The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 7 "Time for After"

All I want is for you to do the right thing.

Rick sits in the container. The door opens in the sunlight stands Jadis with some of her men. Rick says his offer still stands. "Join us or you can die." Jadis takes a photo of him. She orders him to turn. It looks like one of her men is sketching Rick. She takes another photo. Rick asks why she is photographing him. Her response, "Sculpt you, after."

Eugene paces nervously in his room. He holds a notebook in his hands. He opens it and begins to write. He has three columns titled: What I Know, What I Know I Don't Know, and Things I Am Unaware of Wholly. Eugene knocks on Dwight's door. He says, "I am well aware you're the fifth columner. Green duffel, red paint, workers' guns." He calls Dwight a traitor. He lets Dwight know that Negan's tasked him with finding the traitor. He asks Dwight to cease and desist. "In exchange, I offer to keep what I know from Negan and the others." Dwight sets Eugene down on a a chair and says that the Saviors, Negan, and Sanctuary are all finished. Food and water are running low. Dwight continues, "This place is gonna fall. And all you have to do to be on the winning side is stand down. All you have to do is nothing. Can you do that? You've seen what happens here, heard the screams, smelled the burning skin. You don't got blood on your hands yet, but that's comin'. Once you do those things you become those things, and there's no going back." All Eugene wants is to be safe.   He says he is Negan and they are Saviors. They save. He says he will stay quiet as long as no one in Sanctuary is hurt.

Zombies pound on the doors of Sanctuary. Eugene looks out the window. He asks one of the Saviors how long it will be before the zombies get in. She thinks a day or two. Dr. Carson asks Eugene to come into the infirmary. Gabriel isn't doing well. He has more than one infection and they are attacking his organs. He has no medicine to give him. Eugene replies that he wishes Gabriel hadn't been involved in trapping the Saviors in Sanctuary. Doctor Carson asks Eugene to stay with Gabriel while he looks for herbs to try to use at treatment. Eugene says Gabriel is his traveling companion not his friend. But he doesn't want Gabriel to die. Gabriel coughs and tells Eugene to sit. Eugene gives Gabriel some water to drink. Gabriel wants to know if Eugene is going to help him get Dr. Carson out. Eugene says the only way to do that would be to use the zombie intestines again and that is what has made Gabriel sick. Eugene reminds Gabriel, "I am a small person that does not stick his neck out for anybody else." Gabriel says, "All I want is for you to do the right thing." Eugene doesn't know what is the right thing to do. Gabriel says it requires faith. "Believing that God is inside you, guiding you, and knowing that he has a plan for all of us." Eugene says it's absurd and Gabriel points out that not too long ago Eugene would have found it hard to believe that the dead could walk. So maybe he could know what the right thing is when the time comes and act accordingly. Eugene looks at the paint stain on his hand.

Morgan looks through a sniper rifle at Sanctuary. He hears on the walkie that someone has spotted a truck. He uses binoculars and looks out to see Daryl. He says into the walkie that it is one their own. Tanya knocks on Eugene's door. She says it's been a week since she gave him her boombox to fix. He says that its' not ready and asks if she is distressed at all by the fact that they are trapped by zombies. She says she was already trapped. As she goes to leave he asks for the bottle of wine that was to be his payment. He says he needs it to help him sleep. At first she says no but then she turns around and says she understands. She reminds him that he works for Negan and that she and Frankie came to him asking for help to kill Negan. "You could have changed this place into something else. Something better. But you took care of you. And now you've got to live with that." She leaves him the bottle and walks away. One of the Saviors comes to his door saying that Negan wants to see him.

Daryl looks though a scope. Tara says that their people will be at Sanctuary soon asking for the Saviors to surrender. The plan is for Rosita and Michonne to provide cover fire while Daryl and Tara crash the garbage truck into Sanctuary allowing the zombies to enter and feast on the Saviors. Rosita wants to know what will happen to the workers. Daryl says they are on the other side of the building so they should make it out alright. Michonne is worried the Saviors will see them coming. Morgan joins them. They can use him and the other snipers. "Saviors see you coming we got you covered. Whatever it takes. I want it done. I want them done." Rosita wants to know why they can't wait. Daryl says they no longer have the Kingdom to help fight against any Saviors. Rosita says that is why Rick went to make a deal with the Scavengers but Tara doesn't trust them after they lied and attacked them. Rosita says, "I believe in Rick Grimes." Tara wants to act because she feels guilty about keeping Oceanside a secret. She is going to do this with or without Rosita. Rosita says she is out. Michonne decides to stay. Rosita tells Michonne, "You think it's easier to come out here and risk than stay back there and wait. . . Sometimes you just have to wait. Sometimes you don't get to know. I just wish it didn't take seeing Sasha walk out of that coffin to realize it." She walks away and they get into the truck.

Negan sits at his conference table with Lucille. Eugene sits down. He says a lot of people will die if things don't get fixed soon. He adds, " I'm livin' no matter what. I am too good at this shit." He doesn't want to see his people get eaten, that includes Eugene. "This place is about pooling and organizing strength. And you my friend, are strong. . . I just want make sure that you know that I know that." Eugene says they are on the same page. Negan puts his hand out to shake Eugene's hand but Eugene almost kisses it. Negan says a handshake is a mutual sign of respect. Not many people get that from him. Eugene says there's work that needs to get done.

