Warning: General spoilers ahead

You know, when Negan threw his only doctor into the furnace in episode 7.11 “Hostiles and Calamities,” I thought that was one of the stupidest things any character has every done on the show, which was very disappointing because Negan is smarter than that. However, I also had an “Oh crap!” moment and immediately thought of that other Dr. Carson at the Hilltop. “Yep, that son-of-a-bitch is going to go to the Hilltop and take Dr. Carson #2,” I thought, and sure enough, that’s exactly what happens in Sunday’s episode.

Of course, Negan doesn’t actually do it and instead sends his sidekick, Simon (Steven Ogg),  to do his dirty work just like he always does. When Simon and his goons arrive at the Hilltop, they announce they will be taking someone back to the Sanctuary and immediately ask to see Dr. Carson. “Why do you need 2 doctors at the Sanctuary?” Dr. Carson asks when he realizes they are taking him with them, and Simon responds very bluntly “We don’t.” Ta-dum!! It is also here that we learn the 2 Dr. Carson’s are actually brothers just like in the comics because the Hilltop Dr. Carson asks what his brother did and theorizes he probably pissed somebody off and got himself killed. So, the Hilltop is losing their doctor, but no worries, because Simon does bring something to offer as a “fair exchange.” It’s in a huge crate, and I swear, at first, I thought the very dead and very crispy Dr. Carson #1 was in there. But, nope, instead it’s full of literally hundreds of bottles of aspirin. That Simon and his damn sense of humor!

So, while Simon and Co. are busy gathering up Dr. Carson, Maggie (Lauren Cohan)  and Daryl (Norman Reedus)  hide in the cellar, thanks to Enid’s (Katelyn Nacon)  quick thinking. It is here that the 2 finally talk about Glenn’s death and Daryl’s overwhelming guilt. It’s a hell of a tear-jerker scene, and so, be sure to have those tissues ready! So, while Daryl is very down on himself, Maggie has the perfect response and demonstrates what a great leader she eventually is going to be. She tells him that they need to win and then, says “Please help me win, Daryl.” She then hugs him, and something tells me everything’s going to be OK between those 2.

Elsewhere, Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green)  and Rosita (Christian Serratos)  put in motion their plan to take out Negan and make their way to the Sanctuary. The trip starts out pretty bumpy with Rosita noticing Abraham’s necklace around Sasha’s neck (oh snap!!), and with the look on Rosita’s face, I really thought Sasha was done for. But, nope again, and instead and very ironically, the 2 finally sit down and talk while they are waiting for Negan to show himself. During this time, we discover a great deal about Rosita — particularly where she learned some of her valuable skills. And, contrary to what you may think, she didn’t get them from Abraham nor Eugene! A survivalist named Johnny taught her about bombs. Markus taught her about cars, as he was a mechanic. And, knot-tying was from Chase. At the end of it, Sasha seems thoroughly impressed and even comments on how Alexandria and everyone else needs her — something that Father Gabriel also said a few weeks back. Make a note of that because as it turns out, this becomes very important and has a tremendous impact on some of the decisions Sasha makes later in the episode.

All in all, I thought this was a solid episode — perhaps not quite on the same level as last week’s stellar “Bury Me Here,” but still very good. Yes, I know, there will be naysayers who will believe the episode is slow, but in my opinion, that makes very little sense to me. I mean, what do people expect? For Negan to Lucille Glenn and Abraham in the premiere, and for All Out War to be over and done in 2 or 3 episodes? Now, that wouldn’t be interesting, nor would it be believable, and not to mention, you’d burn through the comic-book material so fast that you’d be out of source material very soon. And, then The Walking Dead would be done. Finally, one of the things that I believe will make this episode so memorable is the very last scene. Rosita sees a figure in the dark along the outskirts of the Sanctuary and who the person is and what it may mean I’m certain will be the buzz around the watercooler until next Sunday rolls around again.

Episode 7.14 of The Walking Dead  is titled “The Other Side” and airs Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.

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