Michonne talks to herself/Rick. She says life hasn't gotten any easier. Daryl wakes up in a dilapidated tent. He fishes with a pole. On a cracked wall is a quote by King Ezekiel, "At Time We Crack, Only to Let the Light In." Carol looks at it from her bed. She has long hair now. She smiles at a sleeping Ezekiel. She looks down at Kingdom that is prospering. Michonne continues, "Try to find where you belong. Try to look ahead to a better future. But the truth is the path ahead has only grown darker. You can feel so lost. So alone, so desperate for something, anything that might show you the way. But even now, after all this time, surrounded by darkness there are still flashes of light, tiny beacons that shine out, calling to us." She rides down a road. She finds an abandoned van. She looks inside and finds a box. Inside she finds a figurine that looks a lot like Rick. "It's not enough to light the way ahead but its' enough to keep going. Keep trying. Keep fighting. Keep dreaming." Daryl comes across a walker stuck in a tree. a bird eats a worm off the walker. He follows the bird and watches as it feeds the worm to its babies. He walks away. At Kingdom Carol gardens. Carol smiles when she sees a flower growing. "So that's what I do. Every second of every day, for you, for us. I haven't given up, and I never will." She smiles sadly and gets back on her horse. She was at the bridge that Rick blew up.
Rosita calls for Judith along with Aaron. They call her Jude. The people she helped walk towards them. She tells Aaron that they needed her help. One of the men says. Our rig, it got overrun by sickos." Judith gives them water. Rosita says they can't help them. Judith disagrees. The man says that he dabbled in the culinary arts. He offers to make osso bucco out of the deer Eugene is carrying. Eugene says they make stew because it feeds more people. Judith begins to explain that they have a large community with walls when the adults stop her. One woman signs to another explaining what Judith is saying. Zombies approach and Eugene walks up and starts killing them with his knife. Judith says the new people need food, water, and, medicine. "If they don't go. I don't go." Rosita gives Aaron a look. Aaron tells the new people to follow them.
Carol looks as people are repairing buildings at Kingdom. She asks Jerry is there is any part of Kingdom that isn't falling apart. He replies, "Our loyalty to you my queen." She laughs. He says she has to accept it. They hear a bang and go running. A water pipe has burst. Henry is trying to fix the pipe. They tape it. Ezekiel arrives and Carol explains what happened. Henry says they are holding things together with plastic and tape. They need better tools and someone who's trained. Ezekiel warns him to watch his tone. Henry apologizes. Henry practices with his stick as Ezekiel looks on. Carol says that Henry's right. Kingdom is getting older. Carol says Henry just wants to fix his home. Ezekiel says Henry is needed at Kingdom. Carol says Ezekiel will always need Henry. Ezekiel wants Henry to be safe. He doesn't want to send Henry to Hilltop to be trained by Earl. He says Hilltop is far away. Carol says, "But sometimes you have to let the cracks happen to let the light in." He laughs.
Eugene says that they are violating the security protocols. Rosita says she knows as she takes the hood off of one of the new people. They arrive at Alexandria. The new people mention Jones Springs and Coalport. They apparently had bad experiences at those communities and seem a little hesitant about Alexandria. Judith promises that they will be safe. She offers her hand to one of the women. The woman takes her hand and Judith leads them in. The new people stare in awe at Alexandria. They now have a windmill and new buildings. They have many crops that seem to be flourishing. Gracie runs towards Aaron and calls him daddy but he tells her to stay where she is. Siddiq and several others run towards them. Rosita tells Siddiq they brought in another new person with head trauma. He will take her to the infirmary. One of the new women wants to accompany her friend but she is stopped by an Alexandrian. Michonne arrives and asks what's going on. An Alexandrian replies, "Five unknowns, all clean one headed to the infirmary." Michonne stares at the new people. She pats down one of the women. Eugene says they surrendered their weapons and were frisked. Michonne wants to know why there are in Alexandria. Aaron says it was his call. She tells him it's not his call to make. Judith says she decided. Michonne reminds her she knows the rules. They all know the rules. Aaron says, "Look, no disrespect, but maybe their fate is something we should decide together." Gabriel says it will be dark soon they can bring them before the council in the morning to vote. Michonne agrees. She orders them to be put in holding. Judith finds the figurine that looks like Rick lying on the floor.
Ezekiel hugs Henry and then shakes his hand. Henry is going away but will be back before the fair. He tells him to be respectful, responsible, kind, and safe. He wishes he and Jerry were accompanying Carol and Henry. She says he needs to prepare for the fair. He says, "If we could bring the communities back together as full partners, it would change everything." She reassures him. Ezekiel says Henry is a dreamer. Carol says the world could use more dreamers.
