Dead Digest: The Walking Dead (SSN 7, Ep 16)

Episode 16: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Okay, time to stop prolonging the inevitable and get down to it. The Walking Dead is gone until October, and life is now officially hard for us fans. However, I am really happy with how things wrapped up. So let’s get down to it. First off, Negan is not dead. This makes me really happy because I am not ready to be done with this character and any plot surrounding him. He’s just too juicy to only give us one season of story! I was obviously happy with The Walking Dead before he came along, but he definitely brought a new energy into the mix that has changed things up for the better. We did have a pretty good battle at the end of this finale, and clearly the war is coming. I loved how even in the middle of this guns-blazing showdown, Negan still had time to make quips! He is truly unhinged and it’s wonderful.

It looks like Dwight is truly on the side of Rick & the Gang. He was only being “Negan” to keep his wife alive. And now that she’s escaped, he wants to kill his former Dictator. Not to mention, he’s got some pretty solid plans on how to help out. He even apologized! And admitted he wasn’t aiming for Tara’s girlfriend when HE SHOT HER THROUGH THE EYE and killed her that one time! Dwight is part of the team for now, but Daryl and Tara are probably gonna whack him before long.

In a heartbreaking flashback, we see Sasha and Abraham’s last conversation before he met with the wrong end of Lucille. Sasha had a dream that he died, and didn’t want him to go on the ill-fated mission to get pregnant Maggie to Hilltop! After some beautiful dialogue, Abraham reminded her that this is what they do as good people. They fight the good fight and are willing to die for it. ☹

How cool was it to see Carol as the new leader of King Ezekiel’s knights?! Go, girl! The Kingdom is officially in with Alexandria. The handsome monarch we all love, reminds Morgan that this is not a mission of vengeance, and to not lose all of his former peaceful, compassionate self in the process. We all know I’m obsessed with Morgan, so I’m hoping he doesn’t have another complete mental breakdown and go feral again.

Here’s where things got really fucked up. Negan and The Saviors are supposed to show up in Alexandria, and the exact reason why isn’t known to Rick/Gang. We as the audience know that he is bringing Sasha along as a bargaining chip. His mole, Gregory, has told him everything. Negan likes teaching lessons to his puppet people when they stray, so Sasha negotiates to only have one person die for the crime. More on that in a minute.

Jadis and her super cool trash people show up in Alexandria in DUMP trucks to help kill The Saviors. For a cost, remember. In an epic twist I 100% did not see coming, The Scavengers double cross the Alexandrite’s and turn their weapons on them! Jadis shrugs off the betrayal, Negan offered a better deal. I can’t even be too mad at her. She’s doing all this to keep her clan alive. They’re still a badass matriarchy and I’m here for it.

Sasha spent the ride to Alexandria in a coffin, symbolic of Rick having to choose between her and another member of the fam needing to die for his rebellion. Sasha flips the script and takes Eugene’s suicide pills on the drive over; so when Negan pops open the casket, her killer undead self shambles out and attacks! Surprise, bitches! Mayhem breaks out, Rick gets shot (he’s ok), and before you know it, Negan has Rick and Carl (haven’t seen him in a while), kneeling before him. Carl is going to die, and Rick is going to be tortured. Before Lucille can be fed, Shiva the tiger comes to the rescue!! I cheered, almost cried, to be honest. I’m a cat person, so I love it when a cat saves the damn day. Obviously The Kingdom storms in followed by Maggie leading The Hilltop! Rosita gets shot, but Tara drags her to safety because she’s awesome like that. Much firing of guns ensues. The Scavengers bust out smoke bombs and Ninja-vanish along with The Saviors. Michonne got the stuffing beat out of her by a Trash person, but it looks like she and Rosita will both pull through. The season ends with both sides addressing their troops to prep for war.

I’m sorry this was a long wrap up, but there was some serious stuff to unpack here.

Top 4 Moments of the Night:

1. Um...all of it. But let’s start with saying goodbye to Sasha. We knew it was going to happen, but it still sucked. This woman is amazing & will be missed. It was kinda awesome to see her in Walker makeup, though.
2. The Scavenger’s betrayal! Before they turned on them, Jadis asked Michonne if Rick was her man. She then announced that after the fight she would be taking him as a sexual prize. God, I love that lady.
3. Shiva the Tiger. I think she actually killed two people. Good kitty.
4. Maggie as the new leader of The Hilltop. Like, officially. It was awesome to see her standing there with Ezekiel & Rick at the end.

