The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 3 "Monsters"

We or they. One or the other.

Ezekiel holds up the walkie, "They are coming for us. Coming for us at this very moment. A powerful force of blood thirsty rogues and unrepentant cutthroats bent on nothing short than our pitiless destruction. And yet I smile. And yet Carol smiles." The knights walk through the forest. They hear the Saviors whistling. The Saviors surround them. Ezekiel holds up his hands. We flashback to Carol saying the Saviors have the numbers but the knights have the strategy. Back to the present. The other half of Ezekiel's group shoot the Saviors from behind. "We will lose not one of our ranks." After the slaughter of the Saviors not one of the knights is dead.

Morales tells Rick to put his guns down. Rick obeys. Morales asks, "So, you're the Rick from Alexandria? This whole time, it was you." Rick responds, "You called your men in for nothing. The fight's out there. It's just me in here." Morales replies, "Did you hear what I just said? I know who you are. I saw it in the mirror through the open door. And it wasn't any kind of blast from the past. As soon as I saw you I knew you'd made the same trip as me. From there to here. Shit, well. Well I guess we aren't the same guys we used to be, huh? 'Cause you're a monster. I called them back because you're a prize, Rick. We've been told. We don't kill you, the Widow, or the King. Not if we don't have to. So, why are you here, Rick? I know. Just like before. You're always the guy willing to rush in. But why? What is it you're looking for? Nothing to say, huh? It doesn't matter. Not anymore. Not for you or anyone else you brought in here. 'Cause what's left of my people, they're coming. And we'll get you to Negan. Or we won't. Either way, we're gonna settle your shit, Peaches."

The shootout continues. The Saviors are ordered to fall back and then to hold fire. One of the Saviors calls out that Morales wants them back inside. Tobin is now in charge of Aaron's group. Aaron has walked Eric away from the fight. He sees that there is an exit would for the gun shot. He wants to take Eric to Kingdom's doctor. "Eric, I'm so sorry." Eric answers, "Were you the one that shot me?" Aaron continues, "I pulled you into this. You didn't want to fight." Eric replies, "Until I did. You need to help them. You need to go." Aaron says, "I'm not leaving you." Eric says, "Don't be an idiot. They need you. Aaron look at me. Look at me. You know I love you. You know I'm right." Aaron nods in agreement. They kiss. Eric continues, "Okay, now stand your ass up, get back to the fight, and we can win this thing." Aaron answers, "I will. We will. I love you." Eric says, "I always had a hunch. Now go." Aaron gets up and leaves Eric behind to help the others.

Tara and her group make their way down a street with the Savior hostages. She aims her gun at them and pretends to shoot. One of the Hilltoppers says Maggie will know what to do with the hostages. Tara replies, "Yeah. She will. Because she knows what they did." All of the Saviors are tied to each other. Jared (the jerky Savior that killed Benjamin) is whistling as he walks by Morgan. Morgan smacks him. Jesus tells Morgan, "We've made our decision." Morgan replies, "Nothing's been decided." Jesus says, "But we are taking these men to the Hilltop. That's where we're going and that's what we're doing." Morgan asks, "You know how dangerous this is? Who these people are." Jesus responds, "No matter what they've done, they're people. There's many kinds of danger. Many kinds of dying. I kill. I've killed. You do. You have. But we don't execute." Morgan replies, "I have."

Rick asks Morales if his family is there. Morales's family never made it to Birmingham. Rick says he is sorry. He lost people too (Lori, Shane, Andrea, Glenn). He tells Morales how Glenn was killed in front of his pregnant wife by Negan. Morales asks, "He had a wife?" Rick answers, "Not before. He met her." Morales says, "In this?" Ricks says, "Yeah. In this. She's the Widow. Are you Negan, too?" Morales answers, "I lost my family. I lost my mind. I was in some tow trailer sleeping myself to death. Waiting to become nothing. And the Saviors, they found me. They thought I was worth a damn. Worth bringing back with them. So yeah. Yeah, I'm Negan. To make it this far, this long, I had to be. I had to be something. Just like you." Rick shakes his head ans says, "We're not the same." Morales says, "Look at us. We are two assholes who'll whatever we have to just to keep going.  The only difference is, I'm the one holding the gun. That doesn't make me any worse than you, Rick. That just makes me luckier. 'Cause let's face it, if it wasn't me, if it was you holding the gun, I'd be brains out on the floor right now." (Yup, pretty much.) Rick answers, "I know I wouldn't want to." Morales asks, "Is that the best you can do?" Rick says, "I'd at least try to find another way." Yeah, why? Because we knew each other for a few days back at the start? I think you can talk all you want. You can say all the words. Lori, Shane, Andrea, Glenn. They're all dead and somewhere along the way, Officer Friendly died right along with them. Just like I did with them." Rick cries out "Wait!" Daryl shoots Morales with an arrow. Rick tries to explain who he was and Daryl says, "I know who it was. It don't matter. Not one little bit." Daryl asks about the guns and Rick says there aren't any and the Saviors are on their way. Just at that moment they hear the Saviors open the doors.

