Surrender

If there’s one thing we learned from the newest episode of The Walking Dead, it’s that Rick is not in charge.  He serves Negan, and as a result, all of Alexandria serves Negan, at least that is what he’s hoping for.  But it turns out that there are a few residents of Alexandria that have different plans.

“Service” begins with, well, service.  Negan and his men roll up to the gates of Alexandria early, ready to collect their offering in exchange for nobody being killed.  They take whatever pleases them: mattresses, furniture, weapons.  In fact, it is weapons or the lack thereof, that gets them into trouble.  Two handguns are missing from the armory, and if they aren’t found Olivia will be killed.

A meeting is called in the chapel, and Rick admits that he considered hiding a few of the guns but realized that it was too dangerous.  No matter how many bullets they have, it won’t be enough.  They cannot beat Negan and The Saviors, and Rick isn’t in charge anymore.  When nobody fesses up to the crime, a massive search takes place, and Rick eventually finds the two handguns hidden in a floor vent along with booze and food.

Meanwhile, the women of the group aren’t quite as willing to give in to Negan’s rule.  Michonne has a sniper rifle hidden in the fireplace, and she escapes outside of the walls for some target practice.  She may be good with her katana, but not so much with a rifle, hitting a deer instead of the walker she was aiming for.  Rosita has a similar idea to Michonne, and when she and Spencer are recruited by Dwight to retrieve Daryl’s bike that is hidden along the train tracks, she takes the opportunity to kill several walkers all for the sake of recovering a single gun.

By the time Rosita and Spencer make it back home, Negan and The Saviors are leaving.    Michonne hides out in one of the burnt houses outside of the gates, and when Rick catches a glimpse of her, he excuses himself from Negan’s presence and goes to her.  He wants the rifle that she has to give to Negan.  It’s too dangerous to hide it from him, and Rick sees this as an opportunity to gain Negan’s trust.  Giving Negan the rifle does solidify his rule over Rick, and it shows that Rick is capable of following Negan’s rules.

When the Saviors leave, and Rick and Michonne are left alone in their house to make their new beds (which consist of blankets since their mattresses have been taken), Rick tells Michonne that he is doing this to keep people alive.  They have to accept this new version of life, and Michonne says that she will try.  Her promise doesn’t last long, though, because she’s right back out in the field where she had been practicing earlier, and her discovery of their burnt mattresses only fuels her anger.  Rosita seems to be on the same page as her, though, because she goes to Eugene and asks him to make bullets.

“Service” was all about Negan proving his dominance over Rick, and by the end of the episode there is no doubt that Rick has broken.  Alexandria had once been a safe place for them, but those days are gone, and if they want any semblance of safety, they have to follow a new set of rules.  But just as in weeks prior, the episode left viewers with a sense of hope.  Yes, Rick may be willing to surrender, but Michonne and Rosita aren’t.  They are prepared to fight back.  Leave it to the women to step up in times of trouble.

Bullets:

• Okay, can we cut the monologs? One or two monologs is fine, but literally, a 90-minute episode with so many long monologs seemed a little much.  Quite honestly, this episode was weak in comparison to previous episodes.  Not a lot happened.
• Virginia is for lovers, but nobody was feeling the love in that episode.
• Has Judith actually grown?!
• Speaking of Judith, Rick just confirmed that he doesn’t think Judith is his. What do you think?  Is Judith Rick’s daughter or Shane’s?
• Carl has some serious nerve. That is one brave kid.  Not only did he threaten one of the Saviors but he threatened Negan.
• They created a fake grave for Maggie and are pretending that she’s dead. Sooner or later Negan will probably find out that she’s alive…I wonder how that will turn out.
• Enid is finally out of the closet! I repeat, Enid is finally out of the closet!
• The Saviors need to stop harassing women. It’s disgusting.  We know that Negan has wives and he isn’t the best with the ladies, but apparently that goes for his men, too.
• Rick needs to put on his murder coat again because I am not liking this new Rick Grimes.
• Where in the world are Heath and Tara? We haven’t seen them since “No Tomorrow Yet,” the twelfth episode of season 6.