The Walking Dead Monday

Reviewing: TWD: Season 7: Episode 9: Rock in the Road

SPOILERS AHEAD! If you have not watched or don't want to know what happened, STOP reading now. 

We are back people! We are back!!!!! Let's get straight to it. 

Tonight's episode starts with Gabriel at Alexandria taking watch. He hears a sound and turns to go to it. He goes into the room with the supplies and guns and we hear a crash. Gabriel is shoving food into a container and looking through a book. He takes knives and guns too. He loads them all into a car and drives off. As he drives away, we see someone pop up in the back seat.* Back at Hilltop, Gregory is bitching to Rick that this is not what they agreed too. He won't give him anything. Gregory does not agree with Rick on joining forces. They keep arguing and Gregory says he doesn't have a problem, that they do. Rick and crew leave when Enid comes in and tells them to come outside. A few people from Hilltop are out there and want to join them. Maggie talks to them and tells them they can believe in that they will win against Negan. They say it's not enough and they need more people. Jesus wants to introduce the group to King Ezekiel.* An SUV pulls up to an abandoned place and Rick, Jesus, and Daryl get out. Richard and another guy come out on horses and want to know what they want. Jesus tells them he wants to request to see King E. Richard tells the whole crew to come out of the SUV and they pile out. He says that King E is busy but they ask again to see him. They want to come together. Richard says the SUV stays put and they must hand over their guns. They do so. They follow Richard. Richard and Jesus chat about coming there and Jesus mentions how Richard never smiles and how that might change today. The group is lead through town and they see how they live. Tara sees Morgan and he comes over, happy to see them. Richard tells them that King E is ready to see them. They ask Morgan about Carol and he tells them the story of what happened to her and where she is. Daryl looks upset that he missed her. Rick and crew finally meet King E and Shiva. Jesus introduces them and wants to know why they are there. Rick tells him how the three communities have something in common. How The Saviors take from them. King E is mad at Jesus for telling Rick about them. Rick tells King E he wants their help in fighting Negan. They thought it was something they could deal with but they can't anymore. He has brutally killed their people and Morgan ask who. Rosita tells him who. Richard joins Rick's side in trying to convince the King to join together. King E ask Morgan what his thoughts are. Morgan says that a lot of people will die but if they could find another way, like capturing Negan, maybe that could work. King E says he has much to ponder. Rick tells a story about his mom and how there was a rock in the road and how people would ignore it but horses would break their legs on it, wooden wheels would break, people wouldn't survive if their buggy broke. His mom wondered why that rock was still there and started digging it out till her hands bleed. When she was going to fill it up, she saw a bag of gold in that hole. The King had put that there saying that whoever dug it up, would be rewarded. King E likes the story and invites them all to supper and that they should stay the night. He will deliver his thoughts in the morning. * Benjamin goes wondering in the woods by himself and comes across Carol. Carol ask the Ben why he didn't run away when he thought she was a walker and he said he was trying to train, to step up. He carries food and water in case he comes across someone who needs help. She tells him heel toe and to bend at the knees, she heard him from a mile away. Ben is now at home with his little brother and King E is saying a bed time story to his brother. Ben and King chat for a little bit and he tells him he saw Carol. Ben tells King he thinks they need to go with Rick because if we turn them away and they can't win, they won't save us and they wouldn't have anything. If you want to be a hero, be one. That they are ready. They hug and King thanks him for his thoughts. The next morning Rick's crew is walking through town to meet up with King E. King explains how he wanted to expand, to make more places like this. But he lost people by sending them into battle. Rick says this is different. Daryl tells King he doesn't act like a King. The King says what they have with The Saviors is peace, sort of and he wants to hold on to that. The King does offer Daryl a safe place to live since Negan doesn't step foot inside the walls and Daryl ask him how long do you think that will last and walks off. The rest of the group joins him. Richard wants to go with Rick and says they have to get together or Negan will always be in charge. Rick tells Daryl to stay. He wants him to talk to King and to be safe. The doors close behind Rick as Daryl stands there. * The SUV pulls up to to a blocked road and they get out to move the cars and then move them back so The Saviors don't know they are there. Michonne calls Rick over to look at something. He takes the binoculars and sees a bomb strapped to the road, attached to a wire that crosses the road, for walkers. Rick says they need to learn how to disarm it before they take it. Rosita takes a look at it. They hear over the walkie talkie that Jesus took from Negan's crew that Negan has noticed that Daryl is gone and they need to go look for him. They realize they need to get home before Negan comes. Rosita is able to disable the bomb and they get to work on getting it apart to take it. They notice a bunch of walkers coming towards them so they hurry up. They need to create a distraction to lure them the other way. Rick and Michonne get two cars started and start honking the horns and driving to get the walkers attention. The wire that was between the two cars is still attached and cuts all the walkers in two that were in the way. Michonne and Rick then make a run for it to the SUV and make it and they drive away. They look back and one of the dynamites they didn't take, explodes, killing even more walkers. Rick looks a little stressed and Michonne assures them that they can make it, that they did make it. * They make it back to Alexandria just in time for Negan's crew to come. Rick ask why they are there, that they are early. Negan's men say they are looking for Daryl and Rick plays dumb. Negan's men want to search the place and look for him and kill him in front of everyone. They search the whole town, destroying everything. They come across the food and guns place and notice it was empty. They cover their asses and Negan's crew leaves. After the gate closes, Rick wants to know what happened to the pantry. They tell him about Gabriel and how everything was cleared out after he went missing. Rick doesn't want to believe it and neither does Michonne. Rosita thinks he did it on purpose. * They go to Gabriel's house and look around. They notice he left his bible and a journal. The last page says Boat and they realize he left a clue to where he went. Aaron ask Rick, how does Gabriel know they were at the boat and Rick isn't sure. Aaron is packing up to go when his partner comes in and ask him if he's leaving. He says yes and his partner doesn't agree to what Rick is doing. He leaves anyways with Rick to look for Gabriel. Rick notices foot tracks that lead to abandoned trailers. They search the area and a big group of people come out of hiding and surround them with guns. Instead of being scared, Rick smiles. 

Main points of this week show: 

• Ok I will start with the obvious. Who the hell was that large group at the end? It seems that we find out next week.
• I know why Rick was smiling. More people he can get on their side to go against Negan! Especially people who can hide that well. Especially people with guns.....something they are lacking majorly! 
• So smart of them to leave Daryl with King E. He is much safer there and if he only knew how close he was to Carol, it would make him happy. And I don't think Negan would ever think Daryl would go there. Plus Daryl has a way with people, even if it's one liners and those eyes, leaving him there to see if he can change King's mind was smart. 
• It is becoming clear that getting people to go against Negan isn't going to be easy. Gregory wanted no part of it and neither did King E. I don't know if they are weak or smart or what. 
• That was probably to coolest clothesline scene ever! I mean I have no idea the body count in that one scene, but it was epic. And then the bomb going off in the end after they left, just a cherry on top. 

Feel free to leave comments, thoughts and/or ideas on what you liked, loved, hated or think might happen. 


*=commercial break