‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: “Go Getters”

Melissa Moore ’20 / Emertainment Monthly TV Staff Writer
Spoiler Alert: This recap contains spoilers for Season 7 Episode 5 of The Walking Dead.
After three episodes focusing solely on the characters in one location or another, this week’s episode, “Go Getters” followed events occurring at both Hilltop and Alexandria, allowing several storylines to reconverge together by the end. There are also a few plot points, or even just exchanges, that stray from the Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) storyline, offering a brief relief from the tragedy of the season so far.
Viewers finally see Maggie (Lauren Cohen) again, and, while she is heartbroken, both she and the baby are fine. Both Maggie and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) are at Hilltop, although Gregory (Xander Berkeley), the leader at Hilltop, makes it clear that he will not allow them to stay, no matter how strongly Jesus (Tom Payne) advocates for them. Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) have been buried within the Hilltop gates, and Maggie and Sasha visit their graves several times throughout the episode. During the first visit, Sasha gives Maggie the pocket watch that was in Glenn’s jacket, which viewers will recall was given to him by Hershel. In that scene, Sasha says all that was in Abraham’s pocket was a cigar; later in the episode, however, Jesus gives her Abraham’s necklace that he found.
Meanwhile, at Alexandria, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Aaron (Ross Marquand) are leaving for a supply run, and Rick tries and fails to convince Carl to come with them. Michonne (Danai Gurira) stays behind, but kisses Rick goodbye tenderly and intimately, which may reassure viewers who were concerned that their disagreements with the whole Saviors situation was straining their relationship. Carl (Chandler Riggs), however, is irritated when Michonne explains that she’s going to try and figure out how to live in the new world they have found themselves in, as to him it seems like she is giving in.
Carl then catches Enid (Katelyn Nacon) sneaking out to go see Maggie at Hilltop. He says that he’s not going to save her anymore – referring to locking her up in a closet in Alexandria at the end of season 6, which kept her from meeting Negan and being present when Glenn and Abraham were killed. Enid is irritated that he considers himself her savior, but says she’s sorry that he had to see it. He replies that he’s not, and walks away, letting her climb over the fence.

Lauren Cohan in The Walking Dead episode "Go Getters." Photo Credit: AMC
Lauren Cohan in The Walking Dead episode “Go Getters.” Photo Credit: AMC
Later, on her way to Hilltop, Enid comes across some walkers and is rescued by Carl, who can somehow drive now and who runs over the walkers. The two then continue together.
Back at Hilltop, Maggie and Sasha are awoken by music blaring from a car. The Hilltop gates are open, fires have been started, doors have been locked from the outside, and walkers are pouring in. Luckily, Maggie takes control of the situation while Sasha starts fighting walkers – something she seems to do a lot when at Hilltop, both in this episode and during her visit last season – and delegates tasks to Jesus and other members of the community, before finally taking matters into her own hands and crushing the music-playing car (which has been locked up) with a giant tractor.
It’s clear that this “prank” is of Savior origins, which Gregory is clear to remind everyone of the next morning, when he reiterates that he wants Sasha and Maggie gone. Suddenly, however, a large group of Saviors arrive, and Gregory tells Jesus to hide the two women in the closet. The following scene is a long interaction between Gregory and one of Negan’s right-hand-men, Simon (Steven Ogg), during which Simon makes it clear who is in charge. Because Gregory is such a coward and liar throughout this episode, as well as when we saw him in season 6, his humiliation at the hands of Simon and the other Saviors is more of an amusement than an offense, at least to this reviewer.
Simon is surprised that the Hilltop community was able to deal with the events of the previous night, saying they had planned on saving the day, to show Hilltop how much they truly need the Saviors. He seems to be hinting at the fact that he suspects they have help – specifically, perhaps, from members of Rick’s group, going so far as to inquire if Gregory has anything else he wants Simon to know.
Gregory has been acting ignorant about the existence of Rick’s group, but, after Simon poses this question, leads him to the closet where Jesus hid Maggie and Sasha – but it’s just filled with scotch! Gregory is surprised, Simon is pleased, and he knows that Negan will be pleased. After making Gregory kneel for him, Simon and the Saviors pack up, and Jesus tells Gregory that it’s clear he should not be leading them. Jesus gives Gregory an ultimatum: let Sasha and Maggie stay unless you want to make our deal with Alexandria public.
Jesus later tells Maggie and Sasha that he never knew how or why Gregory became leader, but that there was never anyone who could take his place. He says that he does not think that anymore, and, while she is clueless, it is clear that he thinks Maggie should be leader of Hilltop.
Xander Berkeley, Sonequa Martin-Green and Lauren Cohan in The Walking Dead episode "Go Getters." Photo Credit: AMC
Xander Berkeley, Sonequa Martin-Green and Lauren Cohan in The Walking Dead episode “Go Getters.” Photo Credit: AMC
Carl and Enid go back-and forth between serious, topical conversation and lighter interactions throughout this episode. In one scene, Carl explains that he watched everything that happened with Negan that night because he knew he would need to remember it, so that when he had the chance to kill him, he wouldn’t hesitate. Their next scene, however, Carl proves to be a man of many hidden talents, as he finds a bag of two pairs of roller skates and manages to use them perfectly. Enid is also skilled, and the two skate off down the road together, hands intertwined.
Again though, the following scene of the two is upon their arrival to Hilltop, where they see Saviors. Carl is clearly disappointed that Negan is not there, leading Enid to realize that Carl joined her in the hopes of killing him. He asks her to come with him, but she tries to persuade him not to go after him, saying that it would be for the two of them, not for Glenn or Abraham or Maggie. After more than a full season of awkward teenage non-chemistry, the two finally kiss, before Carl says that he’s going after Negan and that he will see her afterward. She replies, “no, you won’t,” in a great show of support and confidence that he’ll survive.
Viewers then see Enid at Glenn’s grave, where Maggie finds her. Later that evening, while the two and Sasha eat dinner and have a “women together”-esque powwow, Maggie gives Glenn’s pocket watch to Enid, saying she won’t need it to remember him.
Earlier, Sasha had asked Jesus to find out where Negan lives, and at the end of the episode, we see her sharpening a knife with Abraham’s cigar in her mouth, and Jesus hop onto the back of one of the Savior’s supply trailers. It is then revealed that Carl has also gotten in the trailer, and the two are headed to Negan, together.
Overall, this episode was so-so. It allowed us to catch up with popular character Maggie, and sets her up as becoming significant for Hilltop and it’s community, but left most of that excitement for a later episode, or set of episodes.
On another note, while Carl has been fairly well-liked by audiences ever since he grew up a bit, Enid has been one of the least well-received characters on the show, so many viewers may dislike their scenes. That said, their interactions do provide relief from more intense scenes. On the other hand, however, this episode in general was mild in comparison to previous episodes and so it was less necessary that there be relief in between serious scenes. Aside from relevant plot points however, this is Carl’s first kiss, which is reason enough for excitement.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC

Overall Grade: B

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