This week’s edition of The Walking Dead took a different direction this week to tie up some loose ends in the post-Carl world.
To tie up those loose ends, TWD took a Pulp Fiction and Quentin Tarantino-esque approach with a series of separate storylines culminating to basically Rick and Negan fighting over whose fault it was that Carl was killed.
First though, we learn that Aaron and Enid do in fact survive the Oceansiders on the condition that they don’t ever return. Aaron however will tempt fate one more time and attempt to lure Oceanside into the fight against the Saviors.
The crux of this week’s episode though resides on a couple of different storylines that seems to be giving some further direction on Negan, Rick and the ultimate outcome in the war against the Saviors.
First, we learn that in Carl’s series of goodbye letters one of those letters was actually written to Negan himself. Nonetheless I’m sure Carl’s letter works itself into the end of the season some how.
Second, Negan’s right hand man Simon is given the task of trying to turn Jadis and the Trash People once more to the side of the Saviors after agreeing to help Rick in his attempted assault on the Sanctuary. Prior to though, a back-and-forth between Negan and his right hand man Simon gives us further insight on the guy Negan can potentially be. Instead of going and killing every single member of the Trash People, Negan wants to forgive them in the typical Savior way by taking their guns and killing one to ensure they fall in line. Simon obviously wanted to take a different approach and went to the heap with a different plan in place, take the guns and kill everyone which is exactly what he did. Everyone that is except for Jadis who not only was left behind with her undead comrades but was also abandoned by Rick who she tried to tag along with after he was a little late in passing along the warning of Savior vengeance. What transpired from there though was a first in the show as Jadis doubled a metal grinder as a meat grinder to clear out her walker flock.
What Carl saw in Negan though seems to be coming out a bit when it came to the trash people and Negan’s genuine reaction when it came to learning of Carl’s demise.
Big Questions
What will become of Jadis after all her people were killed by Simon and the Saviors? Also how will she take to Rick leaving her behind?
What was Simon talking about when he was asking Jadis about the helicopter pad and solar panels at the trash heap? Is this the connection to the helicopter we’ve seen in past episodes?
How will Negan react to Simon disobeying his orders to not totally wipe out the Trash People?
This last one is more of the all encompassing question for the second half of the season, will Rick grant Carl his dying wish of finding peace with the Saviors?
