This was posted by Sunday, March 19, 2017 by Rodney Ho on his AJC Radio & TV Talk
So much for the Thelma & Louise scenario.
Rosita was at first more determined to go in on a kamikaze mission to kill Negan eye to eye. Instead, Sasha locked Rosita out and went in herself - to certain death. "It's not your time," Sasha said. "They need you."
The whole situation was quixotic at best. What were the odds either of them or both of them could get to Negan? And from a story-telling perspective, killing off the big bad wolf at this point would be bizarre to say the least so there is no way they Sasha is going to be able to pull it off.
At best, she kills off a few of Negan's men and really raises his hackles. Negan will be on high alert and possibly revenge before Rick is ready to go. Even if Rosita returns alive, by going rogue, Rick will surely blow his top.
This episode had a few nice moments, not a lot of zombie action and too much of that stupid, conniving Gregory, who has yet to get his comeuppance. It was neither a terrible episode nor a terribly memorable one. A B/B-minus. It was more a set up for the start of the war in episodes 15 and 16.
What happened at the Hilltop since Rick left?
Not much. The show decided to summarize all that time in a five-minute, wordless montage up to the point Rosita showed up to team with Sasha. A group of Hilltop residents are prepping for war by testing their knife skills. Enid has become Maggie's primary caretaker, continuing duties from Alexandria. And Maggie is having trouble getting a guilty, heartbroken Daryl to talk to her.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
How has life changed for Jesus?
For the better since he met up with Rick's gang. We get a small amount of back story about him. He told Maggie he always felt like an outsider and spent more time scavenging for supplies and seeking recruits than spending time at the Hilltop. But now he feels like he has a purpose and has people he can truly trust. He never liked Gregory and there's a point where Gregory - sensing his leadership in danger and knowing Jesus was working with Maggie - actually says to Jesus that they are not friends. He also noted with a twinkle in his eye that he is, well, gay.
Will Enid squeal on Rosita and Sasha to Maggie?
She planned to do so after Jesus and Enid catch Sasha swiping some bullets and lying about it. But then the Saviors arrive unexpectedly.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Why were the Saviors there?
Negan had killed their previous doctor, courtesy of Dwight falsely accusing him on cheating with Sherry. So they needed another one. Off to the Hilltop Simon goes to "retrieve" Dr. Carson. Gregory does not object - as if he has any real leverage. Hey, at least the Saviors give him a case of aspirin in return! Take two and don't see any doctors in the morning!
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
What sort of "negotiation" did Gregory try on Simon?
Sniveling Gregory is such a sycophant, he is disappointed when Simon says he's into tequila now, not gin. (Fortunately, Gregory seems to have an endless supply of post-apocalyptic liquor.). After his doctor was taken away, Gregory pretended to show backbone by setting Simon aside to tell him his displeasure in the mildest way possible. Instead of asking for any real tangible favors that could help thee Hilltop, he implies there are problematic elements in his colony that might be trying to take his place. He asks Simon if they could help him get rid of such elements if need be. Simon gives him directions to Saviors home base if he needs any help. Gregory, to save his own hide, doesn't appear to mind taking down Maggie and her cohorts if he has to. Still, he isolates himself so much, he doesn't seem to know what's going on behind the scenes in any great detail so his leverage is limited.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Why didn't Daryl just go and kill the Savior in the basement pantry?
Daryl and Maggie hide in the pantry because the Saviors aren't supposed to know Daryl is there or that Maggie is even alive. While downstairs, a Savior picking out goods doesn't see them. But as he is leaving, Daryl makes a move to knife him. That would have caused serious problems so Maggie smartly holds him back.
Why does Maggie forgive Daryl?
Daryl has been burdened with heavy guilt over Glenn's death because after he lunged after Negan, Negan chose to kill Glenn instead. He felt like he was responsible for Glenn's death and avoided Maggie for that very reason. When she forces him to say something, he apologizes profusely. She doesn't accept his apology because she doesn't blame him at all. She just wants them to work together and take down the man truly responsible: Negan. Her kicker line: "Help me win!" They hug. That's a major burden off Daryl's shoulders.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
How useful is Rosita?
She is incredibly resourceful, as Sasha observed. She can hotwire a car, create a Molotov cocktail, play sharpshooter and create all sorts of cool rope knots. We get some back story about her, too. Pre apocalypse, she picked up various skills from boyfriends until she was better than they were at those particular skills. She would then dump then when she got bored. Abraham, though, was different. She loved him for sure. She blamed Sasha when Abraham moved on. But now she realizes that she really just wanted to tell Abraham before he died that she was happy he was happy. And she basically forgives Sasha, too, knowing one or both of them are probably going to die and she needs some closure. This is as vulnerable as Rosita has ever gotten and probably ever will.
Does Eugene really want to stay with Negan?
Yes. This is no con. He likes it there. He has a nice room, video games and power and respect he didn't have anywhere else as "chief engineer." For self preservation purposes, why not? As for loyalty, well, Rosita is understandably peeved at him. I'm surprised she didn't just shoot him when she could.
Why does Sasha trick Rosita?
She feels Rick's crew really needs Rosita for the war ahead, or even afterwards. At least she feels Rosita is more important than she is.
Why is Sasha willing to go it alone, even to her likely death?
Since we've seen her, she has lost her brother (Tyreese) and not just one, but TWO boyfriends (Bob Stookey and Abraham). She feels truly alone. Earlier, she wanted to kill Negan from afar, sniper style, with hopes of getting away. They try this route but they can't get a clear shot. So they go in. In the end, Sasha wants to be useful in a martyr sort of way. Stupid? Incredibly so. But there ya go.
What are the odds Sasha survives?
Pretty darn low. We don't know if she dies based on this episode but she has been cast on another TV show, a sure sign she's a goner. As noted, we can only hope she takes out a few key people, even if she doesn't kill Negan.
Who does Rosita see in the final moments of the episode?
Cliffhanger alert: she sees someone with a crossbow. Who is it? It's too shadowy. Is that Daryl? What will she do?
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