Review: Mad Men "Commissions and Fees"

Non Spoiler Review:

The penultimate episode of the season brings Lane's transgressions to the forefront as the Jaguar account continues to dominate SCDP. Sally pays a surprise visit to her father, leaving him and Megan juggling their schedules and offering her an opportunity to have a meeting of her own—with Glen.

This is really Lane's story, and it's one of the most tragic Mad Men ever as threads from previous seasons all lead to an apparently unavoidable conclusion. With Peggy's resignation last week, it's another emotional punch, leaving Don and the rest of the firm with much to grapple with heading into the finale.

Spoilers Now!

The partners sit down to a meeting, this time hosted by Scarlett, who Joan must continually correct on proper procedure. Pete brings up that Jaguar wants to pay using a fee structure over the usual commission system they have in place. If Jaguar gets it, then everyone else will want it, so Bert suggests they look into it so it looks like they're listening to their clients. That leads to Bert reviewing the books, and he, of course, discovers the forged cheque with Don's signature and berates him on it. He accuses Don of giving Lane a bonus after they decided not to.

Don calls in Lane to confront him. Lane is visually shaken, and Don threatens him to come clean or he'll involve everyone else. Lane confesses it's the only one and explains it was a loan, but then the bonuses were cancelled. He didn't want to be humiliated and it was his money. Don asks for his resignation. Lane promises to make good by Easter, but Don says he forged his signature and embezzled funds. He's letting him resign to save face. Lane angrily protests he's never been compensated for his role in creating this company, but Don won't budge given he can't trust him. Lane breaks down at the prospect of humiliation and returning to England. Don explains he'll tell his family it didn't work out and the next thing will be better. He gives him the weekend to think of an elegant exit. A drunk Lane next goes to see Joan and manages to make a sexually suggestive comment that annoys her. He returns to his office.

Don goes to Roger, telling him he's sick of living the delusion that SCDP is going somewhere when they can't even give out bonuses. Everyone is thinking small. He reveals that his Lucky Strike letter poisoned them with a bunch of companies. But Roger is more optimistic. Don suggests they pursue Ed Baxter at Dow Chemical, Ken's father-in-law. If Ken doesn't want to work with them, Don casually suggests firing Ken.

Roger meets with Kenny to inform him of what they're doing and suggests he not interfere when his father-in-law calls. Ken suggests he could bring it up to his wife by accident, prompting Roger to ask what he wants in exchange. Ken doesn't want to be their partner. He just needs a promise that if they get it Roger will force him on the account, and Pete doesn't go to the meeting or any meetings. Ed agrees to see Don Monday morning which only leaves Don 48 hours to prepare. But Roger likes the return of the old Don and has confidence he can pull it off.

Betty is taking the kids on a skiing trip but Sally doesn't want to go and would rather stay with Don. Betty decides to drop her off at Don's so she doesn't ruin the weekend, which comes as a surprise to Megan who has auditions to prepare for. She can't take care of Sally come Monday morning, and neither can Don due to his meeting, so they have to leave her alone for the day. Megan's annoyed he didn't even call her. But he reveals he had to fire Lane, asking her to keep it quiet.

Lane finally comes home to his wife who insists being taken to dinner and leads him to the parkade, where she's bought him a new Jaguar. Lane abruptly throws up. So they stay in and Lane confesses he needs to take care of some errands before he allows himself to drive it.

Sally calls Glen and tells him she'll be alone Monday morning, but it's not that easy for him to sneak off campus. He finally  acquiesces and says he'll be there.

Lane gets up in the night, dresses and gets in the Jaguar after stuffing a hose on the exhaust. He drinks, breaks his glasses and turns on the engine. But it won't start. Lane goes into work instead and types up his resignation letter.

Megan heads off to her audition, leaving Sally to get ready for Glen. When he shows up he suggests they go to the museum. He talks about how he gets bullied in school and admits he might have told his friends he was coming to the city to do it with her, but she says it's okay. She's feeling sick, so goes to the bathroom and realizes she's getting her period.

