Summary:
The Kingdom
New Best Friends kicks off with the Saviors collecting tribute from Ezekiel and things immediately get tense when Richard won’t turn over his gun. Richard hands it over but then mouths off. The Savior goes to gun whip Richard but Morgan slaps the weapon away. There is another tense moment before the two groups part. Richard has been banned from carrying a weapon and Ezekiel has been warned that his people can’t be so mouthy.
After break we get to see Richard planning to trigger the Saviors by killing a Savior patrol and leading them back to a weapons cache and to Carol – only Richard didn’t realize that Daryl knew her. Thankfully Daryl’s sixth sense tingles and he forces Richard to tell him what the woman’s name is.
Richard still wants to forward with his plan but Daryl attacks him, which gives the Savior scouts time to get by.
While Daryl is warning Richard not to use his friend as bait Ezekiel is at Carol’s house. He says they are there to kill the wasted, and to give her cobbler – but Carol just wants them gone so she can be alone. A few minutes after Ezekiel leaves Daryl knocks on her door and there is a tearful and heartfelt reunion.
After the initial shock Carol asks Daryl what happened and she is on the verge of breaking down. Daryl sees how fragile Carol is and he lies to her and tells her that everyone is okay.
When Daryl leaves Carol’s he goes by Ezekiel’s and spends some quality time with the tiger and Morgan.
Team Rick
Back at the industrial park we see that whatever group Rick stumbled upon has a lot of people – and a lot of weapons. The new group’s leader is a woman who tells Rick that his group will need to buy back their lives. Rick tells her that if she kills Team Rick the Saviors will come looking – and will kill them – but there is a way out. Join forces and take on the Saviors. She says – “No” at which point a melee breaks out and Gabriel takes a woman hostage to stop the fighting. Gabriel then does his best to pitch to the new group that if they help fight the Saviors there will be a lot of loot.
The leader of the new group tells her people to take Rick to the “up up up up” which turns out to be the top of a trash pile. She tells Rick that things are getting harder. Sometimes they open cans and the food is already rotten. She knows change is coming – and they might need to change again. She then pushes Rick down the trash hill and tells him he needs to prove himself.
Which begins a kind of awkward fight with a spiked up Zombie.
After Rick puts a spike through his hand and barely escapes he drives a hard bargain with the new group. 
He gets them guns and they keep half of what they stole from Alexandria and then the new group will help Rick kill the Saviors.
Afterwards Gabriel tells Rick how glad he was to see him, and how glad he was to know that Rick hadn’t given up on him. When Gabriel asks Rick why he smiled Rick tells him it is because someone showed him once that enemies can become friends.
Things I loved about this episode…
- The female archer on Ezekiel’s guard who kills the female walker and then a few minutes later casually says that her sister always liked that dress. She just downed her sister.
- Daryl telling Richard that if anything happens to Carol, anything, that he will kill him.
- Show Rick “The up up up up,” and let the arena fight begin!!!
- Rick’s sh*t eating grin when he comes around the corner after making his deal with Jadis. he looks like hell but he’s happy.
Things that I didn’t like about this episode…
- Richard not just giving up his gun to the Saviors. You can find another.
- What is wrong with Jadis? Why does she talk like she’s an alien?
Firsts…
- We see an armored gladiator walker in a gladiator trash pit.
…
…
Undead-Earth.com Books: