Season 8, Episode 7
Eugene is at a crossroads when he ponders how to save the Sanctuary, while Daryl's rogue group reconsiders their course.
- The Bus Came Back: Tanya, one of Negan's wives, and Mark, the guy who got half his face burned like Dwight, are seen again at the Sanctuary. Tanya has been making deals with Eugene in exchange of wine and chews up Eugene for not moving against Negan. Mark appears briefly, helping Laura barricade a door.
- Call-Back:
- Once again, Morgan is situated on a high area with a sniper rifle. But instead of taking down walkers, he is taking down Saviors lurking at the Sanctuary's windows.
- Negan personally tasked Eugene with finding a way out of the siege in "The Big Scary U".
- Character Development: Rosita has learned her lesson about letting her desire for revenge dictate her actions, and definitively refuses to take part in Daryl, Tara and Morgan's plan to drive a truck through the Sanctuary wall.
- Continuity Nod:
- Eugene brings up his Groin Attack on Dwight in Season 6's "Twice As Far".
- Rick is pitted against another armored walker, as he was in Season 7's "New Best Friends".
- Eugene is tasked with re-arming the Saviors' ammunition supplies, as he was specifically recruited for that reason in "Hearts Still Beating".
- The events of "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" are heavily referenced.
- Rosita and Eugene both remember Sasha's death. Eugene finds the coffin she died in as well as the iPod he lent her.
- Jadis is still lusting after Rick, as in that episode, she asked to have sex with him after the battle.
- Jadis also tries to haggle Rick for more supplies, but this time, Rick is unwilling to entertain it. Jadis tried to haggle with Negan in that episode but quickly found the Savior leader just as unamused.
- Driven to Suicide: By the end of the episode, Eugene is attempting to drink himself to death after having crossed the Despair Event Horizon.
- Epic Fail: The Sanctuary has done such a poor job rationing their seemingly endless supplies of food and water that after only a day or two of siege at the most, they’re about to run out.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: The Scavengers agree to help Rick's resistance in exchange for a fourth of the Saviors' bounty, but lord knows how they'll honor this deal, especially when they discover that Rick's plan is not going as he told them.
- Insistent Terminology: Eugene refuses to acknowledge Rick, Rosita and the others as his friends, insistent they were just traveling companions to distance himself from the notion that he has betrayed them.
- It's All About Me: Eugene eventually comes to admit this is his guiding philosophy, that now, all that matters is his own survival.
- Kick the Dog: Joining the Saviors entirely is one thing, but Eugene giving his It's All About Me Motive Rant to the terminally ill Gabriel Stokes is a new low.
- Oh, Crap!: Rick's look when he sees the Sanctuary is no longer surrounded by walkers.
- Orcus on His Throne: Negan spends the episode in the conference room, giving orders to Eugene. When the walkers penetrate the Sanctuary, he remains in the room while his lieutenants are the ones who deal with the undead.
- Pet the Dog: Negan is extremely nice to Eugene in this episode, in an effort to motivate him to formulate an escape plan.
- Redemption Rejection: Despite the pleas of Father Gabriel and the admonishment of both Dwight and Tanya, Eugene decides to solidify his Face–Heel Turn, deciding that he doesn't care about Rick's group at all anymore after Daryl crashes a truck through the Sanctuary, allowing the walkers to enter and got some people killed.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Rosita and Michonne both opt out of the assault on the Sanctuary, deeming it a terrible idea.
- Shout-Out: With Rick facing getting eaten by a walker, he once again tells Jadis to join him or die, similar to what Luke does with Jabba in Return of the Jedi.
- Villainesses Want Heroes: Jadis demands that she get the opportunity to sculpt Rick while he poses naked for her after they triumph over Negan and the Saviors. Yeesh.
- We Used to Be Friends: Eugene consistently refers to Rick's group as simply his former traveling companions when questioned on his willingness to side with Negan.
- Wham Shot: The end of the episode reveals that thanks to Eugene, the Sanctuary has been cleared of Walkers.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite being trapped in the Sanctuary, Gavin and Simon do not appear in the episode.
- Zombie Infectee: Gabriel was infected from his Covered in Gunge stint and Dr. Carson says his prognosis is bleak.
