The Walking Dead: Service (7x04)

I wish I could be more effusive with my praise of this episode... there were a lot of individual elements that were just fine, and totally built the tension. And yet... I don't know if I'm fully on board.

Cons:

So, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is doing an excellent job as Negan, and from an acting standpoint I totally get that he's super scary, and I also totally get that Rick is broken, and he's decided to do whatever Negan wants, in order to protect his people. But my logic keeps kicking in and disrupting my ability to buy into this stuff. They have SO MANY GUNS, okay? I just keep thinking that Negan is the only thing holding this operation together. Couldn't they have had people posted on the wall with guns, and then just take him out the second he appears? I feel like a lot of the Saviors are loyal to Negan because they're broken, or because Negan's got the best stuff and the most men. But Rick had all the guns! That's a very real advantage, and I don't fully believe that Rick is so defeated that he wouldn't even contemplate retaliation.

This all comes to a head when Rick makes Michonne give up her rifle, which Negan had no reason to believe she had. I get that he's worried one of Negan's people would see her with it and somebody would die. But... just... bury it. Or save it for when you have a plan. What is with the utter defeat?

I sound like a broken record, but Negan is a bit too talk-y. The most intimidating villains are the ones who have power without needing to remind people of it all the time. I get what they're going for with Negan, and it actually does work for the most part. If they could just dial it back a bit, it would make the moments when Negan does get all talk-y all the more intense and suspenseful.

Pros:

On the flip side of that, Negan gets some of the funniest, most oddly effective moments in the episode. I think my favorite was when Gabriel comes up behind Negan while he's talking with Rick and Daryl, and interrupts him. Negan, who didn't know he was there, turns around, sees Gabriel all dressed up, and just says: "holy crap! You are creepy as shit!" Amen, Negan. Amen.

This episode got us back to the ensemble, just like I've been asking for the last two weeks. There were a lot of little moments that made me remember that this is a community. When Negan's men are ransacking Alexandria, taking everybody's stuff, Enid is accosted by a bunch of men, one of whom calls her "little girl" and touches her face. It's disturbing as hell, but Rick stands by and does nothing. It was a good reminder of how broken Rick really is, that he could stand by and watch that happen.

Rosita and Spencer go out and retrieve Daryl's bike for the Saviors. Along the way, Rosita gets a gun from one of the former Saviors, now a Walker. Turns out, however, that Spencer had a couple of guns stashed back at home. He was keeping them hidden because he didn't trust Rick as a leader. When Negan discovers that there are two guns missing, he makes the town find them, and threatens to kill Olivia, the inventory person, if they don't.

There are layers here, my friends. You've got the old resentment between Rick and Spencer perking back up. You've got Rick who is utterly committed to his own defeat, and you've got Rosita who is already taking stupid risks to re-arm herself for the coming fight. You've got a community resentful of Rick for getting them into this mess, and yet aware of their inability to fix it.

There's one key aspect that stops this episode from devolving into mere defeatism. Maggie. When Negan asks to see the pretty widow, Gabriel and Rick lie and say that she died, even taking Negan to her supposed grave. I'm guessing she's safely ensconced at Hilltop, getting treatment, and that we'll see her soon. This act of defiance is so meaningful. Not only does it protect Maggie from Negan's disgusting interest, it also gives the group something to fight for in the future. Rick may have given up all of their guns, but no way is he losing Maggie to these monsters.

Let's talk about Daryl. He doesn't have a single line in the whole episode, just stands there looking defeated as Negan's men take tons of Alexandria's precious resources. He seems utterly destroyed. The moment that cut me to the quick was when Negan casually aims a gun at Daryl as he's helping to load stuff into the truck. He's playing with Rick's emotions, asking him if Rick has been looking after his guns for him. Daryl sees the gun, and walks right by without flinching. He literally does not seem to care if he gets shot. Ouch. Later, as Negan and the others prepare to head out, Rick asks Negan if Daryl can stay. Negan says no, but then amends his response and says maybe, if Daryl wants to plead his own case. Daryl doesn't say a word. Seems incapable of saying a word. It was really hard to watch Rick's anguished face as a passive Daryl is put into the back of a truck and driven away. Oh, and as an added heart-rending element? Daryl thinks that Maggie is dead. Yep. Juuuust great.

There are a few people who refuse to be beaten down in the face of all of this. Even though Rick seems out for the count, we've still got Rosita and Carl to get shit done. Carl pulls a nearly suicidal move by holding a gun on one of Negan's men and then threatening Negan himself. Rick looks horrified, but Carl is defiant. You go, dude. And then there's Rosita, who ends this episode by asking Eugene to make her a bullet so she can use the secret gun she got from a Walker on the outside. So maybe Rick's given up. Rosita can take care of this, no problem. I already like her way better without Abraham around. No offense, dude.

Michonne is upset with Rick for lying down and taking all this abuse, but Rick explains things to her by telling her about Shane and Lori. He knows that Judith isn't his baby, but he accepted that reality so that he could raise her as his own and protect her. The same thing is happening now - he might not like how things are with Negan, but he'll set that aside in order to keep his people safe.

This explanation might not make sense to Michonne, or to us as viewers. But Michonne tries to respect her partner's decision here. But then, she goes out alone and sees that the Saviors have burned all of their mattresses. From the look on her face, I'm thinking that Michonne isn't quite ready to give in either. Those assholes! They didn't only take stuff they could actually use. They took stuff just to prove a point. If I were Michonne, I wouldn't be ready to back down either.

Oh, also, it was awesome to hear Shane's name again. It's been a while! Rick's philosophy about Judith is really interesting, and it actually teaches me a lot about Rick as a character. He's learned to "accept the things he cannot change," as it were. The plot hasn't quite justified this level of acceptance from Rick yet. I'm still not totally convinced that Negan is so indestructible. But from a character standpoint, I do understand why Rick is acting this way.

That's what I've got for now. This show still has a chance to impress me this season. My heart goes out to Daryl. I'm interested in the effort to hide Maggie from the Saviors. There are a lot of pieces that intrigue me, even if the whole isn't as strong as I might have hoped.

7/10