Don pitches Ed and his colleagues on a need for change, but Ed brings up the Lucky Strike letter. Roger defends their actions. The others say they are very happy with their current agency but Don suggests they shouldn't settle for their current market share and shoot for all of it. He leaves them with that to consider.

Megan gets home and finds Glen's bag there. Glen shows up but he doesn't know where Sally is. He explains they were at the museum and she just took off. Meanwhile, Sally's returned home by cab to see her mother. She reveals her period started and she didn't know what to do. She just wanted to come home. Betty says it's okay and gets a surprising hug. Betty later phones Megan to ask if they happen to be wondering where Sally is and fills her in on what happened and she needed her mother. Betty lies down with Sally and has a talk about being a woman. Glen is relieved but Megan says she'll let him stay until he needs to catch his train.

Scarlet leaves the company records with Joan given Lane hasn't come in. Joan finds the door barred and locked from the inside, so goes next door to see Harry, Ken and Pete and thinks something is terribly wrong in Lane's office. They look over the top of the divider and are horrified at what they see. 

Roger and Don return to the office to find it empty, and just Bert, Pete and Joan waiting for them. Lane hanged himself in his office. They're waiting for the coroner to come. Don is severely shaken, but says they can't leave him like that and breaks into the office. He, Roger and Pete get inside and see him hanging from the door. They cut him down and lay him out on the couch. Roger finds the letter and takes it, and they leave the office. It's a resignation letter addressed to his fellow partners.

Don comes home to find Glen and Megan there. Glen explains he used to live down the street. After a moment Don says he'll drive him home himself. He tells Megan he'll talk about it later.

In the elevator Glen asks why everything turns out crappy. Everything you want to do or think will make you happy turns to crap. Don tells him he's too young to talk that way, then asks him what he wants to do, if he could do anything. Don lets Glen drive on the way back to his school.

The Verdict:

Commissions and Fees was one of the most emotionally draining Mad Men in recent memory. Coming off of Peggy's departure (which oddly did not even get mentioned), it completely overshadowed everything. 

The discovery of Lane's crime, as well as the final result weren't entirely unexpected given his character's sense of status, and it was quite a sad set of circumstances watching Lane struggle to find a way to kill himself, only to be blocked at every turn by the unreliable Jaguar. 

One wonders how correct Lane was about always being regarded as the outsider. I somehow don't see Don treating Roger the same way had he done the same thing. But it's Don who is going to have to live with his responsibility in the matter, and following his own behaviour that sparked Peggy leaving, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

Despite all the other drama, Sally's story with Glen was still as interesting. And the pleasant surprise is just how much of a gentleman Glen is, given all his crazy back story. It turned into quite a charming little plotline to balance out the sorrow of Lane's arc, even giving (a much slimmer) Betty a motherly moment with her daughter.

No Peggy, and now Lane is gone. The season has firmly swung to the dark side of things, and it's anyone's guess how the finale will leave things at SCDP. After the last few weeks of the Jaguar campaign talking about searching for something beautiful, we end on Glen's view that everything always turns to crap.

Review: Game of Thrones "Blackwater"

Non Spoiler Review:

As the penultimate episode of the season, Blackwater delivers one of the most visually stunning battles on television. Rather than the customary batch of story lines jumping here and there across Westeros, this week focuses entirely on one night in King's Landing as Stannis' fleet arrives at Blackwater Bay. Inside, siege preparations and defences are made and the weight of the city's (and royal family's) survival falls on Tyrion.

Blackwater delivered in many ways. It was both an intimate look at several characters, including the Hound, Cersei, Bronn, and Sansa, while pulling off an epic story with what must have been a very difficult series of sequences on a tight budget. There's little to complain about, except perhaps that it all occurred at night (which undoubtedly helped the effects budget).

