Tonight the story takes us back to Alexandria where our heroes are licking their wounds and trying to figure out how to move forward under the reign of Negan. The group is adjusting (or not adjusting) in different ways and seeing Rick continue to bow down to someone else is unreal. What happens when Negan pays his new subjects a visit? Here's where we are after "Service."
I Should Stick Up For Myself
The episode opens with Rick and Michonne laying in bed not facing one another. Rick is sound asleep but Michonne is restless. She goes downstairs and quietly pulls a rifle from inside the fireplace, placing it in a duffel bag before sneaking out the door. She heads out of the community for target practice, shooting Walkers in the head I assume in an effort to prepare to shoot Negan in the head someday. She's not so great at it but she does get lucky and accidentally kills a deer in the woods. Dinner!
Meanwhile Smokin' Hot Rosita and Spencer are heading on a run and Eugene is guarding the gate. He's out of it and they have a hard time getting his attention to get him to open the gate. Spencer tells Eugene they are going to find stuff to offer Negan when he arrives and asks if he wants to come with. Rosita has a look on her face that resembles "you dumbass," and when Eugene says he's not up to the task, Rosita responds, "that sounds about right." Eugene explains that he's trying to fix a music player to give to Negan...but he barely finishes this sentence before the Saviors are knocking at the gate. Rick arrives then and reminds Negan that they were supposed to have a week before he came to collect, and as Negan explains that he doesn't give a shit, Rick spots Daryl. Boy does he look like hell. Negan hands Lucille to Rick and says "hold this" as he trots on in to Alexandria to take what he wants.
The Saviors, including Daryl, search every house, taking beds, couches, and medication. Rick shows Negan around the community and he asks Rick "Whatever happened to that sick girl? Widows, especially ones that look like that, they are special. I love em. Right after their husbands go, they are just empty inside...but usually not for long! Where is she? I would love to see her." This whole speech is annoying me but Negan redeems himself just a moment later when Gabriel appears behind him asking Negan if he's there to pay his respects. "Holy crap! You are creepy as shit, sneaking up on me wearing that collar with that freaky ass smile." This makes me laugh out loud. I know Negan is the villain, but he is totally on point here. Gabriel introduces himself and shows Negan to 3 freshly filled in graves. Good thinking buddy - Negan would have taken Maggie with him if he knew she was alive.
The graveyard chat is interrupted by gunshots. Back at Rick's house, Carl, his eye-patch, and his inexcusable hair are threatening a couple of Saviors taking all the shit from the house. He has his gun pointed at them and tells Negan "you should go...before you figure out how dangerous we all are." DAMN IT CARL! Remember that time Negan almost made your dad cut your arm off? After he bashed in the heads of two of the strongest members of your group? Carl hands over his gun, leading Negan to ask where the rest of the guns are stored. Rick now has to take him to the armory and surrender all of the weapons...Carl, no more talking. Or anything else please.
The More You Suffer
Negan meets Olivia and asks her for the inventory list. Turns out there are two guns missing. Rick makes an excuse that there are people out on a run, so Negan turns that around to say Olivia is at fault for not knowing where they are. He says if the guns don't turn up, he's going to kill Olivia even though he really doesn't like killing women. Rick has to call a town meeting to plead with the group to hand over or help find the weapons. "We give them what they want and we live in peace. There is no way out of this. Let me put this to all of you as clearly as I can - I'm not in charge anymore....Negan is."
The group disperses and looks for the missing weapons. Rick remembers that Spencer used to hide supplies for himself and goes to his house. After Aaron and Gabriel help him search every room, Rick finally finds the guns, some canned goods and some alcohol hidden in an air vent, and I'm then reminded how much Spencer sucks. Rick turns the guns in to Negan and Olivia lives to see another day. Her job also just got exponentially easier.
