The Tribe has made a name for themselves during their time at Alexandria as a force to be reckoned with. They are mercenaries with compassion for those who can answer Rick’s 3 questions honorably and killers for those who cannot. The Tribe have become judge and jury to the surrounding tribes of the area, and yet have not had to answer for their own deplorable actions…yet. As individual Tribe members make choices regarding their own culpability, dynamics shift and change, it is a-coming.

Spoilers ahead, Sweetie…

Carol has been showing signs of mental wear due to the violent acts she’s performed over the past few years and has once again left the Tribe to be out on her own. This time, though, she is not forced out by Rick but makes the choice to leave in the middle of the night, sneaking out with Tobin in her bed, stealing guns and a car under the cloak of night in order to make her escape. Meanwhile, Daryl decides he cannot wait for justice to be served on Dwight the Burned Forest survivor (and possible Neeganite), and so he takes off to go find him, Rosita on his heels. While we are used to the Tribe leaders making brash decisions in order to keep one another safe, it seems extra stupid for Rick and Morgan to chase after Carol while Michonne and Glenn go after Daryl. Basically, all the Tribe warriors have left Alexandria open and vulnerable in order to keep it safe (??).

While Carol is trying to live the peaceful, nomadic life Morgan has made sound so great, she runs into a group of men driving in the opposite direction on the same road. They, of course, shoot out her tires and force her off the road, threaten her with their *big* guns and let her know who’s boss.

Yeah, no.

Carol, to her credit, begs them to stop, tells them they “don’t have to do this” and is obviously distraught as to what the outcome of the situation might be. Unfortunately, the men don’t know who they’re up against and so Carol, very much against her will, does what she does best. Which is to say, she kills 5 of the men right away, and then gets the other two as they’re trying to get their wits about them. Carol takes off on foot and soon, Rick and Morgan are driving up to find the scene she’s left behind.

Rick and Morgan continue to have an interesting dynamic–both of them deeply respectful of the other, even when they disagree. After the pair find a man with Hilltop weapons whom Rick instinctively tries to shoot (dead), Morgan stops him and finally tells Rick that he hid a member of the Wolves in his basement and that Carol knew, to which Rick just kind of shrugs and let’s go.  Morgan, though, uses the situation as a lesson that people can change if they are given a chance and he hopes that Carol will be able to change, as well. Rick doesn’t think Carol needs to make any changes, and bristles when Morgan tries to tell him anything about Carol, his long-time Tribe member and friend, or her mental health.

Morgan takes the chance to ask Rick to return to Alexandria–reminding him that his leadership is needed there and that he will only try to kill everyone they meet on the road, which isn’t really Morgan’s thing. Rick is actually reasonable about the request, and reminds Morgan to return to Alexandria with or without Carol, but that he always has a place there. It is a touching moment that reminds us of the pair’s mutual respect for one another and the care that they have in dealing with one another.

Back on the other side of the forest, Daryl and Rosita bemoan the death of Denise, and continue to move through the forest, looking for trouble. In the middle of the hunt, Michonne and Glenn find the two Tribe members and are promptly caught up themselves by Dwight, the Burned Forest survivor, and a group of unknowns that he is running with. They were either expecting Daryl to hunt them down or they were tracking Daryl–either way, four of our Tribe members are caught by men with guns, and it looks as if we will finally find out who the heck Neegan is…

The Walking Dead airs on AMC Sundays at 9pm.

C. Diva

Fighting zombies over on Twitter and Tumblr.

 

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