The end was not entirely what I expected, and I go into next week wondering how this season will wrap up now. I had anticipated a little more death than what we got actually, though I'm not worried that we won't get our fair share next week to end what has been a fantastic second season.

Spoilers Now!

Stannis' fleet sails under darkness. Davos' son assures him Stannis will sit on the Iron Throne when the sun rises and King's Landing will be glad to see Joffrey's head on a pike. Davos isn't so certain, given the walls have never been breached and despite the claim, they are still conquerors.

Tyrion and Shae lie awake. As a Lannister he has no choice but to fight, but it's not Shae's war. She promises to keep him safe. Master Pycelle brings Cersei nightshade, a poison that she's requested. Bronn is drinking with his men in the tavern as Sandor arrives. He's no fan of Bronn, who explains they all like killing, just like the Hound. Just smaller. The two face off and are about make a move to fight when the warning bells sound. Bronn suggests one more drink before the war.

Varys and Tyrion listen to the bells while Tyrion's squire Podrick outfits him in his armor. Varys lays out the map he asked for. There are fifty miles of tunnels beneath the city, built to withstand a siege and provide escape. But Tyrion isn't escaping.

Varys brings up another matter. He has learned Stannis has taken up with a red priestess versed in the old powers. Tyrion doesn't believe in such powers, but Varys has seen and heard things, and adds that he's never explained how he was cut. One day he will. And he can think of nothing worse than a Stannis in league with dark forces sitting on the Iron Throne. He believes Tyrion is the only one who can stop him.

As they part ways to their respective positions, Bronn tells Tyrion not to get killed. As the palace is readied, Shae and Sansa appear, as Joffrey wanted her to see him off with a kiss—to his new sword. Sansa subtly goads him that he should be in the vanguard in order to meet Stannis (just as her brother does in battle). Sansa is sure Joffrey will come back, given the bad ones always do, but Shae leads her away to a keep called Maegor's Holdfast, where Cersei has assembled all the high born ladies for their protection. Sir Llyn Payne is there to defend them, as if the city falls all their paid guards will flee. 

On top of the battlements Tyrion and Joffrey get into an argument about tactics and his uncle demands he let him do his work. They can hear the drums of Stannis' approaching fleet, and Tyrion is telling his men to wait.

Meanwhile, Davos is worried there are no ships to meet them. Then one sole vessel does appear and he calls his archers to bear on it. No one is on board, and it's pouring out a green liquid into the bay as it passes. He recognizes wildfire.

On the wall, the pyromancer gives Tyrion a signal torch, which he uses to alert Bronn further down the bay. He fires a flaming arrow off to the empty ship.

It's too late for Davos as the arrow ignites the bay and the ship. He warns his son to get down, but their ship is destroyed in a green fireball that rushes out to consume the fleet. Tyrion, Joffrey and the Hound watch the conflagration in amazement.

Stannis' ship has escaped the majority of the fleet's destruction, and he tells them to prepare to land, given the dwarf can only play his trick once. But they'll need to get across the bay under King's Landing's archers, and he's more than prepared to sacrifice his men to get to the walls.

Tyrion orders fire rained on Stannis' men as they try to make their way to the mud gate. Sandor arrives to meet them with his soldiers (including Lancel, who gets wounded and flees). Sandor seems to lose his cool on the battlefield, and Bronn saves him from death as Stannis' forces scale the battlements.

Tyrion finds Sandor drinking wine. He's lost half his men and refuses to return to battle. The fire seems to have traumatized him. Joffrey commands him to go back and fight but Sandor tells him to fuck the kings guard, the city and the king. He walks off.

Meanwhile, Cersei is getting drunk as they wait, amused that Sansa is praying. She encourages her to drink with her. Cersei explains if the city falls all those women will be raped and she'll have a bastard in her belly by morning. Cersei continues to rattle on about how she was married off to Robert and wished she weren't born a girl. Then she recognizes Shae, and tells her she curtsies horribly. She recognizes her accent and sees she can't be high born. She came to Westeros ten years before, without learning how to curtsy, Shae explains, but Cersei wants to know her story. 

