Welcome back and happy 2018! That's the only "happy" I have for you tonight as The Walking Dead's mid season premiere is a lengthy farewell episode for one of the show's original characters. When we last left our heroes, the Alexandria crew was hiding underground while the Saviors blew up the neighborhood, and Carl revealed a fatal bite he had received while helping the worst zombie apocalypse partner ever Siddiq "release souls" from forest Walkers. In these 83 minutes we witnessed Carl's demise and it was definitely a fitting farewell. Here's what went down in "Honor."
We Must Sing
The episode opens with that shot of red-eyed Rick whispering "my mercy prevails over my wrath" and a few moments of him quietly digging a grave with Michonne. We then go back to the moment where Carl is bitten in the woods which turns into a montage of how Carl spent his time between the bite and the Saviors' attack on Alexandria. We see the moment he realizes the Walker bit him. We see him go home, take off his shirt, and examine his wound in the bathroom mirror. His face says it all. He knows this is it and there's nothing he can do about it, so he buttons up a new shirt, nods at the mirror as he puts his hat back on his head, and he's off to make the rest of his time count.
The song that plays in the background during all of this is "At the Bottom of Everything" by Bright Eyes and it's a brilliant pairing for Carl's preparation for the inevitable. Sure, it sounds like a happy tune and we see Carl smile as he spends time taking Polaroid selfies and finger painting with Judith, planting crops in the sun, and dining on canned goods and candy with Siddiq underground, but if you listen to the lyrics and think about Carl's other actions...writing letters to everyone...wondering if Rick and Michonne will return in time for him to say goodbye...and keeping it all to himself...it's heartbreaking. I don't even like the kid and I feel awful for him.
We jump back now to the present where Carl is showing Michonne and Rick the Walker bite. The Saviors are still blowing shit up above ground and Rick assumes Negan is somehow to blame for his son's wound. Carl explains he was helping Siddiq, the guy from the gas station, and "it just happened. I got bit." The Saviors wreaking havoc, by the way, escaped from the Sanctuary by strategically shooting Walkers in a way that provided a path to freedom. Walls of Walker bodies allowed a brief barrier for the Saviors to exit the building and create a diversion. Nice to know Daryl's stupid bullshit truck idea wasn't ultimately what caused their community to go up in flames...but it sure as hell didn't help.
We Must Plunge
We switch gears and catch up with the nonsense going on at The Kingdom as Gavin and his group of idiots are preparing to transport Ezekiel to meet Negan's wrath. Morgan and Carol separately go on a rescue mission for the King, accompanied (from a distance) by young Henry...Carol had told the boy he needed to stay with the other Kingdom survivors in her cottage, so he totally followed not too far behind. Duh Carol. Kids don't listen to you. Ever.
Gavin spends the majority of his screen time telling Ezekiel how much he likes him and how they had such a good thing going for a while. Gavin doesn't "want" to bring Ezekiel to his execution, but he's a whiny bitch and does whatever he's told. Ezekiel reminds Gavin that he can still choose not to turn him over to Negan. "It is not too late to walk back from something decided" and as this conversation is happening Gavin realizes none of his men have recently been vocal on the walkie talkies.
Carol is all about getting in, grabbing Ezekiel, and getting out as quickly as possible, but Morgan is looking to take out all of these dudes one at a time. He's out for blood and we hear Carol say "leave it" several times throughout their mission, only to have Morgan kill unsuspecting men who were not in their way to begin with. Morgan claims he wants to be sure no one finds Henry, but I'm thinking Morgan is back to being "Cleared" crazy again. Carol and Morgan finally reach Gavin (who quickly becomes the last man standing in his group) and Morgan is immediately ready to kill Gavin. "I have to." Ezekiel and Carol both plead with Morgan to reconsider, but then a stick comes right through Gavin's throat. The Savior drops to the ground and young Henry is behind him holding the bloody weapon. Morgan taught him well? The King is going to have a hell of a time reconciling this one.
We Must Run
Negan and company are still blowing up Alexandria and Carl is starting to fade. Siddiq offers Carl some anti-inflammatory drugs to help with the fever. "It did for my mom and dad. Please take them." Rick asks if Siddiq was a doctor and Siddiq says he was a resident before everything went bad. Carl tells his dad he didn't save Siddiq because he's a doctor - he saved Siddiq because he wasn't going to make it on his own.
