Rick with his eyes closed. A cane propped against a wall. Flowers in a vase. A clock that reads 8:21. Rick stands over a grave. Gabriel and Aaron work at a forge in Hilltop. Dwight sits. An arrow is shot next to him. Tara and Carol stand on a deserted highway. Rick quotes Jesus at their first meeting, "You're world is gonna get a lot bigger." He continues, "Well, we found that bigger world. We found each other. That bigger world is ours by right. That we've fought together for it, all of us it's that much more true, it's ours by right! " Dwight opens up the note attached to the arrow. Carol and Tara wait smiling. They crouch down. Rick continues his speech. "But those who use and take and kill to carve out the world and make it theirs alone -- we end them. We don't . . . celebrate it. We don't have shame about it either. There's only one person who has to die. And I will kill him myself. I will. . . Then we keep making the world bigger, together." Dwight writes a response to the note and fires it from his crossbow back to Daryl who stands waiting outside of Sanctuary. Tara notes the time in a notebook. Ezekiel says, "Together, Bound Forever! To quote the bard, For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. For she today is my sister."Shiva growls in agreement. Maggie adds her bit. "We've practiced. We've been through it over and over again. We all know the plan doesn't end this morning. . . That we have to keep our faith in each other. If we can hold on to that with everything we have the future is ours. The world is ours." A herd of zombies walk under the overpass that Tara and Carol are sitting on. Rick (from a different time) stands by two graves. The cane again. The flowers. The clock. Old man Rick lies in bed. He opens his eyes. We go back to the first Rick we saw with closed eyes. He opens his eyes.
A van drives down a deserted highway. Carl gets out with a gas can. He walks among the deserted cars. Someone calls out to him. He says he has been shot at. Someone also threw a microwave at him. He quotes his mother, "Whatever you have of good, spend on the traveler. Helping the traveler, the person without a home. That's everything." He's sure Carl has seen things and doesn't trust people. He understands. He doesn't trust people either. He quotes the Quran, "May my mercy prevail over my wrath." He hasn't eaten in a few days and wonders if Carl is even real. Carl follows the voice. He looks under a car. He sees someone kneeling behind a car. He finds the man and points his gun at him. The man just wants food. Someone begins to shoot at the man. It is Rick. Rick thinks the man was a spy from Negan. He shot above the man's head to make him leave without hurting him. Carl says there is not going to be enough hope. A female zombie walks slowly towards Rick. He pulls out his axe.
A zombie scratches at a tree. A man stands at the top of the tree, gets shot, and falls off. Someone crosses off the phrase "platform/tree." A man sits smoking on the hood of a car and gets pulled off from behind. Daryl now sits on the hood of the car smoking. He looks down at a gun with hash marks. Someone crosses off the phrase neighborhood. Morgan kills a man. Paze industrial is crossed off the list. Gabriel tells Rick they will be ready in 30 minutes. He asks Rick if he is ready. Rick replies, "It's one person who brought it to this. One person." Gabriel answers, "It always starts with one person. This did. What we're doing here, now." Rick says, "This, this isn't about me." Gabriel says, "Yes. It isn't. You made it like that." Tara looks at her watch. Daryl drives down the highway towards Tara and Carol. Rick kisses Judith goodbye. Then he kisses Michonne goodbye. He hugs Carl. "This is the end of it." he tells Carl. He gets in a car and drives away. Several newly armored cars follow him out of Alexandria. Michonne and Carl stay behind. Carl says to Michonne, "I know you wanted to go with him. I did too." Michonne says, "Everything hurts. But I'll help you defend this place." Carl asks, "Help me?" She answer, "Oh yeah, this is your show. Okay, you'll see."
A zombie is tied to a utility pole. A man stares at it. Rick whistles and attacks the man. The man says, "What are you up to, Rick? You think you're gonna take us on? I saw you begging. Crying. Your gonna beg again, Rick. Your boy's gonna die." Overgrown roadhouse is crossed off the list. Rick cuts the zombie free and it eats the man. Rick looks down the road. He signals and the caravan drives towards him.
