The Walking Dead – Last Day On Earth

By starrymag | April 5, 2016

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

Okay, just like the Season 6B premiere, how are we doing? Are we all okay? That was a fairly intense way to end Season 6 and I’m not sure how any of the fans will recover. So one last time for Season 6, here we go….

 

“You are alive”

 

At first, all we see is light and hear heavy breathing coupled with muffled voices outside. The scene then cuts to Morgan (Lennie James) on his search for Carol (Melissa McBride). Along the way, he comes across a sign that says “you are alive” and then he sees a horse in the grass. He goes up to the horse and as he pets and acquaints himself with the horse, we see Roman (Stuart Greer), the man from the truck who was following Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Morgan on foot still searching for Carol. We see her rosaries clutched firmly in Roman’s hand as he keeps walking.

 

And in another cut, a man (Kevin Patrick Murphy) is seen running through the woods. From what, we are not sure, but he looks scared for his life. In the background, we hear whistling.

 

“This place is ready”

 

With Maggie (Lauren Cohan) having complications with the pregnancy and needing immediate medical care, Rick starts planning a run to the Hilltop community. Carl (Chandler Riggs) runs into the Armory with Enid (Katelyn Nacon) hot on his tail. While Carl is prepared to go with the group to help save Maggie, Enid tries to stop him by assuring him that they can do this without him. Meantime, Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) approach Rick about going on the trip to save Maggie. All three board the RV for the expedition to Hilltop.

 

Enid continues to try and reason with Carl, telling him that if he won’t listen to her and stay behind that she’s going to come with him instead. Carl agrees and tells Enid to grab something in the closet. Once she goes in the closet, Carl then runs over and locks her in, keeping her from going with him. Enid, now realizing that Carl locked her in, starts pounding on the door and asking that Carl let her out. In a desperate attempt to get through to Carl, she asks him what will happen if he doesn’t come back, to which Carl turns her own words around onto her: “Just survive somehow.”

 

“I will not fail you.”

 

As Rick continues to prepare for the trip to Hilltop, Aaron (Ross Marquand) boards the RV and is followed by Carl. Aaron gets a little bit of flak from Rick for being there, but Aaron is adamant about going and tells Rick that there is no way that they are leaving without him. Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) comes over with Spencer (Austin Nichols), asking Rick if he trusts him with the responsibility of the community. Rick agrees that he does. As Rick is the last to board the RV, Spencer asks Rick what he should do if the Saviors end up at the gates of Alexandria. Should they try to negotiate with them or wait? Rick, just before boarding, let’s Spencer know this: “Tell ‘em to wait for me. I’ve got a deal for them.”

 

“I told you not to come.”

 

Morgan, who is now traveling on horse, notices that there are several walker corpses on the ground. On the steps of a gated residence, Morgan spots a wounded Carol, who is adamant about the others just leaving her to die instead. But Morgan will have none of it and continues to tend to her wounds.

 

Cut back to the scene of the man who was running and caught by the Saviors. Now that they have caught him, the leader in that group walks up to their new victim and assures him that he doesn’t have anything against the man. He says that it’s more about making an example of him. The victim is then dragged out into the middle of the road, where it looks like the group waits for someone to come.

 

“As long as it’s all of us, we can do anything.”

 

The RV is heading down the road to Hilltop with Maggie laying down in the back and Aaron helping to tend to her. Rick comes over assuring her that no matter what, they will get her the help that she needs. Why? Because they are together and they have come this far. Rick feels that their group can do anything because they have this group. Maggie looks assured by that.

 

As the RV is heading for help, Carol is being tended to. Morgan has moved her indoors and onto a mattress, where he can try to treat her wound. Carol is still ready to go, as she is reluctant to listen to Morgan as he works on making her better. Yet Morgan remains steadfast in getting her help, even though she tells him no.

 

“You want to make today your last day on Earth?”

 

As the RV continues, Abraham slows down to the scene in front of him. Men, and lots of them, are in the middle of the road with the man that they caught to make an example. Abraham asks how they should proceed in this situation. As all of them (except for Maggie) exit the camper where the leader tells Rick that he needs to listen and the only way of moving forward is they have to make a deal: they want what Rick’s group has.

 

Rick, who obviously is not going to go quietly, is on the same page as the other man. Their group needs to hand over their stuff to them. Sensing their defiance, the lead Savior signals for one of his crew to spray the victim with some type of aerosol substance. The lead Savior then starts talking to Rick about getting time with those that mean something to him, getting that last day. He assures Rick that he needs to be kind and cherish that last day because one never knows what may happen. With one more glance, Rick returns to the RV and they back up down the road away from the Saviors.

