Episode 16: Wrath

   The end…is here. Let’s unpack the Season 8 finale.

     Siddique and Rick have a heart to heart about how Carl came to have gotten bit. Siddiq hammers the point home for our fearless leader that when people die, the ideas they pass on to us is all that is left. RICK, ARE YOU LISTENING?

   We officially need more Jerry in Season 9. He has now survived season 8 and I am requiring more Jerry down the line. He is the voice of “us” in all this end of world mess. Not to mention he is a lovable giant and some much needed comedic relief. Shout out to King Ezekiel who was barely in this episode. I miss you, dude.

   Morgan is officially wigged out. Now he’s seeing dead Jared, he’s telling Rick that he and himself are “worse than we were”, because up until (later) tonight, they officially threw the moral compass out of the window. I’m going to have more on that later.

   Camp Negan is marching into battle. We have Dwight in chains, and Eugene has delivered the ammunition. Rick, Maggie, and the best fighters are out on the field of war. Alden, Tara, and some lesser Hill toppers are ambushed by Saviors. Remember, Negan led the heroes to believe one thing, while tricking them with this sneak attack. As Tara and the rest are attempting to evacuate the weak and make a last stand, Cindy and her women warriors come to the rescue! They have cool fire bomb thingys! It looks like we have an official ally heading into season 9.

   I am a huge Eugene apologist. I have been waiting for him to do the right thing for a while now. And after last week when he insisted on escaping back to The Saviors and his factory, I knew he was planning something to aid Rick Co. He took Father Gabriel’s idea and ran with it, making the ammunition so it would backfire into the faces of The Saviors! Later, Rosita punches him for puking on her, but clearly he is back in the fold. The Saviors find themselves out matched, Negan is on the run pursued by Rick, and they surrender.

    Rick and Negan have another brawl. I was living for these manly fist-fights this season. Rick buys himself some time preaching Carl’s vision of the future message. Then….he cuts Negan’s throat. But it’s okay! He only sliced to maim, not kill! He calls Siddique out to save the man’s life. Rick then gives an (admittedly) beautiful and moving speech in the theme of Carl’s message. We need to work together to fight the dead and make a life and society worth living in. And it works! The war is over. Rick sitting alone mutters, “My mercy prevails over my wrath.” One of those unofficial mantras of the season. Thanks Rick that is what the heck we have been trying to tell you to do for a while now. Tara and the ladies pay a visit to the Sanctuary to help them repair their broken windows. It’s a nice offering of, “See? We can be friends!” Alden is officially staying at Hill Top to help build the machines from Georgie’s Key book!

   Morgan stops by Jadis at the dump and tells her she’s invited to join society. It looks like she is in, and her real name and/or new name is Anne. Please, oh please, let her become a series regular. Morgan is going to chill out there for a while and then…move on. I don’t mind saying as a HUGE Morgan fan, I am not happy with how he has been transitioned to “Fear the Walking Dead.” I’m not giving up, and I am going to follow him over there, of course. But I didn’t feel any sense of closure. I don’t buy him having a nervous breakdown (again) and then needing to leave the group and run away. This math doesn’t work for me.  I just love this character SO much, and in retrospect, I don’t like how his move was handled. I need more from my Morgan! Alas, the end game was getting him off this show and into the other one, so I need to get over it and just deal with my disappointment. Fine.

   Daryl takes Dwight into the woods and sure makes it look like he is going to kill him. We hear Dwight’s pleas, his admission of doing horrible things to survive, and his tearful apology to all those he has wronged. He has never “accepted” the fact that he killed Denise. Dwight knows it was all wrong. It is hard to not have compassion for the guy. I stopped being mad at him a long time ago, personally. Daryl tosses him the keys to the truck and tells him to go find his wife and make the world a better place. Just stay away from Hilltop. Dwight goes back to the rendezvous house and finds a note from his wife, Cherry. Will they find each other? I sincerely hope so. The beauty is in not knowing for now. I will miss Dwight.

   Maggie didn’t take Negan’s injury well. She cried, screamed, and had to be held back while begging Rick to avenge Glen and kill Negan. We see Maggie, Jesus, and Daryl meeting in secret later on. She is concocting a plot to, “show Rich and Michonne that they were wrong.” Maggie, I don’t love this color on you. And I really don’t like Daryl being involved. Not to mention, what the heck is Jesus doing there? You three need to calm down.

   Rick and Michonne pay Negan a visit in the hospital. They lay out the plan to him that he is going to live out the rest of his days in a prison cell. He will be doing nothing but dwelling on the fact that his methods didn’t work, and civility won over fear. I am so happy Negan is not dead. I was 100% not ready to let this character go yet. The warring between the two camps needed to end before it got tired, but Negan has a lot more story to give us.

   There we have it! Another season of TWD in the books. If anyone needs me I’ll be in my pillow fort, crying.