The Walking Dead – Worth

By: Kelly Kearney

The penultimate episode of Season 8 is here and all bets are off thanks to Negan’s refreshed hatred for Rick and company. After last week’s slaughter of the escaped Saviors and Rick’s unwillingness to try a more peaceful approach, it’s becoming harder and harder to determine who the actual threat is as both leaders are out for blood and think killing is the only way their people can survive. All out war has reached its climax and its anyone’s guess who’s making it out alive.

Carl’s Hope Is out of Reach

We open with Rick (Andrew Lincoln), who after showing the escaped saviors no mercy, reads Carl’s (Chandler Riggs) letters in hopes his son’s words will put this whole war in perspective. Narrated by the young Grimes, Carl talks about life before the fall of the world. A time of innocence, where feeling safe was taken for granted and thanks to Rick, Carl never felt more secure. Again, he stresses his wish for his father to put down his gun and make a better world for everyone, Saviors included. He wants Judith to grow up free of fear and able to experience the world in way her brother did before the dead ruled the earth.  Carl wants Rick to realize that many of the Saviors are innocent and don’t deserve to die in some feud between the two. Rick reads on with tears in his eyes and you have to wonder if he’s taking Carl’s words to heart or dismissing them as dreams of a child with no real understanding of the corner Negan’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) backed them into.

Speaking of Negan, he makes it back to the Sanctuary with his mystery traveler but stays hidden until he can ensure his arrival will have the ultimate impact. Meanwhile, Gregory (Xander Berkeley) also makes it back to the Sanctuary having fled alongside the escaping saviors that Rick and Morgan killed. Like the cockroach that he is, Gregory tries to appeal to Simon (Steven Ogg) over a bottle of whiskey and while these two have never been friends we see Simon hear him out. Unfortunately for the cockroach, Simon is desperate for the Saviors to see him as their new leader and being soft on Gregory isn’t going to win them over. Gregory, who is always looking out for himself, freaks and starts screaming about how useful he can be. Simon gets tired of his begging and uses brute force to get his point across, knocking Gregory off his chair and threatening to end him right there. Then, he flips the script and offers Gregory another chance and a job being his lackey. Considering his options are death or coffee runner, Gregory chooses a life of servitude.

 A Choice to Make

The last time we saw Aaron (Ross Marquand) he decided to ignore Oceanside’s orders to leave for sticking around to try and convince them to join in the fight against Negan. He’s been camping out in the woods, half dead from dehydration and hoping Oceanside will see he means business only they ignore him thinking he will be dead soon enough. As it is, Rick’s people have done nothing to make these women trust them. First, Tara outed their location to Rick, who then showed up to steal all their weapons and if that’s not reason enough to ignore Aaron’s request Enid (Katelyn Nacon) killed their leader. So, it’s no wonder that they step over Aaron’s thirsty body and continue to stay out of the fight between the Saviors and the Survivors. That is until they find him dazed and drinking from rain puddles while attempting to fight off walkers. They decide to free him from the grips of one very hungry walker and Aaron is grateful, but not giving up until they agree to join Rick’s group. He reminds them that Negan took everything from them and now they have a chance to get it all back and finally make the bat-man pay.

Whether or not Oceanside agrees to join Rick doesn’t change the fact that Negan has enough ammo to take every remaining faction out. That’s all thanks to Eugene (Josh McDermitt) who really seems to be enjoying his power trip at the ammo outpost. He’s full of macho posturing and bullies everyone into making their bullet quota. Now that Negan is dead (he assumes), Simon’s in charge and wants to kill very last Survivor and to do that they need to work overtime on the production line. One worker is having trouble separating his moral fortitude with his desire to love and it’s no shock that Father Gabe (Seth Gilliam) spends his time sabotaging the bullets Eugene ordered him to make. When his plan is outed, Eugene demands he get off the line and play spectator to the rest of the ammo makers. Ripping into Gabe was the least of Eugene’s problems because Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) decide it’s time to pay their friend and unfriendly visit. The two Survivors Mullet-Napp Eugene at gun point, tie his hands and order him to walk quietly towards Hilltop. For weeks Daryl’s anger over letting Saviors get away only to have them come back later to kill people has been unwavering so he’s been promising to kill anyone they come across. That’s why it’s odd when neither he nor Rosita kill Eugene right away. They think he would be more useful as their indentured servant, forced to supply bullets to the group he betrayed. Eugene tries appealing to what little friendship they may feel for him, but those feelings are long gone. He is the ultimate traitor and when he starts rambling excuses for why he’s taken Negan’s side Daryl loses it. The angry archer threatens to cut out his tongue and Rosita holds a gun to his throat making it clear that there are no excuses for what he’s done. That’s when Eugene jabs his fingers down his own throat and vomits on Rosita giving him a split second to run from his captors and hide. Somehow Eugene out smarts them and hides in a pile of gravel long enough for his former friends to give up their search. He manages to make it back to the bullet outpost with new a purpose – to show Rick and company he is a force to be reckoned with. He orders his workers to up their game and pump out as many bullets as they can since he wants the Survivors to taste his vengeance. At this point, Eugene is beyond remorse and thanks to Simon giving him the first ounce of respect he’s had in his entre pathetic life; he has become unapologetically awful.

