Well, get ready for Walking Dead withdraw. The first half of the season is over and we have to wait until February for the next episode. Ugh!
While most of The Walking Dead’s mid-season finale was a slow-burn, and a couple of characters that really didn’t mean much to us were killed. But there were some really important things that happened, some more important than you may have realized.
Love him or hate him, Negan has some serious swagger. I can’t help but love that shit-eating grin he has. Every time he’s about to or has been naughty he smiles like a jackass eating briers, and it’s kind of adorable. He makes things interesting again and he is the one reason this season has been tolerable. Talk about perfect casting, no one could play that bat swinging badass better that Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
So, lets look at the finale.
More Deaths At The Hands Of Negan
Negan did us all a favor by killing off Spencer (Austin Nichols) after he asked Negan to kill Rick and put him in charge. Negan gutted him like a fish in a scene straight out of the comic. You have to admit, Spencer was a douche and he’s been a thorn in Rick’s side, so it was time for him to go. It did suck that Negan’s soldier put a bullet in Olivia (Ann Mahoney), but let’s be honest, her character was not that important to the main story. I can almost guarantee that most of you couldn’t even remember her name.
Rosita Has Balls And Eugene Doesn’t
Anyone who has the balls to take a shot at Negan up close and personal, has my respect. Christian Serratos’ character was ready to take one for the team. When Negan’s soldier was cutting her face, she handled it with grace and never panicked. She may have given away that Eugene was the bullet maker, but him crying like a baby with his face covered made it obvious that he did it. When Negan’s men led him away, I was less than moved. Come on, you have to admit, Eugene is a little too delicate for that world.
Rick And Aaron Return To Alexandria
While scavenging, Rick and Aaron discovered an abandoned settlement filled with guns. When they get back home the Saviors are waiting. While unloading their find the Saviors discover a note left behind by the settlement’s owner and mistake it for a joke the guys are trying to pull. This does not sit well with them and they take out their anger by beating Aaron half to death.
Rick returned to Alexandria just in time to see Eugene being taken away. Negan had the nerve to tell Rick to that he should be grateful for taking Spencer out, in reality, we are grateful for that.
Daryl Escapes
With help from our other favorite long-haired badass, Jesus, Daryl escaped the Savior’s compound. On his way out Daryl encounters a Savior, “Fat Joey”. Even though Joey put his hands in the air and did not try to stop him, Daryl beat his head in with a pipe. You probably did not realize it, but Daryl killing “Fat Joey” was a horrible mistake. Joey was the man protecting all three communities from a horde of walkers unlike anything they have seen before. Two episodes ago, while Jesus and Carl were hitching a ride in the Saviors’ truck, you can over hear a conversation between two Saviors, one of the men explained how they were doing a “redirect” to lead a huge horde of walkers and that they were using RPGs to lead them away, that was Joey. When the truck arrives at the compound you can hear Negan and Joey talking about a problem with the redirect and that Joey was working on the problem. Negan went on to punish Mark by burning his face for skipping work detail on the redirect to spend time with one of the girls. To make a long story short, Joey’s death is going to come back to bite Rick and the group in the ass.
Carol Wants To Be Alone
Carol looks out the window of her new home to see Morgan leaving a package on her doorstep. She calls to him to come in, not long after she tells him to leave her alone. When he goes to leave Richard (Karl Makinen) is there waiting on the porch. Richard tells them he has something that he needs to talk about, the Saviors and how they can not be trusted. He asks Carol to urge Ezekiel to do something, but Carol is not interested. She just keeps repeating the point that she just wants to be alone.
Michonne Is Queen
When Michonne return to Alexandria after going on a solo mission to the Savior’s compound, she finds Rick in the jail cell Morgan built, and she gives a speech that reignites the fire in Rick. The camera pans away as things begin to get steamy between the love birds. They make a great couple. Don’t you agree?
Together Again
In the final moments of the episode we see Maggie at her post above the gates of Hilltop. She becomes very excited and tells the men below to open the gate. We see Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Rosita standing there. Rick embraces Maggie and then he sees Daryl. The two men meet with a huge embrace that made my heart skip a beat (I love their bromance). Daryl presented Rick with a gift that he took from “Fat Joey”, Rick’s revolver. Together they walk on into Hilltop on a mission, to unite the two communities in a war on the Saviors.
The Trailer For The Mid-Season Premiere
In the trailer for the February mid-season premiere we see Rick and the group trying to talk King Ezekiel into joining the fight. We also see the feet of the stranger, who we got a glimpse of earlier in the finale. This time, the figure is in Alexandria. Who is he? Is he a member of The Whisperers? If you read the comic you know that that would be huge and horrible for Alexandria.
Stay strong, we’ll get through the break together. Here’s the mid-season premiere trailer to tide you over.
