SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the Season 8 finale of The Walking Dead, entitled “Wrath,” the final showdown between Rick and Negan. Proceed with caution.
The seasons-long, all-out war between Rick Grimes’ Militia and Negan’s Saviors finally ended Sunday night.
It seemed like the Saviors had the upper hand, after Negan uncovered Dwight’s treachery and let a fake map slip into Rick’s hands.
The Saviors split into two forces: one headed to Hilltop, and another — lead by Negan — to ambush Rick’s group.
Rick’s group was surrounded by the Saviors in an open field. As they prepared to shoot upon the Militia, all of their guns backfired — Eugene sabotaged all their bullets. Many Saviors were killed, and others had their hands and faces injured.
Rick’s group seized the opportunity, taking out or capturing the Savior survivors. With his hand badly injured, Negan fled.
Meanwhile, Tara evacuated Hilltop as the second group of Saviors invaded. She led the civilians to the woods and headed back to give them extra time, where she was joined by the former Saviors they had taken captive.
They were about to engage the invaders when explosions rung out. The Oceanside women then appeared, lobbing Molotov cocktails in assistance.
Rick caught Negan and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. “You’re beat,” Rick taunted Negan.
“I’ll get out of it. I always do,” his archenemy replied. Negan still had Lucille and the upper hand, but Rick asked him for 10 seconds so that he could explain Carl’s dream.
As Negan was counting down, Rick slashed his throat, seemingly killing him. As Negan bled out, Rick said, “save him.” Maggie was irate and wanted to kill Negan for killing Glenn (who Negan admitted he chose on purpose, instead of killing Rick in front of Carl).
In the end, Rick gave the Savior survivors mercy, and helped them rebuild Sanctuary. Alden told Maggie he read Georgie’s book, “A Key to the Future,” to help build up the Hilltop (which suggests a time jump for Season 9). Daryl drove Dwight out to the woods to execute him (for Denise’s death), but instead gave him a set of car keys to find his wife, Sherry.
Morgan went to the junkyard and invited Jadis to come back to the community. She revealed her name, Anne.
The season ended ominously with Maggie, Jesus, and Daryl plotting against Rick and Michonne’s decision to keep Negan alive. Michonne and Rick interrogated their injured prisoner, telling Negan he would be an example.
Questions remain. Will Maggie and the others mutiny? Will Jadis/Anne join the community? And what happened the helicopter she was supposed to meet? And … how come Maggie never had a baby bump?
