The Walking Dead: The Key

First Aired March 18th, 2018

Negan (played by Jeffery Dean Morgan) welcomes back Dwight (played by Austin Amelio) unaware he’s a double agent. He then has Saviors begin to disembowel walkers in his plan to infect people at the Hilltop.

Rick (played by Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (played by Danai Gurira) arrive at the Hilltop, Maggie (played by Lauren Cohan) spots a cache of supplies left outside the gates, and although food is low she’s worried it’s a trap. The Saviors, led by Negan drive to the Hilltop although Simon (played by Steven Ogg) expresses doubt to Dwight that Rick and the others can be scared into surrendering. Rick spots the Saviors convoy and knocks Negan’s car away from the others and drives after him, Dwight and Simon go after them while the other Saviors go on ahead. Rick manages to crash Negan’s car and chase him into a building but Rick’s runs out of bullets. The fight gets physical and after his weapon of choice ‘Lucille’ is damaged Negan is thrown from a landing through the floor below. Maggie, Michonne and Enid (played by Katelyn Nacon) venture out and are met by a woman named Georgie (played by Jayne Atkinson). Georgie wants to trade knowledge of the future in exchange and claims to have done this with other communities. Michonne is open to the idea but Maggie is not and decides to bring them back to Hilltop with their supplies.

Between Dwight working as a double agent and Simon undermining his authority, Negan clearly needs to pick his lieutenants better. Simon emerging as a prominent villain has been telegraphed for a while but if he did manage to gain control of the Saviors I don’t know what kind or role Negan can have. I don’t see him turning to Rick and the others like Dwight and sidelining a great character like Negan would be a mistake. Rick ramming Negan’s car was like a shot of adrenaline to the story, there was no plan or any kind of thinking just taking action. We should see more of this spontaneity because often times that leads to great character moments. The introduction of new characters is always a shakeup although Georgie’s introduction was fairly mellow. Also her opening of wanting to trade knowledge of the future sounds weird when you hear it like maybe she’ll also offer to read your palm.

Rick stalks Negan throughout the building and Negan taunts Rick saying that he ‘saved’ the communities but Rick messed that up and got Carl (played by Chandler Riggs) killed. Negan offers to lower his asking price for supplies but Rick cites that the Saviors killed the Scavengers and can’t be trusted, and Negan realizes Simon lied and killed them against his orders. Simon tells Dwight he is starting to doubt Negan’s leadership and that if it were his decision they would kill everyone in the Hilltop and find new communities. When they find Negan’s shot up car they assume Negan dead and Simon decides they should head back and assume control of the Saviors. Michonne wants to let Georgie go and make the deal but Maggie and Enid want to keep them prisoner and take their supplies. Michonne points out that because Carl rescued Siddiq (played by Avi Nash) they have a doctor and making new relationships could be beneficial. Rick sets Lucille on fire and an enraged Negan attacks, walkers begin to overrun them but Rick escapes.

If you had to pick a side Michonne has the better argument especially since Georgie is so harmless, she’s like the nice helpful old lady who lives down the street. Using Carl and Siddiq as an example is questionable because that’s why Carl died. The fight between Rick and Negan was amazing because of the emotion behind it; the mutual sadness at Carl’s death and the raw animosity they have for each other. Simon has decided to make his move but it’s very flawed, aside from the fact that Dwight is a traitor they don’t know if Negan is dead or not. At any moment Negan can (and likely will) saunter back to the Saviors, he knows what Simon did with the Scavengers and this will likely earn Simon a bullet to the head. It’s going to be dramatic and very messy and I’m dying to watch it play out.

Maggie decides to agree to the deal and Georgie offers them food after seeing the state of the Hilltop. She also gives Maggie a book on how to build things like windmills, aqueducts and other things that can help them survive. Simon and Dwight tell the Saviors that they couldn’t find Negan and fires up the Saviors to wipe out the Hilltop. Negan wakes up in a car and finds himself held at gunpoint by Jadis (played by Pollyanna McIntosh)

Georgie’s knowledge is actually good although if you’ll notice she just gives Maggie a how-to rather than help getting things started. I don’t see Jadis making any more deals with Negan even though its not him she should be angry with. Simon made his power play and he couldn’t be happier, he better enjoy it because something tells me he’ll be gone before the season ends.

Quotes/Thoughts

“I look around and I think about the people that are gone, and the people that are still here. It ain’t right, and it ain’t fair.”

I fully expected Simon to tell the Saviors they were all ‘Simon’ now, but Negan sounds cooler.

“This is where you die, in the dark all alone.”

Negan was steaming (see the joke there) when he saw Lucille lit up but a flaming bat is an effective and cool weapon against walkers.

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