“The Big Scary U”
This episode gives us a look inside The Sanctuary right before, during, and after the events of Rick’s attack. Gregory, who’s getting pampered at The Sanctuary, reveals his plan to convince The Hilltop members to join them. Skeptical of his real power, Negan asks why he was unaware Maggie led ‘his’ people to Alexandria to join the fight against him. Frustrated, Gregory claims he let a fox in the hen house but his people still belong to him. Simon suggests if Gregory’s plan fails they’ll just kill everyone at The Hilltop. Infuriated, Negan challenges him and asserts the way forward is to “kill the right people in the wrongest way possible.” Suddenly, they hear Rick’s group outside.
Flash forward to Negan and Father Gabriel back in the trailer. Negan attacks him but decides not to kill him. As they wait out the walkers, Negan blames Rick for getting Glenn and Abraham killed and Father Gabriel says he’s here to take Negan’s confession.
Back to the present: Rick and Daryl interrogate the driver of the gun truck they attacked. He falsely tells them Ezekiel, Jerry, and Carol are all dead along with his own people. He dies and Rick sticks a knife in his skull.
Back to the trailer – Father Gabriel reveals he became a priest to help people through difficult times. Negan said he too, helps his people, who would be nothing without him. He’s right, because inside The Sanctuary, some of Negan’s top brass assumes he’s dead and can’t agree on a plan to combat the walkers. Eugene suggests they lead the Saviors out and Simon agrees, adding if they can’t do it, he will. Shortly after, Eugene thanks Dwight for standing up for him.
Walkers begin to penetrate the trailer but Negan thinks they should wait it out. Gabriel confesses he was part of the satellite camp attack and asks Negan to actually confess to him in case they die. Gabriel asks him about treating his people like slaves but Negan counters it’s an economy and everyone gets fed. Gabe asks about pressuring women to marry him but Negan says those women made a choice. Gabriel presses on and asks if there was a wife before the outbreak. Negan tightens the grip on Lucille and Gabriel takes the opportunity to grab his gun, but Negan knocks him down. He hits him with Lucille and tells him it’s time to go.
Rick and Daryl take the Saviors’ weapons from the overturned truck and plan their next moves. Daryl suggests they blow a hole in The Sanctuary but Rick argues there’s workers and children in there. “It’s our world, not theirs!” Daryl shouts. When Rick argues Daryl socks him in the face. They wrestle on the ground until Daryl almost chokes him out – Rick’s saved when a car behind them explodes. They settle down and go their separate ways; Rick on foot and Daryl on his bike.
Negan grabs a walker and suggests they cover themselves in the guts to survive. Gabriel recalls the time he cowered from his congregation and said that won’t happen this time. Respecting his confession, Negan tells Gabriel about his first wife before the apocalypse. He admits lying and cheating on her while she was sick, and when she turned he was too weak to put her down. Gabriel forgives him, Negan punches him in the face, and together they cover themselves in walker guts. Negan opens the door to let them in and they go completely incognito among them. They trek outside but the walkers are onto them. Together they fight them off but quickly become overwhelmed.
The Sanctuary loses power and the workers crowd the upstairs. Simon tries ordering them back down but they become rowdy, demanding where Negan is until Regina shoots one of them, exclaiming, “I am Negan!” On cue, Negan arrives with Gabriel, forcing all of them to kneel. Shortly after, Simon and the others tell Negan the guns used against them were their own, meaning there’s a rat among their ranks.
After the meeting Negan promises Eugene if he solves the walker problem he will make him ‘very very happy.’ (He also promises to kill him if he fails – so no pressure). Eugene then visits Gabriel to welcome him but finds him in a closet sweating profusely. Alarmed, he insists he sees Dr. Carson. Gabriel tells him they have to get Carson out of there to help Maggie. Elsewhere, Rick witnesses a helicopter flying overhead. Later, he’s spotted by what looks like one of Jadis’ people.
What did YOU think of the episode? Let us know in the comments!
Negan letting someone in on a personal bit & dropping his guard? Na. That was deserving of a flashback. Still trying to wrap my mind around him letting Father Gabriel keep the gun. He could’ve persuaded Gabriel to give the gun back. Anybody else in that situation & the whole thing would’ve been totally different! That punch to the face was another sloppy bit… who’s in detail cleanup?! Awesome acting on Gilliam’s part, tho. Nice!
