The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 8 "How It's Gotta Be"

 It's more than just hope.

Rick calling over the walkie for the snipers to report. Flashback to Rick chasing after Carl. Carl is mad at Rick for not helping Siddiq. "There's gonna be something after the fight is over." Rick replies, "Not for everyone." Rick and the Scavengers walk up to Sanctuary. The Saviors begin to shoot at them. The Scavengers run away leaving Rick alone. Carol pulls up in an SUV and Rick hops in. Carl asks Rick, "Why are we fighting them? We're fighting so that it's all of us working together for something more than just killing other people. It's more than just hope. Finding some way forward, that's harder. That's something more. Dad, that's how it's gotta be." Rick sits in the car crying. Close up of Carl, Carol, Ezekiel, Jerry, and Maggie. We hear Negan whistling. He laughs.

Enid and Aaron make their way down the road. She says, "They have to talk to us right? After coming all this way?" (They being Oceanside). Aaron is slow to respond. This reminds him of trips he took with Eric to recruit people for Alexandria. It's a risk since Oceanside shoots strangers on site but it is a risk he is willing to take. Enid says they should be bringing guns for Oceanside but Aaron says they need the guns. He offers to let her drive. She says she is a better driver than Carl. Aaron asks why she is turning down the wrong road. She says she wants to check something out so they can bring Oceanside something they can use. They drive past a sign for a distillery. Michonne tells Judith she will bring back Rick. She kisses her good-bye. Daryl is there and tells her his plan worked. She apologizes for not being able to be a part of their plan. Carl writes something on a sheet of paper. He folds it and writes "Dad" on it. He looks at the note Enid gave him that reads "just survive somehow." Tara tells Rosita that the plan worked. Rosita says that they will now finish it. She brought some grenades and other items. Tara says they should take it with them to redirect the herd. Rosita hands her everything. Tara struggles to carry it but has a good humor about it.

Aaron and Enid drive up to the woods outside of Oceanside. Aaron is driving a truck from the distillery. Night falls and Aaron notices someone by the distillery truck. He slowly gets out of the car with his rifle at the ready. Enid follows him. Natania hits Aaron and says he shouldn't have come. Enid shoots her. Several of the Oceanside women aim their weapons at them. Cyndie weeps for her dead grandmother. Carl puts something in the sewer. Michonne finds him and asks what he is doing. He says he is helping a traveler. They are interrupted by Negan calling over a megaphone, "You lose. It's over." He begins to whistle. Carl tells Michonne to follow him into the sewer. She doesn't respond because she is shocked to find Negan got out of Sanctuary. Carol, Rick, and Jerry all drive in their own cars. Jerry drives down the road and her car is hit.

Ezekiel sits on the darkened stage. He reads a note that says, "Your Majesty, I had to bounce. We said we'd do it and we can't flake. I want to be there when we win. And I want to be here too, man. Deuces. Jerry." A ruckus gets his attention. He runs on stage and hides. Several Saviors enter the theater. Jesus and Maggie drive. He asks if the Saviors will surrender. She says they will eventually. They just run out of food, water, and choices. Maggie orders him to slow down. There is a tree blocking the road that wasn't there before. She knows it's the Saviors. It's the same thing they did to them on the night Glenn died. She calls over the walkie for her group to turn around but nobody responds. Maggie turns around and sees several cars behind her convoy blocking the road. A big truck drives up in front of them. Some Saviors come out of the back. Several Saviors climb out of cars towards them. The Saviors have Jerry and they make him get out of the truck. Two Saviors place a box with holes on Maggie's car. Simon comes out. Carl orders his group to make it look like they left Alexandria. They will then get guns and meet a a rendezvous point. Some go to the infirmary to help the injured escape. Carl says they have to let the Saviors take Alexandria. He is in charge. Gavin is at Kingdom. "The Kingdom and everyone in it now belongs to Negan." They will also be sent to Sanctuary to repair it and the Saviors are moving into the Kingdom.

The Saviors surround Maggie's envoy. Simon says they need to hand over their guns and if anyone tries anything they will shoot Jerry. Jesus hands over their guns. Negan calls out to Rick, "All you had to do was follow some simple rules." Carl says Rick's not home. Negan says he is proud of Carl for being a big boy. Carl says there are families and kids in Alexandria. Negan counters that there are kids at Sanctuary. Carl says they can figure something out and stop this. He cries. Negan wants apologies and punishment. Carl tells Negan to kill him. Negan asks if Carl wants to die. Carl says he doesn't but he will. "And if me dying could stop this, if it can makes things different, for us, for you, for all those other kids, it'd be worth it. Was it supposed to be this way? Is this who you wanted to be?" Negan looks on and says nothing. A bunch of cars pull out and drive through the walls of Alexandria. Dwight and some Saviors follow the convoy. Negan orders his people to fire and they shoot some explosives at Alexandria.

Carl goes down the ladder as buildings start to burn. He sets off smoke bombs as he goes. The church explodes. The car he was heading to explodes. Gavin says that Ezekiel needs to answer for everything that has happened. He knows Ezekiel is there but no one will tell him where. He threatens that if no one answers it will turn traumatic but the people say nothing. We see Ezekiel sneak away. Maggie asks Simon how they got out. He says they just figured it out. He tells her Kingdom and Alexandria are being take over by the Saviors. The Hilltop has "been chosen to keep producing." He says Gregory messed up and he hopes Maggie will make things right. He tells her that Eugene helped them escape their situation.  He says it can go in two ways. They will kill Jerry and place Maggie in the box with holes. Then she will be taken to Hilltop where she will be killed in front of her people and her body will be placed on a spike. They will then lead the herd to Hilltop. Or she can return home and keep growing crops. But they will still have to kill one of her people. Simon shoots. He kills the man in the backseat. He is about to order Jerry's death but Maggie yells no. She wants to ask Simon a favor. She wants the box so they can use it to bury Neil (the man he just shot). Simon agrees.