Dusk and the caravan joins several other armored cars. People from all three communities are there. Aaron asks Eric if he is praying. He responds, "Better late than never." Jerry gives Enid his arm guard for her to wear over her sternum. Maggie needs to be in Hilltop for the first part. "They say you can wage war through the second trimester. I've been fighting since the farm. Can't stop now." Rick asks, "How 'bout tomorrow?" She asks, "You been thinking about what that looks like?" He answers, "Yes I have. I don't know if I can wait for it." Maggie says, "Just one more fight and I'm gonna be there. At least for the first part." Ezekiel offers Hilltop his doctor. Jesus says they will get their doctor back. Ezekiel says, "Yes, Jesus, Yes you will. As sure as the day defeats the night. And on this day we begin to reshape this world, for your child and the children to come. So let's get started." Rick tells Maggie Hilltop is lucky to have her. She replies, "You showed me how to be someone worth following." He replies, "Good. After this I'm following you." Tara looks down at her watch. It is 7:50. She counts down from ten. Carol, Daryl, Morgan, and Tara stare down at the deserted road. At first nothing happens. Then the zombie herd arrives. They leave as the herd approaches. A car left on the highway explodes. At Sanctuary people talk over the radio about the zombie herd. Several Saviors leave on bikes and in cars.
Daryl and Morgan set up a wire across cars. Carol asks how close they are and Daryl responds close (close to Sanctuary?). Dwight smokes. Two of the Saviors on duty with him get shot. The armored cars pull up to a Sanctuary. Everyone gets out of the cars armed and ready for battle. They raise their weapons and at a signal from Maggie they all shoot into the air three times. Negan comes out with some of his Saviors.
We see Rick look up at a stained glass sign. Then we see Old Rick waking up. He looks around and checks the time. He goes downstairs and Michonne is there drinking coffee. Carl walks in. Old man Rick uses a cane.
Negan apologizes for being in a meeting. "I see you got your little mudflaps with ya. So I'm not exactly feeling' a reason for us to try throwin' lead at each other. I care about my people. I don't want to just march them into the line of fire just because I want to play my dick is bigger than yours. It is. We both know it . . . I'm certainly not going to let my people die over that shit . . . So Rick, what the hell can I do for you?" Rick calls out the name of the Saviors standing with Negan. Eugene tries to speak but Rick cuts him off. Rick tells them, "All of you have a chance to survive here. To survive this. You all can live if you surrender. Can't guarantee it anytime but now. Right now." Morgan goes after a zombie that is walking towards the trap they set for the Saviors. Negan recaps Rick's offer to the Saviors and asks, 'What about me, Rick?" Rick says, "I told you twice. You know what's going to happen." Negan says, "You have no idea the shit that's about to go down. Do you think you have the numbers for this fight? You don't. Simon?" Out walks Gregory with Simon. Maggie looks at Jesus. Jesus says, "Of course that's where he went." Gregory says anyone from Hilltop that fights against Negan will be kicked out of Hilltop. Several of the Hilltoppers look at Maggie. She says, "You do what you need to do." No one leaves. Jesus shouts, "The Hilltop stands with Maggie!" Morgan kills the zombie and the road is clear. Simon gets in Gregory's face. He pushes him down the stairs. Several cars come down the road towards Morgan. The cars explode. Rick and Maggie see the smoke from the explosion. Everyone nods at each other. "It has to happen now. It's the only way. You're gonna make me count? Okay, I'm counting." Rick begins to countdown. He only gets to seven before he begins to shoot.
Rick's group begins to shoot at the building. Negan and the Saviors run inside. They riddle the building with bullets. The herd walks down the road where Daryl and the others wait. Tara, Morgan, and Carol leave Daryl. Carol hugs Daryl and tells him to be careful. He says it's going to be fun. Carol says it isn't. He replies, "It's better than lettin' things be, though, right?" Daryl pulls out his guns and checks to see how many bullets he has. Maggie gets in a car and honks. Daryl hears that and drives off in his motorcycle. Rick tries to shoot Negan but misses. Rick's group begins to get in their cars to leave. As Daryl rides he shoots at boxes that explode. The zombies follow him.
Gabriel gets out of the RV that he has set in neutral. He signals to Rick as it approaches the building and Rick pushes a button and it explodes. Rick shoots as Gabriel calls his name. Gabriel is finally able to get Rick's attention. "It's not about you right?" Rick grabs a Polaroid camera and takes a picture of his handiwork. Gabriel gets in a car and is about to leave when he sees Gregory. He gets out and goes to help Gregory. The herd has arrived and the Saviors are shooting at them. Gregory looks at the car and then at Gabriel. Gabriel shouts at him to wait but Gregory ignores him and drives off in the car leaving Gabriel behind.