I certainly can’t wait to go back & rewatch this ep… some mumbling dialogue throughout that I just didn’t pick up on.
Peek into next week looks like Rick possibly attempting another deal with Jadis… I can get through the sloppiness in the minor details, but a direction in the storyline like this (killing Morales off so quickly was already a nice little brain fart in the writing dept) would mar this 1st half of this season & I will just scream if this is so! Scream at Gimple!
Yeah I agree a flash back of Negan and his wife in the hospital would have been better than seeing him cry. But I am looking UP! and wondering where they are going with another helicopter much like the prison days… I guess we will see.
1st thing that popped in my mind with that is this crossover that’s coming with “Fear the Walking Dead”. It is indeed interesting to know what that’s gonna lead to!
I am really beginning to wish that the TV show will deviate tremendously from the comics soon. Comics Negan storyline just doesn’t translate well to TV. Morgan might be doing a great acting job but I just want Negan dead and this storyline to go away. I get it that in the apocalypse people fighting people for survival will be a major thing but I just want Negan dead and gone and move on to something else more believable. I know I am not the only one, I have read tons of articles saying the same thing elsewhere. I don’t want the ratings to slip and the show to be gone.
Exactly what is it about JDM’s Negan that you guys don’t like?
I imagine there are many reasons, each different for different people, but for me, personally, it’s that it’s too comic book-y. I am no casual fan, I have all the comics from the beginning, I have all the novels, and all the tv seasons. I can suspend belief in the comics for his character but not in the tv series. On the series, these are real life people (not comic book characters) and I cannot imagine anyone in real life letting him live. So, knowing what the future holds so far, I cannot fathom another few seasons of him, redeeming himself or not! He needs to be dispatched quickly. I can actually imagine Simon more easily as the antagonist rather than Negan. I can’t define whether it’s JDMorgan’s acting or simply the writing, I just know I think it’s the perfect time for deviating from the comic. Not knowing what the future holds for tv Walking Dead would be titillating and quite a bold move.
I understand what you mean. I think what helps me actually IS the suspension of disbelief for his comic character. I can’t imagine anyone in the comic letting him live, so it makes it easier for the show. That’s not to say that there couldn’t be some improvements made in the writing dept. Good writing can make an unbelievable character exist. Just have to make the details around the character work so it all fits. I just really enjoy JDM… for me, he plays it well, & I can’t imagine anyone else in that role.
As for deviation, I’d be down for it! I miss that little bit of time that I actually went in clueless… so long ago! Truth be told, it would probably do the show wonders, as readers & nonreaders alike already know what’s coming. What better way to make me feel like I felt when Season 5 was going on!
I feel like there has been enough deviation or implied future deviation to make this a separate story then in the comics. After all some of the main characters do not exist or have been killed eons ago in the comics so the dynamic is different. I do not compare the show and the comic anymore. In not comparing I like the show much better.
I do wish the Morales encounter would have lasted more than 3 seconds though. That could have been so much more. The helicopter flying overhead was a total surprise, and reminded me of past seasons, like when we saw the prison for the first time,
YES Simon is awesome! I can totally see him stepping up, and over Negan. If they really wanted to deviate from the comics, that would be a good way to go.
I can keep the show separate from the comic and have an appreciation for each individually, but the story is still one, so I can’t help but compare the differences between the two, & the thought of what’s coming in the show naturally lingers in the back of my mind. When I think of deviation, I’m thinking more than just character swaps. I’d like something that is totally different than what I’m expecting and a little more significant than a simple shift… or at least gimme a shift that lasts long enough to matter. Let communities experience a major divide instead of flipping back & forth internally & reconnecting before there’s any major rift. Morales had potential for a nice deviation & I was stoked for it, then pretty disappointed with how quickly that ended. Jadis & crew is a deviation, but I’ll tell ya now that I’ll be annoyed if it’s written that Rick approaches her again with a deal! Talk about suspension of disbelief!
Instant Show Boosters:
1. Daryl finally dies in one of his many bike crashes.
2. Tara revolts, gathers a group of followers. Takes over Jadis’s crew.
3. Morgan becomes so unhinged that he has to be isolated & locked away. Then he gets loose.
4. Carl gets Enid pregnant, Enid becomes a walker in 3rd trimester.
5. Eric returns & Aaron keeps him as a pet like The Gov did with Penny.