Tonight we finally have something new happening on The Walking Dead and thank goodness for that. We are so close to the finale at this point and in this hour we may have achieved just a bit of movement toward some kind of future. Granted, there is still a ton of the same ol' same ol,' but the new characters introduced this evening give me hope that Season 9 won't simply be dragggggging on the same stories from Season 8. Who are the new mysterious visitors? What do they have to offer? Here's what went down in "The Key."
I Just Wanna Start Again
We open with Negan visiting Dwight in his room, happy (or at least pretending to be happy) that Dwight has returned to the Saviors unharmed. Dwight is totally unconvincing as he recounts his story of escaping Alexandria but Negan isn't calling him out on it...for now. It's time for the Saviors to get their Walker guts weapons and head to Hilltop, and Dwight is of course expected to go with them as one of Negan's main dudes. Dwight tries to leave a little early by himself on a motorcycle, presumably to give our dwindling heroes a heads up, but Simon notifies him that his place is in Simon's vehicle. Duh, Dwight. People don't really trust you...and you're also a bad liar.
The convoy moves out with Negan bringing up the rear in his car. He is accompanied only by Lucille, who sits marinating in a bucket of Walker guts. Seems Negan is really serious about keeping his weapon freshly disgusting. Just ahead of him Simon and Dwight are indeed truck buddies and Simon tries to get Dwight to admit he has some doubts about Negan. Dwight isn't falling for it so Simon says he is good with Negan's plan...but soon also says he doesn't think the "warnings" have been getting the job done. Simon doesn't believe Rick, the Widow, and the King scare easily anymore. I'm sensing a mutiny, but how would Simon make that happen?
During the conversation, Dwight and Simon see an SUV smash into Negan's car in their rear view mirror. Negan drives his beat up vehicle off the planned path as the SUV gives chase. Simon instructs everyone else to stay where they are (huh?) while he and Dwight try to figure out what happened to their fearless leader. The duo finds Negan's car all smashed up and turned on it's side, covered in (presumably) the blood from Lucille's bucket. Negan and his beloved bat are nowhere to be found though. Simon suggests that it's time for the Saviors to move on...if it were up to Simon, they would branch out and make new relationships elsewhere. Dwight thinks on it, lights a cigarette and sends Negan's car up in smoke and flames. The two men regroup with the rest of the Saviors and let them know their leader is most likely dead. But hey, they are all still Negan and should carry on. Simon gives a rousing speech and tells the Saviors the best way to honor Negan is to wipe out Hilltop...and no one questions him even though that's not how Negan runs shit at all.
The convoy moves out with Negan bringing up the rear in his car. He is accompanied only by Lucille, who sits marinating in a bucket of Walker guts. Seems Negan is really serious about keeping his weapon freshly disgusting. Just ahead of him Simon and Dwight are indeed truck buddies and Simon tries to get Dwight to admit he has some doubts about Negan. Dwight isn't falling for it so Simon says he is good with Negan's plan...but soon also says he doesn't think the "warnings" have been getting the job done. Simon doesn't believe Rick, the Widow, and the King scare easily anymore. I'm sensing a mutiny, but how would Simon make that happen?
During the conversation, Dwight and Simon see an SUV smash into Negan's car in their rear view mirror. Negan drives his beat up vehicle off the planned path as the SUV gives chase. Simon instructs everyone else to stay where they are (huh?) while he and Dwight try to figure out what happened to their fearless leader. The duo finds Negan's car all smashed up and turned on it's side, covered in (presumably) the blood from Lucille's bucket. Negan and his beloved bat are nowhere to be found though. Simon suggests that it's time for the Saviors to move on...if it were up to Simon, they would branch out and make new relationships elsewhere. Dwight thinks on it, lights a cigarette and sends Negan's car up in smoke and flames. The two men regroup with the rest of the Saviors and let them know their leader is most likely dead. But hey, they are all still Negan and should carry on. Simon gives a rousing speech and tells the Saviors the best way to honor Negan is to wipe out Hilltop...and no one questions him even though that's not how Negan runs shit at all.
What Do You Say To Taking Chances?
We pick up exactly where we left off with Hilltop last week as Rick and Michonne are entering the gates. Rick reunites with Judith and visits the graves of some of his fallen comrades. Daryl approaches him there and apologizes for going rogue at the Sanctuary. Rick isn't mad at Daryl anymore because Daryl was looking out for their people while Rick was worried about killing the innocent people in the Sanctuary. Rick now thinks they should just be worried about their people...which again is totally the opposite of what Carl wanted. Rick is ready to continue the fight and he heads out of the community to become one of the lookouts stationed not too far away.
