Season 7 Episode 12

"Say Yes"

There’s a lot of sex but not a lot of scavenging to be had during Rick and Michonne’s scouting mission but that doesn’t deter them. There’s always some poor idiots who play golf in the apocalypse to get the drop on. Rosita is still on her faux PTSD tough guy trip and even Tara’s kindness warrants asshole responses. She then decides to go on a one woman mission to find all the guns ever.

When that fails, she complains to Gabriel, who in his own gentle way, tells her to go fuck herself. The bulk of the episode is spent with Rick and Michonne as they stumble upon a hefty cache of dry goods and military rations, as well as a county fair gone awry. It’s clear there was a firefight between the national guard/military and the walkers, and the walkers won. Now all that’s left are heavily armed walkers, which was exactly what they needed.

However in the endeavor of two people taking on what would be enough walkers to overrun even the most seasoned warriors, there is bound to be some dodgy moments. After Rick takes a fall while trying to snipe a deer (in the middle of being accosted on all sides by walkers) it looks like he is finally overwhelmed and devoured.

We know that Rick has plot armor on for at least the next two seasons but still, the sight of walkers’ maws wet with fresh Rick blood completely floors Michonne. She loses her will to fight for maybe the first time ever in the show and seems to resign herself to the same fate. But of course, Rick takes a page from Glenn’s (RIP) playbook and slips away while the walkers are busy with the deer.

Still, the damage was done. Michonne was deeply shaken and it serves as a reminder to both the characters and us as viewers that in this upcoming fight with Negan, there will be casualties. The lovers must be prepared to lose each other, in the name of a better tomorrow for the younger generation of survivors. And should that happen, the remaining person must be strong enough to lead the group to new horizons. I don’t think either of them have much to worry about, but still, it is a sobering reminder not to be so cavalier about going to war.

On top of that, Jadis and her trash warriors aren’t satisfied with the sixty odd guns Rick and Michonne found, so the war effort is yet again delayed.

In the meantime, Rosita has decided she’s had enough and goes to Hilltop to make a proposition to Sasha, that they raid Sanctuary just the twosies and Sasha gets to snipe Negan with a high powered rifle. Between the two of them they think they have enough intel to be at least successful enough to get Negan, but make a death pact in case they can’t escape.

And Tara seems to have come to a decision regarding revealing the whereabouts of Oceanside…

I don’t think it’s too smart for Rosita and Sasha to go it alone, but this may set up some of the inevitable deaths that not only have become the series’ signature but are expected when engaging in what is being built up to be a large scale conflict.

I’m also not sure what the timetable is either. Rick and Michonne scouted for days, and we assume that this is between Savior visits. But after Rosita’s failed assassination attempt, wouldn’t Negan want to keep a closer eye on Alexandria?

We’ll see what happens next week, when we jump storylines/settlements yet again.

Season 7 Episode 13

"Bury Me Here"

Carol has never been someone who can detach herself from a situation or those she cares about. It’s exactly this sensitivity that fuels her quiet, accurate wrath but also what tortures her at night. This episode begins with her unable to convince herself that Daryl was telling the truth about the Saviors and Alexandria. She demands of Morgan the truth, and he implies that things are indeed not what they seem but that she needs to talk to Daryl about that. While Morgan’s zen calm prevents him from acting when perhaps he should, seeking peace where there is none, Carol’s inner fire keeps her acting when all she wants is true peace.

Meanwhile the Kingdom is experiencing a weevil infestation, which lightens their offerings to the Saviors, and Richard is trying to capitalize on that. Life in the Kingdom is good, and such things cannot last forever. He sets up a roadblock with a cryptic message and an open grave. “Bury me here” is what the sign reads, but bury whom? It’s obvious he’s trying to force a fight and perhaps he’s willing to shed his own blood to accomplish that, but when he sabotages the drop, it’s Benjamin who pays the price. Note: whenever a character looks too happy, bad shit is coming.

Benjamin was the personification of all that was good in the world, and in the Kingdom. Youth, passion, innocence, love, willingness to learn and optimism for the future. He was exactly what Ezekiel wanted to protect. Could a kid like him flourish under the Saviors’ rule? Perhaps not forever. Would he have survived a war with them? Again, perhaps not. But unfortunately he was the unintended victim of Richard’s machinations of war. Ideally he would have been the one to take the punishment for the light offering, and he would have been buried in that significant spot behind the supermarket, the Kingdom would have risen up to fight, and he would have died comfortably knowing he’d sparked the fire. But it’s the young who pay the consequences for the politics of the old.

Morgan too realizes that inner peace doesn’t carry over to the real world. Whether it’s forced or it visits you at random, there’s always a fight on the horizon. Benjamin died believing in Morgan’s little zen one liners, and the irony of that pushes him over the edge. Almost about to kill himself, instead he stumbles on what cost a kid his life: one single melon. When he confronts Richard, he explains his intentions and that while Benjamin’s death was tragic, it was necessary to drive the Kingdom into the fight. Richard is also a man plagued by loss because of inaction and vows to be the one who leads the charge in the fight against the Saviors. All that needs to be done is to regain the trust of Gavin and crew by taking Benjamin’s death as a lesson.

Before he can do that, however, Morgan chokes him to death. Kind of unnecessary but Morgan’s mental state is a bit fragile. Maybe he’s decided the zen shit isn’t working, and it is indeed time to fight the Saviors, but not before Richard pays for what he did. It was a disturbing display but it remains to be seen if he’s going to be an asset to the fight.

Either way, he visits Carol and in his own way admits that his philosophy has finally failed him. More importantly, he tells her what really happened with the Saviors. It’s enough for her to pack up and move into the Kingdom, presumably to kick Ezekiel into gear, but not before they take the time to replant the crops they had to slash and burn.

Morgan meanwhile sits alone, turning his stick into something pointier. Watch out, Negan.