Dead Digest: The Walking Dead (SSN 7, Ep 15)

Episode 15: Something They Need

WE ONLY HAVE ONE MORE EPISODE LEFT BEFORE THE FINALE! Okay, sorry, had to get that out of my system. Well, looks like they got Sasha - those bastards! So much for the one-woman suicide mission to assassinate Negan. Instead, she finds herself thrown in that same damn closet they always keep prisoners in. I guess this isn’t too shocking, since we are clearly counting down to a final battle. She can’t just cut the line and kill the monster ahead of schedule. Instead, she actually gets SAVED by Negan from the aptly named asshole, “Rapey-Dave”. Negan doesn’t allow sexual assault, (we’ve noticed before, Negan does seem to have some kind of weird honor code) so Dave has to go. Yay! Thanks, Negan! He then offers Sasha the chance to join them. He admires her “beachball-sized lady-nuts” and thinks she would make a good Savior. Of course there is a twist. A “little birdie” has alerted him that Rick is up to something, and he needs Sasha has a bargaining chip, or some nefarious fate will befall her, no doubt. Since the alternative is clearly death, she reluctantly joins. Her plan for Eugene to smuggle her a weapon to “kill herself” backfires after he gets her pills, and not a knife, to kill Negan. I wish she would just claim to be all in on joining The Saviors. Why has no one tried to infiltrate them and take them down from the inside yet??!

My money is on Gregory, the booze-soaked flailing leader of Hilltop, as that little bird tweeting to Negan. Gregory knows he’s losing his grip on the community. It gets even worse after he tries to butter-up Maggie and contemplates knifing her. Then a couple of walkers come along, and Greg is fully emasculated when the pregnant lady needs to save his ass. A group of scouts see all this. Maggie tries to help him save face by announcing he’s never had to kill one before. Apparently he’s been lying to everyone and claiming he’s a walker killer extraordinaire...yikes, that’s awkward. Maggie is so nice! She’s willing to work with this jackass and saved his life! I love her. My husband says I’m as nice as Maggie, so that makes me happy.

Tara, Rick, and the regular crew pay the women of Oceanside a visit. Tanya, their leader, isn’t happy to see them. The Alexandrite’s make it a peaceful affair and no blood is shed. They want the female community to help them fight Negan but either way, they’re taking their armory. Stupid Tanya almost ruins the whole damn thing and nearly gets Tara (and probably others) killed. Good thing her granddaughter, Cindy, is there to serve Grams a nice right hook to the face. Some water-logged walkers show up and the entire crew needs to band together to take them out. Nice teamwork, gang! Sadly, the Oceanside ladies can’t come to an agreement on whether to fight or not; so they won’t be coming along. But we can tell that Cindy and some others are happy that SOMEONE is going to battle.

Last but not least, there are a couple of surprises waiting for Team Rick when they get home. Rosita is back, and she’s got Dwight with her! That was definitely him in the shadows watching her last week. And now he claims he wants to help kill Negan. Do we dare trust him?!?

Top 4 Moments of the Night:

1. This is a Maggie two-parter. Firstly, Maggie winning friends and influencing people at Hilltop. The girl is a natural leader! And secondly, Maggie saving that idiot, Greg. (Who runs the world?!)
2. David, the would-be rapist, getting a knife right through the throat from Negan.
3. Oceanside walkers covered in moss and barnacles. SO cool.
4. The Oceanside standoff. We got a couple rather intense moments: when Tara tried to sway them, and then, once again, when Rick finally did. And it really was cool to see them all work together for a minute there to fight the mossy undead. And of course, Tara’s quote to Tanya & Cindy, “the world can belong to good people.” UGH, my heart!! She just nailed the whole reason why we need to fight The Saviors. I have a sneaking suspicion the Oceanside gals may ride in to help save the day in the end.

~ Sandra (@LilMsMnstr)

Dead Digest: The Walking Dead (SSN 7, Ep 14)

Episode 14: The Other Side

Hilltop prepares for war! Maggie and Sasha lead the motley crew in “how-to-kill-people” drills while the community’s drunken leader, Gregory, continues to down brown liquor and sneer at everyone. Jesus opens up to Mrs. Maggie Rhee and tells her she’s made this place home for him, and also subtly drops that he’s gay. It’s not long before Negan’s #1 henchman, Simon (played by the AMAZING Steven Ogg), comes calling on ol' Greg. The sloppy bastard manages to not rat out our Alexandria crew, while Daryl and Maggie hide in the fruit cellar. When only moments before, teenage Enid was going to tell Maggie the truth about Sasha and Rosita’s plan. Meanwhile, the rogue ladies sneak out on their suicide mission to assassinate Negan. By the way, that cellar scene was intense!! Was that random Savior dude gonna find them lurking behind the potato barrels?! Or was Daryl just going to spring forward like a vengeful jack-in-the-box and knife the guy?! Luckily, neither happened.

Well, it turns out The Saviors are calling on Hilltop in order to procure their doctor since theirs is dead now. Sadly, the two docs were brothers! I’m glad that this nicer and more awesome Dr. Carter didn’t have to be there to see his sibling get shoved into a furnace. In a desperate attempt to keep their doctor, Gregory tells Simon he thinks the people will revolt against him with this new development. Clearly, Simon loathes this man, but since they’re good little workers for Negan, he actually gives Gregory a map to the compound, in case he needs help ending a mutiny...interesting.

Sasha manages to get Rosita to warm up to her (eventually) whilst on the road to Negan. Remember, Abraham left Rosita for Sasha, so there’s been some misplaced anger going on there for a while. I liked seeing the dynamic with these two capable, kick ass women. They steal cars, kill walkers, and make it look easy. Rosita has become so knowledgeable and useful after years of dating handy guys, learning & perfecting their talents as her own, and then moving on. They bond, make peace, and swear to have each other’s backs in the end.

