A tense episode begins with Maggie and Carol arguing over who is going into the Savior’s complex to help our team of murderers. Carol in this moment seems to accept her role as a killer and doesn’t want Maggie to suffer the same turmoil that she goes through. But before she can leave she wings a Savior, and Maggie is a little too eager to finish the job before more Saviors show up (oddly all female) and take them hostage. I found this an interesting move by the writers, since women in the Saviors camp are mostly secondary citizens, to be enjoyed by Negan at his will, regardless of relationship status.
Through binoculars they see our heroes take down Primo, and the shaky negotiations begin. Paula (Alicia Witt) is goaded by her wounded companion to make a deal because he needs medical attention, but is shushed. Again, an odd choice to me because the comic Saviors are wildly misogynistic. As a walker approaches, Carol and Maggie are blindfolded and the opening credits roll.
Maggie and Carol are walked and then driven to a slaughterhouse, while Paula communicates with other Saviors in a much more organized way than our heroes do. Once they are unmasked, Paula kills a walker in front on Maggie in a very backhanded act of mercy. Outside the room our heroes are being held, walker trouble arises and Paula has to make hasted to assist, but not before threatening Carol and Maggie with death. Not ones to slouch, once the coast is clear they begin figuring out how to free themselves. It doesn’t last long as the Saviors return, but with one of their own in messy shape. Carol begins to make a play, hyperventilating and using a rosary from the previously killed walker to enhance the ruse. Again, Carol is my favorite character because she does anything and everything to survive and see that her people make it out too. Paula seems to buy her act and when she finds out Maggie is pregnant, a very poignant moment takes place: Paula calls Maggie stupid, and her response is golden. Indeed, the entire exchange is praiseworthy. The older Savior, Molly, lights up a cigarette but extinguishes after Carol and her fellow Savior speak up. Is this where a much needed rift of sympathy begins for our captured heroines?
The rift deepens when Carol and Maggie attempt to defend Paula after the wounded Savior, Donnie, strikes her. After the tussle Maggie is taken to be interrogated while Carol notices walkers eagerly waiting in the next room. While Maggie remains stoic during her interrogation, Carol beautifully plays the part of the weak woman she used to be, playing Paula like a harp. Maggie’s unflinching character draws a personal moment out from her interrogator and I have to applaud the writers for doing such a good job of humanizing both our heroines and the Savior women, who are both “in the same boat.”
Carol continues to play dumb and get information, and hears an ominous confession from Molls:
“We are all Negan.”
And as they’re all standing there and Carol asks Molly for a smoke and Paula calls her out on not sticking to her own principles, Carol delivers an even more ominous line:
“You don’t want me to stick to my own principles.”
But Paula doesn’t see this slip of the mask and gives away her own pathetic life story and her motivation for being a savage in the new world. But Carol gives her a somber reminder that she WILL die, and when Paula inquires further about her death and if Carol will deliver it, she says,
“I hope not.”
Again, I love Carol. She will destroy in a heartbeat but only when there is no other option, and even though she’s in the right (maybe) she carries the lives she took with her. After a quick negotiation between Paula and Rick, she’s left alone again. She gets free and frees Maggie and wants to sneak away, but Maggie has other plans. It’s an odd moment and it seems likes Morgan has rubbed off on Carol in the wrong way in this particular situation. I’m all for zen and whatnot, but when I get kidnapped by people who enjoy killing, who among them keep polaroids of their victims, no one survives my exit.
And a similar sentiment is shared by Maggie, who sets a trap for Molly and then beats her to death while Carol stands guard. DO NOT fuck with a pregnant woman, apparently. Paula is none too happy about this when she sees the bodies and sets off after our heroines, who have walker problems.
When Paula catches up with Carol and Maggie, it’s fucking fireworks. Carol is who you want on your team. She saves Maggie from gunfire and pulls a gun on Paula, giving her a chance to run. It’s really interesting because Carol seems like she wants to stop killing but it’s the state of the world that won’t allow her to be anything less than a killer. Her initial mercy comes at a cost, but after a short scuffle with Paula, she sees again her cruel reality. I love Alicia Witt, I really do. I loved her in Justified, I loved her in Four Rooms. But seeing her impaled and eaten was a huge FUCK YEAH moment. Before she goes out, she laughs at how gullible she was to Carol’s ruse. It just goes to show that neither Negan nor the Saviors are as brutal or cunning as our heroes and heroines.
Not to be forgotten, Michelle shows back up and dukes it out with Maggie, attempting to slice her pregnant belly. The two have a brief moment of betrayal before Carol once again saves the day and blasts Michelle in the head.
Another stunning scene takes place when Carol and Maggie lie in wait for the Savior rescue team. Carol ruminates on the lives she took while Maggie attempts to console her. Carol lights up a cigarette, which proves fatal for the rescue team. They both walk out of the “killing floor” in dramatic fashion and as they open the door to meet Glenn, Rick and the rest of the team. I was relieved, but it’s clear that Carol is not okay. Not having any chips to play, Primo meets the end of the line while Carol looks on and it’s clear that she wishes for a higher power, perhaps to judge her, perhaps to absolve her, perhaps to forgive her.
It doesn’t look like we’re going to see Negan until the season finale and I really don’t like the direction the show is taking in regards to Carol’s remorse. I quit the comic after Glenn died, and I will quit this show if Carol goes. Yet another satisfying yet suspenseful week for us fans.
Written by A Play On Nerds contributor, Jerry Herrera - Lover of horror, sci fi, and fantasy in that order. Semi-permanent Disneyland resident. I'm at least one of the droids you're looking for. Twitter: @FrankenJerry - Instagram: @GeraldoPedro