Carl walks among abandoned cars. He pulls canned food out of his backpack and leaves them on the floor with a note that says "sorry." The man from the beginning of the episode looks at him through some trees. Carol joins Ezekiel and he bows to her. Daryl joins Rick. Rick tells Daryl they can't wait anymore for Gabriel. Gabriel stopped to get Rick. Rick says they have to go. Daryl asks, "You alright?" Rick says, "This isn't about me." They get into their cars and go. Morgan asks a fellow knight if she could still shoot arrows at the Saviors through the herd of zombies. She replies "Wouldn't bet on it." Daryl shoots a guard in a guard house. Rick opens the gate and they run down the road. The Knights shoot at another Savior outpost. Carol notices a Savior throw a grenade and yells at everyone to get down. The zombie herd enters the courtyard. Gabriel tries to get inside the building to get away from the zombies. He finds an open door to a trailer and goes inside. A voice says, "I hope you got your shitting pants on." It is Negan. He smiles as he tells Gabriel, "'Cause you are about to shit your pants."
Old man Rick is greeted by an older Judith. She tells them about a big owl outside for some party. They walk outside and there is a large paper mache owl in front of a house. Rick from some time soon mumbles, "My mercy prevails over my wrath." We now go back to the beginning where Rick is addressing all three communities. "I don't want to wait for it anymore. You don't either. Yeah, I know. So we don't have to wait for it. If we start tomorrow, right now, with everything we've beaten, everything we've endured, everything we've risen above, everything we've become. If we start tomorrow right now, no matter what comes next . . . we've won. We've already won!"
Final thoughts
- Whose graves are those that Rick is standing by at the beginning of the episode?
- Is old man Rick a dream or the future? I haven't read the comics past the introduction of Ezekiel so I don't have the answer.
- Flower spray painted on the overpass Carol is kneeling by. We have the reference to the Cherokee rose from when Sofia was missing. We also have a reference to Mika and "look at the flowers."
- Who is the dude that Carl sees at the abandoned gas station? A Savior? Or is there another community we will meet this season?
- A lot of call backs to episode one. I have some comparison shots at the end. Rick waking up in the hospital/Old man Rick waking up at home.Rick getting gas/Carl getting gas.
-All three communities wear different colored arm bands so they know who is on their side. Green for Hilltop, Orange for Kingdom, and White for Alexandria.
- Ezekiel quotes from Henry V's St. Crispin day speech. Act IV Scene iii 18–67. "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother"
- What has happened to Rick that he is quoting from the Quran? Did the stranger join their group? Has someone died? Does it have anything to do with the two graves from the beginning?
Comparison shots
Future or Dream?
A little Henry V. Just because this is a great speech. Enjoy.
Gabriel gets out of the RV that he has set in neutral. He signals to Rick as it approaches the building and Rick pushes a button and it explodes. Rick shoots as Gabriel calls his name. Gabriel is finally able to get Rick's attention. "It's not about you right?" Rick grabs a Polaroid camera and takes a picture of his handiwork. Gabriel gets in a car and is about to leave when he sees Gregory. He gets out and goes to help Gregory. The herd has arrived and the Saviors are shooting at them. Gregory looks at the car and then at Gabriel. Gabriel shouts at him to wait but Gregory ignores him and drives off in the car leaving Gabriel behind.
Carl walks among abandoned cars. He pulls canned food out of his backpack and leaves them on the floor with a note that says "sorry." The man from the beginning of the episode looks at him through some trees. Carol joins Ezekiel and he bows to her. Daryl joins Rick. Rick tells Daryl they can't wait anymore for Gabriel. Gabriel stopped to get Rick. Rick says they have to go. Daryl asks, "You alright?" Rick says, "This isn't about me." They get into their cars and go. Morgan asks a fellow knight if she could still shoot arrows at the Saviors through the herd of zombies. She replies "Wouldn't bet on it." Daryl shoots a guard in a guard house. Rick opens the gate and they run down the road. The Knights shoot at another Savior outpost. Carol notices a Savior throw a grenade and yells at everyone to get down. The zombie herd enters the courtyard. Gabriel tries to get inside the building to get away from the zombies. He finds an open door to a trailer and goes inside. A voice says, "I hope you got your shitting pants on." It is Negan. He smiles as he tells Gabriel, "'Cause you are about to shit your pants."
