The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 16 Review

The Walking Dead

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Season 7 Episode 16 Review

**SPOILERS FOR THE SHOW, EPISODE AND COMICS FOLLOW, 

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK**

When the season began, our favorite heroes were reduced to shells of their former selves after Negan ruthlessly based in the heads of beloved characters Abraham and Glenn.  Maggie and Sasha dealt with the loss of their loves the hardest, retreating to the Hilltop while Rick became subjugated to Negan's wishes, and Daryl succumbed to Negan's control as his prisoner.  To say the least, it was a bleak outlook for everyone, and throughout the following episodes we saw them slowly rise up and gather together in order to regain the life they once knew.  Now it's the season finale, and as in the case with "The Walking Dead," it was an explosion of emotions - love, joy, fear, anger, resentment, and most importantly...hope.

As the show begins, Sasha is in a dark place listening to "Someday We'll All Be Free" on an iPod.  She reminisces about the day when Rick and the others left Alexandria to go to the Hilltop after Maggie suffered pregnancy problems, and she's sitting on the couch with Abraham.  They talk about life and Abraham tells her that he's going to Hilltop with Rick and Maggie, but Sasha pleads with him not to, saying she had a dream that he had died.  We then go back to the Sanctuary in the past, where Negan arrives at Sasha's prison with breakfast.  He tells her it's the first day of the rest of her life, and doesn't want to see her die tonight, but someone has to.  She then has another flashback of sitting in the woods with Maggie before Aaron arrives to take them to Alexandria.

At Alexandria, Rick is interrogating Dwight, who tells him he wants Negan dead, but it's not as simple as killing the man - they have to kill the ideal.  Tara tells Dwight about Denise, and Daryl charges him and holds a knife to his head.  Dwight tells them they can work together, and Negan's group is on their way, and insists he did what he did for Sherry, who also helped free Daryl.  Even though Tara urges Daryl to kill him, he lets Dwight go.   Dwight warns of Negan's approach and says he can slow them down, and Rick allows Dwight to leave.

Sasha continues listening to music as she has another flashback with Abraham, telling him about the dream she had where he died.  Negan then reveals his plan to Sasha - he will kill three of Rick's men with Lucille, and she insists that no one has to die.  They negotiate, and Sasha manages to convince Negan to kill only one person, and he shows genuine admiration for her.

At the Hilltop, Maggie conferences with Jesus and Enid over whether or not they'll go to Alexandria to help fight the Saviors, or stay at the Hilltop.  She's convinced Gregory has gone to tell Negan that they're planning the attack, and Jesus is happy Maggie is making the decision.  Enid then hands her Hershel's pocket watch, which he had given to Glenn.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel, Shiva, Carol and the other Kingdom soldiers are walking to Alexandria where they come across Morgan, who insists he can go on his own to kill the Saviors.  Carol tells him that he can't, because if he messes up then the Saviors will know the Kingdom has turned against them, and after an earnest talk with Ezekiel, Morgan decides to join them.

Sasha continues listening to music and has another memory with Abraham, where she once again pleads with him not to go to the Hilltop.  She shares the specifics of her dream, and she insists they sit out on this trip.  At the Sanctuary, Eugene tells her that everyone has their own way, and if people die today it's because of their own choices, to which she agrees.  She has another flashback with Maggie, where she asks why they're there, and Maggie replies, "for this."

Back at Alexandria, the Scavengers have arrived and everyone is prepared for battle when the Saviors arrive, with Eugene leading the charge.  Rick looks completely confused and betrayed, and Eugene asks if Rick will comply.  Rick asks where Negan is, to which Eugene replies, "I'm Negan."  Rick makes the decision and tells Rosita to set off the bombs they had set earlier, but nothing happens.  Suddenly Jadis and the Scavengers turn their guns on Rick's group, and they open the gates for a smug Negan to enter, with Dwight hesitantly following.  Michonne, who is sniping from a distance, sees what's happening but is attacked by the other sniper, who was a Scavenger.

Negan gives a confident speech to Rick about how stupid he is, and has Dwight and Simon retrieve a coffin.  He tells Rick he's surprised he would sacrifice Eugene, but what about Sasha?  He tells Rick that Sasha is safely inside the coffin, and he wants all the guns, lemonade and surplus that Alexandria has, along with Daryl.  Rick tells Negan that he wants to see Sasha.

