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Screenshot_20180402-172920.jpg

'The Walking Dead' Recap, 'Still Gotta Mean Something'

By Brian Richards | The Walking Dead | April 2, 2018 |

By Brian Richards | The Walking Dead | April 2, 2018 |


Screenshot_20180402-172920.jpg

Previously on The Walking Dead: Maggie and the Hilltop crew were able to fend off an attack by Simon and the rest of the Saviors, thanks to Rick and Daryl. Unfortunately, one of Maggie’s people wound up succumbing to his injuries, transformed into a Walker and began feasting on anyone who crossed his path, turning them into Walkers and causing a bloodbath right while everyone was asleep. (How many of these characters are able to get a good night’s sleep in the Zombie Apocalypse remains quite the mystery). Which led Rick, Michonne, and everyone else to deduce that the Saviors’ weapons were covered in Walker blood in order to infect their enemies in battle and turn them into Walkers. Despite the fact that everyone’s already infected and will turn into Walkers no matter wh—you know what, I’ve already ranted about this Idiot Ball of a plot, let me just save my breath.

And Henry decided to grab a machine gun and use it to threaten the Saviors to make them tell which of them killed his brother, only for them to break loose and escape with Henry’s machine gun. Good job, Henry! Good effort!

THE STORY SO FAR: We find out that Jadis survived the slaughter of the Not-At-All-Affiliated-With-Bill Cosby Junkyard Gang by running for cover and lying near a puddle of Mudd blood and playing dead. She is still holding Negan hostage and tied to a stretcher, despite his repeated proclamations that he isn’t the one who gave the order for all of her people to be killed.

Despite her very understandable reasons for not wanting to go looking for another missing child that could easily wind up being dead, Carol goes on the search for Henry alongside Morgan, who is mainly looking to kill the Saviors who escaped from the Hilltop.

Michonne learns that Rick still hasn’t read the letter that Carl left him, and insists that he can’t keep running away from his grief. Rick refuses to listen and instead goes off to hunt down the remaining Saviors as well. He ends up joining Morgan in his search for them, only for the two of them to end up captured and held hostage, as the Saviors figure that bringing Rick back to Negan will allow them back into his good graces. Rick makes a counteroffer and tells them all that they’re welcome to come back to the Hilltop with clean slates and start a community where they could all live together. Jared doesn’t believe any of this and before the debate can continue, a herd of Walkers break in and start chowing down on as many Saviors as they can get their hands on. Rick and Morgan are released and they end up fighting alongside the Saviors to stay alive. And as soon as the herd is thinned, Rick and Morgan do what they came there for and begin killing the Saviors themselves. Even Jared isn’t safe as Morgan leaves him to the nonexistent mercy of the Walkers behind a locked gate.

Oh yeah, and a mysterious helicopter appears out of nowhere to hover over the junkyard from a distance, and then fly away before Jadis can use a flare to get their attention. Judging from the consistent alarm going off on her watch, she’s been attempting this for some time now. Whether this is the same helicopter that appeared at the end of Season 2, which distracted the large herd of Walkers in Atlanta and made them walk all the way directly to the farm where Rick and company were located also remains a mystery.

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Rick and Michonne continuing to comfort each other over their grief from losing Carl, and they finally exchange “I love yous” for the first time ever. Negan appealing to Jadis and letting her know, right before she plans on setting fire to Lucille and to the rest of the junkyard, that he named Lucille after his wife and that she was incredibly good to him during their marriage even though he was incredibly shitty to her. All of which is a reference to Negan’s origin and backstory which was detailed in The Walking Dead graphic novel, Here’s Negan! and as much as Negan definitely isn’t very deserving of the redemption storyline that we know he’ll eventually get, props to Jeffrey Dean Morgan for once again peeling back the layers of the character and showing that there’s more to Negan than just the creative profanities and the hip-dipping swagger. Carol finding some semblance of peace as a result of finding Henry alive. Seeing Jared, one of the most annoying characters in the show’s history (which is saying a lot) finally get what’s coming to him and get torn to shreds by Walkers.

WHAT’S NOT SO GOOD ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Other than last week’s episode ending with a cliffhanger OF Tara fearing that she’s been infected by one of the Saviors’ weapons, and then this week’s episode beginning with “Well, it’s been a day and I haven’t turned, so… (Kanye-shrug),” there’s not much else to add here.

IS NEGAN IN THIS EPISODE?: Yes he is, and he’s able to convince Jadis that he deserves to be released if only so he can settle it with the Saviors who killed her people. And on his way, he ends up inviting an unseen person walking down the road to jump into the passenger seat and join him. I’m hoping that it’s Maris Crane, but I doubt it.

MICHONNE?: Yes.

CARL?: Still dead.

JUDITH?: Nope.

MORGAN?: Still hallucinating and seeing visions, only this time the visions he’s seeing are of Henry, with the same fatal neck wound as Gavin and repeatedly saying “You know what it is!”

CAROL?: Yes, and other than keeping an eye on Morgan to help him and keep him for further losing his grip on both reality and his humanity, she’s on the lookout for Henry. And in a scenario that’s heavily reminiscent of when Sophia went missing back in Season 2, Carol finds him and saves him from a group of Walkers clawing after him in the woods. Needless to say, she’s very enthused to find him alive and well, and capable of surviving when necessary.

IS DARYL STILL ALIVE? BECAUSE IF NOT, THEN WE’LL PROBABLY RIOT IF WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO: He’s still alive, and along with Rosita, they’re going through with their plan to go after Eugene and take him out in order to prevent him from making any more ammunition for the Saviors.

TO SUM IT ALL UP: A fairly decent episode leading up to what will hopefully be an actual resolution to the All-Out War, and all of the questions that are now being asked. What will happen when Negan and Simon cross paths once again, and who will the Saviors swear their loyalty to? Will Rick actually follow through with what Carl wants and make a true attempt at peace between his people and the Saviors? What is it that will make Morgan part ways with everyone and head over to join the characters from Fear The Walking Dead? Will we ever find out what the hell is up with that helicopter? Will Maggie ever actually look as if she’s pregnant? And how is it that the storage container that Jadis lives in looks nicer and more organized than most apartments?

Only two more episodes left until we finally get all/some/none whatsoever answers to these questions.