'The Walking Dead' recap: season 8, episode 7 ('Time For After')

Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter - The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 7 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter - The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 7 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Posted Sunday, December 3, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

“I will survive. It’s my biological imperative.” – Eugene to a befuddled and sick Gabriel

Eugene is an autistic genius but maddeningly inconsistent.

At one moment in tonight's episode, he shows real courage. With Dwight ready to kill him, he sets off a glider with an iPod on it to draw away walkers from the Sanctuary. He is willing to die at that moment for the greater good of saving Saviors. Courage!

Dwight oddly chooses to just shoot the gliders down, not Eugene. Clearly, he doesn't want to blow his cover just yet though where are the other lieutenants while he's yelling at Eugene? It's clear if anyone saw him, they'd know he was a turncoat.

When Eugene has a clear chance to take down Dwight and cement loyalty with Negan, he chooses not to. He blinks as Dwight stares at him. Why? Why? He's back to cowardly Eugene. If he had done the right thing for himself, Negan would have loved him even more.  Negan knows the way to keep Eugene's loyalty is to piles on the compliments. And he gives Eugene a handshake, a sign of his respect because Negan does respect Eugene's ingenuity.

Instead, Eugene goes off and drinks wine and acts all upset. (Disappointing! I thought he was going to use the wine for something more McGyver like.)

And the entire Gabriel story line is odd. He got sick from the innards while Negan did not. Dr. Carson said it may very well be fatal since they had no real meds for him. Gabriel wants Eugene to free Carson, nothing more. Eugene eventually declines.

***

Morgan is back! It was unclear after he and Jesus fought where he was going. He joins Daryl and Tara to force an opening at the Sanctuary via garbage truck to let the walkers in and force a surrender.

This is off script. Neither Rosita nor Michonne go for it. Rosita had tried going rogue before and it cost Sasha her life. So she leaves. Later, Michonne splits, too, loyal to her boyfriend Rick's plan.

And the plan doesn't quite work out because walkers in season 8 can't climb stairs. They merely take over the first floor of the sanctuary. Negan and his crew still have time to figure a way out now.

But we haven't seen much of their strategizing. They have to find a way to get out because this war has to go on and there is one more episode to go before the mid-season break.

***

Meanwhile, Rick is in a terrible spot at the junkyard. He is nearly naked and his only respite is when Jadis comes out and has a minion sketch him while she takes pictures. She plans to sculpt him after she kills him and wants a memory of his hot bod.

At this point, Rick's only leverage with Jadis is the threat that his army will come after her Scavengers and take them down if he doesn't return in one piece. It was already idiotic for him to come alone with no back up and Jadis is ready to take him down.

But instead of just shooting him in the noggin and ending this quickly, she does the classic stupid bad person move: she sets up his death in an overly complicated way, giving him a chance to escape. She has one of her people bring out a walker whose head is protected by armor and spikes but whose choppers are ready to chomp on Rick.

Surprise! Rick uses the walker as his weapon taking down three of her people while in handcuffs.

An army of her followers surround him with guns when he knocks Jadis down. Any one of her peeps could have just killed Rick since they clearly have the ammo to do so. But nope. They don't. Why not? He should be as good as dead by now.

But he somehow talks his way out of the situation in a completely ridiculous way. He throws out more threats and suddenly, Jadis folds. She not only folds but accepts all his conditions, including 1/4 of the booty. He wouldn't even let her pose him for a sculpture.

So he takes her to the Sanctuary. He tries to walkie-talkie the snipers but they're all gone. And so are the walkers. He's befuddled. His plan has been upset!

***

This episode had a few interesting moments but characters made mindbogglingly stupid choices. Grade: C