Tara's group continues their trek. Jared says "It's your armor. It's different. Smaller. Almost like it shrunk or something. It's the kid's isn't it? Why the hell would you wear that? It didn't do shit for him." Morgan turns around and points his gun at him. Out of nowhere a herd of walkers start rolling down the hillside towards the group. Some of the Saviors get eaten my zombies. Tara and the others shoot at the zombies. Jared orders his group to run. Dillon (the blond savior dude that told his own people to surrender) stops his group from escaping. He realizes Tara's group has guns and they are more likely to survive if they stay put. Morgan follows the escaped group. He catches up with them and begins to shoot them. Jesus stops him. Morgan says, "It doesn't change. It never changes. Once you turn . . ." Jesus says, "We're gonna find another way. Maggie will find another way." Morgan replies, "Really think she won't want 'em dead? Every last one after what they've done? And it isn't just them. 'Cause we're here now. To be this. Do the same thing they do but we go on. You see, we are the same. We're the same. So there's no choice. Everybody turns. But we . . ." Jesus interrupts, "There's war and then there's peace. We're gonna have to live with these people after. We're going to have to find a way to peace." Morgan attacks Jesus and they begin to fight.

Ezekiel looks around as his group continues their march. "Make no mistake. Those we've so swiftly extinguished are but perhaps one garrison in a compound of three. But our first victory will allow our second. Our second will deliver our third." We see his group attack an outpost. His group hides as some Saviors run by they stand up and gun them down. Rick and Daryl are trapped in the building surrounded by Saviors. A gun battle ensues.

Morgan and Jesus continue to fight. They are equally matched. Jesus asks, "You want to stop now? Maybe not." The fight continues. Daryl has run out of ammunition. Rick spies a fire extinguisher and signals to Daryl. He shoots the extinguisher and the hall way fills with smoke. They make their way down the hallway. Aaron calls out to Rick. Jesus gets Morgan's stick. "Is it over Morgan?" He throws the stick back to Morgan and Morgan points it at Jesus's throat. Jesus, asks, "Is it over?" Morgan answers, "What? I'm not right. I know that. I'm not right. But that doesn't make me wrong." Jesus looks at him with pity. Morgan says, "I can't be a part of this." Tara says, "Morgan, you are right." Morgan walks away. He looks down at the Savior he shot and continues further into the woods.

Enid acts as lookout at Hilltop. She sees Gregory. He bangs at the gate and calls for them to open it. Nothing happens. The gate opens a crack. Maggie stands on the other side. She wants to know what he is doing with Gabriel's car. Where is Gabriel? He says he doesn't know who Gabriel is and that the car was just there. She asks what he is doing at Hilltop and he responds that he lives there. Maggie says, "Shut your damn mouth! You're really gonna stand there and pretend you didn't try to sell us out, sell this place out to the Saviors?" He answers, "I was working for the side of sanity.  I was working for peace." She brings up the fact he tried to kick people out. He replies, "I tried to save lives now those people are cannon fodder." Maggie replies, "Those people are fighting for a better life." He blames Negan and says he was forced to say those horrible things.  I tried to save lives. Some people, without opinions colored by a preoccupation with vengeance, might call that heroic." Gregory, ever the gallant hero. Maggie retorts, "You were looking out for yourself. You went there to betray us. To warn Negan that we were gonna fight. That's what you told Kal when you dragged him there. It's why Kal left you there." Gregory says Kal is delusional.  Kal calls out "What the hell?!" and then flips him off. Gregory continues, "For what it's worth I did exactly zero harm to your cause. Negan already knew everything." Maggie says, "Goodbye Gregory." And walks away. "He calls out, "I went because I was scared. I didn't want to be complicit because I didn't think you could win. I was wrong. I made a mistake and I'm sorry. We're all human beings with faults and flaws and fears. Is this who you are? Have you no mercy? Have you no humanity? Have you no charity? Open your heart." She tells Kal to let him in. Kal opens the gate. Enid asks Maggie why she let him back in after all he did. Maggie responds, "He's not worth killin'. Not yet anyway." Kal calls Maggie. Tara and Jesus have arrived with their hostages. Gregory doesn't want to let them in. Maggie yells at him to go. Jesus says they could lock them up in the two empty trailers they have under the watch of guards until the war is over. Maggie says, "You know what they've done to us? What they've taken from us?" He responds, "Of course I do. But they surrendered. We can't let them go, and we can't kill them. We can't."

