Season 8, Episode 12
Simon and Maggie take action to secure the future of their communities, while Rick has it out with Negan.
- Berserk Button: Rick and Negan's buttons are both pressed. Rick's is pressed when he sees Negan is in the Savior convoy, and he immediately springs into action. Later, upon hearing his beloved Lucille is in Rick's hands, Negan has his pressed and it rouses him out of his funk to finally fight back.
- Big Good: Georgie seems to be the leader of a larger community. She's benevolent enough that in the end she gives Maggie her plans for medieval technology as well as food in exchange for just the vinyl records as oppose to the three crates of food she wanted to trade for information after seeing the state of the Hilltop.
- Call-Back:
- Simon massacred the Scavengers, leaving Jadis as the only survivor, in "The Lost and the Plunderers".
- Daryl reflects on his attack on the Sanctuary in "Time for After", and also alludes to his fight with Rick in "The Big, Scary U".
- Enid tells Michonne how she killed Natania in "How It's Gotta Be".
- Car Fu: Rick uses his vehicle as a weapon against Negan to great effect.
- Canon Foreigner: Georgie, Hilda and Midge do not appear, at present, to be anyone from the comics.
- The Chains of Command: Maggie seriously considers taking Georgie's supplies by force in order to feed the Hilltop as their reserves are running low. She doesn't like it one bit, but she admits she may have to because her people are starving.
- Continuity Nod:
- Rick visits the graves of Glenn and Abraham, who perished in Season 7's "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be".
- Enid, Michonne, and Maggie all debate the merits of hoping things will just "work out". The argument was previously pondered by Carol, Lizzie, and Mika during Season 4.
- Simon and Dwight discuss how the latter lost his wife to Negan and his branding, which occurred offscreen during Season 6.
- Cynicism Catalyst: Carl's death has become this for Enid.
- Dragon Ascendant: Simon takes command of the Saviors war party after Negan goes MIA.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Negan is shaken to learn that Simon disobeyed him and slaughtered the Scavengers.
- Internal Reveal: Negan learns that Simon defied his orders and massacred all the Scavengers, save for Jadis.
- Ironic Echo: When Negan throws his speech about how Rick failed to protect Carl and his people at him, Rick retaliates by saying Negan can't protect Lucille, the one thing he cares about.
- Knowledge Broker: Georgie seems to be one, offering information in exchange for supplies and music records.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The lighter Rick uses to light Lucille on fire previously belonged to Glenn, who was killed by Negan using Lucille.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Dwight is disturbed when Simon rouses the Saviors to wipe out the Hilltop.
- No-One Could Have Survived That: Discussed in regards to Negan. When Simon sees smears of blood on the windshield of Negan's wrecked car, he immediately declares it was probably Negan's. Dwight points out that it might've been from the barrel of guts Negan had brought along with him. Simon insists that even if they Never Found the Body, it doesn't mean that Negan is alive. When Simon gets Dwight to follow him in abandoning Negan, he makes sure to cover his bases and says that while Negan is MIA and presumably dead, he may turn up okay, but they're still going to follow Simon's lead for now.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: While Negan has been in dangerous situations before, he's more visibly distressed during this episode knowing that Rick is hunting him with a vengeance. He even offers Rick a better tribute deal (at the cost of Rick becoming his new janitor, anyway), and sounds positively vulnerable when he demands Rick leave Lucille alone.
- Pet the Dog: Desperate, Negan offers Rick a new deal in which AHK falls back under his control, but Negan will lower his order to taking a quarter of the slave states' supplies as opposed to half. Aaaand then it's subverted when Negan demands that in exchange, Rick must become his new personal janitor.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Rick gives one to Negan, telling him that his empire would've never lasted forever, and that he would've met someone like him eventually. Rick also says that no one cares about Negan because he doesn't care about anybody besides Lucille, he just uses people.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: Jadis has ditched the dark, madmaxesque clothing she wore as leader of the Scavengers for a more regular, if still hipstery, tartan shirt.
- The Starscream: Simon neglects to warn Negan about an oncoming vehicle heading straight for him, and takes his sweet time in looking for his boss. Then, Simon openly asks Dwight to help him abandon Negan, so he can lead the Saviors to slaughter their enemies. Dwight considers it and decides to go along with it, burning Negan's wrecked car.
- Those Two Gals: Midge and Hilda, Georgie's companions and bodyguards, have similar appearances and speech patterns, as they are twin sisters.
- Title Drop: Georgie offers Maggie "The Key to a Future", handrawn plans and schematics for mills, aqueducts and other examples of Middle Ages technology.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Enid argues for taking Georgie's supplies and then leave her and her two companions to fend for themselves.
- Villainous BSoD: Negan begins to have one, as he's forced to flee and hide from Rick like an animal, and after he learns Simon slaughtered the Scavengers.
- Wham Shot: The end shows Negan alive after fleeing his fight with Rick but has been kidnapped by Jadis.
