Annnnnd we're back! The Walking Dead returns tonight with a time jump of at least a year and a half. The good news for Lauren Cohen is we never actually saw Maggie pregnant, so that was one less wardrobe thing for her to worry about in her character's journey. The bad news for us is Lauren Cohen is leaving the show this season, though it seems that it will be more of a hiatus than a RIP scenario. On the flip side, Andrew Lincoln is peacing out as well and all reports point to Rick Grimes' demise. I'm not going to go on another rampage on how dumb it was for TWD show runners to kill of Carl, so let's just see where we are after "A New Beginning."
People Of The World Today
The hour(ish) opens with our heroes working together to raid a museum in D.C. for items that might be helpful in their new normal. Seems the group has been working hard on mastering the material in "The Key" book that Georgie had bestowed upon Maggie, and they have adapted to operating like people did in older days. Farming is huge, windmills are succeeding, and the Grimes gang relies more on traveling by horse now, which makes sense given the gas supply wasn't going to last forever. In this trip Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Carol, Ezekiel, Alden, Jesus, Tara, Maggie, Enid, Siddiq, Jadis/Anne, Cyndie, Aaron, Smokin' Hot Rosita, Man Bun Jesus, a half blind Gabriel sans facial hair, and others are on a mission to secure a covered wagon, plow, canoe, and other dated supplies that may come in handy. Things get a bit dicey when the group tries to pull the wagon over the glass floor and we alllllmost lose Ezekiel to the Walkers below. The King and others walking on the glass are attached to a rope though and our heroes pull him to safety. Carol rushes to Ezekiel and gives him a big kiss because apparently they are a thing now. Damn it. I'm never going to get my Daryl/Carol happily ever after, am I?
Anyway, the group begins the journey home...wherever home is these days given the last time we saw these guys they were split in different locations, and a very large herd of Walkers thwarts their progress. They make off with the wagon and canoe, but lose the plow and Ken (no idea who that is) in the process. Bummer. The trek is not without some smiles though. After Ezekiel's brush with death, he proceeds to propose to Carol on the ride home. She turns him down, of course, because that's not how Carol rolls and this is apparently not the first time she has done so. He laughs it off, saying he'll just hold onto the ring until she's ready, and I'll admit that the exchange is cute...even though it would be cuter with Daryl.
No Struggle, No Progress
Catching up with the various communities now, we realize Alexandria has been restored and is also approaching "Carl's dream Alexandria" status. Rick is running the show there, naturally, and Maggie is leading Hilltop via election, and Hilltop appears to be thriving the most out of all of the communities. Cyndie heads up Oceanside with help from Eugene and Smokin' Hot Rosita, Ezekiel still rules the resurrected Kingdom, and Daryl is the man in charge of The Sanctuary. Daryl is not a fan of being in charge of The Sanctuary...probably because most of the people there are still douchebags (Justin in particular). The former "we are all Negan" dwellers are also having a hell of a time with the whole farming/building/do-this-shit-yourself thing and constantly need food and supplies from neighboring communities. It's become tiresome. Daryl tells Rick that he wants out of The Sanctuary and would prefer to be with Maggie in Hilltop, and Rick seems a bit hurt that Daryl wouldn't want to be in Alexandria instead. Sensing Daryl's feelings, Carol offers to run The Sanctuary. Well, I think Carol is also trying to avoid seriousness with Ezekiel, but Daryl takes her up on the offer and gets the hell out of there.
Rick, Daryl, Michonne and some others head to Hilltop where Rick appeals to Maggie for more stuff for the Saviors. Maggie is tired of being the constant giver and this request isn't well received. Rick doesn't really seem to pick up on the tension, asking her to visit Alexandria to see Judith when she can. Duh, Rick. You're keeping Negan alive in Alexandria. Why the hell would Maggie want to visit? Maggie agrees to give The Sanctuary food and supplies in exchange for the fuel the Saviors make from those supplies. She also acknowledges that one of the main bridges nearby is in need of serious repairs and says the Saviors need to provide the labor to fix it. Rick tells Maggie the Saviors are barely hanging on and they are obliged to help, but Maggie isn't having it (nor should she). "They surrendered. We didn't kill them. That's it."
Strength In Numbers
Turns out Ken is the son of the Hilltop blacksmith and his parents are livid when they find out what happened to him. Mom accuses Maggie of sacrificing her son to find supplies that only help the Saviors, and Maggie is quickly banned from Ken's funeral. She watches from the balcony of her big house with baby Hershel in tow. I love that she named her baby Hershel, but this is made all the more tear-jerking with Scott Wilson's death. Who knew the tribute would be such a tribute? Anyway, Dumb Ass Gregory uses this opportunity to rile up some Hilltop folks into thinking Maggie is an unfit leader. So much so that he stages an attack, tricking Maggie into thinking Glenn's grave has been vandalized so she is out there on her own in the dark (well, "on her own" but pushing Hershel in a stroller) when an attempt is made on her life by a hooded man. Turns out the hooded man is Ken's dad and Enid and Man Bun Jesus hear a commotion and come to Maggie's aid. She quickly realizes that Ken's dad did not come up with this plan on his own and she confronts Dumb Ass Gregory. Staying consistent in jackassery, Maggie's predecessor tries to stab her with a knife and fails miserably...like he has at most other things.
What to do with Dumb Ass Gregory and his conspirators? Maggie gives Ken's parents a pass given their grief, but she sentences Dumb Ass Gregory to death because "the punishment must fit the crime," and I give a resounding "WOOHOO!" from my couch. Keeping with the "we do things old school now" theme, Dumb Ass Gregory finds himself sitting on a horse with a noose around his neck as he pleads for his life. Michonne sees children nearby and calls for Maggie to stop the execution so they don't see the aftermath, but Maggie signals to Daryl, then Daryl slaps the horse's behind, and Dumb Ass Gregory is no more. Good. Effing. Riddance.
The episode ends there and it was nice to see how far these folks have come over time. It was also nice to see Dumb Ass Gregory get the noose. Seriously. HOW had that guy lasted so long? Maggie must have the patience of a saint. Not only has she tolerated the guy who has undermined her since Hilltop was introduced, she is now still biding her time with the Rick revenge she promised in the Season 8 finale. Will we see any payback before Rick's final farewell? Will Maggie cause Rick's death? Too soon to tell, but I will say that I am pleased with the time jump so far. We needed something different and here's hoping we're off to a good start.
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