BWW Recap: The Merry Wives of Negan on THE WALKING DEAD

Not really sure what we did to deserve all these extra long episodes this season, but I'm not going to be the one to complain. We were chock full of information in this penultimate (is that possible?) episode for the first half of Season Seven tonight.

Let's start with the Alexandrians:

• Michonne - Not willing to sit still and obey Rick's orders, she finds herself out on the road. She is able to trap a Savior into taking her to Negan.

• Spencer - The resident wank manages to go on a run with Father Gabriel and confesses his "sins" including how much he hates Rick and hopes he dies. Father Gabriel (yes, you read that correctly) tells him that his feelings aren't a sin, but he is being a total dick. Spencer... when GABRIEL is telling you that you're being an idiot, take a long look in the mirror. Spencer is able to be kind of useful as he discovers a walker with a list (in Latin?) of where to locate supplies

• Rosita and Eugene are on a mission of their own. Rosita wants some bullets and Eugene, still overwrought with emotion, isn't on board with her plan. Rosita does some serious down-talking to Eugene and bullies him into making her a bullet. She does apologize after he makes it for her, but he will not accept her apology.

• Rick and Aaron are out finding supplies when they come across a private property with a whole bunch of trespassing signs to boot. Even though the owner, a one Leslie William Starton, seems to have perished, his lair is hidden well behind a pond filled with walkers.

• And Jesus, who is still in the truck with Carl, decides that leaving a trail of maple syrup will help him find the Sanctuary when he leaps out of the truck. He does so expecting Carl to follow suit. Carl does not. Even Jesus is impressed.

And that brings us to Carl, possibly the bravest of them all. Carl stays in the truck until they arrive at what is apparently a factory doubling as the Sanctuary. Carl grabs a gun and takes out a few Saviors until Negan is brought to him. Negan is very impressed with Carl and takes him on a tour (much to Daryl's chagrin). He even introduces him to his wives (yes, that's plural) including a young blonde one named, Amber ,who is having trouble accepting her new position and really wants to get back with her husband, Mark. Sherry and Negan are able to remind her of her duties and all is well... right? Nope! Cue the iron! Yes, poor Mark becomes the next victim of a hot iron to the face, ala Dwight, as punishment for his wife's actions.

Negan continues to show Carl around and encourages him to remove his bandages. Vulnerable, Carl obliges as Negan coaxes him to sing a song and tell him about Lori. Carl finally confronts Negan about his intentions and Negan admits he hasn't killed Daryl because he is training him to be a good soldier. He hasn't killed Rick because Rick is a good resource, but he hasn't decided Carl's fate yet. He decides to return Carl to Alexandria. Upon doing so, he orders Daryl back to solitary where someone passes Daryl a note with the words, "Go Now!"

Back in Alexandria, Carl gives Negan a tour of their home where he is able to express misogyny to Olivia who happily slaps his face. (Too bad Negan likes it rough). He also is introduced to Judith who he immediately adores and fawns all over. He sits and waits for Rick to return.

So there is a lot of setup for the mid-season finale next week, but will anything actually resolve? Have we had our fill of violent deaths for the first part of the season or will they break our hearts once more? I do not read the comic books, but I do know that Carl and Negan have a lengthy relationship, so I am interested to see how that pans out.

I can't be alone on this, but does anyone else really love Negan? Sure, he's vile and disgusting and everything that's bad about men, but he's also quite charming. And by he, I mean Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Not sure there has ever been better casting in the history of this show.

I am still incredibly interested in the Dwight/Sherry/Daryl dynamic and to see how that plays out.

Regardless, after a violent and heart-wrenching season premiere, Season Seven has given us a very slow burn in introducing other camps such as the Kingdom and Oceanside and spoiling us with character explorations. But, I have watched this show way too long to know that this only means they are setting us up for something big. Will it happen next week? How is it the finale already?

Here's a preview for next week's mid-season finale:

Photo Credit: AMC

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