Lancel rushes in to report the fleet is destroyed but the troops have landed. She orders Joffrey brought inside from the battlements. She reveals to Sansa Sir Llyn is there for the women. They won't be taken alive if it comes to that.

More soldiers make landfall and batter the mud gate. Lancel arrives to take Joffrey back to the Red Keep. Tyrion tells him he must lead, not flee, or he shouldn't expect his people to fight. Joffrey has his guards stand to represent him on the battlefield, and leaves with Lancel. His men see him go. 

Podrick arrives with reinforcements from the other gates, so Tyrion decides he'll lead the attack. He addresses the discouraged men who begin to disperse when it's apparent he wants to take charge. Given he's half a man, what does that make them? There is another way out through the tunnels to come up behind them, he explains, and tells him to fight for the city Stannis means to sack—their houses and their gold and women. He manages to rally them.

Lancel tells Cersei the battle is lost given the soldiers lost heart when they saw Joffrey leave. Cersei doesn't care what he wants and pushes him away. Sansa attempts to calm down the others and suggests they sing a hymn. Shae presses her to go to her quarters and bar her door. But she herself must say goodbye to someone first. Sansa runs off. 

Sansa gets to her quarters and locks it. She finds the doll her father gave her, but Sandor is there in the shadows. He explains he's going someplace that isn't burning, perhaps north. The king can die just fine on his own. He offers to take her with him to Winterfell and keep her safe. She protests that she'll be safe where she is. Stannis is a killer, the Lannisters are killers, her father is a killer, her brother...the world is built by killers, he explains. She asks if he'll hurt her and he says no. He opens the door to go.

Tyrion and his men attack Stannis' forces from behind and  break off the attack on the mud gate. He then sees a new force rushing to attack them. Tyrion gets slashed on the face by one of Joffrey's guards, but Podrick kills him. Tyrion watches the new army overwhelm the gates as he loses consciousness. 

Stannis realizes reinforcements have arrived. He's dragged away by his men as he tries to stay and fight.

In the palace, Cersei sits on the Iron Throne with Tommen, telling him a story to calm him, about a mother lion and her cub who would one day rule all the animals. As she speaks she takes the nightshade vile and gives it to him. The doors burst open as Tywin arrives—with Sir Loras (!) at his side. He declares they have won.

The Verdict:

It's quite a change to focus entirely on one locale and night, but in this one case it worked quite well to maintain the level of tension. With no idea how it might all turnout, I admit to being surprised that Joffrey survived and the Lannisters appear in full control over everything. However, how Tyrion will handle what appears to be treachery on the part of Joffrey's royal guards remains to be seen.

The wildfire explosion was the big money shot of the episode and they pulled it off quite well, differentiating it from a normal fire with the eerie green flames consuming the ships. Was it odd that Stannis' ship was so far back in the fleet?

Sansa has grown quite a bit this season and I actually care what happens to this character now. It doesn't look like she actually went with Sandor, which is a stark (pun!) contrast to her sister who has just thrown her lot in with Jaqen to get back home.

As for the Hound himself, what course will he chart now that he's leaving King's Landing (and apparently without Sansa). Will he cross paths with Robb or Arya on his way north?

The twist with the alliances came so quick it was easy to miss. Tywin opted not to attack Robb, but team up with Sir Loras to save King's Landing. Thanks due to Baelish, obviously. How will this play out in the greater war? Will Robb attack Casterly Rock? Does Tywin now have the numbers to defeat the northerners? 

There was certainly no big death like I anticipated. Certainly Davos and his son, and a few minor others were weeded out, but I would have expected such an epic night to yield more bodies. One final critique is the absence (and apparent abandoning of side plots) of the pirate Salladhor Saan, who I thought would have been present for the battle given he wanted the queen as his prize. Why no mention of that? And Melisandre appeared to just disappear as Stannis wished for this battle. Hopefully the fallout of the battle and the lingering questions will get addressed next week. 