Earlier, Sasha is still listening to music and again remembers that day with Abraham.  Abraham reads Sasha's mind and tells her that they're both alike because they both "lay our meaties across the chopping block ahead of someone else's.  It's always for someone else."  Back at the Sanctuary, Eugene gives Sasha the iPod, and she insists she hasn't given up on him.  Negan offers her a seat on the ride, but she insists on riding in the coffin, because she needs the rest, and all she needs is a bottled water.  Negan is once again impressed and tells her he appreciates what she's doing.  She finds the song "Someday We'll All Be Free" and swallows Eugene's suicide pill.

Back at Alexandria, Negan opens the coffin and is shocked to see Sasha, who has now turned into a Walker.  She attacks him and gives Carl an opportunity to turn and shoot the Scavengers.  Soon shots break out everywhere.  Rosita gets shot, Tara protects her, and Michonne gets beaten down by the Scavenger.  Jadis still has Rick at gunpoint, and shoots him and throws him off the tower.  As Michonne continues getting a beating, Jadis takes Rick to Negan, who also has Carl with him on his knees.  Negan again gives a monologue to Rick as someone falls from the roof, either it be Michonne or the other woman.  Negan tells Rick he is going to kill Carl, and Rick shows resistance by telling Negan he will kill him.

Just as Negan is going to bring Lucille down on Carl, Shiva arrives and devours one of the Saviors.  Ezekiel, Carol, Morgan, Jerry and the other Kingdom soldiers arrive and start shooting, with Ezekiel announcing, "Alexandria will not fall!  Not on this day!"

Rick manages to get a gun, but a Savior is about to shoot him when the Savior is shot.  Rick sees Maggie, Enid, Jesus and the Hilltop citizens shooting, having also come to their aid.  Negan sees Maggie and remarks, "the widow is alive, guns a blazin!"  Morgan kills a Savior with his new staff, and Jadis and the Scavengers flee, along with Negan and the rest of his men.  In the aftermath, Rick finds the Scavenger woman dead on the ground, now knowing it was she, and not Michonne, who fell from the roof.  He finds a badly beaten Michonne in the house.

Negan, Eugene, Dwight and Simon gather at the Sanctuary, where Negan asks Eugene how Sasha died in that box, to which Eugene replied because she ran out of air, knowing it was because of the pill he had given her.  Negan doesn't look like he buys it, but he appears before a large group of Saviors and declares, "we are going to war!"

Back at Alexandria, Rick asks Maggie if Sasha did that to herself, and Maggie says she's certain she did.  Maggie and Jesus find the Walker Sasha in the woods, and Maggie tearfully puts her down as she talks about Glenn and how his decision led everyone to this point, to being a family, to loving and caring for one another.  Tara sits by Rosita's bedside and Rick sits next to Michonne as they recuperate, Carol and Morgan sit, Daryl finds a wooden statue Dwight left with the words "Didn't know" on the back, and the citizens of Alexandria, the Kingdom and Hilltop watch as Rick, Ezekiel and Maggie speak to them, and the episode ends with Maggie still clenching the pocket watch.


There has been some finales of "The Walking Dead" that were lackluster at best (Season Three comes to mind), and others that were absolutely heart-stopping.  Season seven ended with a bang, unloading every type of emotion you can think of.

Sasha might have been incredibly stupid for barging into the Sanctuary on her own, but her decision helped turn the tide for Rick's group.  She showcased bravery to the utmost degree, desiring for Eugene to give her a weapon to kill Negan, but when that didn't happen, she weaponized herself.  She sacrificed herself to save her friends, showcasing the utmost bravery and sacrifice.  Seeing her scenes with Abraham showed why they were perfect for each other, because they thought of others before themselves.  When she emerged from the coffin as a Walker, I was both saddened and yet rooting for a Walker for the first time in the series.  It was heartbreaking to see her go, as she was one of my new favorite characters, but she went out as a true hero.

