Episode Title: Service
Original Airdate: 11-13-16
Not a lot of plot to cover with this week’s episode. Negan makes his first stop at Alexandria to take whatever he desires…and is the most obnoxious house guest ever. Aside from mattresses and other random comforts, Negan demands all the fire power Alexandria has to offer. When two guns come up missing from the armory, Negan threatens to kill Olivia, as inventory is her responsibility. Rick finds the guns hidden in Spencer’s air vents, along with food and liquor, because Spencer is a spoiled brat.
Speaking of Spencer, he and Rosita are forced by Dwight to bring Daryl’s bike back. When they find it abandoned at the place Dwight took them hostage at the end of last season, Rosita encounters former-Saviors-turned-Walkers and manages to nab a gun off one of the undead. Upon her return to Alexandria, she finds Eugene and demands he start making bullets (like he told Abraham he could in the factory).
After Negan and his sheeple leave without anyone dying, an angry Michonne (who’d been out trying her hand at target practice all day) confronts Rick about his total compliance. He then tells her all about Shane and Lori’s affair and how he knows that Judith isn’t biologically his child, but he will do anything to keep her safe and alive for hopefully many more years. And if doing what Negan demands is the only way, Rick will do it.
This was a weirdly tense episode, in an awkward way. On the one hand, I hated watching the good people of Alexandria, who’ve overcome so much recently, get flat out robbed by the Saviors, while sitting back and letting it happen, lest they end up on the wrong end of Lucille. These are warriors we’ve come to love and respect, who’ve never had a foe they couldn’t defeat…until now. So it was difficult to see them cower.
On the other hand, damn it is fun to watch Jeffrey Dean Morgan do his thing as Negan. That man is having a blast and it shines through the screen week after week. I know he’s pure evil, but I don’t want him to stop. However, the generic, bootleg version of Daryl known as Dwight could die any episode now and I’d be totally fine with that, though he might be sticking around for the long haul.
I really enjoyed Rick’s speech about Judith. It’s not like we didn’t know, but Rick never wanted to discuss or admit it before, so this was something new for him. It was definitely some of Andrew Lincoln’s stronger work. I’m hoping since he opened up to Michonne, maybe she’ll open up to him some too. We did learn a little of her history circa Season 4, but I’d still love to know more.
I wonder where Gabriel’s ruse about a dead Maggie ends up. Obviously, Negan’s going to find out one way or another she’s still around (at Hilltop) and when he does, I don’t see him having a good sense of humor about it. And when are Tara and Heath coming back? She still has no idea about Denise, or anyone else. The thing I hate about everyone being split is knowing that they don’t know everything that’s happened and the horrible sinking feeling that we’re going to have to relive the terrible news when they find out. I guess I should be used to it by now, though.
Channel: Superhero 