Title: The Walking Dead: “Something They Need”
Air Date: March 26th, 2017
Network: AMC
Genre: Serial Drama, Horror
The Walking Dead just aired its second to last episode of season seven titled “Something They Need.” Rick and company are on their way to Oceanside after Tara has finally spilled the beans about the hidden community. Alexandria needs the arsenal of Oceanside to fight the Saviors and they’re going to take it one way or the other.
Outside of the journey to Oceanside, the episode also checks in on Sasha who is now captive at the Sanctuary. Despite the kamikaze mission, Sasha was indeed taken alive and is now at the mercy of Negan. A few brief scenes from Hilltop were also included and overall I thought this was a good episode. I continue to like how Negan… in some ways… can be seen as the good guy. I also really liked Rick’s no BS plan to take the guns from Oceanside. This was a nice change of pace from last week which I felt really dragged on.
First, let’s get the suspense out of the way regarding the mystery figure we saw at the end of last week’s “The Other Side.” Yes, Dwight was indeed the mystery figure. While that reveal is only given a few minutes of screen time here, it is an important one. Dwight plays a major role in the coming war with the Saviors; therefore, despite the cliffhanger, we’ll surely be seeing more of him. The recurring theme of this season has become the overall big picture, which is a world without the Saviors. Despite how mad any of the Alexandrians may be at Dwight, if he is indeed there to help… well, they need all they can get.
How about that first scene with Sasha and Negan? One of the most interesting arguments I’ve heard all season is how Negan is actually the good guy in the Walking Dead. Negan sees that this Dave Savior is planning to rape Sasha. That of course, is against the rules and old rapey Davey gets a knife to the throat. One thing we see quite a bit in society is that the rules don’t seem to apply to those in charge. They can be changed by those in power on an as needed basis to suit their needs. With Negan, however, that is not the case. It didn’t matter that this Savior was one of his own… he was going to do something very against the rules. That, coupled with the performance of Jeffery Dean Morgan, really makes Negan a bad guy you can root for.
When watching the preview for this Walking Dead episode, I really got the feeling that Gregory was out to kill Maggie. As with the last few previews and how the episodes actually played out, it was a little misleading. Gregory does briefly consider it but shakes himself of that feeling. The big thing here was when the walkers came. The pregnant Maggie takes out both and saves Gregory… who was crying for help. Gregory has survived on a smoke screen reputation and has been repeatedly shown up by members of Alexandria. The only way he will remain in place as the leader of Hilltop, is by traveling to the Sanctuary and finding Simon.
The main focus of this Walking Dead episode was Rick and company getting the guns from Oceanside, which they do. Rick’s approach was very straightforward and badass and thankfully Oceanside is taken with no loss of life. The determination of the group here was very well expressed, especially when Tara was taken hostage. Tara’s “If you kill me, they’ll kill you and still take the guns anyway” comment was just awesome. Despite losing the guns, Natania is steadfast in her decision to not join Rick in the fight against the Saviors, a decision I suspect will not stand for much longer.
The Walking Dead finale airs next Sunday and one thing is certain… “A whole lotta people still gotta die.” Those are words from Daryl in this episode and he’s right. A whole lot of people still need to die. Since the midseason finale, we really haven’t lost anyone of importance and the war continues to be teased more and more each episode. It’s certainly likely that the conclusion of the war with the Saviors probably won’t be resolved until the end of season eight. Despite that, I think we can expect at least one significant death in the finale next week.
Did you catch tonight’s Walking Dead? If so, what did you think? Did you hear the Walking Dead could potentially last 20 more years? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
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