Eugene, on the other hand, is the definition of the word "coward."  Honestly, I have no idea how he will ever get back into Rick's good graces after this is over, as he would be someone I would never, ever trust.  Rosita also looked completely betrayed, and I was hoping she would just shoot him.  He would have to do something truly heroic to get back on my good side, and I consider him the worst of Rick's group now after Father Gabriel finally redeemed himself.

Dwight is still a wild card, but he looks to be really siding with Rick.  While they were at Alexandria, I noticed that either Dwight wasn't firing, or he was purposely missing.  Plus he left the note for Daryl to find, and I truly believe he didn't know the Scavengers were working with Negan.  Unlike Eugene, Rick now has someone on the inside who will be working for him to bring Negan down from the inside.

I didn't really have a doubt about Jadis and the Scavengers until this episode when they arrived at Alexandria.  She made a weird comment about laying with Rick with Michonne right next to him, and then the other Scavenger Michonne was with on the roof told her, "we win" in a very threatening tone.  Still, when they turned their guns on Rick I literally screamed in anger.  Then Rick tried to make another deal with Jadis, and I was angry at Rick for not shooting her.  Although they managed to escape, I have no doubt Rick and his group will go after them with a vengeance in season eight.

Michonne...Michonne...Michonne.  I have absolutely no idea why she was the sniper, and she didn't have her sword with her.  She literally got her butt handed to her by that Scavenger woman, and I was almost in tears.  I thought for a moment I might lose my favorite character, but when I saw someone fall from the roof, I knew it wasn't her.  The show wouldn't dare send out a Samurai goddess like Michonne in that fashion.  Still, she should never be away from her sword for even a second anymore.

The best moment is when Shiva...in all her glorious, wonderful, ethereal, glamorous, beautiful, perfect, stellar, majestic, endearing beauty arrives to save the day at the very right moment.  She gleefully frolicked among the town devouring the Saviors like a fat man at an all-you-can-eat buffet, as she enjoyed her Shiva Savior-y Snacks (thanks "Talking Dead" for that idea).  Carol and Morgan are back on track to returning to their true-to-form killing machines, and Ezekiel emerged as a warrior of old, giving a rousing call that would make William Wallace proud.

Then Maggie and the Hilltop arrive for more backup, and once again I jumped out of my seat and shook my fists in the air in victory.  Seriously, this episode had me gripped, and finally seeing Rick and company get a huge victory was something truly amazing.  The moment where Negan had Rick and Carl on their knees - much like the beginning of the season - was a great turnaround for the characters.  This time, Rick wasn't sniveling and crying, but rather defiant and determined, like the Rick of old.

The final moments were truly heart-tugging and emotional, as Maggie gave what is easily the best speech in "The Walking Dead" history and one of the best speeches in any show ever, as we see the three communities standing side-by-side (with the majestic Shiva sitting in the grass after a hearty meal of Saviors) and we hear Maggie in a voiceover that beautifully tells the story of how they got to that point:

"We were in trouble," she says. "We were trapped. Glenn didn't know you, but he helped you. He put himself in danger for you. And that started it all. From Atlanta to my daddy's farm to the prison to here. To this moment now. Not as strangers, as family. Because Glenn chose to be there for you that day a long time ago, that was the decision that changed everything. It started with both of you, and it just grew. All of this. To sacrifice for each other. To suffer, to stand, to grieve, to give, to love, to live. To fight for each other. Glenn made the decision, Rick. I was just following his lead.“

The speech was profound as it really does point to one moment in time: back in season one when Rick was trapped in the tank.  Glenn, who didn't know Rick at all, rescued him, which led to him being reunited with Lori and Carl, their trip to the farm where they met Maggie, the prison, and eventually Alexandria.  If Glenn didn't do that one thing, none of this would've happened.  They would never had met, this new family wouldn't have existed, and even though they suffer, grieve and loose, they still fight for one another.  Tears were definitely falling down my face after that speech, and it was the perfect ending to another amazing season of "The Walking Dead."

Until October...

The Score: A+

Also, in case you missed it or want to relive it, here's two clips from the finale.  The first is when Shiva saves Carl, and the tide of the war turns in Rick's favor:

And the ending with Maggie's emotional voice-over speech.  I still tear up and get goosebumps hearing it: