This episode of The Walking Dead, titled “The Big Scary U,” provides a closer look at Negan and how he thinks he’s weak. With him and Gabriel trapped in that trailer together, Gabriel tries to get his confession. While Negan does think he’s a strong leader and that he saves people, he reveals some interesting backstory about his life before the zombie apocalypse and his first wife.
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Will Gabriel Find His Purpose?
“The Big Scary U” begins by flashing back to Gabriel praying in church. He says he no longer fears death, but he wants a purpose now that God has given him so much.
Whose Side is Gregory On?
The Walking Dead also flashes back to the day of the Season 8 premiere. Gregory wakes up in the Sanctuary to Simon giving him breakfast. Simon says Gregory did the right thing by coming to him about his problems with the Hilltop. So why did Simon bring Gregory to the Sanctuary? Simone wants him to fix the rebellion at the Hilltop.
So Gregory goes to talk with Negan and his inner circle. Gregory says that, like Negan, he understands how hard being a leader is and that he hates killing people. Negan likes killing people, though, and says the Saviors save people by killing one person to make a point, keep others in line and save hundreds of others. Dwight has no interest in listening to Gregory, though, so he steps out. Gregory says he could stop the conflict before it begins by telling the Hilltoppers that he’ll kick them out if they join the rebellion, but Negan’s not convinced that Gregory still has power. Gregory didn’t even know “The Widow” was leading his people to fight in Alexandria. Negan accuses Gregory of playing both sides and threatens to kill him, but Gregory says that the Hilltop is his, and Maggie took advantage of his generosity, but he’ll fix it.
Simon sides with Gregory and says if Gregory’s plan doesn’t work out, they’ll just kill everyone at the Hilltop. Negan is furious, though, and says people are a resource and the foundation of what they’re doing. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? Are you confused about who we are? Are you confused about who’s in charge? Are we backsliding, Simon? Please tell me we’re not backsliding,” Negan says. Negan says they need to win it all. They need to take Rick, Maggie and Ezekiel alive and kill them publicly to make a statement. They’ll kill the right people to make a point.
That’s when Rick and the gang show up to attack the Sanctuary. So Negan and the others bring Gregory out to talk to his people.
Will Negan Confess?
The Walking Dead flashes forward to Gabriel and Negan surrounded by Walkers in the trailer. Negan jumps Gabriel, but he helps him up and they start to talk. Negan says that Rick will get people killed. Negan admits he kills people, but he doesn’t “get them killed,” and there’s a difference. He adds that he saw Gabriel try to help Gregory during the attack an asks why he’d help someone who betrayed him. “What I fear is a fruitless death,” Gabriel says. Negan thinks that’s ridiculous. But Gabriel says he now thinks his purpose is to take Negan’s confession.
Negan wants to wait in the trailer until his people figure something out. He claims that if his people think he’s dead, though, a lot of people in the Sanctuary will die. Negan also says he has nothing to confess to Gabriel. Then he asks why Gabriel became a priest. Gabriel loves God and people and wanted to bring them together and help people. Negan likes to help people too and always has helped people. For example, he stops people from dying in the Sanctuary.
Gabriel asks how else Negan helped people in the past. He worked with kids before the zombie apocalypse. Negan claims both kids and adults are weak and need to be shown the way. Gabriel says Negan’s weak for killing the innocent. Negan says he agrees he is weak, but it’s not because he kills the innocent. The question, according to Negan, isn’t, “Why are you weak?” but rather, “How are you weak?” He also says he’s strong too. You need to use your weaknesses to draw your strength. For example, he built up the Sanctuary. The last guy who was in charge let people be weak, but Negan makes people strong. In fact, he’s naming Gabriel his new special project and he’ll make him strong. Gabriel says he’s strong and admits he killed people at the satellite station.
Then Gabriel asks Negan to tell him how he’s weak and to give his confession. But Negan doesn’t feel bad when Gabriel brings up the fact that he’s killed people and treated his workers basically as slaves. Negan does get upset, though, when Gabriel brings up his wives and asks if there was a first wife. He kind of freaks out.
Of course, there’s still the problem of being surrounded by Walkers. Negan tells Gabriel they have Lucille, a gun and each other, so they need to work together to get back to the Sanctuary. Gabriel then admits his greatest sin: locking his congregation out of his church during the zombie apocalypse. Now he works to lessen his failure. And he’s offering Negan absolution. Gabriel says he’ll go with Negan to the Sanctuary if he gives his confession.
