It seems like everywhere you look, someone has a The Walking Dead spoiler that turns out to be a theory of some sort. Well, with the mid-season finale fast approaching (It airs Sunday, December, 11, 2016), everyone is on pins and needles wondering what’s going to happen. Is Spencer finally going to get it and show Negan that he has guts?
Well, this is a spoiler article. And by that, I mean that there is no speculation here, just honest spoilery goodness. So if you don’t want to know what happens on Sunday ahead of time, stop reading now. If you don’t mind The Walking Dead spoilers because you don’t want to walk into another Red Wedding situation, read on.
If you read our previous spoiler article, you know who dies and you know that Daryl makes it out of Savior City safely.
Let’s get down to the ending first, because that’s got what everyone wants to know. Rick and the surviving members of the gang head to Hilltop. There, Rick has a heart to heart with Maggie, but more importantly, guess who’s there. Yep. Jesus led Daryl back to Hilltop. Rick and Daryl have an awesome bromance moment that includes Daryl giving Rick back his gun. Remember Rick’s Colt Python that was taken by Fat Joey? Well, Fat Joey didn’t need it anymore. Rick has his gun and his will to fight. And so, like in the comics, it’s the March to War.
But wait, what about the rest of the episode you ask? Well, first, Rick does not get to see Negan with Judith. Spaghetti dinner with Olivia, Judith, Carl, and Lucille is over with by that time. What Rick does have to see is Aaron getting the stuffing beaten out of him by some Saviors over a disagreement about the stash that they recovered from the lake.
After the beating, Rick is helping Aaron back to his house when he hears Rosita’s ill-fated attempt to take out Negan. By the time he gets to the scene, Olivia is dead, and so is Spencer.
Yes. Everyone who predicted that Spencer would go out like he did in the comics was right. It’s not so much a The Walking Dead spoiler as it is a The Walking Dead confirmation of what everyone suspected. So, yes, Spencer shows everyone just how much guts he really does have.
Let’s address that scene in the preview where Richard from the Kingdom is talking to Carol and Morgan. No, Carol and Morgan don’t make it back to reunite with the rest of the Gang just yet, but this speech lets them know that perhaps that outpost that they cleared wasn’t all there was. Remember, the two of them left before Negan showed up. As far as Carol is concerned, Rick killed Negan at the end of Season 6 Episode 13. Richard’s monologue catches them up and they now realize the danger that Alexandria and Hilltop are in.
Michonne returns to Alexandria after finding out where the Saviors rest their weary heads. She even spares the Savior she forced into showing her, which we hope doesn’t come back to bite her in the butt. Michonne comes back to find the aftermath of Spencer and Olivia’s death and finds Rick in the jail cell that Morgan was building in Season 6. She tells Rick that they have to fight or things aren’t going to get better. She’s bracing for an argument, but Rick quietly agrees. Cue the ending we covered above.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a mid-season finale without some sort of ominous faceless threat looming over our heads. As the episode closes, we see someone watching Alexandria through a pair of binoculars. We see a pair of boots that start walking toward the safe zone and then fade to black.
So that’s the rough spoiler-filled preview of “Hearts Still Beating.” After this, we have to wait two long months before the second half of the season premieres in February 2017, to have our questions answered and see what becomes of our friends. Let us know in the comments what you thought about this season and the new baddie, Negan, and when you think The Walking Dead will eventually kill him off.
[Featured Image by AMC]