Rick is hanging out on top of his car listening to the walkie talkie that in this episode has range that doesn't make me scratch my head. He hears that the Saviors are approaching and instead of alerting Hilltop like a good lookout would do, he takes off on his own after Negan's car. He alerts NO ONE. Seriously. I have no idea what to do with him anymore.
Meanwhile Maggie and Smokin' Hot Rosita are keeping watch on top of the wall, chatting about whether Rick will be able to "come back" from Carl's death and how they might move forward after everything becomes quiet again. Maggie happens to spot a crate outside the gates and though it could easily be a trap, she sends Smokin' Hot Rosita to retrieve its contents. Turns out there are several crates as well as a note that says "If you fill the crates with food or phonograph records, I will gladly exchange for a key to your future." The note also includes a meeting spot. Michonne doesn't think the note came from the Saviors and hopes it is from someone who truly wants to help them...because she is still holding on to Carl's deathbed wish. Maggie thinks they should pass and Enid agrees. Shut up, Enid. Please. Just shut up. Michonne offers to go to the meeting spot on her own and Rosita, Maggie and Enid agree to go too. After all, Hilltop is running out of food and they need all the help they can get.
Rick is hanging out on top of his car listening to the walkie talkie that in this episode has range that doesn't make me scratch my head. He hears that the Saviors are approaching and instead of alerting Hilltop like a good lookout would do, he takes off on his own after Negan's car. He alerts NO ONE. Seriously. I have no idea what to do with him anymore.
Meanwhile Maggie and Smokin' Hot Rosita are keeping watch on top of the wall, chatting about whether Rick will be able to "come back" from Carl's death and how they might move forward after everything becomes quiet again. Maggie happens to spot a crate outside the gates and though it could easily be a trap, she sends Smokin' Hot Rosita to retrieve its contents. Turns out there are several crates as well as a note that says "If you fill the crates with food or phonograph records, I will gladly exchange for a key to your future." The note also includes a meeting spot. Michonne doesn't think the note came from the Saviors and hopes it is from someone who truly wants to help them...because she is still holding on to Carl's deathbed wish. Maggie thinks they should pass and Enid agrees. Shut up, Enid. Please. Just shut up. Michonne offers to go to the meeting spot on her own and Rosita, Maggie and Enid agree to go too. After all, Hilltop is running out of food and they need all the help they can get.
Don't Know Much About Your World
When the ladies arrive at the meeting point, they see a van and encounter 3 people we have never met before. The leader, wearing a pantsuit that could have easily come from my closet, introduces herself as Georgie and she is accompanied by Midge and Hilda who are dressed as some kind of solider/bodyguard/Belieber combination. The trio is not intimidated when Maggie and company draw their guns and disarm them. Georgie likes that Maggie's group can take care of themselves, saying she doesn't make offers to the weak. She apparently goes around and trades her knowledge for music (she does not accept spoken word albums) and food. Georgie hasn't found a community like Hilltop in a long time and is hoping the good people left in the world will outweigh the bad. She's looking for "an exercise in trust." Michonne wants to make the deal but Maggie decides that Georgie, Midge, and Hilda will come back to Hilltop with them.
Back at Hilltop, Jerry reports that the Saviors are getting close (I'm glad SOMEONE is reporting back), and Michonne again suggests they make the deal and let Georgie and her Beliebers leave before the attack. Maggie thinks they should nix the deal and just steal the food and supplies from Georgie's van instead. Michonne looks crushed. Enid jumps in now (shut UP Enid) and says Maggie is right. She takes slow steps toward Michonne as she argues that Carl is dead only because he helped a stranger...that things don't just work out. Michonne doesn't punch her in the face like I want her to, but she does take Enid's gun from her and says, "step back." Enid leaves the room crying and Michonne pleads with Maggie to help Hilltop become the community Carl wanted it to be.
Maggie heads outside with a crate full of records, none of which are spoken word, and she tells Georgie they have a deal. Am I the only person wondering where the hell all of those records came from? The Hilltopians are avid collectors, huh? Anyway, Georgie changes the terms of the deal...in addition to knowledge, she also gives Maggie a sizable portion of the food in their van "in good faith." Georgie hands Maggie a book she has assembled and photocopied called A Key To A Future. Inside there are plans for windmills, water mills, silos, guides to refining grain, creating aqueducts, and so on. This is "a book of medieval human achievement so we may have a future from our past." Georgie says she will return at some point and expects great things from Hilltop. "Build this place up. I want those crates filled when I get back - cheeses for Hilda, pickles for Midge." Georgie sounds excited about Hilltop's possibilities and when she leaves, Maggie has a look about her much like she had as Deanna's right hand in Alexandria.
