The Well (702)

[GateWorld]

THE WALKING DEAD - SEASON SEVEN THE WELL EPISODE NUMBER - 702 Carol awakens to find herself with Morgan inside the Kingdom, a protected community led by the eccentric King Ezekiel. While Carol plans for her future, Morgan has another encounter with the Saviors. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >>

[rkgardner2003]

Hello Ezekiel! I so needed this episode after last week. Ezekiel and Shiva are great, but I have to say I really loved Jerry . I'm sure there are going to be some who won't like the Kingdom, but just give it a chance, should be a good addition. I like that Carol left but didn't leave and I'm starting to forgive Morgan for attacking her. It'll be interesting to see how all the groups tie in with the Saviors and with one another.

[DigiFluid]

Carol was hilarious in this one, Melissa McBride is awesome! So far pretty pleased with Ezekiel as well, and I'm particularly glad they got the 'don't BS a BSer' conversation into this one too (his schtick could've gotten tiresome real quick without that scene).

I like that they did the whole scene with them offering tribute to the Saviors as well, makes for good consistent world building (and also LOL at their 'sabotaging' of the pigs!) I do wonder, though, what Negan's take is on 'the guy with the tiger.'

One little thing that bugged me though was the end, and specifically Carol's path. After being so wound up over killing people and wanting to run away, the final phase of her plan is to...live in a house down the street from the Kingdom? Huh?!

[Ian-S]

Have to say I laughed quiet hard at some points in this, glad they swapped them around (the rumour I saw had this and the cell swapped and all the promos I've seen over the last week for this episode have Negan knocking at Alexandria's gate and Daryll/Dwight interaction which we never saw in this episode).

Future Comic Spoilers:

Spoiler:

Carol is obviously getting Michone's story from the comics, after all it would be a bit difficult for them to continue Michone's story with her playing happy families with Rick.

My speculation for future Carol TV story:

Spoiler:

I think she is going to stay disconnected from both groups in the house until something snaps her out of her depression, maybe if Daryll escapes, he'll be the one to do it by telling her of Glenn/Abraham's fates.

I wonder how far/close the Kingdom is to Negans base?
Also wonder if that's the first time they've fedup the pigs with walkers? Surely it won't take Negan long to work it out if his men keep falling ill after eating supplies from the Kingdom.

Obviously neither Carol nor Morgan know of the events in episode one yet.

[VampyreWraith]

I enjoyed this episode a lot. I really like Morgan and Carol, and I also really like Ezekiel so far. I enjoyed his conversation with Carol, where he explains who he is. I also liked how Carol left but didn't leave.

[cosmichobo]

Indeed, I heard about the swap, and I'm glad they did it. Massive pace change from last week, and whilst you're reminded several times of what's just happened, it's nice to have some distance, albeit briefly.

Yes, Carol at her best, showing off her great new skills at deception. And frankly I was half expecting King E to order her beheading! rather than coming out with the Bull****ter line! Great Stuff! King E's background story... I presume has come from the comics... I was thinking he must have been a Siegfried & Roy. I'm not sure I entirely buy the - I saved the lion, now it doesn't eat me - story, but I'm happy to cut some slack.

I so get the feeling that everyone's new favourite character, Jerry, is going to wind up on guard outside Carol's new home whilst E is having.... a visit... and be strung up by the Saviours...

Can't even remember now why Carol went walkabout last season anyways.... But I expect once she learns of Glenn's death, and Daryl's imprisonment, she should snap out of it, and join Morgan in training the Kingdom to fight...

I love the juxtaposition, with King E, complete with Shiva, having to run to a "girl" to get help with figuring out how to try taken on Negan...

[cosmichobo]

I like that they did the whole scene with them offering tribute to the Saviors as well, makes for good consistent world building (and also LOL at their 'sabotaging' of the pigs!)

Did the Terminus mob get ill when they chewed on Bob? I didn't think they did...?

I presume it's Ezekiel's attempt at trying to "fight back"... Frankly, from his perspective, Negan must be freaking scary as hell! He may have "faked it til he made it", but that doesn't mean he is actually prepared for dealing with someone like him. Hell, I'm guessing it's gonna take Rick a good season or 2 to deal with Negan... and he's been up against these kind of guys since... well... yonks ago!

[DigiFluid]

glad they swapped them around (the rumour I saw had this and the cell swapped and all the promos I've seen over the last week for this episode have Negan knocking at Alexandria's gate and Daryll/Dwight interaction which we never saw in this episode).

