Alright, Alexandria. It's finally time to go to war.
With the season seven finale now less than a week away, AMC's The Walking Dead is finally on the cusp of one of the signature storylines from the comic books: "All-Out War," a 12-issue event focusing on Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) finally casting aside all niceties in favor of settling their differences on the battlefield. The back half of season seven, labeled "Rise Up," has been building to this moment, and it looks like it's finally about to arrive, given the events of Sunday's penultimate episode, "Something They Need."
"We stand before you three communities united, saying to you and your people — no more," Rick shouts at Negan. "We will not give you our supplies, we will not bow to your will. Those days are over. But there doesn't need to be violence, we don't have to fight over this. I feel like we'd all prefer not to. We're giving you a chance to surrender. We know you have children inside and people who are not a part of this ... who are not Saviors, who have not attacked or killed anyone. Those people will be spared, their lives can continue as they are."
"Once, a long time ago, I made a rule … I think maybe it's time to finally stick to it," Rick replies, before delivering the stone-cold answer: "You kill and you die."
Needless to say, Negan's not exactly on board with forging a truce through his own death. He has a different plan in mind for how to deal with the gathered Alexandrian, Kingdom and Hilltop forces. Once again, here's a picture, this time with Negan's not-quite-thousand words:
Will the show follow the same exact path as the comics? History says no. When it comes to the big moments, the show often sticks close to the comic book script, but with its own distinct flourishes. See: Negan killing Abraham before killing Glenn, when Glenn was his only victim of that moment in the books.
What's more, Rick and the crew finally have all the guns in the world they need, thanks to their trip to Oceanside. They have willing fighters at the Kingdom and the Hilltop, as well as the promise of even more able-bodied soldiers in the form of the Garbage People. Will we see Rick rally the troops and march right up to Negan's home turf before the season finale ends? It's certainly one way to end a season and start a war with the same single shot.
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