Episode 7: Sing Me a Song
Well my, my, aren't we just as excited as we could be about all these extended episodes this season? If you haven't heard yet, 7.7 was another 90 minute episode, following up on Carl sneaking into The Sanctuary. There was a lot for Carl to be affected by there so we needed an extra half hour to cover it... and the aftermath of his visit back at the ASZ.
Just as he did in the comic, Negan has quite a man-crush on the spirited Carl, who seems determined to defy him at every turn. Negan takes him on a tour of his inner sanctum, allowing him to be witness to some of the drama inside his harem before taking him to his private quarters to relax... or not. Here we see a slightly different, albeit just as menacing, method for whipping Carl into submission... using his teenage angst and vanity against him. Some people may think Negan is not as menacing as he should be, but he's got that coercion thing down pat.
We finally see what Carl's eye looks like under the bandage, and have the cringe-worthy response to Negan's proposition that he be allowed to touch it... eeeeew ew ew! He forces Carl to sing, though it's not apparent why and feels sort of forced into the story just to make it walk in lock-step with the comic, but otherwise the scene is an example of expert manipulation. Soon enough we're off to iron off someone else's face and watch Daryl be commanded to mop up the ironee's urine after he appropriately messes himself and the floor. While Daryl is shown to be a perfectly whipped little puppy, in the style well known for Daryl at this point, he does give Carl a few knowing looks to let the audience know he's not too far gone... yet.
By the end of the visit, Carl is completely familiarized with how things work at The Sanctuary, and sets off in a truck with Negan headed toward home. When they get there, Negan acts like that obnoxious relative you wish hadn't shown up for an unexpected visit... nosily insisting on a tour of the house and barging into Judith's nursery despite being asked not to enter the room. He basically makes himself at home, intentionally stepping into Rick's role as head of the house, coddling Judith while Olivia and Carl look on uncomfortably. It's just as awkward as you'd ever hope it to be, like the ever-present feeling of a splinter you just can't get out of your thumb no matter how hard to work it.
Meanwhile Rosita and Eugene are off to make a bullet while Spencer and Gabe head off to scavenge. In a moment of particularly rare levity for Gabe, he lets Spencer know exactly what he thinks of him before letting himself out of the car to walk home rather than endure his company any longer. It was nice to see these two subplots worked into the Carl/Negan Date Night story line to break it up a little and get those four ready for what we hope is a very compelling mid-season finale.
*Sigh* yes, that's right folks, it is already upon us believe it or not. After this coming Sunday's episode we'll have two months to wait before we see what goes down in the back half of 7. Based on what we've seen of the Mid-Season Finale so far, there are so many questions that will be left unanswered until then. Will we be ready in time for All Out War to begin or will we be left to languish in this submissive hell for five months waiting for Season 8 to begin? That's the burning question we all want to know.
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