Exactly this! WTF happened with that story line? It just vanished. They have too much going on at the same time and I for one lose interest is waiting for all the sub-plots to be acknowledged.
As I understand it, Negan wants a few of the rebel leaders (for lack of a better word) taken alive so he can personally make an example of them. Severed heads on pikes, face ironing, feed Lucile’s thirst for blood, etc… Rick, Daryl, the widow (Carol), Jesus, Ezekiel. That was why the Saviour kept the hobbling Ezekiel alive while they were being pursued by walkers.
Isn’t “the widow” Maggie?
Not an excuse for the missing writing, but the Kingdom’s residents have no hands-on experience with these types of raids against other heavily armed groups. The Kingdom had made a deal with the Saviors early on. If the Kingdom met the Savior’s demands, the Savior’s wouldn’t enter/bother/annoy/murder/kidnap the Kingdom’s residents. After enjoying several successful ambushes, the Kingdom’s fighters didn’t foresee the possibility of a .50 cal ambush. Carol, and the tiger, did escaped. The ambush.
Now Ezekiel has PTSD/survivor’s remorse, he’s lost his tiger, and, maybe, the Kingdom no longer has a leader. Will Jerry step up to fill the void? Will Carol?
Could be? Probably? Actually, that would make more sense.
Sure. Personally, i’m not complaining about the .50-cal ambush. That was actually one of the most believable parts of the whole episode.
I think so. Carol is a widow, but there’s no reason to think Negan knows that. But Negam made Maggie a widow, and she’s now running the show at Hilltop.
As far as i can remember Negan has no clue who Carol is.
I’m with most everybody: this episode sucked, season is sucking, the writing is bad and getting worse, not sure how much more I can watch. Abraham once spent two episodes and a full machine shop to make a single cartridge, now they squirt them out like water from a fire hose. And they’re even making Carol act stupidly! Sheesh. Oh, and Maggie has my vote as the widow.
Horrible, for the reasons others have already outlined. These big fight scenes are not tense in the least, as people die or escape based on the writers’ whim instead of anything remotely resembling reason the way the scenes are framed.
Of course the writing has been bad for a while, but this season seems worse. It is almost like there is a disconnect between the writing, and the location scouts, or the director, or whichever person is responsible for filming these shit scripts and making it look somewhat believable. For example, that short fence Ezekiel simply couldn’t get over, the shallow “ravine” that Shiva died in – Ezekiel balked at that tiny embankment too, the fifty cal firing on Rick’s Jeep. All these things look so utterly horrible on screen. The shots on the truck Carol hid behind actually added holes to the body panels – but the 50? Nope.
Couple of episodes ago when Maggie and Gregory are talking at Hilltop’s gate, I noticed that the gate has about a foot gap under the bottom of it. Plus that bizarre construction with the opening bars up at the tower level.
The only point I thought had any ring of truth was when Jerry was chopping at the chain futilely. And then he slid the ax behind the chain in desperation – as soon as he did that I yelled “you’re going to break it” and it did.
-rainy
Eugene and Dwight would know who the leaders of the rebellion could be, and they would probably have told Negan. Or the writers would give Negan whatever knowledge they think he needs.
Plus, Negan has spies all over the place. I’m certain “the widow” is Maggie, but I suspect Negan knows a thing or two about Carol.
She makes great cookies and has a sub machine gun in her jacket sleeve.
How many of the zombies did Shiva kill before succumbing? She should have been able to barrel through a whole lot of 'em. The humans on the show do that, if need be! (If it is in the script… )
None? she tossed one pretty far but that wouldn’t kill it. Humans know to target the brain and to completely avoid bites, the tiger knew neither.
Don’t let her take your temperature if you’re not feeling well. Anything over 98.7 deg, and you’re toast. Literallly.
Ah, the good ol’ days, when the writing was still good!! 
I imagine a tiger would just sweep them aside, and the .50 caliber machine gun should have broken the jeep’s engine block with three or four rounds.