 

“I owe her.” “I owe them.”

 

The scene opens to the blurry scene again with garbled voices, only to cut to the RV on the side of the road as they plan for another route. As Carl looks out the window to a lone walker making their way through the grass, he turns to Aaron (who is sitting there with him) and asks him why he came on this trip. Aaron replies that he owes Maggie for everything. When Aaron asks Carl, he tells him he owes everyone on the RV.

 

Eugene and Sasha discuss alternate routes to Hilltop, trying to figure out the best one to get Maggie the medical care. Finally, after they find another way, Rick and the group move forward as to beat the clock and get Maggie help.

 

“There’s a price and you’re gonna pay it.”

 

As Carol and Morgan continue to stay within the gated building for refuge, Morgan continues his pleas with Carol to return with him. Carol explains to him that when you care for people you learn that you have to kill for him. The two are exclusively mutual and there’s no getting around that. Yet Morgan stays adamant, reminding Carol that there are people in Alexandria that care about her and she needs to be there for them.

 

In the end, Carol pulls out her gun, pointing it at Morgan as he practically pleads with her. She tells him that when you care about people, there’s a price that comes with that caring and that no matter what it will need to be paid….no matter what.

 

“Yeah, I could…now.”

 

As we get back to the RV, Abraham thinks to Maggie in the back and looks at Sasha. It is then while sitting with her in the front he asks Sasha if she could do what Maggie and Glenn are doing right now with him. With Maggie having pregnancy complications and on the verge of worsening, could Sasha go through a relationship and all the emotions behind it? Sasha looks back at Maggie, then at Abraham. It’s clear by her expression that she is ready for that.

 

Their moment is soon interrupted as they come to another barricade in the road, this time by a new group of Saviors. Again, Abraham asks Rick how they’re going to proceed with this development. Will they try to go through or try to go around? Rick, attempting to remain diplomatic, reminds Abraham that they’re going to play it their way, and therefore back up the RV once again to try another route to Hilltop.

 

“Carol?”

 

Remembering that Carol told him about a walker she could not get to in her injured state, Morgan heads outside to look for it. There, he finds a walker hanging in a metal structure, grasping at air to break free. Morgan looks over at walkers who are lured in by the sound of the hanging walker, trying to reach through the gates.

 

Morgan then decides to climb the structure and carefully kill the walker. When he does with his knife, he then takes the time to cut the rope. Once he does, the walker goes hurtling to the ground. But the hanging walker appears to be only a distraction, because Morgan returns indoors to find Carol missing again. She has eluded him once more. But Morgan persists, getting back on his horse and heading down the road further to find Carol again.

 

“Same outfit, different soldiers. They got numbers.”

 

As Abraham tries to head yet a different way to the Hilltop, they find that the road is blocked once more. This time it is not by a group of men, but by walkers chained together in a “Red Rover” style. Rick knows that they have to take care of them in order to move forward so everyone gets out to pitch in.

 

As they go to take care of the walkers, the message does not go unnoticed. There, one of the walkers is wearing Michonne’s clothing, even one of her dreads tacked on in its hair. As they look to another walker, they see Daryl’s crossbow bolts. Rick now realizes that this group is far more dangerous than he realized, as now they have at least two of his family members in their possession.  In a fit of rage, Rick starts to hack into one of the hands of the walkers, breaking the chain. Gunfire is not far behind, as the Saviors hidden in the trees start firing on their crew.

 

Once everyone gets back into the RV, they drive through the dispatched walkers, working diligently to get Maggie to Hilltop as fast as they can. When they get down the road, Sasha, Abraham and Rick all realize what the Saviors are doing: they’re pushing them in a particular direction – herding like cattle. It is then Aaron comes out and tells Rick that Maggie is burning up. Rick worries if they try to go back, where will they go next?

 

“I’m gonna die, so there’s nothing wrong with me anymore.”

 

As Morgan is on the search for Carol, we see Carol walking down the street trying to make her getaway. She hears walkers and in an effort to avoid killing one that is stuck on a truck, closes the door on it. But another one catches her off-guard, making it difficult for her to fight back. She pulls back skin and hair, tearing the face off of the walker until she manages to get her knife through the skull.

 

The fight isn’t over yet though as Roman from Carol’s showdown last episode has finally found her, tackling her to the ground and pulling a gun on her. He tells her how he knows he’s dying, but he will take pleasure in watching her die first. To make his point, Roman then shoots Carol in her right arm, watching her scream and writhe in pain.

 

Cut to Rick again during this scene, as he promises Maggie that they are getting closer to Hilltop so that she can get the help she needs. Rick assures Maggie, even though he is no longer sure how they are going to make it there with all the roadblocks.