Review: Mad Men "The Other Woman"

Non Spoiler Review:

It's all about Jaguar this week, as one of the car execs makes an interesting proposal that would help SCDP in the running. That creates a host of problems at the firm and ultimately changes its dynamic for good.

The Other Woman puts the stress on Don as he struggles to balance the Jaguar account at the expense of the other women in his life—Megan, Joan and Peggy. He makes some serious missteps that I'm sure will have long run repercussions for himself. While not all the plot developments are a complete surprise, they all deliver the punch and emotion one might expect.

There are BIG changes. This one ranks up there with The Suitcase as far as how it evolves the dynamic on the series, offering some very emotional scenes. The direction of this season is starting to really come together now. The final moments are both rewarding and very sad. SCDP, Don, and Mad Men, won't be the same again.

Spoilers Now!

Creative is struggling over the Jaguar campaign. Peggy's in charge of other business until the campaign is done, but she can't help but notice all focus is on Jaguar (and those working on it). Pete and Ken meet with the Jaguar rep, Herb. He's interested in Joan and would like to meet her. Somewhat taken aback by the suggestion, Ken recommends other red heads, but he's persistent and wants to spend a night together. He doesn't mean ask her out, either. He's clear if he's not happy, there will be no guarantees about the account. 

Don mulls over some ideas with Megan using the idea of a mistress to sell the car. She thinks it makes it sound immoral.

Pete goes to see Joan and talks about his dinner with Herb, who wants something they are not prepared to give, something unorthodox. They're going to lose Jaguar unless an arrangement is made with she and Herb, he finally confesses—a night with her or no account. So he asks her to think of a way to break the news to the company. Joan tells him he's unbelievable. He suggests one night might be worth the sacrifice and compares her to Cleopatra. He finally leaves, explaining it was just an act of desperation.

Pete talks to the partners about the issue with Joan and suggests if they bring Joan the right amount she'd do it. Roger can't believe that. Joan had told him they couldn't afford her. Don insists the work will be good enough on its own, plus it's not a guarantee, declares the matter closed and walks out. Roger won't pay for anything regarding Joan, either. Lane suggests Jaguar isn't meant to be, and they should just take their bonuses and move on. Pete tells Lane to extend the credit line to factor in a payment for Joan. Roger is disgusted with the dirty business, and Bert tells him to let her know she can still say no.

Harry, Peggy and Ken are on conference call with Chevalier Blanc. They're pulling an ad, so Peggy manages to pull out a save to revamp the ad and the client loves it. It involves shooting a new commercial in Paris. Don decides he'll let Ginsberg go to Paris as he was on the account. Peggy thinks she should go given she came up with the idea, and so this must mean she's actually not in charge of all the other business. Don flies off the handle and tells her to go to Paris and throws money at her in front of Ken and Harry. She leaves, seriously hurt, and Ken follows to tell her Don's got a lot on his mind. Peggy isn't convinced.

Lane visits Joan and brings up Jaguar, suggesting they are planning to offer her $50,000. She's offended and wants to know if he was involved in the discussion. Lane explains he didn't want to tempt her, but discourage her. He admits he settled for much less than he needed when he signed on to the firm, and then brings up the idea that a partnership in the company itself would take care of a woman and a child for a lifetime, rather than take the monetary offer. Lane says he's looking out for her.

Megan and her acting friend Julie show up at a creative late night meeting, as she had an audition in the city. Megan and Don fool around in his office while Julie entertains the men in creative. Ginsberg isn't impressed with Megan coming and going as she pleases.

Trudy sits with a cranky Pete still hurting about the Jaguar situation. He suddenly brings up that he'll need an apartment in the city if they get Jaguar as he can't keep coming home so late. She's sick of hearing about his love affair with Manhattan. It's time to let it go as far as she's concerned, and they're not even trying for a second child.

