(AMC/The Walking Dead)
Tonight is “The Other Side,” the latest episode from The Walking Dead. It looks like at least part of the episode is going to focus on Sasha and Rosita’s attempt to kill Negan. Fans are worried about this, concerned that one of the characters might not survive the plan. Even Sasha and Rosita discussed how they believe this is basically a suicide mission.
Last week’s episode featured two deaths: Benjamin and Richard. Benjamin died in a meeting with the Saviors, after he was shot and later bled out. Richard died at the hands of Morgan, in an attempt to trick the Saviors into believing that the Kingdom was still on their side. But the whole thing nearly pushed Morgan over the edge, and it’s unclear at this time whether or not he’s fallen back into his insane “clear” mindset.
This post will have spoilers through Season 7 Episode 14. We will be updating this post with a recap and review of the show live as it airs. So keep coming back for more details about what happens tonight.
The episode begins with Maggie at The Hilltop, and we see a shot of someone making a trident. Maggie is teaching a group of people from The Hilltop (and Edith) to fight. We see Sasha sharpening her knife and then Edith and Maggie looking at a sonogram.
It’s a series of scenes showing Sasha preparing, while Maggie also prepares — but both for different missions. Maggie is seeking to survive, while Sasha is preparing for a mission that might lead to her death.
Sasha visits Abraham’s grave, remembering.
Jesus gives Sasha a map of the inside of Negan’s compound. Sasha studies it and plans.
Then we see Daryl outside alone at night, sharpening his knife. Maggie visits him. In typical Daryl fashion, no words are spoken.
Cut to the next morning. Rosita is there, seeking Sasha. “I’m here because I need your help.” It looks like the scenes we saw before were a prequel to where we last left off with Sasha and Rosita.
After the commercial, Jesus and Maggie are talking. Jesus says that it’s been hard getting close to anyone, including “boyfriends,” confirming that he’s gay. Maggie says he should try getting close to someone sometime.
Next we see Sasha going through bullets that she has stashed, presumably for her rifle scope. Jesus and Enid walk in on her. Jesus tells her she can have the bullets, and Sasha admits she has a gun now. Jesus notes that Rosita wasn’t there to train people, was she?
Jesus and Enid volunteer to go with Sasha. “No, the Hilltop needs to be ready for what happens after,” Sasha says, adding that Maggie doesn’t need her anymore, because of all the other people she has now.
Jesus says he wish Sasha and Rosita would stay, but they won’t. They need to talk to Maggie, he says, because they owe her that.
(Fans are wondering, on online discussions, if Sasha and Rosita’s plan is just going to make things worse.)
Sasha tells Enid that she must protect Maggie no matter what. Maggie and Enid are the future of this place, she says, giving her a bracelet to give to Maggie’s baby.
Enid tells Sasha she’s going to tell Maggie everything in 10 minutes, and it’s up to Sasha what to do with that.
At that point, the Saviors arrive. Sasha and Rosita take off through a secret exit. Maggie and Daryl go into hiding, without much time to prepare. They hide in a cellar.
Gregory greets the Saviors and Simon. (It’s not surprising Maggie didn’t trust Gregory with their location, since he tried to give them away last time just to score points with the Saviors.) Simon says they have somebody and he needs to be pointed in his direction.
Sasha and Rosita take off to find Negan. (And, as fans are pointing out again, this is a terrible idea. Even if they kill Negan, it will probably just unleash the rage of his followers onto the communities, and they’ll have no warning.)
After the commercial, we return to Sasha and Rosita.
Rosita sees Sasha wearing a necklace that belonged to Abraham and notes that she made it for him.
Sasha notes that Jesus said there are some buildings with a line of sight to Negan’s building, outside the perimeter, and they can take a shot from there and maybe make it out alive. Rosita isn’t happy, thinking Sasha will miss. But Sasha thinks this is a better chance because they won’t get caught. As the two fought, some fans wrote online, mentioning that they were actually rooting for Negan because they dislike Sasha and Rosita so much. But others are rooting for the two to succeed.