 

When the scene cuts back to Carol with Roman, she is smiling. She is ready to die, an answer that Roman does not want to hear. He dislikes seeing her smile over this and, in turn, makes her pain greater by shooting her in the leg. As he tries to walk away from Carol, she starts to taunt and emasculate him, causing him to turn around. Fortunately, before he can kill her, Morgan comes to Carol’s aid and in a showdown with Roman, pulls out the gun that Rick had given him last episode and repeatedly shoots him.

 

As Morgan goes to help Carol, she is still angry with him. She wanted to die, but Morgan believes it is not her time. Almost upon saying that, the gentleman (Daniel Newman) who was running in the prior episode comes into view. He is seen with another one of his community members on their horse. They promise to take Carol to their compound for treatment so Morgan and Carol leave with the two gentlemen.

 

“So what’s the play?”

 

The RV runs into another obstacle as the road ahead of them is now covered in timber. Rick and the other members get out to inspect the barricade, knowing now that they are dealing with a group that will not back down. They are ready for them every chance they get. Time and options are running out.

 

Their conversation is soon interrupted by the man who was running earlier in the episode, dangling from a chain. The Saviors have decided to hang him in front of the group, an eerie reminder that this could be the last day for someone they care about

 

“I didn’t think you could do it. You’re a survivor. We just didn’t know it. You and me both.”

 

As it continues to get dark, Rick realizes that the group is running out of options. Sasha lets him know that there are two more routes going North to try, but the group knows that no matter which way they go, the Saviors are going to be there to block their path. Eugene then shares his realization: they’re looking for the RV. If part of the group can travel on foot to Hilltop and one can drive the RV, there might be a chance that they can get to their destination.

 

The group waits until it is dark as they prepare to leave Eugene with the RV. As Eugene talks to Rick, he pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to him. It is the formula to make bullets, as he had told Abraham previously on their run to the factory. If Eugene doesn’t make it, he wanted Rick to have the technology. Rick, touched by this gesture, thanks Eugene and tells him that he feels lucky that he’s here.

 

Once Rick walks away, Abraham comes over to Eugene and they share a touching moment. After Eugene being looked at as weak when we first met him, he has impressed Abraham with how strong he has become. Abraham admits that he never let Eugene drive the truck because he didn’t see him as a survivor, until now. Both men embrace as Abraham leaves with Rick, Sasha, Maggie, Carl and Aaron on foot to Hilltop. When Eugene gets into the RV, he pauses for a moment and smiles before starting up the RV and driving off.

 

“Just a few more miles.”

 

Now on foot and carrying Maggie, the remaining members of the group use the darkness to try and make it to Hilltop as quickly as possible. But their best-laid plans are thwarted when we hear that familiar whistle. It is the same whistle that they heard as they approached the Saviors each time. As the group tries to run, headlights turn on and they now realize that they are surrounded. Even the plan to go on foot has failed—the Saviors have captured the group.

 

As Rick, Abraham, Sasha, Aaron and Carl are brought out into the middle of the ring of cars, the man who Rick encountered earlier today welcomes him. He reminded him that this could be the last day and now he has arrived at his destination: with the Saviors. Eugene is also there, captured and on his knees. Rick appears genuinely nervous as the gentleman tells him that there is no more talking. It is time to listen.

 

The Saviors take the group’s weapons, even noticing that Carl has a gun with a baseball bat covered in barbed wire carved into the handle. It’s obvious that the gun was originally part of the Saviors before Carl had gotten it. Now without their weapons, Maggie and all other group members are forced onto the ground in a line, on their knees.

 

Cut back to the blurry darkness, as we saw earlier in the episode, with the voices being those of the Saviors ordering Rick and the other group members around. As Rick complies with the request, the back of a van is opened up, revealing that what we were seeing this whole time was Daryl (Norman Reedus), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Rosita’s (Christian Serratos) view. Daryl is alive, as Dwight (Austin Amelio) only shot him in the shoulder, but it is obvious that he has lost a lot of blood. Those four are forced on their knees with the rest of the group. Glenn notices Maggie is there, looking worse for the wear. But he cannot get to her, as the men line them up. The one Savior goes over to the RV and pounds on the door, signaling for the introduction of the biggest baddie of them all….

 

“Hi. You’re Rick, right? I’m Negan.”

 

As the door opens, we finally meet the man who has been on the tongue of all those lined up: Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). In a black leather jacket with slicked hair, a moustache and a bat covered in barbed wire, Negan is finally standing before the group. He asks which one is the leader, to which one of the Saviors points to Rick.