Gabriel speaks to the new people. He sits at a table with Aaron, Michonne and a few others. Gabriel says, "We're a fair community of decent minded people but we are not soft. And that's not going to change today." He asks for the identity of their leader. They all look at the woman with tattoos but she says the don't have one. They did not know each other before the zombiepocalypse. The man explains how they met. He mentions they lost one of their group yesterday. There were others but they didn't make it. He cries as well as one of the women. Aaron asks who they were before all this. The man, Luke, was a music teacher. Tattoo woman, Magna, waited tables at a truck stop. The deaf woman, Connie, was a journalist. Her translator and sister, Kelly, was in high school. Gabriel asks, "Who are you now?" A fighter. A guardian angel. A music teacher. He says education never ends. Gabriel asks, "What did you do to survive?" Magna replies, "What I had to, anything I had to." Kelly answers for her sister and herself, "She never gave up, but me, I grew up." Luke says, "I don't think I did anything special. I don't know what I did to deserve it. At first I was just lucky, I was in the right place at the right time, and then I met the right people." They don't have anything in common except that they are all breathing and that is a lot these days. Michonne says they want to be kind and generous but this decision comes with a heavy price. She asks Magna to show her left hand. She inspects it and we see that she has a prison tattoo. Magna says she can explain. Michonne asks her to put the knife on the table. Magna undoes her belt buckle and pulls out a knife. Michonne tells the others to vote and walks away. Magna wants to ask Michonne a question but Michonne refuses and walks away.
Gabriel uncovers several radios and transistors. He turns them on. Rosita walks in. She thought he gave up on it and he says he did. He turns it off. "I just keep thinking that there are still people out there, people that we don't know about. Those survivors? I think Michonne's wrong. I think they're good people." Rosita doesn't think that prison matters. She says the new people will stay until their injured friend gets better so there is still time for Michonne to change her mind. Gabriel was talking to Eugene. Eugene thinks they could boost the signal by setting up a remote amplifier farther out. They know Michonne will consider that a security breach. Gabriel wonders who else might be out there. She tells him to stay and help the new people. She and Eugene will deal with the new relay box. She kisses Gabriel. He says she's amazing. Michonne is talking to Rick again. Judith overhears her. She is talking about Carl. She wants to protect her people like he protected Carl. She knows it's not part of the plan. Judith walks away and Michonne hears her. She tells Judith it is almost time for her lesson.
Henry says they missed the turn off for Hilltop. Carol says they are not going to Hilltop just yet. They hear a woman call for help. Henry gets out of the wagon and goes to help. Carol calls for him to stop but when he doesn't she follows him. He finds a group surrounding a woman. It is Regina with some Saviors. They point their weapons at Henry. Carol comes with her bow and arrow and tells Regina to drop her weapon. Jed and some more Saviors come up behind them. They point their weapons at Carol.
Rosita and Eugene are on their way to set up the remote amplifier. Eugene says that Rosita must really like Gabriel if she is willing to violate security protocol. He says there are other men besides Gabriel for her to choose from. She can tell he is referring to himself. They stop when they come upon tracks left by hundreds of zombies.
Siddiq cares for the injured woman, Yumiko. He tells Magna that Yumiko could be back on her feet by the next day. Magna asks if she should be out and about. He says it's not for him to say. Magna looks out the window at Michonne training Judith. Luke asks Siddiq about his story. Siddiq says he was a stranger they took in but things were different before. Luke asks for the reason things changed. Siddiq says there is a reason for everything and walks away.
Regina says they saw Carol and Henry coming a mile away. They are looking at the supplies in Carol's wagon. Jed says times have been tough since Sanctuary went bust. The Saviors use zombies to pull their wagon. Carol says the Saviors could have joined one of the other communities. Jed replies, "That ain't really my bag either." The Saviors laugh. "You spare me back in the day so I'm gonna offer you the same courtesy. Keep your wagon, your horses, your lives. . . Everything else is ours, and that'll make us square." Carol agrees. He wants her ring as well. Henry grabs his stick and hits Jed. Jed knocks Henry down but Carol gets in between them and gives Jed her ring. He puts it on. He tells her he likes her hair and walks away.
Judith reads her math word problem about airplanes out loud. Negan listens to her. She asks if he is going to help. He asks if she has every seen an airplane or ever will. She says no. He says math problems are supposed to apply to the real world. She looks down at the figurine. She tells him Michonne is going to make the strangers leave. He says she wants to help. He tells her when he was little he used to bring home stray dogs. One day a stray dog killed all of the other strays and chewed off half of his mother's ear when she tried to stop it. "The thing is, that dog seemed just as friendly and grateful as the rest of 'em." She asked if he ever brought another dog home. He says no. He wised up. She replies, "And look how great everything turned out for you." She packs up her stuff and says she only wanted his help with math. "Because it doesn't matter if you're a good or bad person on the inside. The numbers don't care." She walks away.
Eugene sets up the amplifier on a water tower. He turns it on and tells Rosita he going back down. He starts to climb down when he sees a herd of zombies. He warns Rosita. She tells him to get down. He drops his bag and that spooks the horses and they run away. Rosita grabs some things from the wagon as Eugene makes his way down. He accidentally knocks over the ladder and has to jump down the last bit. He hurts his knee. Rosita grabs a shovel for him to use as a crutch.
