This week, Rick tries to stop Maggie but is met with many obstacles. He and Daryl have their tussle down into a hole, and once they get out of that, Rick ends up in a world of pain. My name is Kent, and I ask 9 episode-specific questions, and 2 bonus questions, and that’s how we get the 9 Deuce. Any comments in BOLD are written by me. I hope you enjoy and if you or someone you know may want to do this blog, contact me, leave a comment, whatever. The contact info is at the bottom of this blog.
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The 9
- Negan thoroughly picked apart Michonne. Do you think this will play a factor into Maggie coming for Negan? Will Michonne find Lucille for Negan?
Bob: I believe Michonne will go and get Lucille. I hope it is like the scene from Ben-Hur where Masala had enslaved Judah and Judah returns and finds his sister and mother infected with leprosy. That kind of shock of the weathering of a wooden bat with barbed wire all deformed and rusted…
I think Michonne wants to keep Negan alive. This is for now a separate “arc” from Maggie but it could be some showdown between the two. (I can oddly envision what you described with Ben-Hur, and I like that word picture that you just painted. I could get behind that.)
Kristi: I honestly don’t know what the hell is going on with Negan. This whole deal has me confused. I don’t think Michonne will look for Lucille. I think she knows where she is. (I agree, I think she knows where it is.)
Chris: I’m excited to see his interaction with Maggie. I think she’s going to find Lucille for him. (I’d enjoy a scenario where Maggie finds or has Lucille. Could make for compelling TV.)
Raylene: Negan is a master manipulator he will definitely be messing with anyone’s head that comes to talk to him. I think Lucille’s location is only known by a handful of people. I think when Negan gets out it’ll be by accident she is found (I will say, I don’t think he would have messed with Carl’s mind, but without that particular opportunity, he owes nobody anything. I would love to see Eugene chat with Negan. I think there is still some respect there.)
Kent: I worded this question poorly, surprise surprise. I do think that Negan’s conversation with Michonne will affect whatever happens with Maggie when she arrives in Alexandria, and I wanted to know how it would affect that situation. My bad. Michonne seems like the right person to find Lucille. If not her, then it should be Judith.
- So Jadis spared Father Gabriel but appears that she won’t be staying. Will we see Jadis the rest of the season?
Bob: I hope not. But maybe a whisper of her later on. (I cannot confirm that she won’t be a member of a particularly quiet group, but the 3 main members of that group have been cast. Of course, we can officially throw most of what is known out the window seemingly.)
Kristi: Yes, I think so. She still has to get them the A. And they still need to inform us further on the helicopter. (Yeah, nobody is going to be happy until we have a 90-minute helicopter story. It may sound stupid, but I think we would all enjoy it.)
Chris: I think so. The helicopter has to be making more appearances. (Annnnd this cements my thoughts. Angela Kang, we want a 92-minute helicopter episode!!)
Raylene: Yes we will see her again as an advisory of the three communities (I was under the impression that she was a good leader, but now I don’t know. We know that she traded people. Did she ever trade her own people?)
Kent: I’m inclined to say that we will see her again this season, maybe not before the midseason because you can kind of see how the remainder of this half season is going. Rick’s death, the mourning of Rick, Maggie and Negan, and then an introduction to people who whisper.
- Carol seems to already be done with trying to help guide the Saviors. What was the point in involving her? Why did they bother to introduce that storyline to quickly pull it away?
Bob: We are supposed to accept that this has been an ongoing situation and the show is trying to change gears so this storyline has to conclude. The pace is much better even though this episode felt a little slower than the previous ones this season. Carol is a main character who had no purpose, so she is filling in gaps and frankly, everyone loves Carol. If they don’t, they should watch the first three seasons again at least. (Doing the time lapse and trying to catch people up on the dynamics that have been established is a tough chore that was going to create situations like this that we have to accept at face value, I think.)
Kristi: Good question! How are they going to have a shootout and not give us more? Did I miss something? Totally possible. I think she was done when they walked away and that one dude’s attitude didn’t help. (Yeah, I was thinking, why can’t they do like they do in The Mayans. Like Jed has an issue with Daryl, for instance. Let them beat the hell out of each other and then somebody stops it, they hug, and everybody goes about their business. Wouldn’t that be more feasible than letting this much friction fracture a group?)
Chris: Putting Carol there was just applying band-aids to something that needed stitches. The saviors are never going to accept leadership from someone who helped kill a bunch of their people. (Yeah, it’s easy for viewers to nod our heads and know how awesome Carol is. From the Saviors’ perspective, it makes no sense. An in-house leader who could diplomatically work with the other groups was the best case scenario. Laura and Eugene made the most sense.)
Raylene: Perhaps they thought maybe if anyone could reign in the Saviors it would be Carol. Since clearly, Daryl was not the correct choice. (Daryl is never the right choice.)