Zombies mill around the outpost Aaron's group attacked. Daryl and the others kill the zombies. Rick walks around photographing the scene with his Polaroid. They gather their wounded and drive them back. Their dead are covered with blankets. Rick writes something down on a sheet of paper. Aaron finds the tree where he had left Eric empty. He calls out to Eric. The tree is covered in blood. We hear a zombie growl. We see a zombie ahead walking towards other zombies. Aaron cries. He knows that zombie is Eric. Aaron is joined by Scott. Aaron says, "I can't. I can't just let him." Scott says, "That's not him. We gotta go." He gently leads Aaron away.

Aaron sits. His hands are covered with blood. Someone announces that the guns aren't there so they have to go. A baby cries. Rick comes out with Gracie. Aaron says he can take the baby to Hilltop. Rick asks if he is sure. Aaron replies, "Eric and I were gonna go . . . We were gonna go up there after and update Maggie. So that's what I'm gonna do. Please. I have to." Rick hands him the baby tells him her name is Gracie. Daryl and Rick get ready to leave. Someone fires a gun at Rick's car. Rick says, "You're alone. There is a herd coming. I'll tell you what, we'll make you a deal. Drop your gun, come on out, you tell us what we need to know. You do that. You can take the car. You go. You live." The man replies,  "Why should I trust you?"  Rick replies, " 'Cause I'm giving you my word. There's not a lot that is worth much these days, but a man's word, that's got to mean something, right?" The man responds, "Okay."  Daryl and Rick approach Todd (aka Mingus) as he walks out from behind the tree. Rick asks what happened to the guns. Todd tells them they were sent to another outpost west of there yesterday. Todd asks. "Can I go?"  Daryl shoots him in the head. Rick stares, shocked.

Not one of Ezekiel's group died. Carol says they have to sweep the compound. She goes to take a look. Jerry and another knight go to make sure the dead stay dead. "We or they. One or the other. It cannot be." He looks up at a tower and sees a sniper. He shouts, "Scatter! Now!" Someone begins to shoot at his group. Three knights jump in front of Ezekiel taking bullets to protect him. Several knights fall dead.



Final Thoughts
- Who told Negan our gang was coming? If it wasn't Gregory who was it? Dwight or someone else? Do we have a spy in our midst?
- Why is Jesus so reluctant to kill these Saviors when they killed so many at the outpost? What will they do with them when they get to Hilltop? Who's going to watch all of these hostages?
- Is Dillon going to be a new ally for our gang or is he being submissive as a means to survive? He convinced the outpost Saviors to surrender and stopped his chain gang from running into the woods.
- Daryl was on quite the killing spree. He killed Morales without a second thought knowing full well who he was. He also shot Todd even though they promised him he could surrender to them.
- Apparently a man's word means nothing in the zombiepocalypse.
- Gracie represents the emotional anchor for Aaron. He needs a mission and taking Gracie to Hilltop is that mission. (According to Ross Marquand on the Talking Dead)
- Eric and Aaron acknowledge their history by mentioning their fifth date where they said I love you and Eric said he had a hunch (according to Jordan Woods-Robinson on Talking Dead)
- I want to give a shout out to this episode's writer Angela Kang. She writes great dialogue. All of my favorite Morgan episodes have been written by her. She brings depth to an action packed episode. That scene between Eric and Aaron had a balance of sadness and levity.
- I know some viewers might complain about the same issues being discussed but there are things that bear repeating. How many people can you kill before you cross the line? Are only some deaths acceptable? Is all fair in a zombiepocalypse?