Carol and Henry camp out for the night. He doesn't understand why she didn't try to fight the Saviors. She says there is no point. He says, "No, there's right, and there's wrong. You stand up for what's right, and you fight what's wrong. You taught me that. And I remember when you did. What happened?" She replies, "You." She looks down at her hand where there is no longer a ring.
Magna apologizes to her group. She says Michonne set her up. Connie says that Magna should have ditched the knife. Magna says she didn't know how things were going to play out. She wanted options. Luke asks her to hand over Yumiko's necklace. She takes it off and we see it is two sharp blades. She says they need supplies or they will die out there. He says like they always do. Connie tells her to not be an asshole. She tells them Bernie would have wanted them to have this place. She wants to fight like they always do. Connie tells her to leave Michonne alone. Alexandria had their own Coalport and they survived for a reason. If they have to leave then they leave. Magna says they need this. Luke tells Magna to listen to Connie. There are children in this community. If she wants to fight debate style that's fine but but fight fight is for someone who deserves it. He asks Connie and Kelly if they agree. They do. He tells Magna to sleep on it.
The Saviors sleep. Someone takes the match out of Jed's mouth. He wakes up. He sees Carol light the match. She says, "The ring I could let go. But that stuff belonged to people I knew, people who went out and never came back." He says they found the stuff. She says he hurt her son. He promises she will never see him again. She says she knows. She drops the match and they all catch fire. I assume she covered them in fuel while they slept.
Michonne is being watched through the windows of her house. Magna has the blade necklace. Michonne says RJ and a little boy in pajamas runs into her arms. Magna looks at her. Michonne opens her door when someone knocks on it and finds Magna there with the blade knife. She closes the blades and hands Michonne the necklace. She says, "You missed one." Michonne stares at her warily but takes the necklace and thanks her. Magna says, "You're right about me. I've done things. Terrible things. If I had all this, I wouldn't trust me either." She walks away. Michonne says, "We've all done things. Or else we wouldn't be here. It isn't always that easy to live with. " Magna replies, "It's better than losing everything." Judith sits on the stairs with Rick's gun. She says, "You said Dad would've wanted me to have it to protect myself and the people I love." Michonne replies, "Yeah, he would, but I'm the one that supposed to be protecting you." Judith wants to know if that is why she is kicking out the strangers. Judith says, " 'Cause I think Dad would have wanted me to do what I did yesterday, too." Michonne smiles and says, "He would've been proud. Your brother too?" Judith wants to know why she won't help the strangers. Michonne tells her she will understant some day. Judith tells her she knows Michonne speaks to Rick and Carl. She is starting to forget their voices. They are fading away. She puts the figurine down. She hopes Michonne can still hear them.
Rosita and Eugene run from the zombies. Eugene tells Rosita he is holding her back. He is about to confess something but she tells him to stop making things weird. They run. Henry apologizes to Carol. He notices she has the ring back on her finger. He asks where she is taking them. She says she knows where they are going. Daryl walks up to them. She offers him a ride. Michonne takes off her robe and we see a scar on her back in the shape of an x. She dresses in one of Rick's shirts. Judith walks up to the strangers as they are getting ready to leave. Luke thanks Siddiq, Gabriel, and Judith. They walk towards the gate and Michonne rides up to them. She says, "Change of plans." She will escort them to another community that might take them in. Siddiq and Gabriel look at each other. Siddiq asks if she is taking them to Hilltop. She says he is coming too so he can keep an eye on his patient. Connie thanks Judith. Judith and Michonne smile at each other. Rosita and Eugene run through the woods. They slide down to some muddy water and cover themselves in mud. The zombies apporach as they lie down. A zombie says, "Where are they?" Another zombie says, "They must be close." Another says, "Don't let them get away." The herd walks past them.
Final Thoughts
- I am done with Negan. He just seems like a distraction.
- I am interested by the new characters. I don't know if Maggie will accept them. But I am concerned that the addition of new characters will slow down the storytelling making this season boring.
- I understand that they are trying to make the zombies scarier by making them sentient. I feel that if that had happened in earlier seasons it would have worked. But at this point I feel there wouldn't be many zombies left. They would be too decomposed after the 10 or so years since the zombiepocalypse.
Gabriel says, "You are here. Aware of yourself. Just let it go. Don't judge the distraction. Accept it, consider it, and then release it. Just let it wash over you." He uses a stick on a singing bowl. He is speaking to Negan. Helping him meditate. Negan gives up. He knows that Gabriel and Rosita are together. Gabriel knows Negan wants help. Negan doesn't see any benefit to their sessions. He knows he is never leaving the cell. He thanks Gabriel for helping him but he has everything he needs. Gabriel tells him a life needs to have meaning. Negan mentions how people forget that he is there so they stand outside his window and he hears what they say. He heard Rosita the other day. He tries to bait Gabriel but Gabriel won't fall for it. The entire time Negan plays with a tennis ball. Gabriel walks out and sees the two messengers from Hilltop. They brought news that they found Rosita injured.
Rosita runs through the wood. Zombies can be heard saying, "She's dead. But we're getting closer to her. Don't let her get away." She is alone and is bleeding form her head. She passes out.