Eugene works on the boombox. He stares at a part of the speaker and closes his eyes. We see him looking through a storage area. He finds the coffin where Sasha made her defiant stand against Negan. He flashes back to her coming out as a zombie. He opens the coffin and pulls out the MP3 player. Morgan looks through his scope at Daryl's truck. He tells Daryl over the walkie to cut the engine or he will draw the walkers to himself. Tara gets out but Michonne sits there staring. Daryl asks if she is up to the task.  She replies, "I came here 'cause I wanted to see things for myself. I wanted to know that things were gonna work. But you know what? I don't get to know that. None of us do. What I do know is that things are working now. So maybe, we just need to trust that things are gonna keep working because this, what we're about to do, it's not worth risking us." Daryl replies, "It is for me." She says she hopes it works but she can't do it. He tells that then she shouldn't do it. She gets out of the truck and walks away. Tara tells him they can do it because they have Morgan and the snipers. He replies, "We will."

Eugene sets something up on the roof. He records something on a tape deck. He has made an audio glider and is testing it. Dwight comes up behind him and cocks his gun. Tara makes her way behind the zombies. She says she is in position over the walkie. Morgan and the other snipers are ready. Daryl pulls up with the truck. Dwight tells Eugene to walk away from his glider. Eugene looks scared and says he is trying to save people. Killing him would kill many innocents. He is going to use the glider to lead the zombies away from Sanctuary. Dwight says then Negan will kill Rick and all of his friends. Eugene says they are former traveling companions nothing more. Dwight says he is working with Rick to keep them and the people of Sanctuary alive. "We can get rid of Negan. Just Negan. And we're almost there." Eugene says that Negan isn't the dying type. Dwight says that Eugene is the dying type. Eugene agrees.  He has has two choices: step away from the glider and the zombies kill people and Negan kills him, or risk having Dwight shoot him but not before he bites him. He bends down, presses play and lets the glider go. Dwight just stands there pointing his gun. Daryl takes off. Dwight shoots the glider. Tara beings to shoot as well as Morgan. Daryl drives towards the herd. He places a cinder block on the gas pedal and jumps out. The truck goes through the door and zombies begin to spill into Sanctuary. Saviors shoot the zombies but many are starting to get eaten. Eugene goes down and sees the attack. Dwight is also there.  More and more zombies just keep coming. Eugene freaks out. He goes to the infirmary and tells Gabriel he will not be a part of his plan. He will not end up like Sasha. "Staying safe means staying alive." He is willing to do anything to stay alive. So he will not betray Negan. He will make sure Dr. Carson stays at Sanctuary. And he won't feel bad about it because he will survive. It's all he knows how to do.

Negan says Eugene's plan will take a lot of bullets. Can he fill his guns back up with bullets? Eugene says yes. He asks if Eugene realizes that Negan will get his revenge on Rick for this. Eugene says he understands. Negan asks, "How does it feel to be the second-most important person here? How does it feel to save these good people?" Eugene replies, "It feels great." Just as he is about to rat Dwight out the lieutenants come in to report on the situation. Negan tells them Eugene has a plan to stop the zombies and some other big news. Eugene looks at Dwight and then says he can fix the intercom system. Negan is not impressed. Eugene sits in his room listening to the gun fire. He cries. He grabs the bottle of wine and drinks. Then he throws up in his sink. He drinks some more.

Rick is pulled out of the container. He is taken to the center of the Scavenger arena and placed on his knees. Jadis has one of her people lead a zombie wearing a spike helmet on it towards Rick. She says, "Time for after." Rick hits the Scavenger behind him and then gets the zombie away from the other Scavenger. He takes the zombies head off and then knocks Jadis to the ground. Her face is right by the zombie head that chomps blindly. Rick says, "I'm walking out now. Me walking out means all of you die. My people, there's a lot of them, won't attack today, but we will attack. You can play your games, draw your picture, sculpt whatever shit you want, but I am leaving! After that, maybe you should just run." Jadis signals for her people to put their guns down. Rick asks her, "We done?" Then he gets up and helps her get up. She says she will join them. What now? He tells her the Sanctuary is surrounded by zombies. "You come with me there. We'll wait for the others to meet us. When they do, we'll ask the lieutenants to surrender. All of us, together. Then I kill Negan, me alone." She says she will agree to the deal as long as she gets all of the Saviors' things when it is over. He says she'll get a fourth. She counters with half but he insists it's a fourth. She agrees to a fourth if she can sculpt him after naked. He says no. He orders her to give him his clothes. She agrees to a fourth.

Rick and the Scavengers arrive at the meeting place. Rick goes ahead alone. He finds three zombies eating one of his snipers. Rick calls over the walkie but no one answers. He grabs the sniper rifle and climbs up the ladder to get a better look. When he looks through the scope he sees the courtyard devoid zombies.



Final Thoughts
- Why is this the first time anyone has gotten sick from the zombie guts? They've used them at least three times before without anybody getting sick.
- I am not surprised by Eugene's behavior. We already know that he does what he needs to do to survive and that surviving is his main priority. However, it is clear he is feeling guilt over the choices he has made to become a Savior. He won't be able to function much longer if he is drunk or sleep deprived. I don't believe him when he says Rick and the gang were just traveling companions. If not he wouldn't be drinking his feelings away.
- Was Eugene already making bullets for Sanctuary?
- I'm not sure why Dwight hesitated to kill Eugene. He has killed before. His plan would probably have worked better with Eugene out of the way. Now he has to hope that Eugene will continue to keep his secret.
- I understand Daryl and Tara's desire to do something to end the war immediately, especially since Rick's plan involved trusting the Scavengers. I just wish they would have waited. I didn't think their plan would work even while I was hoping it would. Impatience never works on this show. It only makes things fall apart.
- Who will die in the the mid-season finale? Tara? Her reckless behavior and guilt over keeping Oceanside a secret could lead to her death. Or will it be Gabriel? He is sick with no medication. Will Negan allow him to be given medication if they get some?