Episode 3: "The Cell"

Negan’s house sucks and I’d like to go back to The Kingdom, please. In tonight’s episode, we learned that living as part of the Savior's fam comes with a price. This news, of course, shocked no one. Poor Darryl; Things are really not going well for him. We find our dear friend nude and dirty in a little, concrete solitary confinement cell; No windows, with only a sliver of light under the door. His only meal is a truly disgusting looking dog food sandwich. Literally, canned dog food with bread. As if the bread somehow makes up for the fact that it's dog food. The best part? They play him the same song on repeat all day. Clearly, this is the type of torture that has broken lesser men in the past. Our old friend Dwight is his jailor. Remember Dwight from last season? He and his wife Sherrie betrayed Mr. Dixon in the forest last season. Sherrie’s sister Tina ended up dead. Now Dwight is a “loyal” soldier and is running around in Darryl’s winged vest, using his cross bow, and generally being a dick to everyone.

Eventually Darryl is given some truly ugly clothes to wear and is taken to the doctor to be patched up. Sherrie, Dwight, and Dr. Feelgood all try and tell him to just get with the program and kneel. More attempts at breaking Dixon down are promptly thwarted. At this point I’m screaming at the TV, "C’mon Darryl! Just say you’re one of them and try to fuck up the system from the inside!" But he refuses. We also get to learn the whole history of how Dwight, Sherrie, and Tina ended up in those woods…and the fallout from it. Long story short, Negan got to marry/steal Sherrie, Tina is dead, and Dwight “got the iron.” Hmm. Explains why half his face is melted off now.

Negan totally broke these people; he OWNS them. But is it really, truly too late? We see glimmers that Dwight isn’t really bought in. He just fears for his life and that of his now ex-wife. One example of this is when he is forced to go collect a deserter. This dude used to be his friend, and now he’s lost everything. He can’t understand why they don’t topple the Negan dictatorship, and he would rather be SHOT dead right then and there than go back to Neagan’s compound. Dwight threatens to destroy the lives of everyone this random dude knows unless he comes along. (Side note - am I supposed to know this character’s name?? Let’s just capitalize "dude" and move on.) But once Dude’s back is turned, he shoots him. See? Dwight KNOWS that being dead is better. Just like in “Pet Semetary.”

What happens now? Can the folks under Negan’s thrall really overpower this madman? Is it truly better to be under Negan’s servitude than to be out there scrappin’ for survival?

Top 4 Moments of the Night:

Did my ears deceive me? Or do we in fact, get a 90 min episode next week?!?
Darryl CRIED. He wept in his nasty little cell! The kicker was when Dwight gave him a polaroid of Glen’s impression of a puddle and said it was his fault his friend died. [insert crying emoji here!]
Negan has a quaint little apartment. A studio by the looks of it. Is this his only place? Or just his apartment at this location? Either way, he has books and a fern.
The use of music in this episode. This show usually nails it, but damn, they got it so right tonight.