Megan gets a call back from her audition, and that's when Don finds out rehearsal is in Boston for three months and abruptly puts his foot down. She accuses him of never expecting her to make it. He tells her to do whatever the hell she wants. Joan meets with Pete and tells him she wants a partnership, not silent, comprising five per cent of the business, with documents by the end of the day. Ginsberg offers a new pitch to Don, and thinks the car should be the woman you can't have. Jaguar—at last, something beautiful you can truly own. Don loves it.

Peggy has dinner with Freddie. He says car guys are all a bunch of creeps and suggests she could leave and shine elsewhere. So she later meets with a rival Ted Chaough, who wants to know why she wants to play for the other team. She says it's her career she's looking out for. He's quite passionate about the writing and it really appeals to her. He wants to know what she wants to get paid, and when she scribbles it down, he adds a thousand dollars to her salary. He won't make her wait for an answer.

Pete loves the campaign and advises Don they've removed all other impediments. Don is furious to learn that they agreed to propositioning Joan without his knowledge. He doesn't want it like this, but Pete protests it was her idea.

Don shows up at Joan's to tell her it's not worth it. If they don't get Jaguar, so what, and who wants to be in business with people like that. Joan was told everyone was on board. He explains he said no and they voted without him. She's quite touched and tells him he's one of the good ones, isn't he? She understands and is all right, and thanks him. He tells her to have a nice night and she wishes him luck with his presentation.

SCDP presents their campaign to Jaguar. Juxtaposed with this is Joan showing up at Herb's hotel. He's quite eager to begin. They do the deed and he thanks her for a wonderful time. As Don asks the executives what price they would pay for something beautiful, Herb seems to love the pitch. At home, as she prepares to shower, Joan is interrupted by her mother to say Don is there to see her. And we realize his visit was actually too late, and he'd arrived after she'd slept with Herb.

Megan faces her own group of men for her call back, who seem more interested in how she looks than her acting skills. Don returns home to find her upset about not getting the part. She'll always choose him over her acting, she says, but she'll hate him for it. He doesn't want her to fail. 

Peggy asks to talk to Don that morning, but Ken runs up to announce a rival firm is out of the running for Jaguar. Then the call comes in. Peggy leaves them to their anticipation, while all the partners assemble in Roger's office, including Joan. She shares a look with Don. Roger answers the call and they get the account. It wasn't even close. Joan gives Lane a hug. As the office cheers, Lane remains behind to have a drink.

Don's not in the mood to party, even when Peggy congratulates him and says he never appreciates when things are really good. They go into his office, though Peggy is reluctant. Don thinks she wants to be put on Jaguar, or is upset about Joan being made partner. But that's the first she's heard of that.

Peggy explains he changed her life and it's been a privilege working with him. Don starts to get the hint. She's reached the point for a new experience and is giving her notice. She's accepted another offer. Don is dismissive, telling her it's been crazy and he's taken her for granted. She's picked the right moment to ask for a raise.

Peggy won't budge. It's time for her to move on, and it wasn't easy. She explains she's moving to Cutler Gleason and Chaough, which takes all of Don's effort to handle and he starts to get choked up. He tells her to name a number. She counters that there's no number. And he knows this is what he would do. As he finally accepts the reality of the situation, Don tells her she doesn't need to wait two weeks. She understands. They shake hands, but Don kisses it. She cries, and tells him not to be a stranger.

Peggy gets her things and leaves while everyone is partying, but Joan notices. At the elevator she has one last look at reception, then smiles and steps in.

The Verdict:

Where to start with this one. Peggy's departure was something that flowed organically, of course, but the sudden and abrupt exit certainly put Don (and us) off balance. I have no idea what will happen with her now, or if we'll still get our healthy dose of Peggy for the rest of the season. I am happy for the character, given that satisfied smile we got at the end to show that, despite our misgivings, this was the best decision for her.

