Reviewed by John Hussey.

Following the subjugation of Alexandria in last week’s episode, we come to another slower story, this time concentrating on Maggie and Sasha. Unlike “The Well” though we had more drive in this week’s episode, pushing the narrative forward rather than feeling like the series was sidestepping into filler.

I must admit that I have really enjoyed the character development this season. By having such a shocking opening story where two of the main characters were killed off, it’s given the rest of the characters a new sense of purpose and priority. I like how it’s beginning to separate them as they follow their own views on the new circumstances around them. In “Go Getters” we got to see how the Hilltop community was dealing with the aftermath of Rick’s failed agreement to stop the Saviors.

Gregory certainly proved to be a problem within this narrative, and a dangerous one at that. It was clear from his small appearance in Season Six that he was going to be trouble due to his arrogant personality. Another of his problems was his attitude in which he spoke very highly of himself like he was actually making a difference, as well as being rather condescending and sexist towards Maggie. This week we saw the foundation of that behaviour: cowardice. Gregory became even more dangerous because of this apparent trait and it truly threatened the safety of Maggie and Sasha.

It was obvious, given the opportunity that he would try and rat them out to the Saviors. I’m sure he would consider it for the beneficial of the community, but in reality it is to save his own skin. Also it was interesting watching the whole scene play out as Negan’s number-two guy, Simon, put Gregory in his place, even making the coward kneel before him. Gregory believed that the situation was handled well and that he is perfectly reasoning with the Saviors, but little does he know that they are playing him like the fool that he is. Along with that they are exploiting his weaknesses and using him to get what they want.

This played back into the return of Jesus. Now I will admit that I didn’t like his character very much to begin with, but I very quickly warmed up to him. Now he has well and truly found his footing and became a great character. I liked how he was so caring for Maggie and Sasha and willing to help them out in every way possible, even trying to persuade Gregory to do the right thing. The biggest pay-off was Jesus’ development. He finally came out of his shell and stood up for what he believed in, thanks to Sasha opening his eyes, and stood up to Gregory in an attempt to make Hilltop a better place, as well as establishing his opinions on the community lacking a real leader.

Of course one of the main points of the episode was Maggie adjusting to Glen’s death, and surprisingly she took it rather well. Her sadness was obviously let out at the end of “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” but now she’s put her brave face on and used the strength that Glen gave her to survive without him. I was worried that she would fall apart; perhaps become irrational, maybe even threaten to discard the baby because it brought back bad memories. Thankfully she is continuing the fight and being stubborn to Sasha by pushing herself, to the point where she ran a bunch of walkers over with a tractor (total badass!).

It was an interesting moment towards the end when Maggie began to take up Jesus’ way of thinking towards remembering the dead. Instead of dwelling on their memories with items left behind, Maggie felt that they should move forward by thinking about the people still alive. This was an interesting point as it helped to enhance their morale because they were cherishing what they still had and what was still worth fighting for, thereby respecting the dead in a stronger way because they were actually moving forward, something Glen would’ve wanted in particular.

Then there is the consideration that Maggie is continuing to rise up as a leader. This was first seen back in Season Six when she first came to the Hilltop and confronted Gregory. There were moments in this episode were she was more willing to back down to make the situation easier due to Gregory’s irrationality and the fact that their presence placed the Hilltop in more danger due to their failed attempts at stopping the Saviors. But of course once she refound her strength she was quick to fight back and there were many great scenes that showed this, particularly when Maggie put Gregory in his place with the great quote, “You better learn to call me by my name. Not Marsha, not dear, not honey… Maggie. Maggie Rhee.”

The most interesting development came with Carl and Enid. Carl is obsessed with getting revenge by wanting to kill Negan and deliberately goes about announcing that his father is wrong and that they shouldn’t be working for them. It is interesting to see his motivations aren’t for the deaths of his fallen friends but rather to make himself feel better, making you question his resolve as it has less meaning and could easily take him to a dark place.

Enid, on the other-hand, has truly come a long way as her selfish ambition to be alone has been pushed to the side in favour of her wanting to help those she has come to care for. It was sweet that she travelled all the way to the Hilltop in order to be with Maggie and gets to say her respects to Glen, the man who taught her to look at the world differently. I also liked that Carl and Enid really got to have a true bonding session which ended with them showing their love for one another with a kiss.

Overall, this episode really did help to advance the plot from another perspective and it was great to see the progression of Maggie, Sasha, Jesus and Enid. These four characters have really come a long way and recent events have only made them stronger, and wiser. Despite the grimness of the current situation their friendship and heart haven’t been broken and they continue to fight to help bring a better tomorrow. I honestly can’t wait to see what happens next with Jesus and Carl now aboard the Savior’s trucks in order to find out the whereabouts of the Sanctuary.

Verdict: 9/10

Another strong episode. Although slower than last week’s episode, it still had its moments of tension, especially in further showing the relentless behaviour of the Saviors as they try to intimidate the Hilltop and bully them into submission. I also enjoyed the beginning of Gregory’s downfall, but I’m also wary to see how his cowardly nature will bring about further problems down the line. Things are starting to come together and things might soon be rolling, but whether that will simply bring more bloodshed to the table is another question entirely. Either way, I still think we have a long way to go before things start to get better.