Rick Grimes had a change of heart at the end ofThe Walking Deads season 8 finale.
(Hope it has a window!)
(Also confirm to read our finale Q&As withstar Andrew Lincolnandshowrunner Scott M. I loved the scene with Eugene and Father Gabriel in the woods when Gabriel jumps out of the car.
Gene Page/AMC
I really loved it.
And then Dwight and Daryl in the woods at the end.
It was just a lot of stuff going on in the episode.
Gene Page/AMC
So we have this big sort of confrontation under the tree between Rick and Negan.
Kind of a dick move what Rick does to Negan here.
He says, Hey, lets not fight.
Not very sportsmanlike, was it?Well, I would have to agree.
So I think, in that moment, thats when Rick makes that decision to save Negan.
And we talked a lot about that.
So there was a lot of interweaving along those stories that particular moment.
But thats really what prompted Rick to spare him.
What was it like with Andrew Lincoln and Jeffrey Dean Morgan shooting that scene?
We know Andys very intense on set.
And these guys had a brawl a few weeks back that you also directed.
What was it like shooting this scene?This was much more physical.
So we didnt feel like it was really about getting into another big battle scene, so we compressed.
So it wasnt necessarily a reference to the Whisperers.
That was our last day.
We shot that on the same location as Hershels farm.
And we wanted that hill with the cows, so we hired a little boy to play young Carl.
And it really was funny.
I remember calling Norman [Reedus] to set.
Im like, Dude, you got to come see this.
The little boy was really sweet.
It was a moment that was important, because thats sort of what brings the whole season back together.
Lets go to the other side of what we see happening at the end.
I like the transition.
I thought it was really funny.
I like him this way.
Its all been about survival for him and his own self-preservation.
The vibe on set can vary wildly for season finales depending on a lot of factors.
It was just a lot of loose ends that we needed to wrap up.
So it was a big, big episode.
How has that transition been so far?Shes awesome.
Angelas written some of my favorite episodes.
She wrote the first episode I ever directed, which is the episode where Dale dies.
Youre so invested in these characters.
Im excited about it.
Shes a great writer.
She has a vision for the show.
And shes been with us since season 2, so Im looking forward to some great things.
