How It's Gotta Be
| "How It's Gotta Be" | |
|---|---|
| The Walking Dead episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Michael E. Satrazemis |
| Written by | David Leslie Johnson Angela Kang |
| Original air date | December 10, 2017 |
| Running time | 65 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"How It's Gotta Be" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the eighth season, and 107th episode overall of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on December 10, 2017. The episode was written by David Leslie Johnson and Angela Kang, and directed by Michael E. Satrazemis.
Plot
In the wake of Daryl's (Norman Reedus) attack on the Sanctuary, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) again appeals to Eugene (Josh McDermitt) to help; Eugene suggests using their remaining ammunition to clear the walkers, promising to make more afterwards. After the walkers are cleared, Negan begins to plot his revenge towards Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his allies at Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom. They eventually depart and head towards Alexandria.
Upon arriving at the Sanctuary and discovering the remains of Daryl's assault, Rick is abandoned by Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and her Scavengers when they are fired at by Savior soldiers. Immediately after, Rick takes cover, but is then suddenly rescued by Carol (Melissa McBride) and Jerry (Cooper Andrews). The three decide to split up to warn the allied communities. Meanwhile, Eugene helps the ill Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) and Dr. Harlan Carson (R. Keith Harris) escape to the Hilltop, though Eugene fears Gabriel may not make it.
Outside the walls of Alexandria, Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Enid (Katelyn Nacon) decide to try to make up to the Oceanside community, whose guns they took to fight the Saviors, by bringing them a truck full of alcohol from a nearby brewery. Waiting outside the community at night, Aaron is attacked and Enid shoots his attacker, which turns out to be Natania (Deborah May), the leader of Oceanside. The two are then instantly surrounded by other Oceanside members and Natania's granddaughter, Cyndie (Sydney Park), mourns her loss.
On the road, Simon (Steven Ogg) and a group of Saviors capture Jerry en route to the Hilltop, and use him as a hostage to coerce Maggie (Lauren Cohan) to turn a convoy of Hilltop soldiers around and return back to the Hilltop. As punishment, Simon kills Neil (Karl Funk) after Maggie agrees to Simon's demands. After returning to the Hilltop, Maggie executes one of the Savior prisoners, Dean (Adam Fristoe), in retribution, and orders the Hilltop to be fortified.
Elsewhere, Gavin (Jayson Warner Smith) leads a group of Saviors to round up all the residents of the Kingdom. Gavin informs the residents that they will now be forced to help rebuild the Sanctuary while the Saviors live in the Kingdom until the job is complete. Ezekiel (Khary Payton), who had sneaked away, creates a distraction that allows the Kingdom residents to escape into the nearby woods. Carol encounters them and tries to help Ezekiel, but he locks her out of the Kingdom to face Gavin and his group alone. As Gavin berates Ezekiel, Morgan (Lennie James) observes this from a distance.
Inside Alexandria, Carl (Chandler Riggs) writes a note to his father. He later prepares to take more food to Siddiq (Avi Nash) when suddenly Negan and many other Saviors seize Alexandria's front gate. Negan asserts to the residents that Alexandria is now theirs and that they only have three minutes to let him in. Standing on a platform, Carl talks to Negan over Alexandria's walls, offering his own life in exchange; however, this is only a distraction to allow all the Alexandrians escape into the sewers and to give time for Daryl, Michonne (Danai Gurira), Rosita (Christian Serratos), and Tara (Alanna Masterson) to form a small convoy. Shortly after, Daryl's convoy bursts out of the community's back gates and through a roadblock of Savior vehicles, purposely arranged ineffectively by Dwight (Austin Amelio); the Saviors give chase. Realizing what is occurring, Negan discovers that Carl has disappeared and orders his men to launch fire bombs into Alexandria, destroying several buildings and homes. The Saviors then break open the front gate and pour into the community, while Carl provides cover through smoke bombs before he escapes to the sewers.
