The last stand in the war against Negan.
At times, it seemed like this day might never come.
Was it worth the hype?
Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Well…not really.
Then season 7 proceeded with 15 episodes featuring more lead up to the showdown.
No, because it couldve been a lot more.
A brief flashback scene shows Rick and toddler Carl walking hand-in-hand down a dirt road.
He asks how Carl died, something he wasnt able to face before.
Siddiq remembers his mother, who believed walkers were the souls of people trapped inside the bodies of monsters.
He further reminds Rick that when people die, all thats left are their ideas.
Everyone else is preparing for war.
Henry tries to stop him, so Morgan turns on him inadvertently.
Youre gonna be here, but youre not us, she says.
The Sanctuary, meanwhile, is mobilizing.
Dwight has been beaten and placed in a sweatsuit, marking the Sanctuarys lowest laborers.
Dwight is carted off to join their convoy because Negan has plans for him.
The same goes for Gabriel, who will be on hand for when Negan makes his confession.
Gabriel tries escaping by rolling out of the moving car, but hes still blinded by his illness.
He stumbles into trees and eventually a walker, and is quickly retrieved by the Saviors.
And that will make things better, he says.
The Saviors are also rolling out.
Some are heading to the Hilltop, where Tara is holding down the fort with Alden.
They prepare for battle as Negan whistles into a megaphone around Ricks location.
The fight switches back to Hilltop, where we find Taras group heading into the woods.
With the crying infant, they probably wont get very far, so Tara volunteers to stay behind.
Alden insists on joining her and asks more of his people to do so.
Aaron has arrived with members of Oceanside, who are hurling homemade explosives.
Meanwhile, the fight among Negan and Ricks squadrons is practically already finished.
The Saviors went to kill Eugene, but he was saved by Rosita.
Dwight went to attack Negan, but he dodged and hobble off.
Soon, the Saviors dropped their weapons and surrendered, upon Lauras lead.
Negan gets in a few solid blows one with the bat, but mostly with his fists and feet.
He admits his eenie, meeni, miney, mo method for killing Glenn and Abarham was bullsh.
He just didnt want to kill Rick in front of his son.
Rick then sweeps the leg and forces Negan down.
Rick suggests a way for them to both find peace with each other.
The Saviors who surrendered watch from high on the hill.
Despite everything Negan has done, Rick tells the Saviors to save Negan.
Maggie screams out in shock.
She had grappled in the past about reconciling her need for revenge with whats best for her people.
But her actions prove shes more interested in revenge.
He gives the surviving Saviors an ultimatum: Get with the program of peace or pay the price.
He sits at the base of the tree reciting the religious line: My mercy prevails over my wrath.
Yet another scene that was less intense than its buildup.
Back at Hilltop, Maggie is conspiring.
Now completely consumed by vengeance, she sits in the dark of her office with Jesus.
Daryl emerges from the shadows, agreeing to this plan.
Its a move, pitting Maggie against Rick, that feels…odd.
She would, then, technically be in power.
So why all this conspiracy to circumvent someone whos seemingly no longer a power player?
We then find Rick and Michonne standing over a recovering Negan, lying on a hospital bed.
They promise a new world is coming.
This memory was the first time Rick knew who he was.
Again, it felt odd.
The finale tried to honor Carl after Chandler Riggs dad said his son was disappointed with the characters death.
