ‘That’s a Wrap’ for episode 9 of Walking Dead. In the wise words of Father Gabriel “We need to wait for the right moment. We will win.” Well, Father Gabriel, we’ll see about that cause I’m guessing there is going to be a lot more sad deaths before any sort of winning starts to happen.
