Just when you thought the loss of two beloved characters were sad enough, seeing the full breakdown of Rick Grimes was the all time low. We returned to Alexandria under the new rule of Negan. Everyone is trying to move on with their lives – Eugene takes up building stuff, Rosita and Spencer go for their hunt, Michonne practicing her poor shooting skills, and so forth. Rick, who is still traumatized by the season premiere, has officially given up his reign and power to Negan.
There were moments throughout the episode when Negan and his men came to grab whatever they wanted when you thought, maybe Rick will do something. His hands tighten as he gripped Lucille, which Negan had trusted Rick to hold, possibly gave us a sign that badass leader Rick was still in there, but we got nothing. Negan has gotten full control of Rick using the people he loves. He uses Daryl as a clutch to remind Rick of the consequences of his actions and to prove to him and everyone: You are my bitches. I have to be honest, this episode was just depressing.
As for the others, they haven’t been through what Rick went through with Negan. The men and women who were not part of the Eenie-Meenie scene did not have the fear of what this man could do. This is why Father Gabriel was so calm because we know he would be crapping his pants if he was part of that situation. Gabriel and everyone else, like Eric and Spencer, asks Rick: What do we do now?
The underlying theme in this episode is Rick’s acceptance that this is their world now. They must accept this horrible person as their leader because they have to do it to survive. This is why he reveals to Michonne about Judith’s parentage – he accepts her as his daughter to keep her alive.
Of course, there are others who do not agree with the new Rick. Rosita and Michonne want to fight back. I’m not sure how this will play out because what can they really do? They do not have guns or the manpower. Hopefully, we will see the meetings between Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom to finally take down the tyrant.
Last night’s episode lasted thirty minutes longer. The extended episode did not feel necessary in terms of storytelling. We already know how bad Negan and his men are and how upset the people of Alexandria are with the whole situation. The extra time did not provide any additional input or interesting story. It could have been told in the normal time frame.
The episode did touch on some symbolism in the episode. Michonne encountered the dead deer during her shooting practice. We’ve seen a deer in season 2 when Carl was shot and season 4 with Lizzie and Mika and did not end up being good. Enid’s urgency to have her balloons back was an ode to Glenn, whom she survived with carrying green balloons last season. The video of Rick prior coming to Alexandria being shown, with Negan commenting he wouldn’t want to mess with that guy, has shown us how far Rick has come. It may also reflect that Rick may have to go back to being that guy in order to take on Negan.
We will just have to wait and see.
“Nobody died,” said Negan as he left.
I died a little bit inside.
The Walking Dead airs on Sundays on AMC at 9pm.
from Nerd Reactor
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