 

Negan, seeming eerily polite, introduces himself to Rick. Rick appears frightened, nervous and ultimately beaten. With the same smile and charisma of his introduction, Negan doesn’t hesitate in letting Rick know that he knows about all of the Saviors that were killed by Rick’s group. He wasn’t happy with that and in return, Rick will regret his actions within a few minutes. The roadblocks were simply a way to determine who was going to die today.

 

As he goes to address the group, Negan makes it clear that now they will work for him. And in working for him, it means this: give half of everything they have to the Saviors, and everything they will get in the future. They are no longer safe and this will be the way of life now. Despite their new job description; however, the group is going to pay. Holding out his bat covered in barbed wire, Negan proudly introduces his weapon: “This is Lucille and she is awesome.”

 

“I gotta pick somebody.”

 

Going down the line, Negan stops in front of Carl first. He notes that Carl had one of their weapons in his possession. Upon further inspection, Negan deducts that Carl is Rick’s son, which makes Rick even more upset knowing now that his son is placed in the crossfire. When Negan gets to Maggie, Glenn loses it and starts to go for his wife before the Saviors push him back in line. Negan lets the group know that they only get one chance to react like that. The next one will cost them even more than what they are about to lose.

 

Finding difficulty in choosing one of the group members to meet Lucille up close and personal, Negan makes a game out of it. Going down the line, he starts to recite the “Eeny Meeny Miney Moe” song, taunting each group member as he points to them with Lucille. The tension rises as we watch the bat point and the fear in the eyes of each group member. Once Negan gets to “it,” we don’t know who he has chosen. Instead, we get the view of the victim looking up at him as he chills the audience with these words: “You can breathe. You can blink. You can cry. Hell, you’re all going to be doing that.”

 

We then see Negan bring Lucille down onto his victim’s head, watching the blood pour down as the victim tries to get up. There are cries from the rest of the group in the background as Negan laughs at how the victim is “taking it like a champ” before they succumb to darkness and the screen goes black.

 

The Final Verdict:

 

It was so hard to write this recap and relive the episode. But, here I am and I have to admit that this is one of the greatest episodes that Greg Nicotero has ever directed. And yes, while it is a cliffhanger, the writers took a risk and elicited the loudest social media rant I have ever seen!

 

The Carol and Morgan storyline is one that I absolutely adore. Carol struggles with the will to live, knowing that she has done horrible things and doesn’t want to continue down that road. I love that after tough Carol for so many seasons, we see her ethical dilemma. She worked hard to build that tough outer exterior, but it can no longer hold. And with Morgan, he’s pushing her to stay strong in different ways. I wonder where Carol is being taken. Are we going to meet another new community in Season 7?

 

And then there is Abraham and Eugene. That bromance rivals Rickyl (Rick & Daryl) in so many ways and especially here. Finally, Eugene peels that last layer of fear off and accepts that while he may die, the future of the others will not. I mean, come on, he learned how to make bullets! Their hug had me reaching for the Kleenex because Abraham finally acknowledges that Eugene has evolved and grown. He can be deemed a survivor for trying to do right by the group and contribute in more than just the ways he knows how.

 

How difficult was it to watch Rick emotionally and physically break? His own words about how if all of them are there, they can do anything, coming back to bite him? Purely chilling. I see Rick as this great leader, strong-willed and refusing to bend. That attitude has kept them alive for so long, that strength and tenacity. But what now? Rick is helpless against Negan and he knows that. He’s going to watch Negan turn him into the ultimate example of disobedience by offing one of his family before his eyes.

 

And, of course, how can I not talk about Negan? He’s charismatic and personable, with a twinge of sadistic murderer thrown in there. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has brought the evilest character of the show to life and he is ready to destroy the group in the way he knows how: beating one of them with Lucille. Negan is out to make next season one of the scariest and bloodiest ones to date. (By the way, in an episode or two prior to this, who remembers when Carl first found the gun with Lucille carved into it? For comicbook fans and those like me who were told about this, the foreshadowing with that gun was enough to send chills down my spine.)

 

Fans are angry, irate and frankly pissed off that the show ended the season on a cliffhanger, but I applaud the writers for this. Robert Kirkman and Scott Gimple brought the chaos and are ready for the fight. And why? Because they singlehandedly managed to bring forth a social media riot that didn’t involve Daryl dying (best to our knowledge) and making us beg the question: WHO has Negan beaten to death?

 

I thank all of you lovely readers for sticking by me this season for all your Walking Dead recaps! Join me next week for the Season Two premiere of Fear the Walking Dead and your weekly episode recaps.

 

And of course, if you’re like me, spend the summer re-grouping and try to figure out who you think Negan killed in the season finale. If you have any thoughts, don’t be afraid to share.