Finally, Negan talks about his first and only real wife. He lied to her and cheated on her while she was sick. She died during the zombie apocalypse and he couldn’t “put her down.” “That is how I was weak. That is what I will confess,” he says. So Gabriel agrees to escape with him, and Negan punches him before they leave. Then they disguise themselves with Walker guts and head out.
Finally, they make their way outside and walk amongst the Walkers. It doesn’t take too long before they’re fighting and shooting their way out, though. There are just so many Walkers.
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Will Dwight’s Betrayal Be Revealed?
With Negan gone, his inner circle meets. Regina thinks Negan’s dead, while Simon reminds them that they’re all Negan. So they try to come up with a plan to get out of the Sanctuary. Regina wants to use some workers as a distraction to get a team out so they can get help from the outposts, but Eugene says that won’t work. Plus, there are too many workers who can rise up. They start bickering.
But then one Savior pipes up, saying that the bigger problem is that they have a mole who let the attack happen. So they decide to find the mole and kill him slowly. It looks like most of them think it’s Eugene, but we all know it’s Dwight.
Later, Eugene goes to see Dwight in his room, carrying a jar of pickles. He thanks Dwight for siding with him during the argument with the inner circle earlier, and he gives him the pickles because they will “find a way out of this pickle.” He goes to pick up one of Dwight’s toy soldiers, but Dwight was painting it and it still has wet red paint on it.
Then Eugene goes back to his room to play video games, but the power goes out.
Negan Returns
Later, the inner circle meets again and finds out that their outposts are gone, thanks to Rick. A woman comes in, though, and says there’s a problem with the workers. They’ve all gathered outside their office. Simon goes out and yells at them and says they need to stay on the factory level, but one worker says it’s too hot down there, they need the power back and they need water. A fight almost breaks out. The deal was they work for protection, and it’s not working anymore. They start demanding to know where Negan is. So Regina shoots a woman and declares that she’s Negan.
Suddenly, they hear Negan’s whistle and they all bow down. Negan’s back! And he’s pissed. He swears he’s not dying until he’s ready. And he needs to talk to his right-hand man about what’s going on around here. Then they’ll get back to doing what they do beset: saving people. “Thank you, Negan. Thank god for you,” one woman cries out while Gabriel looks on horrified. Negan has some men take Gabriel to a cell.
Negan then meets with his inner circle. They discover that their armory has been robbed and they know that one of them has to be helping. Eugene notices that there’s red paint on the gun they reclaimed. It’s the same paint from Dwight’s toy! Now the question is, will Eugene rat him out?
Later, Negan asks to talk to Eugene alone. He basically threatens Eugene. Eugene then goes to bring Gabriel a pillow and welcome him to the Sanctuary. Gabriel doesn’t answer, so Eugene goes inside the cell to find an incredibly sick Gabriel. Eugene says he’ll get Gabriel to Dr. Carson. Gabriel realizes that’s Maggie’s doctor and says they have to get him out of there.
Will Rick and Daryl’s Bromance Come to an End?
Rick and Daryl approach the surviving Savior from the car crash. The Savior claimed that all the other Saviors at his outpost died. Eventually, he dies too.
Daryl and Rick then make their way to the car to get the weapons. They find explosives, and Daryl is stoked. He wants to blow open the Sanctuary and let the Walkers in so the Saviors will surrender, but Rick’s worried about the innocent workers and families inside the Sanctuary. Daryl suggests that they use the south side of the building where the workers don’t go, but Rick doesn’t want to risk it. Plus, the Saviors might not surrender. Then they’ll have to fight and they don’t even have the Kingdom anymore. Daryl doesn’t care and starts to walk off with the explosives, and he and Rick get into a huge fight over it. At some point, though, the car blows up, taking the explosives and weapons with it. So that whole mission was pointless.
Rick then finds that his car won’t start. He and Daryl are still pissed at each other, so Daryl rides his bike and Rick walks off in different directions.
As he’s walking, Rick sees a helicopter. He looks totally confused, as am I. Rick then makes his way to the Scavengers.
Do you think Eugene will rat Dwight out? Will he help Dr. Carson get away? What was with that helicopter? Will Rick and Daryl make up? And what does Rick want with the Scavengers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The Walking Dead season 8 airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on AMC. Want more news? Like our Walking Dead Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of AMC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
