Episode 8, Hearts Still Beating
Summary:
Hearts Still Beating begins with a few quiet moments for Maggie as she grieves over Glenn’s grave. The moment passes all to quickly when the mayor of Hilltop comes to remind her that she shouldn’t let the fact that she helped save the town go to her head. She gets back at him just a little by guilting him into giving her his apple.
We then get a quick montage. Negan is shaving in Rick’s bathroom while Daryl is escaping from his cell before things settle back on Negan, making spaghetti in Rick’s kitchen as he waits.
Outside the Mayor of Alexandria’s son comes back with his car full of goodies and Negan’s men, and one of his women, are impressed. The woman offers to “buy” him a sandwich – with a very sultry look on her face.
When we cycle back to Alexandria Rosita and Gabriel have a heart to heart when he walks in on her in the church staring at a bullet. She wants to kill Negan and is willing to die to get it done. Gabriel tells her that throwing her life away won’t make it better – it’s not her fault that Negan killed some of them.
When the Mayor’s sun gets back to his house he get’s cleaned up and grabs a bottle of whiskey – he’s going to try to “get in” with Negan’s people. Spencer walks up the steps to Rick’s house and introduces himself to Negan.
Team Rick
Rick and his scavenging buddy are out at the “swamp house” where they think they will find enough stuff to make Negan’s tribute for the week. They have a jon boat but its shot up – and the water is full of the undead.
Rick and Aaron make it to the canoe almost to the houseboat before Aaron ends up in the water after the undead attack the jon boat. The house boat has weapons and other items, but no ammo. As Rick and Aaron are loading up their truck with what they found on the boat we get to see a shoe in the mud. Someone is watching them.
When Rick & Aaron get back the Saviors find the note in the supplies and think Aaron put it there to be subversive. They go to town on Aaron as Rick watches, unable to do anything.
While this is going on Spencer is playing pool with Negan – telling him that Rick doesn’t play well with others – that Rick has a huge ego and will try and take over. Spencer insinuates that Negan should kill Rick. Negan turns the conversation around on Spencer – telling him that Rick is out there scavenging while Spencer is trying to get Negan to do his dirty work for him. Negan then says a corny line about how he thinks it’s because Spencer has no guts – right before he guts hims and Spencer’s bowels spill out over his legs.
Rosita then takes a shot – which ends up in Lucille. Negan is pissed – and he somehow knows that the bullet was “homemade”. Negan tells his bodyguard to kill someone and the doctor gets shot in the face.
Rick shows up just after and just in time for Negan to threaten to kill someone else unless whoever made the bullet steps forward. Eugene steps forward – which gets him “taken” by Negan.
As Negan walks away Rick looks lost and destroyed.
Team Maggie
Maggie is hungry – and popular. The people of Hilltop seem to like and appreciate her. The term “President of Hilltop” is thrown around a little.
Team Michonne
Michonne has her captive at gunpoint as they drive down the road – presumably on their way to Negan’s home base. Michonne wants to end Negan, to make it safe to live again. When they reach a hill overlooking what the captive says is where Negan lives. The captive tells Michonne its not too late to turn around and go back. The camera pulls back and we see the car turna round – but we aren’t sure what happened inside the car.
When she gets back to Alexandria Rick is in the basement prison cell. She tells him she that they are outnumbered – it is not even close – but they are alive – and in the end that is all that matters. As long as they are together they can get through it together.
Team Daryl
Daryl has found his way out of his cell and gotten some new clothing and a knife. So far the alarm hasn’t gone up – but it is only a matter of time until someone finds his cell empty. Daryl makes it outside only to be found by a guard. The guard is a chubby dude who doesn’t want to fight – Daryl beats him to death with a pipe just as Jesus comes around the corner. Daryl takes the man’s gun and grabs a bike. It is time to run.
Mid Season Finale Ending
The first half of the season ends with Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Sasha showing up at Hilltop as Maggie watches from above. Team Rick is reunited. Daryl is there, and he has Rick’s Colt Python. It is time for Team Rick to regroup, and fight back.
We then get a brief thirty second view of the same boots from the swamp. Whomever is wearing them followed Rick & Aaron back to Alexandria.
Things I loved about this episode…
- Maggie guilting the mayor into giving her his apple because she’s pregnant.
- Gabriel telling Rosita, “We need you.”
- The way Team Rick comes back together at the end. Daryl is free and Rick is ready to fight.
Things that I didn’t like about this episode…
- Negan shaving. He doesn’t look like Negan anymore.
- The Mayor of Alexandria’s son getting the sultry treatment from one of Negan’s female warriors. I don’t want him to turn and betray Rick.
- We now have two attacks on Negan that did’t work. Carl’s machine gun attack from last episode and Rosita’s homemade bullet that made it into Lucille. Come on – someone has to kill Negan.
Firsts…
- We see Spencer’s guts.
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