Daddy’s Home and Simon’s Reign is Over

At the Sanctuary, Dwight (Austin Amelio) runs into Negan who’s still laying low until he can figure out what to do with Simon. He asks Dwight if he remembers who he is saying, “I’m Negan,” and reminds him to remember that. A time will come when that loyalty might just save his life. The conversation is tense and its fairly obvious Negan knows more about what Dwight’s been up to with Rick, but he leaves it at that – a warning for what’s to come. Later, he makes himself known and drags Simon into a round table discussion about what to do with people who disobey his orders. Simon begs for a reprieve over disobeying his orders and attacking Hilltop, but there is no mention of Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and her people. Simon chalks it all up to Negan being MIA and having to think on the fly. With terrifying music to set the mood, Negan orders Simon to his knees and talks about their partnership and building the Sanctuary. He pulls out the bat and lays it on Simon’s shoulder as a warning of what’s about to happen. And just when you think Lucille is about to meet Simon’s head, he lets the traitor live!

It’s not long before Simon approaches Dwight with a plan to kill Negan and steal his throne and the mole agrees, but probably assumes this a set up. The following day Simon, Gregory and a group of disgruntled Negan haters meet Dwight outside to formulate a plan, but the group gets interrupted by the sounds of ominous whistling. In an instant the group is under fire with Negan ordering his troops to kill them all except Dwight, Gregory and Simon. Negan lets him know about Jadis and the fact Simon betrayed him twice now. He has to pay, but killing Simon would be too easy. Instead, he offers him a man to man fight to the death.

The fight takes place inside the Sanctuary’s warehouse and it’s a bare-knuckle brawl that finds both men giving as good as they get. As the two trade punches, Dwight sneaks off and hands Gregory a map of Negan’s plans to take out Hilltop – a plan that consists of blocking all exit roads to and from the community and using snipers to block them in until they surrender. He orders Gregory to run, making it seem like its his only chance to get out before Negan kills him next. Dwight returns to the scene of the fight just as Negan knocks Simon down and starts to choke him, proving he is the true leader of the Saviors. Simon dies and now it’s Dwight’s time to pay for his sins. Negan promotes Dwight to second in command, but then comes the ultimate reveal. Negan’s mystery traveler was Laura (Lindsey Register) and she told him all about the Sanctuary mole and how Dwight helped Rick take down the outposts. He doesn’t kill Dwight, but whatever he has in store for him it can’t be good – especially when Dwight realizes the map he gave Gregory was a set up. Gregory does make it back to Hilltop and as he’s forced back into the prison pen he hands Rick the map, a map that Negan hopes will be Hilltop’s downfall. He knew Dwight would stab him in the back and the map was a test he failed.

Give Peace a Chance

After cleaning house and proving he’s always threes steps ahead of Rick and his mole, Negan chains walker Simon to the perimeter’s fence like a reminder of what he does to those who cross him. As he’s watching his former captain rot in the Virginia sun, his walkie talkie goes off and its Michonne (Danai Gurira) with an offer she’s hoping he won’t refuse. She reads Carl’s letter he left for Negan and it’s filled with the same ideas of a safe word where they all can live in peace. Carl hopes his father offers Negan a truce and hopes Negan takes it. While he did have a soft spot for Carl, Negan’s done with Hilltop and Rick. He tells Michonne there will be no truce and the only way this is ending is when he kills every last one of Rick’s people. Screaming, “No more talk,” Negan smashes the walkie talkie and prepares to end this once and for all. Let the bodies fall where they may, there is no forgiveness or path to peace for Negan and Rick.