The end comes a little sooner than expected. After not being able to get a clear, distant shot at Negan, it’s time to move in. They run into a panicked Eugene, who flees the scene, and then the shocking conclusion; Sasha tricks Rosita and locks her OUT of the gate in order to complete the mission solo. As she smiled and cried, Sasha insists that it’s not Rosita’s time to die yet and heads in. BEAUTIFUL. SELFLESS. HEARTBREAKING. I DIE INSIDE.

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Top 4 Moments of the Night:

1. I already mentioned the cellar scene, but it really was a highlight. Not only because of the danger, but because afterwards, Maggie and Daryl cry it out together over Glen! Of course she doesn’t blame him for the death of one of his best friends! Silly Daryl, stop beating yourself up over that.
2. Simon! I’ve been a fan of the comedy/scariness he’s brought to the show for a while now. A great edition, and a great casting choice. Steven Ogg plays this character with such commitment that he is on the right side, and that he has a job to do, damn it.
3. Trust. The invisible co-title to this episode. Sasha -> Enid & Jesus, Jesus & Enid -> Maggie, Maggie -> Daryl, Rosita -> Sasha, Simon -> Gregory...are you seeing it yet?! All good relationships are built on it, and it’s how we’re going to win the war against Negan!
4. ALL THE SASHA AND ROSITA FEELS FOREVER. I know I said I was ready to say goodbye to them, because they’re off on this crazy plan, but I LIED. I love them too much! Sasha seems ready to fold her hand. She lost her wonderful brother Tyrese (one of my favorite characters EVER), then she lost her beloved boyfriend Bob (after he’d been partially cannibalized by those Terminus freaks), and then she found true love AGAIN with Abraham, and we all know how that ended. Rosita is still finding her place. And every damn character on the show has said how important she is to the group, and how much they need her. But are either Sasha or Rosita going to make it out of this season alive? Doubtful.

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Dead Digest: The Walking Dead (SSN 7, Ep 12)

Episode 12: Say Yes

On this week’s episode, Rick and Michonne take a sexy road trip to look for guns. Their wanderings lead them to a hellish carnival/encampment filled with lots of dead people. Apparently this society was some kind of fun hangout where civilians and soldiers had a ferris wheel, carnie games, food supplies, and a good stash of firearms. Sure, it’s weird. But what the hell, let’s roll with it. They do end up getting what they came for, and manage to have some deep conversations along the way. Michonne thinks she lost Rick to the walkers at one point and it forces them to talk about the fact that their feud with Negan may kill them both. But, they’ll do it to ensure a better world for the kiddos to grow up in. Meanwhile, Rick has been trying to prolong their mission in order to avoid reality for a while. I can’t say I blame him.

The team takes the guns back to Jadis and The Scavengers who find the loot a bit lacking. They want more guns plus, their cat statue back. Jadis is a Greedy Gus! We can’t really fault her for that, considering she’s making negotiations to fight The Saviors. I guess that means the war is postponed for a while longer. Or is it?? Which leads us to...Rosita. Despite her and Father Gabriel having YET another come-to-Jesus chat, the woman just isn’t willing to budge. It was at this very moment I kissed Rosita goodbye -- cause I’m predicting she won’t be long for this world.

After waffling on whether or not to tell Rick about the women of Oceanside, Tara turns to baby Judith to talk it out. The episode ends leaving us to believe she’s told him everything. Doing so means she’s broken her promise to Cindy. Her conscience feels it’s the justified thing to do to keep Negan from taking over the world. I love Tara to pieces, but I’m not sure this was the right choice. But they need those women and their weapons to take down the evil man. The females of Oceanside feel like they’ve lost enough. They aren’t trusting, and they aren’t willing to battle. Is that selfish of them to not help the cause and fight? Does this make them any different from the reluctant King Ezekiel? One thing's for sure, Tara is in pickle. Anyway, Rosita goes to Sasha and tells her the two of them need to set off and assassinate Negan. No more waiting around for their friends. Of course Sasha is still griefstricken and agrees, as long as she can take the shot. If memory serves, Sasha is a really good sniper. So if anyone has a chance of taking Negan out, it’s probably her. So now I’m totally worried because there is no way Rosita and Sasha can take off on this (let's face it) suicide mission and get away with it. Well...bye, gals. Been nice knowing you.

Top 4 Moments of the Night:

1. Rick and Michonne. These two actors have such great chemistry. I can’t decide which I like more, the dialogue they share, or the way they cut through those reanimated corpses so in sync.

2. Tara and Judith. It was such a great scene, Tara telling her woes to the little toddler and working out for herself to do what she feels is right.

3. Rick telling Michonne how much he misses Glen. It was nice to see this warm and squishy side of him talking about how he misses his BFF. The feeling is mutual, bro.

4. Lots and lots of gorey, gooey, gross-ness. That weird bloody, mucus stuff was flying out of those walkers and I was LIVING for it.