Pamela Milton is closing ranks. Part of that means rounding up everyone Eugene has ever spoken with. If you’ve so much as passed through Hilltop or Alexandria, you’re either on a bus or truck to a nearby black site for god knows what kind of torture she has lined up for you. Although put a pin in Alexandria. Because it ends up being important later on.
Spoiler alert for a trip to Alexandria.
1. Maggie gets the voice ov— HOLY CRAP WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT GUY’S FACE?!
While this episode’s flashbacks start out oddly Rick-centric, it soon becomes apparent that Maggie’s the star of the show this time around. Some of the moments they pick for her seem a little odd, since he appears in them more than she does. More so than Glenn and (older) Herschel for that matter too. Maybe they weren’t necessarily going for “moments” but for a general feel. You do get the sense that Maggie’s been through a lot to get her where she is today. That being the kind of person who can snap out of zip ties and roll a truck.
We cut to Maggie, who manages to pull the burlap off her hand and straight up hulk out of some zip ties. A guard conveniently fell asleep on the ride over (because of course), allowing for Maggie to escape, with Gabriel and Rosita making their way out too. And while her escape is violent, the driver seems particularly managled. There’s been a large amount of face ripping this season. Don’t know if that was just a cool new thing the makeup crew wanted to show off, but it’s been happening a bit more frequently. But we do get to see Maggie leaping into action upon remembering how little Herschel was snatched from her. And the longer this episode goes on, the more we realize Herschel wasn’t the only child separated from the group.
2. Gabriel and Rosita and a Train
Gabriel and Rosita end up together. Most of their time together is spent bickering over how to take on their attackers and rescue their son. Another missing kid in the episode. At least until they’re attacked by walkers. Gabriel and Rosita have had an odd relationship that mostly existed in the margins. So it was nice seeing them be able to play off each other. Also, there’s a train. They hear train noises. This episode will involve a train.
3. The Labor Camp
The labor camps are designed to be as dehumanizing as possible, with prisoners even calling each other by name strictly forbidden. You work all day, get fed gruel, then sleep. Any sort of comradely is brutally punishable. As is sitting for too long. Negan gets the baton for simply asking where his wife ended up, because only about half of the folks on the bus were sent to this particular camp. Plus the kids in question are still missing. To top it all off, the guards give us a speech about how camps like these are what make the Commonwealth work. And how much they’ll all grow as people or whatever. It’s almost too effective, clearly pulling from some of the uglier sides of history. But it certainly sets us up with a sense of urgency we’ll need to see the series out. Because as bad as the camp is, we still don’t know where the train goes.
Negan does manage to make his next unlikely team up, when he reaches out to Ezekiel. Ezekiel’s arc remains mostly the same, just transposed. It’s not that he doesn’t want to leave the Commonwealth for medical reasons (both for himself and others) anymore. He just doesn’t think he can escape because of how heavily guarded the camp is. Or at least how well hidden the rest of the guards are. But Negan appeals to his sense of hope.
4. Daryl and Carol are here too
Daryl and Carol are the emotional core of the story. Whereas Outpost 22 is an externalization of the Commonwealth’s attempts to shatter the humanity of its enemies, both Carol and Daryl remind us about the strength of unity. Carol reminds Maggie how the only reason they’ve survived this long is having each other. Rosita and Gabriel even join up around this time. There’s even a moment where Daryl has a heart to heart with a guard he brutally murders. Because after all, this was just a guy who joined up for a little extra money for his family. Gabriel even recognizes the guy from church and prays with him before he passes. This season hasn’t been the most subtle, but I do like how it’s contrasted the major themes of the season so vividly this episode.
5. The Train Job
While we’ve had the emotional climax of the episode, we do kind of need the actual climax. And there’s a train to catch. The trains moving very slowly and stopping for walkers along the way, so it’s not too much of a problem to hop aboard. So there may be a couple contrivances this episode, but I’m rolling with it. We’re treated to a nice action set piece seeing Maggie and the gang take control of the conveyance in question. But then we get the biggest twist in the episode, if not the season. Some of the more problematic prisoners are being moved to “Outpost 22,” according to a radio call (from surprise special guest Yvette Nicole Brown). You may recognize Outpost 22. It used to be called “Alexandria.” There’s three episodes left until the finale, so there’s no doubt things will only get worse from here. But if that kick to the gut is any indication, they’ll be wild ones.
