After last week's traumatic loss of Shiva the tiger, I'm going into tonight's episode of The Walking Dead looking for moments to celebrate. I really don't get any in this hour, but we do finally catch up with Father Gabriel, whom we haven't seen since Dumbass Gregory left him for dead in the season premiere. What's he been up to? How are the rest of our heroes progressing? Here's what went down in "The Big Scary U."
Give Me Another Chance
We flash back to The Sanctuary just prior to Rick and company showing up to shoot way too many precious bullets into the building. Simon is delivering breakfast to Dumbass Gregory, who is not necessarily living in luxury at Negan's compound, but he's certainly not living like a prisoner either. Simon is proud of Gregory for coming to see him when things started to get out of hand at Hilltop and he says today is the day Gregory will solve the problem.
Dumbass Gregory sits down for a meeting with Negan and his lieutenants - Dwight (heh), Eugene, Gavin, Simon and Regina and he discusses what he calls "The Big Scary U," which he says is the unknown. Gregory doesn't like to kill people, but Negan assures him that sometimes killing 1 may save 100. "And that's what we do. We save people." Negan honestly believes this. Dwight is already bored and leaves to take a smoke break. Gregory promises Negan he can convince his people to abandon Maggie's crusade and then none of the Hilltop residents will have to die. Negan accuses Gregory of playing both sides, but Simon sticks up for him. Why Simon sticks up for him is beyond me. Simon suggests they back Gregory when he lays down the law, and if all doesn't go well..."we kill everyone there." Negan is pisssssed. He says people are the foundation of what they are trying to build. "Are you confused about who we are? Are you confused about who's in charge? Are we backsliding, Simon? Please. Tell me we're not backsliding." Eugene looks terrified and Dumbass Gregory may have just peed his pants. Negan doesn't like Simon's "Plan A." He says Plan A will be taking Rick, Maggie, and Ezekiel alive and killing them in a very public way. Negan doesn't completely finish his speech though because armored cars are arriving outside.
So Gone, So Wrong
Changing gears a bit, we join Rick and Daryl after they intercepted the weapons vehicle coming from one of the Saviors' satellite sites. Carol may not have been able to prevent the jeep from leaving the lot, but Rick and Daryl prevented it from getting far...in the midst of fighting, the vehicle crashed. Turns out the driver is still (barely) alive and Rick and Daryl question him about the chemical plant he just came from. The driver says everyone there is dead except some psycho lady and the boys immediately know he's referencing Carol. Then he dies.
Rick and Daryl start unloading the Saviors' jeep and come across quite a bit of dynamite. Daryl suggests using it to blow a hole in the walls of The Sanctuary (not sure how he thinks he will make it to the wall), telling Rick the people in there will either surrender or die at that point. Rick doesn't want to put the workers and families at risk but Daryl isn't looking for Rick's approval. He says he will take the dynamite to The Sanctuary anyway. The two get into a fistfight and Rick tosses the bag of dynamite at the crashed jeep...everything blows up and they lose all of the weapons that would have been helpful. Rick's own jeep won't start at this point either, but Daryl leaves him behind to walk back to wherever they were going. What a freaking waste. This whole exchange reminds me of the day they met Jesus and wasted a whole bunch of time with bullshit rather than get the supply truck back to Alexandria as quickly as possible.
We see a super exhausted Rick making his way on foot slowly but surely down a path in the woods. He's stopped in his tracks by an odd sound. Walkers? A truck? The Saviors with more weapons? Rick looks up and sees a helicopter flying over head. A HELICOPTER flying over head! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!? The helicopter must not have seen Rick because it keeps on going, and Rick makes no attempt to try to flag it down. He'd probably attract a shit ton of Walkers in the process anyway. We don't find out where the helicopter came from in this hour, but I sure do hope the show runners don't put this little gem on the back-burner for several episodes to come.
These Are My Confessions
In another scene pre-Sanctuary mission, Gabriel prays in his church in preparation for battle. He says he does not fear death, but he does fear "a fruitless death." All he asks God for at this moment is a purpose.
We now catch up with Gabriel and Negan in the trailer, trapped together as a herd of Walkers bangs on the walls from outside. Negan tells Gabriel that Rick is an asshole who is going to get a lot of people killed. Negan says that even though he killed Glenn and Abraham, he's "not the one who got them killed." Kind of a fair point, especially considering Negan believes his kills are for the greater good of everyone else. He asks Gabriel why on earth he'd risk his life for Dumbass Gregory and Gabriel mentions that he does not want to die a fruitless death. He thinks that his purpose might be right there in the trailer with Negan. "I think I'm here to take your confession."