Michonne, meanwhile, tells Dwight to make the Saviors stop their attack...like anyone is going to listen to Dwight at this point. He recommends they just wait until the Saviors clear out and make a run for it to Hilltop. After a little while longer they hear the vehicles leave the area and it's time to move. Rick knows Carl can't make the journey and he and Michonne stay behind as Daryl, Tara, Rosita and the rest of the group prepares to head out with Judith. Carl says goodbye to his little sister by giving her his hat. "This was dad's before it was mine. Now it's yours...just having it made me feel as strong as him. It helped me. Maybe it'll help you too. Before mom died, she told me that I was gonna beat this world. I didn't. But you will. I know you will." Oh lordy. Judith starts to cry and Daryl picks her up. He says that Carl saved everyone tonight but he doesn't actually say goodbye before he leaves. Tara and Rosita are teary but can't say the words either as they go. On his way out, Siddiq promises Carl that he will honor him the way Carl helped Siddiq honor his mother by getting bit and dying freeing the souls of the Walkers. "I know I can never repay you, but I can honor you."
Michonne and Rick are the only ones left with Carl and Carl tells Michonne not to be sad. She has to be strong for Rick and Judith. "Don't carry this. Not this part. You're my best friend, Michonne." She says, "you're mine too" and we still have a half hour to go in this episode. Poor kid. Rick wants to at least get Carl up into one of the buildings before he dies, and together he and Michonne carry Carl to the chapel. Carl thanks his dad for getting him as far as he did in life. He confesses to killing a kid back when they were at the prison...that kid who was surrendering his gun but Carl shot him anyway. It had become too easy to kill and Rick knew it then. That's when Rick brought the remaining people from Woodbury together and put away his gun. Carl says it can be like that again.
We Must Stare
We realize now that the dream/future sequence we've been seeing of Rip Van Rick is actually Carl's hope for the future. He envisions Jerry stopping by for dessert and hanging out with Siddiq. He imagines Eugene sharing an apple with Judith. And most importantly, he sees Negan happily planting crops with the rest of the gang. Whoa. He tells his dad that the future can be filled with people rebuilding and working together. He says Rick can be who he used to be. Rick tearfully promises to make that future real and Carl reaches for his gun. Carl doesn't want Rick or Michonne to have to put him down and he says "I love you" to both of them. We then see Michonne and Rick outside the building when the gun goes off. Rick sits with his head in his hands and Michonne stands stiff as if she is trying with all of her might not to just topple over. Then we go back to the first moments of this episode where they are digging a grave. The final shot is of red-eyed Rick sitting against a tree...bleeding pretty badly from his right side. Uh, what?
The episode ends there and that had to have been a rough one for the Grimes family to shoot. I know the show runners have received a lot of backlash for killing off Carl, especially since he is still alive in the comics and has a lot of story left to tell, and based on the interviews I've been reading, the rest of the cast isn't thrilled about this decision either. They watched this boy grow up after all. And Chandler Riggs has already cut his hair (thank you, Jesus... actual Jesus... not TWD Jesus), so we're not going to see him in any flashbacks either. Happy trails, kid.
While we connected and caught up with Alexandria and The Kingdom this week, at the end of this episode we are still left wondering what the hell is happening in Hilltop. Did Father Gabriel and Dr. Carson make to Alexandria safely and in time for Maggie to finally show a frigging baby bump? Is Gabriel even okay? Has Mother Maggie executed any other Savior prisoners? Is Dumbass Gregory just in a constant state of peeing his pants at this point? And does Jesus (TWD Jesus...not the actual Jesus) understand that his motivational humanity speeches are going to be lost on Maggie? At least for a while anyway? I have a pit in my stomach just thinking about the Alexandrians arriving in Hilltop and how the people there will react to Carl's death. Seriously though, Enid has to be next, right? I could barely get through her existence while Carl was alive and her kinda, sorta, sometimes love interest. Without him, she's going to be 100% intolerable. Damn it, Carl!
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