A clock turns to midnight. Eugene turns his light on. He stares at the wine bottle. He pours himself a drink and knocks it back. He cries in bed. Carl looks around. Tobin is also throwing smoke bombs as he gets people out of Alexandria. Carl picks up his hat and walks to a house. Explosions go off around him. He runs and the house explodes along with the house next to it. He limps down the street. Tara and Daryl are in the woods. Tara says Negan got out because of what they did with the truck. Rosita says it was just a mistake. Vehicles are heard coming so Daryl throws a smoke bomb. It is Dwight and the other Saviors. The Savior with him tells him to stop because he is leading all of their trucks into a trap. Daryl and the others begin to shoot. Dwight begins to shoot the Saviors. The Savior that was with him shoots him in the arm. She realizes he was the traitor. She wants him to tell Daryl and the others to stop but he won't. The Saviors break through the gates of Alexandria. Negan laughs as he views the destruction. He knows Carl is still in Alexandria. He orders his people to find Carl but not kill him. They are to blow up all of Alexandria but he wants Carl. Carl limps away from Alexandria. Two Saviors spot him so he sets off another smoke bomb and is able to hide in the sewer.

Eugene wakes up Doctor Carson and Gabriel. He is there to inform them that the guard at the north gate is not at his post since he slipped some Ex-lax into his coffee. When Gabriel asks why he is helping Eugene says he plans to sleep that night. Gabriel wants him to join them. Eugene won't go with them but he "drops" some keys to a car they can use to escape. Gabriel tells him he is doing the right thing. Ezekiel sets some barrels on fire and they explode. Gavin orders some of his people to check it out. Ezekiel drives up in a school bus. Nabila hits a Savior and takes his gun. The people run out of Kingdom. Carol gives Nabila instructions on where they are to meet later. She runs to the gates just in time to see Ezekiel. He orders her to save his people than the locks the gates. A Savior punches him. Maggie pulls up to Hilltop. She walks up to the holding pen. Gregory begins to talk to her but she tells him to shut up. She orders her people to take out a Savior. She gets a gun from Kal and says this is the Savior that tried to kill Jesus. Alden (blonde Savior) tells her not to do it but she shoots the Savior anyway. The Saviors killed one of her people so she killed one of them. She is going to make one last stand. She cries as she walks away.

Dwight sits by his car surrounded by dead Saviors. He calls out to Daryl and the others to say it is over. They come to him with their guns pointed at him. He says he drove his people there. He can't go back because the female Savior got away so his secret isn't safe. He tells them the Saviors escaped because of Eugene. He wants Negan to die. Daryl takes back his vest. Michonne says they need to get back. Rosita walks up to Dwight and helps him up. The Hilltoppers place the dead Savior in the box. Maggie writes on it, "We have 38 more. Stand Down." She orders her people to leave it somewhere the Saviors will find it. Gavin calls out to Ezekiel. Morgan walks along the gate to Kingdom. Gavin says the Hilltoppers will see their king dead. He orders his men to grab the supplies. Daryl opens up a manhole cover and goes down. The others follow. Dwight apologizes to Michonne and then enters the sewer. She looks at the ruins of Alexandria. Rosita calls to her but Michonne closes the manhole cover. Rick makes his way into Alexandria. He opens the door to his house and quietly calls out for Carl, Judith, and Michonne. Negan hits him from behind. He plans on cutting Rick up into pieces and killing him in front of everyone. Negan tells him Carl volunteered to die. Negan likes Carl. Rick hits Negan and grabs Lucille. Negan gets Lucille back and Rick grabs for his gun. Rick gets pushed out the window and runs away. Michonne walks down Alexandria killing zombies. Rick runs down Alexandria. A Savior grabs Michonne from behind but she stabs him in the face and then continues to stab him until Rick stops her. He asks her where everyone is. She leads him to the sewer. They join up with the survivors including Siddiq. Close ups of Maggie and Jesus. Rick walks past Rosita and Tara. Close up of Carol and Ezekiel, and Morgan. Rick passes Dwight. Close ups of Eugene and Gabriel. Rick walks up to Siddiq. Carl tells Rick he brought Siddiq there. He says, "That's how it happened." Then he shows Rick a zombie bite mark on his stomach. Both Rick and Michonne are in shock at this revelation.

Final Thoughts
- Gavin seemed reluctant to kill someone at Kingdom. He was willing to do it but it is interesting to see another lieutenant that doesn't like how Negan "motivates" people to comply.
- You would think the Saviors would prefer to live in Alexandria versus Kingdom since they have nicer houses but I suppose Negan wanted to destroy everything that belongs to Rick.
- Re-watching the scene where Carl is talking to Negan has new meaning now that we know that he has been bitten. When he says that he doesn't want to die but knows it will happen is more poignant. 
- Carl and Negan had a moment during their conversation at the gate. Negan took pause when asked by Carl if this was the person he wanted to be. I don't think anyone else would have asked him that question. I think Carl must remind Negan of some of the kids he used to work with before the apocalypse.
- On the Talking Dead Yvette Nicole Brown made an interesting remark about Negan's reaction to seeing Lucille in Rick's hands. She believes Lucille is named after someone in Negan's life from before. I think she could be right.
- I'm going to assume that Morgan will help rescue Ezekiel.
- Will Father Gabriel die from his infection or will he be able to get medicine in time?
- A few episodes back there was a scene where Rick was crying and quoting Siddiq. I now believe that has to be a reaction to the loss of Alexandria and the future loss of Carl. All Rick has been trying to do since he got his family back was to protect them. He couldn't save Lori and now he can't save Carl. Will he lose his mind again?