THE WALKING DEAD RECAP S8E9 HONOR
“I’m gonna make it real. Carl, I promise — I’m gonna make it real.” Rick
Well, I hope everyone had a good cry! I got teary eyed a few times last night. We lost another original cast member! Carl Grimes got bit and there was no miracle to save him. Rick and Michonne were pretty much shell shocked the entire episode and stayed with carl to the very end. Elsewhere, Morgan continued his Terminator-like behavior and killed everyone in his line of sight! Except Carol and King Ezekiel – but just barely.
ALEXANDRIA
“Mom told me I would beat this world. I didn’t. You will.” Carl to Judith
In the cold open we see how Carl got bit while escorting Sadiq back to Alexandria. We see the moment in slow motion as it registered on his face! Then he had a very productive day! He wrote everyone a goodbye letter, he played with Judith and took selfies with a polaroid, he got Sadiq settled in the tunnels and brought him food and candy bar. Then, of course, we saw what happened that night.
Everyone was still hiding in the tunnels and had to wait for The Saviors to stop blowing up Alexandria and leave before they could safely lift their heads and make their way to The Hilltop. Everyone said their goodbyes to Carl. Daryl took Judith and told Carl they were all safe because of him. I thought for sure Rick was going to grab Sadiq and shake him to death for being responsible for Carl getting bit but Rick showed a lot of restraint. I think he was just in shock and misery the whole time.
THE KINGDOM
“It’s not too late to walk back from something decided.” King Ezekiel
In the cold open we saw how The Saviors fought their way out of the walker infected Sanctuary and see Morgan trail them back to The Kingdom.
Carol leads the remaining Kingdom subjects back to her cabin. Little Henry, whose brother was killed by The saviors wants to go with her but she refuses to let him come along. You know what that means? He’ll show up anyway because no one looks after kids in the zombie apocalypse! Carl always went missing it seemed!
Carol joins with Morgan to try and rescue Ezekiel and is taken aback by how easily killing has come to Morgan now. He has become a ruthless and efficient killing machine. He seems to be in ‘clear’ mode. This part of the episode spends way too much time with Gavin and Ezekiel having the same conversation several times over. Gavin feels bad about how things have gone and he likes Ezekiel and so on. Ezekiel keeps trying to turn him but once Carol and Morgan have killed everyone they corner Gavin in the theater. This is where one of the best kills takes place courtesy of Morgan. He reaches into the belly wound of a Savior and pulls out his intestines! Yowza!
Gavin gets away but Morgan pursues him despite Carol and Ezekiel pleasing with him to let him go. Morgan corners Gavin and just when it seemed that Ezekiel and Carol had convinced him to spare Gavin’s life, a spear goes through Gavin’s neck. Of course, little Henry has disobeyed carol and came to help. Morgan taught him ‘the stick’, you see.
CARL
“Carl, it was all for you right from the start. Back in Atlanta, the farm, everything I did was for you. And that prison? It was for you and Judith. It still is, and nothing, nothing is gonna change that.” Rick
Carl has to spend the entire oversized episode dying slowly and being a good sport about it. Rick and Michonne get him out of the sewer tunnels and get him to the church, the only building not on fire. Carl tells Michonne that she was his best friend and thanks Rick for ‘bringing him here’, for making him the man he became. He tells him that he had a vision of how things could be. Alexandria can be rebuilt and made a home for everyone, including it seems, a certain fella called Negan!!!! Rick promises him that he will make it real. Carl then tells them that he doesn’t want them to have to finish him off. He takes the gun and does it himself as Rick and Michonne wait outside. Terrible! Then they dig him a grave.
The last scene shows Rick sitting by a tree with some stained-glass windows floating around him. I wasn’t sure if this was a different time or what. I’ll have to take another look. It seemed odd.
THE VISION
“I know you can’t see it yet — how it could be. But I have.” Carl
So, in the “Old Rick’ sequences we see find out for sure that the little girl is Judith. We also see Sadiq and Jerry there as well as a very friendly Eugene and Negan! Is this really going to be true! Is Rick going to show Negan ‘mercy’? Well, we know that, in the comic, he does, so it goes to follow he will here as well. That would be interesting, I have to admit; seeing Rick and Negan as allies and not enemies.
SIDE BITES
Lauren Cohan is in talks with AMC to get a raise or she will bail. She has already signed on to do a pilot for the networks. They better pay her what she wants. I don’t think the show can afford to lose her.
Morgan will be on Fear The Walking Dead next season so it has been unclear how TWD will deal with his absence. I have my own thoughts. See below.
Morgan disemboweling that savior was awesome!
Chandler Riggs did a great job on the show and in this episode particularly. Well done and best of luck with the rest of your career, young man!
5 THINGS I THINK I KNOW
1 Negan may live but Simon won’t be so lucky.
2 Morgan will be killed off as well.
3 With Carl gone it looks like Enid will need some comforting. Enid meet Sadiq!!
4 The war with The Saviors will be decided by the end of this season.
5 Season 9 will be the 5 year time jump which could help explain why Morgan isn’t around and Maggie too if need be (though I hope not)