Enid talks to a Savior and tries to get him to hold a basket of vegetables. He wants to take her knife, so she hands it over. Enid tried to distract him from going into the cellar, but it didn’t work. He gets close to finding Maggie and Daryl.
Simon comes to find Dr. Harlan Carson. That is the person he’s looking for. “Congratulations… Negan wants you where he is… You’re coming with us.” Simon lets Dr. Carson know that his brother, the other Dr. Carson, was killed.
“So, my brother pissed someone off, got himself killed?”
Simon offers his condolences. They won’t let Dr. Carson pack; he has to leave right away.
(And by the way, if you’re wondering what was in the box they gave Gregory, it was just a box of tons and tons of aspirin.)
Gregory speaks to Simon outside. “I’ve got to hang on to my people’s trust,” he says, telling him they can’t let anyone else take over. “They might have crazy ideas… I know human nature, and it isn’t inconceivable.”
Simon says that if he’s having problems like that, Gregory should come to see him anytime. “I’ll arrange it so you just tell the guard who you are, and he’ll let you right in.”
After the commercial, the man in the cellar doesn’t find Daryl and Maggie. Maggie notes that Daryl was ready to kill the guy. “He deserved to die.”
“Ever since you got here, you haven’t said a word to me,” Maggie tells Daryl. “Would you look at me, please?”
Daryl cries. “I’m sorry.”
Maggie tells him it wasn’t his fault, but Daryl believes it was.
“No, it wasn’t. You’re one of the good things in this world. That’s what Glenn thought, and he would know because he was one of the good things too. I wanted to kill that guy too, I want to string them all up and watch them die. But we have to win.”
She hugs Daryl in an incredibly touching scene. Maybe some of the guilt he’s carrying will finally be let go. (Meanwhile, will Sasha ruin Maggie’s plan to win, by jumping too fast to the immediate kill?)
The Saviors leave with the doctor.
We cut to Sasha and Rosita. They cut through a fence and set a car on fire to attract the zombies. They get in a different car and drive off, dragging a piece of fence behind them.
After the commercial, Sasha is set up with her rifle and scope in a nearby building. She starts out with Eugene in her sights and tells Rosita it looks like he’s ordering people around.
“Playing some angle,” Rosita comments.
There’s a constant tension between the two. Sasha holds out hope that they’ll survive an Rosita is resigned to dying.
Rosita takes a turn with the rifle, watching Eugene. She talks to Sasha about how guys tried to protect her at first, and she learned from them and eventually outgrew them. But Abraham was different, she said. She fell in with him because he saw that she could hold her own. They have a heart-to-heart about Abraham.
Sasha talked about how Abraham would have wanted to go out fighting, but Negan took that away from him.
“No matter how it goes down, I’ve got your back,” Sasha tells Rosita. Rosita says she feels the same.
Sasha goes back to the window. The Saviors and Dr. Carson arrived. Negan comes out to greet him and Sasha can’t get a clean shot. They hear Eugene saying he needs more walkers now, and questions should be directed to him since Negan won’t be available. “Chief engineer also known as Negan,” he signs off.
Sasha and Rosita realize they have to go inside the perimeter after all.
After the commercial, Jesus pays Gregory a visit. Gregory tells him they shouldn’t have so many people in one trailer and he should be careful, no one knows what happens when the Saviors are around. Jesus asks if Gregory just threatened him. Gregory says that he and Jesus aren’t friends.
Daryl visits Jesus. “The girls are missing.”
Eugene (aka Negan) is patrolling the property. Sasha and Rosita shoot and kill the guy with Eugene. “We’re breaking you out.” Eugene’s upset.
“I’m not going with you. I didn’t ask you to come, so go.” He goes back to the building.
Why did Rosita and Sasha break their plan to try to rescue Eugene? Was it worth it?
Rosita says she’s going in. She has to now.
Sasha locks Rosita out. “Go, it’s not your time. There’s got to be a point to it right? They need you.”
She takes off into the building. We can hear shots fired.
Rosita runs.
In the darkness, she sees the shadow of a man with a quiver of arrows.
The person she saw probably isn’t who you might be thinking it is. See our theory in the story below.