Negan says he doesn't have shit to confess and asks Gabriel why he became a priest. "I love God and I love people. I wanted to bring them together...to help people through their difficult times...to help them through their weaknesses." Negan smiles and says he himself has been helping people through their weaknesses his whole life. He briefly mentions that he used to work with kids (wish we could get more on that) and tells Gabriel that people are going to start dying inside The Sanctuary because he's not there to stop it. He says he makes his people strong which makes this world strong. Negan calls Gabriel his new special project. "I'm gonna make you nice and strong too. Gonna find your special purpose. Hell yes we are."
If I'm Gonna Tell It Then I Gotta Tell It All
The Walkers are starting to bust in now and Gabriel makes another play for Negan's confession. He says Negan has killed innocent people, but Negan maintains he didn't kill anyone who didn't deserve it. Gabriel says Negan treats the workers like slaves, but Negan says it's an economy where some people win and some people lose...but none of them are going hungry. Gabriel brings up the women Negan has pressured to be his wives, and Negan's face changes. He says each lady made their own choice, but I think he knows Gabriel's got him on this one.
The trailer is starting to fall apart and Negan suggests the ole Walker guts ensemble to get them into the compound. He doesn't want to kill Gabriel - he wants Gabriel to work with him. Gabriel chooses this moment to confesses to Negan that he locked his congregation out of the church when the apocalypse hit. "I failed them. I failed God. And every day I work to lessen that failure. To be of service and purpose. Now I offer you the assurance of a pardon, penance, and absolution. I will go with you. I will show you that working together as equals is the only true way to grace." Negan then confesses that he did have a first wife - a real wife before the world went to hell in a hand-basket. He says he cheated on his wife, even when she was sick. She finally passed away when the Walkers started dominating the area and Negan couldn't bear to put her down. "That is how I was weak. That is what I will confess." Gabriel tells him he is forgiven and they prepare for escape.
As Negan begins tearing up Walker parts, he asks Gabriel if anyone he knows has ever gotten sick from dousing themselves with guts and Gabriel's only response is "We're from Georgia." Ha! They lather up and walk slowly through the herd, but we all know that this plan has often backfired. The Walkers do attack and the guys have to fight their way into the building.
Be A Man And Get It Over With
Negan's lieutenants resume their meeting after getting back inside the compound safely. They argue over the next course of action, hoping to get a group out of the compound to go get help, not realizing that their 3 outposts have also been compromised. Gavin wants to focus the conversation on how Rick and company knew the outpost leaders would all be in a meeting with Negan today. He's looking to Eugene. So is Simon. Dwight jumps in and takes control, saying he'll lead the Saviors out of the compound safely, and somehow the meeting temporarily ends. Eugene goes to Dwight's room and thanks him for his support, but I didn't hear any kind of plan come out of the discussion.
The lieutenants meet again and this time the workers are outside the door and restless. They want to know where Negan is, when they are going to get more rations, and what the plan is for getting everyone to safety. There are a whole lot of workers and not a lot of lieutenants. Simon acts like a total dick, Dwight tries to calm the crowd, and Regina puts a bullet in one of the loudest workers. Just then they hear Negan come around the corner with Gabriel. Everyone kneels including Gabriel, and the priest is dismayed as the workers yell things like "Thank you, Negan. Thank God for you."
Negan showers and meets with his lieutenants, most of whom still say a rat is living among them. Negan pulls Eugene aside and tells him he needs to find a way to solve the problem outside. If he succeeds, Negan will make him a happy man. If he does not, Negan will kill him quickly so Eugene won't have to witness what happens when the compound runs out of food and water. Eugene continues to look terrified and goes to visit Gabriel and give him a warm welcome. He finds Gabriel leaning against the wall in his room/cell, sweating and sick. Eugene wants to go grab Dr. Carson and Gabriel is barely able to say, "Dr. Carson is Maggie's doctor. We have to get him out of here."
The episode ends there, as does the first episode of Season 8 without a ton of action-packed scenes (which I am totally fine with). There are many cliffhangers going into next week though. What's the deal with the helicopter? Where did it come from? Who's flying it? It can't be connected to the Saviors or the lieutenants would have thrown that escape idea out to the group. Does Eugene know Dwight is Rick's inside man? Is Eugene somehow in cahoots as well? What's happening with Gabriel? Was he bit or did the tainted Walker guts make him sick? He may very well have served his "purpose" at this point but I'd hate to see him go. Gabriel is one character that I never thought would grow on me, but now that TWD has introduced people like Dumbass Gregory, Gabe is definitely on my good side.
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