'The Walking Dead' Recap: 'The King, the Widow, and Rick'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

The more I think about it, the more I’ve come to realize that season eight of The Walking Dead has been quite the harrowing journey. After all, we’ve said goodbye to plenty of good people in unexpected fashion. We’ve seen suffering and we’ve seen pain, all in the name of a better tomorrow, and as I settled in to watch last night’s episode, with the ominous teaser to this tale still fresh in my mind, I was expecting more of the same. 
 
However, as it turns out, ‘The King, The Widow, and Rick’ was nothing like I expected to be. Instead of another hour filled to the brim with dark moments and commentary on our humanity, this tale ended up being quite the uplifting affair. One that actually managed to find beauty in the midst of war and one that left me feeling quite hopeful when all is said and done. But of course, it wouldn’t be The Walking Dead if the show didn’t toy with us just a little bit, and at first it really did seem like things might take a turn for the worse.
 
Because this episode reintroduced us to the mysterious Heapsters and they returned to the storyline simply because, Rick Grimes knew that in order to maintain the upper hand in this war, he needed them to turn their backs on Negan and join his cause and Rick pleaded his case to them in bold and foreboding fashion since the Heapsters basically received a simple ultimatum from the man; join us or die. But alas, his request wasn’t taken seriously in the slightest and not only did Jadis refuse it outright, she locked Rick up as well. 
 
In addition to that little mess, it seemed as though serious trouble was brewing in the Hilltop as well. Because despite Jesus’ best efforts to keep his prisoner’s safe, the mood inside the complex was grim, and execution was on everyone’s mind and the dark clouds only continued to gather as Gregory worked to convince Maggie to put the prisoners down and the hammering noises everyone heard in the night added to some serious tension. But as it turns out, Maggie had the high road in mind and had a makeshift prison put together overnight in order to keep the Saviors there for the time being, and Gregory too for that matter, and while this decision wasn’t the purest in the end (more on that later), it kicked off a series of uplifting moments. 

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​Because while Maggie wrestled with her tough decision, Carol took matters into her own hands inside the Kingdom, since the King was destitute over his decimated army and well…it was simply beautiful and tear jerking to see Carol push her way into the King’s chambers and confront him in proper fashion. She did her best to lift him up and point out the fact that he inspired people to do more and to be more and that his loyal subjects needed that now more than ever and that like it or not, he had no choice in the matter. He had to push the pain surging through him to the side for greater good, and whether or not the King will rise from the ashes has yet to be seen, but Carol definitely gave him some magnificent words to ponder upon.
 
But perhaps the most uplifting moment of the night, came by way of Carl Grimes who once more ventured out into the world to try and help the mystery man he met in the season premiere and wouldn’t you know it? He found the man, who revealed his named to be Siddiq, and in classic throwback fashion by way of the Three Questions, Carl offered Siddiq a chance at a fresh start in Alexandria and really, this was just wonderful to see because this is what Rick and the Alliance are fighting for. A better tomorrow, one where every life matters and where people are willing to go the extra mile to make sure their friends and neighbors get to see another sunrise and I love the fact that Carl is seeing this and that, he’s not alone in understanding what’s at stake, especially considering the dark way that this episode ended. 
 
I call it dark, simply due to the fact that not everyone in this tale had a better future in mind. After all, while Maggie did do the right thing, she revealed the that the prisoners in her stead might serve the Hilltop best as ‘bargaining chips’ down the road and that once their lives no longer had a beneficial purpose, the time would come to put them down, prompting Aaron and Enid to head off to apparently make something happen to help them win the war and ensure that these people don’t have to die, and to complicate matters further, Rick is still imprisoned in a world of junk and Daryl and Tara are ready to exact their revenge upon Negan, regardless of Rick’s wishes and all of that spells great trouble.
 
But in the meantime, this was a lovely break from the horrors of war. It was nice to see everyone have a chance to catch their breath, and reflect upon their losses and grieve properly, if only for a moment, and more importantly, it was wonderful to feel a sense of hope for the first time in a long time when it comes to this series. It really seems as though there’s a chance for a better tomorrow, but before we can see it or even remotely get to it, this war still has to be won and we will have to wait another week to see how Rick gets out of his mess, so that he can hopefully put an end to this bloody conflict. Until next time.

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