Back at Hilltop, Jerry reports that the Saviors are getting close (I'm glad SOMEONE is reporting back), and Michonne again suggests they make the deal and let Georgie and her Beliebers leave before the attack. Maggie thinks they should nix the deal and just steal the food and supplies from Georgie's van instead. Michonne looks crushed. Enid jumps in now (shut UP Enid) and says Maggie is right. She takes slow steps toward Michonne as she argues that Carl is dead only because he helped a stranger...that things don't just work out. Michonne doesn't punch her in the face like I want her to, but she does take Enid's gun from her and says, "step back." Enid leaves the room crying and Michonne pleads with Maggie to help Hilltop become the community Carl wanted it to be.Maggie heads outside with a crate full of records, none of which are spoken word, and she tells Georgie they have a deal. Am I the only person wondering where the hell all of those records came from? The Hilltopians are avid collectors, huh? Anyway, Georgie changes the terms of the deal...in addition to knowledge, she also gives Maggie a sizable portion of the food in their van "in good faith." Georgie hands Maggie a book she has assembled and photocopied called A Key To A Future. Inside there are plans for windmills, water mills, silos, guides to refining grain, creating aqueducts, and so on. This is "a book of medieval human achievement so we may have a future from our past." Georgie says she will return at some point and expects great things from Hilltop. "Build this place up. I want those crates filled when I get back - cheeses for Hilda, pickles for Midge." Georgie sounds excited about Hilltop's possibilities and when she leaves, Maggie has a look about her much like she had as Deanna's right hand in Alexandria.
A Hand To Hold Or Hell To Pay
Rick runs Negan's car off the road and approaches the vehicle as it is on it's side, banged up and un-drivable. He has a machine gun, and instead of coming a little closer to the car or at least around to the side just a little, he unloads a shit ton of bullets into what was the bottom of the car, not hitting Negan at all but alerting every Walker in the area that dinner is served. Negan and Rick then do the same friggin' dance they've done so many times in these past 2 seasons. Negan escapes into a building as Rick runs out of ammo from being one of the worst shots on this show. Rick switches to his handgun and follows Negan into the building but then runs out of ammo near a staircase...because I guess it's just been a really long time since his training at the police academy, and he and Negan stop to talk shit to one another as we have heard them do so many times before. Negan taunts Rick though, hoping to hit him with bloody, gutsy Lucille, but he falls and ends up on a different floor. Rick comes up with Lucille but can't find Negan right away.
At this point Walkers are storming the building as Rick and Negan talk even more shit to one another. I feel like this goes on forever. The only useful thing that comes out of the shit talking is Negan finding out that Simon wiped out the junkyard. Negan is losing his mind trying to find Rick, who has now set Lucille on fire and is beating her against a door. They do find each other, fight some more, but it doesn't look like either of them actually get hit with the bat as they both wield it during their scuffle. Walkers have also totally ascended on them but for whatever reason, these Walkers are slower and less aggressive than pretty much any horde we've seen on this show ever. How Rick and Negan dodge, duck, dive, duck, and dodge and aren't completely devoured is beyond me. This reminds me of playing tag with a 4 year old...you don't want to tag them right away because they'll be really upset, so you spend a lot of time "almost" tagging them or not tagging them at all to keep your sanity. Anyway, Negan escapes from the "almost" Walkers through a window and when Rick gets out of the building right after, Negan is gone. Again. Because we can't seem to attack and kill him in a way that makes sense and doesn't waste time. Sigh.
Luckily we do find out how Negan disappeared from the area so quickly and it's not some mystery that will be solved in Season 10. The episode ends with him waking up as a passenger in an SUV. The camera pans to the driver...JADIS...who first holds a gun to his head. Wow! Negan laughs, "welllll shit" and then Jadis knocks him out with her gun. Seems she has found some decent clothes and is out for revenge. Good for her!
I'm incredibly thankful for the potential awesomeness Georgie handed Maggie tonight. I don't know who she is or where she came from, if she's good or bad, if she has multiple suits she wears on rotation, if her record collection is super eclectic, or if she has pillow fights with Hilda and Midge while listening to "U Smile" in the van. I don't care about any of those things right now. I just care that in the midst of Simon being a dick (still), Rick and Negan fighting but with no resolution (still), and Enid being annoying AF (still), we finally got something new in this hour. I never thought I would say anything like this to end a blog post, but I sure hope Maggie gets to work on building some god damn aqueducts!
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