Yeah they swapped them. And this one was apparently originally slotted as a 90-minute timeslot/75-minute episode, but for reasons unknown they cut it down.

What I'm curious to see, both this weekend and in future rewatches, is whether swapping the two serves or undermines the wider narrative. It's all well and good to want to give the audience a breather, but I'll be interested to see whether the story itself flows better in the originally intended order.

I wonder how far/close the Kingdom is to Negans base?

I can't imagine it's very far. At least in the comics, the communities are no more than a day's horse ride away. Which is a long time to be on a horse, but geographically, that's still very close.

King E's background story... I presume has come from the comics... I was thinking he must have been a Siegfried & Roy. I'm not sure I entirely buy the - I saved the lion, now it doesn't eat me - story, but I'm happy to cut some slack.

And you would be right in that assumption Ezekiel's background story is indeed pulled from the comics. Actually, if I remember the comic right, his TV dialogue was pretty much verbatim of his comic counterpart.

I so get the feeling that everyone's new favourite character, Jerry, is going to wind up on guard outside Carol's new home whilst E is having.... a visit... and be strung up by the Saviours...

Ahhh I really hope not. The guy is a hoot

Can't even remember now why Carol went walkabout last season anyways....

It was the culmination of where her story started heading back in Season 4...she murdered Karen and David to prevent the disease spreading, and seemed mostly okay with it. But then she started coming unravelled after Lizzie murdered Mika, and then she had to put Lizzie down ("look at the flowers, Lizzie"). Terminus, Wolves, then finally seeing how comfortable she'd come with death being juxtaposed against Morgan's no-kill beliefs. Did her in.

I love the juxtaposition, with King E, complete with Shiva, having to run to a "girl" to get help with figuring out how to try taken on Negan...[/QUOTE]

Did the Terminus mob get ill when they chewed on Bob? I didn't think they did...?

They didn't live long enough to find out... They were eating his leg the one night/morning, and the very next night they were chopped up by Rick & co.!

[cosmichobo]

Kinda late in the conversation... but... Anyone have some kind of rationale behind Negan's approach to not kill a group's leader when he makes first contact?

Presumably, the guy in charge at The Hill was always in charge... certainly felt that way from what little we saw of him.

And King Ezekiel we now know also was not killed by Negan, and yet he is subservient to him...

And now Rick.

As it has panned out in the tv show, killing Abraham was a very logical choice - Pick the Biggest guy there and bash his head to a pulp. (**** that phrase has never felt so real!)

But, by leaving the leader, even after demoralising him to the extent that he's blowing huge snot bubbles... Isn't that just asking for trouble later on? Wouldn't it be better to kill the group's leader, and leave them in disarray, and less likely to regroup in a hurry to launch a counter-strike?

The one thought going through my head throughout the first episode of this season was, Rick's gonna SO be after this guy....

Spoiler:

Of course, I've been told ultimately that things may not pan out that way (if following the comic)... Will be interesting to see.

So, you've just left the group reeling from the shock and horrific deaths of 2 of their friends/lovers, and left their leader still in charge, albeit with wet pants... Still, I like those odds more than if Rick had just been killed, and the group was then left kicking round who is going to take over leadership... whilst then having to deal with The Saviour's regular visits to take half their stuff...

[jksj89UIs]

Great Episode overall I felt.

[DigiFluid]

Kinda late in the conversation... but... Anyone have some kind of rationale behind Negan's approach to not kill a group's leader when he makes first contact?

Broadly speaking, people are more productive under a leader they know and like/respect. Installing a 'foreign' governor inspires people to rebellion. And that's not what you want when you're running a post-apocalyptic protection racket.

Regarding Negan's overlordship in particular? As much as people like to talk a big game about being tough, the cold reality is that most people will roll over rather than stand up for themselves. It's as true in real life as it is in fiction, where here in the show we've seen that it's already happened with Gregory and Ezekiel. Rick is a rare, different sort of a creature and I'm not sure Negan has recognized that yet.

[Ian-S]

Am I right in thinking Jerry is a TV only character?

[cosmichobo]

Am I right in thinking Jerry is a TV only character?

I got that impression just from a few press clips I read...

[rkgardner2003]

Am I right in thinking Jerry is a TV only character?

I don't remember him from the comics, but it's been a while since I read them.

[DigiFluid]

I think he's a TV original, yeah.