Kent: It just seemed like filler to give her a reason to have various conversations with Rick and Daryl and Ezekiel. It didn’t serve a real purpose. It didn’t make much sense, and I hope that eventually, they get a leader that makes sense who either has an excellent hair game or a burnt face.
- Did Maggie quintessentially pass the torch to Jesus in case something happens to her or was that just a normal conversation?
Bob: Jesus, take care of my kid while I am gone. Again. Maggie makes me tired. They should give her grey hair and dentures to more accurately display her bitterness. Maybe a cane or Walker too. (Grey haired Maggie would make some sense. Aside from Carol, none of the ladies like to show their hair sporting greys. How is that possible?)
Kristi: I say normal conversation but I stand by my response previously that he will take over. (He is the voice of the people, and that rarely lasts in a political power standpoint. But he may have a short run at it, or long. F’d if I know anymore.)
Chris: I don’t think she was passing the torch. Jesus is Maggie’s Dwight…. minus the melted face. (Yeah, let’s not melt his face. The facial hair would be so messed up.)
Raylene: Jesus is Maggie’s right-hand man so it was just like “Hey, take care of my spawn.” (Jesus is the unofficial Hilltop babysitter.)
Kent: I read into deeper than others, which PROBABLY means that I am wrong, but I am saying that it was a passing of the torch moment. I don’t know if Maggie is 100% sure that she is coming back.
- It sounds like the bridge is not going to hold up, per Eugene. Will the bridge still exist by the midseason finale? Also, Eugene’s hair game was on point.
Bob: I think next episode we will think the bridge is going to go out, then it won’t. Then it will. (Classic response. Or will it…….?)
Kristi: I think it will go out. When has Eugene been wrong? His hair is part of the reason I watch the show. Eugene is the shiznit. Yeah, I went there. (It’s good that you went there. I go there often. It’s comforting. I need to find a Eugene shirt in super fat and tall man size.)
Chris: I think the bridge will hold. It will be symbolic of everyone staying united. (That is my one concern. This show likes its symbolism. I don’t like the idea of Eugene being wrong though.)
Raylene: No the bridge goes this coming Sunday that is how they write off Rick and the herds. (Yeah, one of the previews made that seem entirely probable.)
Kent: I believe every word that Eugene says. Therefore that bridge is gon get got.
Final Thoughts – We know that the next episode is going to be something that we don’t forget. Rick had conversations with the last 2 remaining members of the season 1 cast (Carol & Daryl) this week. You could see some emotion during that scene with Carol. We know that it is Rick’s last episode. Give me any thoughts on whether Rick will die alone or with others. Will Rick get a chance to say goodbye to Michonne and Judith? Will Rick get to say anything more to Negan or talk to Maggie? Will, whatever happens to RIck help bring the Saviors back to the group?
Bob: His death will be alone to set him apart. He will definitely get to say goodbye to Michonne but I am not sold on Judith. I am thinking Maggie will hear of Rick’s demise BUT I don’t know if this will accelerate her pursuit of Negan or deflate it. The saviors do not seem relevant as the saviors. They are showing that there is a division growing and seeding more and more feelings. Everyone has feelings. (I always enjoyed a song by The Offspring called “Feelings”. I am curious about your Maggie thoughts. Normally you would think that it deflates her pursuit, but the way that they have been portraying Maggie, that’s a dandy of a question. If we don’t get an answer this week, I may ask that question.)
Kristi: Interesting thought that the saviors will return. I hadn’t thought of that. I think they may actually. Maybe that is how Negan will return. Maybe Michonne will let him out. In her grieving, she may let her guard down and fall into his mind games. She will be weak after that. I kinda hope he dies alone. I don’t see how he gets himself out of the current predicament and back to the crew. It’s quite possible that Darryl will find him though. I’m excited to see how he ends. (Since Daryl is officially the star of the show, and making the most $$$ after this episode, he seems like a definite to be with Rick, IF anybody is with him. I’m still not sure if he will get to see anyone.)
Chris: Rick is going to go out saving everyone. He’ll lure the walkers away and sacrifice himself for the betterment of all. I hope he gets to say goodbye to Michonne and Judith, but I can’t see how he will. Goodbye Officer Friendly….. (Yeah, I have no idea how they will accomplish both him saving everybody and having a goodbye moment. It seems like a one or the other situation.)
Raylene: I am saying Rick is not alone he will be washed away with the walkers when the bridge goes out. I would like to say he doesn’t die and perhaps a return eventually but that’s probably just fantasy. (He can always return via a dream. Hey look, there’s Shane!)
Kent: The group has to know that Rick dies. So in order for him to die alone, he’d have to say something on the walkie. I can see that as he realizes that he’s going to sacrifice himself to divert the herd. I think that makes sense. I think that this will bring the Saviors back in line. They are too important in the shitstorm that is coming their way. I think Rick will say something to Maggie or at least have a message relayed to her. I can even see him leaving a message for Negan. I am curious how Negan will react to this.
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