Concurrently, the group of Saviors chasing the convoy are ambushed by Daryl's group. In the midst of the attack, Dwight begins to kill several Saviors, but Laura (Lindsley Register) catches him in the act of betrayal and shoots him in the arm, but is forced to make a hasty escape. In the aftermath of the firefight, Daryl and the others find a wounded Dwight, who tells them that it was Eugene who was the one responsible for the clearing of the walkers at the Sanctuary. Dwight then joins them back to Alexandria so that they can hide in the sewers with the others below the community. As Daryl and company descend into the sewers as Alexandria burns, Michonne remains above ground and chooses not to go with them after discovering Alexandria in ruins. Instead, she enters the burning town, cutting down walkers as she passes them.
Eventually, Rick arrives back at Alexandra only to discover the town in flames. He rushes into his house in search of Michonne, Carl, and Judith. However, Negan, waiting inside, surprises and ambushes Rick, causing a fight between the two. After getting the upper hand, Rick manages to escape and reunites with an emotional Michonne. She takes him underground to the sewers to find all the others waiting there. The two then find Carl there, who reveals an apparent walker bite on his abdomen. Stunned, Rick and Michonne break down in tears, and comfort Carl, as they reel in the horror as reality sets in.
Cast
- Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes.
- Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon.
- Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene.
- Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes.
- Danai Gurira as Michonne.
- Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier.
- Lennie James as Morgan Jones.
- Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler.
- Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter.
- Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa.
- Seth Gilliam as Gabriel Stokes.
- Ross Marquand as Aaron.
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan.
- Austin Amelio as Dwight.
- Tom Payne as Paul "Jesus" Rovia.
- Xander Berkeley as Gregory.
- Khary Payton as Ezekiel.
- Steven Ogg as Simon.
- Katelyn Nacon as Enid.
- Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis.
Development
"How It's Gotta Be" features the revelation that the character of Carl Grimes was apparently bitten by a walker in the sixth episode, "The King, the Widow, and Rick". Showrunner Scott M. Gimple said that of Carl's bite, it is "a one-way ticket". He alluded to the show's next episode, following the mid-season break, that the bite is "very important to Carl’s story and the entire story what happens in the next episode".[1] Carl's pending death deviates significantly from the comic book series, as, at the time of airing, both Carl and Rick were still alive in the comic's published arc, with Carl having a critical role in the Whisperers arc that follows the "All Out War" narrative. Carl's pending death is considered the largest deviation that the television series has made from the comics to date.[2][3] Chandler Riggs, who portrays Carl, explained that the decision to kill Carl off was not due his own personal life (at the time, he was taking a year off before entering college) but a choice made by the showrunners to account for a gap in the comic's story. In the comic's "All Out War" story arc, the war ends with Rick slashing Negan's throat, but then time jumps two years forward to show that Rick had kept Negan alive, although in prison. Riggs said that Gimple felt they needed to make Carl appear as a humanitarian figure in death as to give something for Rick to aspire towards, as to overcome this characterization gap in the comics.[3] Riggs himself only learned of the character's death during the filming of the sixth episode of the season.[3][4]
Reception
Critical reception
"How It's Gotta Be" received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 61% with an average rating of 6.07 out of 10, based on 23 reviews.[5]
Ratings
The mid-season finale drew a total viewership of 7.89 million with a 3.4 rating in adults aged 18-49.[6] Compared to previous seasons, this was the lowest viewership for a mid-season finale since the season two episode "Pretty Much Dead Already", which drew a total audience of 6.62 million viewers.[7][8]
References
- ^ Ross, Dalton (December 10, 2017). "The Walking Dead showrunner on that devastating twist". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ Bradley, Laura (December 10, 2017). "Why The Walking Dead's Next Big Death Might Be a Game-Changer". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c Goldberg, Leslie (December 10, 2017). "'Walking Dead' Star Explains the Show's Biggest Exit Yet". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ Ross, Dalton (December 11, 2017). "The Walking Dead: Chandler Riggs on what's next for Carl". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "How It's Gotta Be". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (December 12, 2017). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Walking Dead' fall finale ticks up, Season 8 still way down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (December 12, 2017). "'The Walking Dead' Ratings Bitten With Fall Finale Low Despite Shocker". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ McLevy, Alex (December 12, 2017). "The Walking Dead stumbled into its worst mid-season finale ratings since 2011". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