And we get another Joan episode, too. The whole partnership thing came right out of left field, even if it was to save Lane's own ass by saving $50,000 on the bribe. We didn't really get to see any fallout among the other partners at having this (non-silent) new addition to their ranks but it's sure to bring out the sexism in Bert and Pete. 

Not much was said of Megan's call back, aside from the implication that she either wasn't prepared to go through with the part because of the physical requirements, or she didn't live up to their expectations. Between Joan and Peggy she's stuck in her rut spinning her wheels until she can find some success to justify her jump from advertising.

The sexual revolution was at the forefront. The men all behave very badly—except for Ken, who offers his support for Peggy. And Don remains one of the good ones in many ways still. Lane manages to delay his embezzlement discovery by putting the bug in Joan's ear about the partnership and thus not draw more funds from the company. A sad thing, given how close the two of them are. Pete, of course, sets the whole thing in motion because he doesn't care about Joan (or women) at all.

There was a firm contrast between the three women and how they achieved success—Peggy making her career move on her talents. While Joan abruptly advanced her career using her own merits she's exploited in the past. Is one better than the other? Both certainly achieved their goals while the men continue to languish around them trying to understand the changing world around them.

What happens to Don now? His idealized version of Joan has taken a serious hit. Home life with Megan continues to grow more brittle. And he's lost the one true confidante at the firm with Peggy (and to a rival, no less).

Review: The Walking Dead 98

Non Spoiler Review:

Something to Fear hammers home to Rick and the group just what we've been suspecting—they're a tad overconfident about handling Negan and his followers. As Abraham and Eugene head out on their search for supplies, they encounter additional followers who are a little annoyed at what happened on the road.

This was a tense and leaned down issue, dealing with the crisis brought on by Rick's actions on the way home. Has Rick's overconfidence finally met its match?

Spoilers Now!

As they walk towards the potential bullet-making factory, Eugene is actually behaving in a non-dicklike fashion, apologizing for his behaviour earlier with Abraham. The latter takes it all in stride and encourages him to just behave less like a weirdo around Rosita and she should start to find him attractive (plus there's little opportunity to be picky these days). Abraham explains he still has feelings for her, but he just wants her to be happy without him. And he's shot through the eye with an ARROW.

Carl happens to find Andrea in bed with Rick, but doesn't feel it's a big deal. Before Rick can give him a talk there's gunfire, and they recognize it to be Abraham's machine gun. Outside the gates a man has Eugene tied up at his feet. He's obviously from Negan, annoyed at their treatment of his comrades on the road, and demands to be let in or he'll blow out Eugene's brains.

Eugene isn't so helpless and bites his crotch. One of the other men goes to pull him off and is shot in the head by Rick. Negan's men open fire on the gate as Andrea gets the others to take positions on the wall to return fire. The invaders get the hint and cut their losses and run off, leaving Eugene.

Rick gets a party to follow so they can't come back. As he tells Eugene to get inside, they find Abraham's body is already being consumed by walkers. That only hardens his determination, but he and Andrea run into a crowd of undead. Andrea sees they have to fall back and lead the assembling zombies to the trenches.

They get Abraham's body back inside the town, and given the arrow went through his brain, he won't be coming back. Andrea asks what they do now, but Rick admits he doesn't know.

The Verdict:

Something to Fear promises to be an exciting arc. Rick learns some humility, and Abraham suffers for his mistake. Negan in some respects appears to have his act together as far as tracking Rick's group. But as far as actual planning they don't seem to have much aside from blind devotion and strong-armed tactics. Rick's going to need strategy and cunning in order to defeat him. But has Abraham's sudden death shaken his confidence? 

It's a nice bit of turnabout that Kirkman was building Abraham up as a possible rival to Rick's leadership, then pulls out the rug and has him die in such an unexpected manner. Sad to see him go. I'm a bit skeptical that Eugene managed to survive the whole ordeal and not get a bullet in the brain from Negan's men before they took off. But I'm also pleased to see that character develop more.