The Walking Dead Episode 707 recap and midseason finale preview
Jesus and Carl are still in the back of the truck going to Negan. Jesus has been spilling syrup out the back, creating a trail. As they get closer, Jesus suggests they jump out and go the rest of the way on foot. Carl is nervous and asks Jesus to go first, so he can see how to tuck n’ roll. Jesus agrees, and jumps out successfully. Carl waves at him from the truck as he rolls into the Saviors compound.
Carl has a gun and waits when a couple guys jump on to unload. One of them sees Carl, and he fires on both of them, killing them. Standing at the edge of the truck, he promises he only wants Negan; no one else has to die. Negan comes out, using one of his followers as a shield. Dwight tackles Carl and disarms him. Daryl watches this. Negan tells Dwight to back off, and offers a hand up to Carl. He refuses, but Negan starts taunting Daryl and Carl, worried he will lose another friend, allows Negan to help him up. Nervously, Carl asks what he is going to do to him. “Don’t shatter my image of you,” Negan begs. “You’re a badass!”
They enter the compound on an upper floor, looking down at his people, who all kneel. He tells his minions that if they work hard, they can get some of the good stuff, too. As an incentive, he promises everyone gets fresh veggies at dinner – no points needed.
Next on the tour, Negan takes Carl to what looks like a brothel: couches lined in velvet, decorated with silk pillows and sparkly object d’art all over. Negan tells Carl it is okay, he can look at the titties while he takes care of some business. He pulls aside one of his “wives,” Sherry, and asks what happened with Amber and Mark. She is hesitant to tell him, but finally admits that Mark skipped out on redirect duties to be with Amber. She asks Negan to go easy on Amber, and Negan points out he never hits his girls. Negan goes to Amber and reminds her that he doesn’t want anyone here who doesn’t want to be here. She can leave him and go back to Mark, but she CANNOT cheat on him. He offers to put her on the same job as Mark and her mom, which seems to frighten Amber. She promises to stay and professes her love for Negan. Negan goes back to Sherry for a kiss, just as Dwight – Sherry’s “real,” pre-Negan husband – comes in with Daryl and some food. Daryl asks why Carl is here, which kills my “Daryl’s tongue was removed” theory. Negan and Carl adjourn into the privacy of his lush bedroom.
Negan wants to get to know Carl better. He wants to see his wounded eye. Carl resists, but finally removes his bandage and brushes back his hair. “Christ, that is disgusting! No wonder you keep it covered! Can I touch it?” Carl is crying a little bit, and suddenly Negan becomes a bit human. He apologizes and there is a knock on the door. Fat Joe brings him Lucille, which surprises Negan that he left it outside. Negan busts Joe’s balls about Lucille, then tells Carl that his wound looks “cool as hell.” He dismisses Joe and asks Carl to sing to him. Well, to Lucille. Carl can’t think of a song. He is scared. Negan presses him, and he starts singing “You Are My Sunshine.” Negan takes a few practice swings with Lucille, which startles Carl with every swing. He asks about Carl’s mom, and when he finds out she died, he asks if Carl saw it happen. “I shot her,” he admits. Negan is impressed, and maybe a bit unnerved. He changes the topic: “Come on. The iron must be ready.”
The pair return to the center of the compound, where Mark is tied to a chair. Negan gives Lucille to Carl to hold, then approaches Mark, pontificating about how he doesn’t want to do this, but he can’t ignore the rules – “The rules keep us alive!” Rules are what make it all work, and there is always a cost if you cut corners; it’s the iron for you. Dwight removes a glowing hot iron from the fire, and Negan presses it against Mark’s face with gusto. A horrified Carl shares a look with Daryl. Negan finishes and pulls the iron away, taking chunks of Mark’s flesh with it. Negan tells Daryl to mop Mark’s piss off the floor and tells the doctor to come in and “do his thing.” Negan doesn’t ever want to do that again, but the rules matter. To Carl, he says, “Let’s go figure out what to do with you.”
Dwight meets Sherry in a stairwell. Things are strained. He tells his wife not to beat herself up for selling out Mark. That’s not what happened, she insists, and is mad that a decision they made together seems to be affecting other people. That is the same thing that happened to Dwight: he got the iron. She tells him to go, or someone will see them.
