When we last left our heroes, Negan had liquefied Abraham and Glenn’s skulls, disemboweled Spencer, had Olivia shot, abducted Eugene, strutted around like a macho jerk while making over-affected threats, and mocked everyone with a shit-eating grin at every turn. They decided this was just too much to bear, and as the mid-season finale drew to a close, they hugged it out and prepared to go to war.

As the mid-season premiere opens, we find Father Gabriel in perhaps a crisis of faith. After finding no comfort in his bible, he very loudly gathers some canned goods and melee weapons/gardening tools, gasses up a car and sets out on the open road. To what end remains to be seen.

Rick and the gang are too busy listening to Gregory bullshit them to notice Gabriel is gone. In their attempt to rally Hilltop they once again must deal with Gregory’s spineless avoidance and blame shifting, but Enid appeals directly to the people and on their way out, a few Hilltoppers offer their allegiance to Rick, as long as they think they can win against Negan. It’s not much but it’s a start. This little bump of courage spurs Jesus to lead our heroes to the Kingdom and Ezekiel.

While Rick and company make a strong case for war, and perhaps Ezekiel knows that the Saviors need to go, he ultimately refuses to join forces. In part because of his dedication to his people, but also because of Morgan’s lack of confidence in Rick’s bellicose path. Even the news of Abraham and Glenn’s brutal deaths cannot sway the zen master ninja turtle’s walk of peace. I thought for sure the young knight Benjamin’s pure hearted desire to step up and be a hero would have cancelled out Morgan’s wishy washy solution and convinced Ezekiel. Then again, the existence of such a good-hearted dude may be the exact reason Ezekiel won’t fight. It’s a catch 22: protect what’s precious and risk getting steamrolled anyway, or fight and definitely lose people, perhaps those very dear to you. In the end, all Rick gets is a hiding place for Daryl, who is technically a wanted man. This may be the ace up his sleeve though, because we all know how convincing a greasy, puffy eyed hillbilly glaring at you can be.

Jesus smartly finagled a long-range walkie talkie from Sanctuary so now our heroes can keep track of all of the Saviors’ communications, even Negan’s lamentations over the death of the most innocent of the bunch, Fat Joey. During his eulogy, the group comes across a roadblock of cars and a steel wire trap laden with explosives. The tension comes from a radio dispatch requesting a search for Daryl, so the group needs to become demolition experts to safely remove the explosives for use in the impending battles, then become valets to repark the cars they moved, then become NASCAR drivers to reach Alexandria before the Saviors do. It’s indeed nerve wracking, but we’re at least treated to one of the coolest and most creative zombie kill scenes in the show’s history. I did find it a bit unbelievable that Rick and Michonne were able to shrug off hordes of walkers to escape though, and it was fairly ironic when Michonne whispers to Rick that they’re the ones who live.

They do in fact make it back to Alexandria, just in time to put up with Simon’s worst Negan impression. Of course they don’t find Daryl, but one thing is apparent: Gabriel took more than just a handful of their food supply, he took it all. He left a clue, however, and Rick and company go searching for him near the houseboat they found in the middle of the lake, which leads them to a previously unexplored area. How he knew that Rick and Aaron had been out there is another mystery, and I thought it was his ominous foot that we saw momentarily as they struggled with the boat a few episodes ago. As it turns out, it was probably one of the many members of a new group that encircles our heroes at the end of the episode. Why did Gabriel lead them out there? Will these new people prove to be friends or foes? Rick’s smile in the last shot shows his confidence in the former.

One scene in particular stood out to me. As Aaron prepares to leave, he has a moment with his boyfriend that encapsulates all our fears for the next few episodes. If and when the fight happens, the people we love may not live. Again, doing nothing may prolong life, but what kind of life if the threat of death is always looming? And yet fighting means death for some is a certainty, and victory at the end is not.

And did you catch the group’s exchange at the Hilltop, about how not all the people in Sanctuary are Saviors, and some probably have it pretty bad? Who might help them incite an insurrection within the Sanctuary?

Once again, TWD has started with great momentum. Here’s hoping they keep it up as we prepare for all out war.