I Know I'm Being Used
Spencer and Smokin' Hot Rosita resume their run but not before Douchebag Dwight takes their weapons, canteen, and even Rosita's hat. He also tells them they must bring back Daryl's bike. Rosita drives to the place Daryl's bike is hidden and Spencer digs it out from under the bushes and branches. As he rolls the motorcycle to the back of the van, he tells Rosita that she is smokin' hot they are outnumbered. That this is life now. That this is where Rick got them. Rosita's not really listening though - she is stalking a handful of Walkers in the forest. She sneaking up on them pretty successfully until Spencer starts calling out for her and the Walkers all turn and attack her at the same time. Dumbass. She kills one of the Walker Saviors that died during the Denise death-by-crossbow battle and takes the gun the Walker still has on him. Spencer arrives and yells at her because Spencer still just doesn't get it. She tries to clue them into the fact that Dwight took their guns because the Saviors were going to take ALL of the guns. His three brain cells start to make sense of this before she looks at him in disgust and says, "this is not our life."
Spencer and Smokin' Hot Rosita return to Alexandria just as the Saviors are packing up their vehicles with all the spoils of the day and preparing to leave the community. Spencer delivers Daryl's bike to Douchebag Dwight and in turn, he gives Rosita her hat back. "We took the guns and most of the beds. I hope you find a place to lay your pretty little head." He leaves on the motorcycle as Daryl painfully watches this happen for a second time. Did I mention Daryl looks like hell?
Just before the Saviors leave though, Rick spots Michonne in a window and confronts her about the rifle. The weapon wasn't on the inventory list but Rick wants to earn bonus points with Negan. How humiliating. Michonne is not happy about giving up the gun but she relents. She walks out of the building with the deer over her shoulder so Negan would know she had been hunting and not pretending an array of Walker's heads were his. Negan appreciates Rick's honestly in turning over the rifle...and he takes the deer too. Rick hopes this will allow Daryl to stay in Alexandria but no dice. Negan asks Daryl to sway him and Daryl looks at the ground and says nothing. Negan shifts gears back over to Rick and asks "Do you want me to go? Then just say those two magic words." Rick barely musters up a 'thank you,' reluctantly gives Lucille back to Negan, and the Saviors leave Alexandria with Daryl in tow.
I Lost My Nerve
We close out "Service" with Rick scolding Spencer for hiding supplies and all Spencer can say is "you went in my house?" I really forgot how stupid he was. As Rick walks away he talks shit about how Rick has lead them to this place. "We're so lucky! I guess Abraham and Glenn were lucky too?" Rick doesn't turn around but promises Spencer that if he ever says anything like that again, he'll break Spencer's jaw and knock his teeth out. Smokin' Hot Rosita overhears this exchange and I'm hoping she's going to kick Spencer's ass when she slams the van door shut. He explains he hid the guns a while ago back when Rick was first taking over as their new leader. She walks away from him and we see that she has brought back the gun from the woods. She goes to Eugene and asks him to make her a bullet.
Rick goes home and makes a sleeping area where his bed used to be out of the remaining blankets and pillows. Michonne enters and does not agree with the way things are going. She tells him that everything they have they got from fighting. Rick says that even if they aligned with Hilltop, the Saviors still have the numbers. Michonne doesn't understand what kind of a life they will have this way and Rick goes on to tell her about Shane...and how Judith probably isn't his baby. He says he knew it but had to accept it. He calls her his daughter and says he hopes that he can raise her and protect her and teach her how to survive. "This is how we live now. I had to accept that too so I could keep everyone else alive." Rick asks Michonne to accept it as well and she promises to try. When we see her go back to her usual target practice spot with no gun, it's a sad sight....but not as sad as the sight of their mattresses burning on the side of the road. Michonne encounters these and her eyes tear up. The Saviors aren't even using the beds - they just want Rick and company to know they can take anything they want at any time.
The episode ends there and so does the thriving community Rick and company had built after the Wolves invaded. I appreciate Michonne and Smokin' Hot Rosita trying to hold on to what little protection they can keep. Even though Rick "isn't in charge anymore," someone here has to think ahead to "shit's going to hit the fan again eventually." Will they start a mild group of rebels? Will Michonne be able to support Rick in the new normal? Does Spencer understand that his booty call days with Smokin' Hot Rosita are probably over? I think she'd rather go without than deal with his whiny ass anymore. Such is life in the post-apocalyptic world of friends with benefits.
No comments:
Post a Comment