Carl and Negan are back in his room, and Carl wants to re-wrap his face. Negan won’t let him. Carl asks why he hasn’t killed Daryl or Rick or himself. Negan seems to think Daryl will make a good soldier; Rick is getting him good stuff; as for Carl… “we shall see.” He asks Carl what he should do, knowing that he can’t let him go. Carl suggests he jump out the window to save him the trouble of killing him. Negan likes “badass Carl,” and suggests they go for a ride. A caravan of trucks rolls out. Jesus is on the roof of Negan’s truck. He tells Daryl not to worry; he is taking the kid home. Daryl warns him against hurting Carl, and Negan tells Dwight to put him back in his “box.” I think Daryl sees Jesus on top of the truck, but when the camera pans back over, we see Jesus is gone.
Negan does in fact bring Carl back to Alexandria. He shocks Olivia by strolling in. Carl assures her it is fine. Negan wants to see Rick, but Olivia promises he is out scavenging for him, and he might not be back today. Negan isn’t concerned – he will wait for him. Olivia points out that they are practically starving there, and Negan looks over her plump figure and mocks the “starving” comment. Olivia bursts into tears, and Negan apologizes for being rude. He then says that, since he will be here for awhile, he thinks it would be enjoyable to screw her brains out. Olivia doesn’t hesitate: she slaps him. That just turns him on more, but he’s going to sit and wait. He sends Olivia to make them some lemonade, then asks Carl to give him the grand tour.
Negan enjoys walking barefoot on carpet, turning on and off running water, and throwing darts. Carl warns him away from a door, claiming that is where the water heater is, but Negan opens it anyway, and finds Judith. Negan hands over Lucille to Carl then scoops up the baby. Negan takes Judith and holds her while he and Carl sit on the front porch, drinking lemonade. It is idyllic, and Negan loves it. “I might just have to stay. Maybe I should just kill you and your dad, then I could just settle into the suburbs.”
A lot of other Alexandrians get little slivers of storylines tonight. Rick and Aaron are out scavenging and they sleep in the back of a truck. When they wake, they “didn’t see that last night” and jump a fence into a property that has a warning sign on it. They move in further, and find a final sign, warning intruders about all the weaponry he has and if they made it this far, he is probably dead. Beyond the sign is a large pond, with a dozen or so zombies splashing about in it. Rick is pretty pleased – it looks like this guy’s loot is safe.
Michonne is walking down the road, alone. She seems to be following Jesus’ syrup trail. At some point she starts killing zombies. A woman is driving along the road later on, and she stops when she encounters a small wall of zombies piled up in the road. Michonne appears, steals her weapons, and forces her to take her to Negan.
Against Eugene’s better judgement, he goes with Rosita to the machinery warehouse. She is determined to get her bullet, and won’t let Eugene’s rambling stand in the way. He tries to talk her out of it, but she turns mean and finally Eugene gives in and makes her her one bullet.
Spencer and Gabriel go out to scavenge. Spencer asks if hating someone is a sin, which Gabriel says it is not. Spencer admits he hates Rick, and blames him for the deaths of his mother, father, and brother. Gabriel defends Rick, and tries to change the subject, but Spencer is determined to keep hating on Rick. Gabriel demands Spencer stop the car. He does, and Gabriel says: “What you’re saying doesn’t make you a sinner, but it does make you a tremendous sh*t.” I think that is the first time I liked Gabriel. He gets out of the car and walks back to Alexandria. Spencer gets out and watches Gabriel leave, then follows the sound of zombies out into the woods. He finds one on a lookout post, high up in a tree. Spencer tosses a grappling hook up there, and pulls, freeing a crossbow. Then the post gives way and the zombie splats down. Spencer checks its pockets and finds a note. When he returns to Alexandria, he has a car full of food: the note, written in Latin, revealed the locations of the dead man’s supplies, hidden for safekeeping.
Daryl, back in his box, hears footsteps. Someone slips a note under his door. It says “go now” and there are a couple of tools taped to the back of the paper.
You can watch a preview and a clip for The Walking Dead midseason finale below.