The Walking Dead
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But it was simply the closing of a circle that began at the seasons start.
Well, thats exactly what happened: Rick could have killed Negan, but spared him instead.
Sure enough, Ricks posse of MVPs ends up surrounded by armed Saviors.
But the camera keeps cutting to Eugene.
Something has to go wrong here.
Could it be the bullets, even though Negan successfully tested them out?
Yep, its the bullets.
All the Savior guns backfire, including Negans pistol.
What could have changed Eugenes mind, which seemed rather made up and quite anti-Rick?
It was the moment when Rosita said hed never done anything useful in his pathetic life.
If one of those fireballs landed wherever Gregory was being held, they would have truly been heroes.
Alas, no such luck.
Lets not kid ourselves, though: What really matters is how Rick deals with Negan.
Rick, of course, wasted his last bullets firing on Negan from a distance.
Even Negan gets misty.
Thats when Rick whips out a knife and slashes Negan across the throat with one swift stroke.
Look at what you did, Negan gurgles.
Carl didnt know a damn thing.
He also delivers an inspiring speech to the Saviors whove surrendered:Were all in this together now.
Its a new day.
Just dont think of stepping out of line or your ass will be kicked posthaste.
You alive is gonna help show people that things have changed, Rick says.
A few loose ends get (sort of) tied up in the aftermath.
(Isnt that how he ended up in a Looney Tunes hideout with all the walker traps?)
And Jadis delivers the episodes second biggest shocker: Shes coming to Hilltop andher real name is Anne!
But its Maggie who drops the biggest bomb.
Ricks change of heart regarding Negan sends her into hysterics, which makes good sense.
(After all, it wasnt all that long ago that her husband was butchered.)
But as ominous music plays, she meets with Jesus for a shadowy postmortem.
So theyre going to bide their time and then show him the error of his ways.
Out of the darkness steps Daryl, who growls in agreement.
This raises plenty of questions.
Is Maggie breaking bad?
Will this rift lead to a coup and ultimately turn the survivors against each other?
Will she simply kill Negan, or does she have something more nefarious in store for Rick and Michonne?
Is it too late to pause all the mercy stuff and kill Gregory?
That mega-herd of walkers in the distance will be a problem.
Lets also take a moment to look at the bigger picture.
But how much badder can the big bads get?
Weve seen cannibals, would-be child rapists, murderers, and two larger-than-life leaders in the Guv and Negan.
Id be surprised if Maggie goes full evil, but that would be an interesting twist, as least.
Otherwise, what is left for a show thats far too predictable in its fundamental conceit?
Heres one unsolicited solution: Shake things up radically.
Let the Maggie versus Rick story line play out next season.
Then end the season with a major time jump, say, five years into the future.
All the progress theyve made is gone.
Only a few core characters are still alive.
Life is worse than ever.
Slowly reveal what caused everything to unravel, introduce new survivors, and start over from close to scratch.
Im sure theres a better idea for how to breathe new life into this series.
But sticking to the same general script, with no finite end in sight, isnt the answer.
