‘The Walking Dead’ season 7 episode 4 recap: ‘Service’

Negan comes to collect, Rick and Michonne struggle with their new situation, and the citizens of Alexandria have The Saviors at their doorstep.

Last week on The Walking Dead, we got to view the machinations of The Saviors by delving into the dilemmas of Dwight and Daryl. This week, we venture out of The Sanctuary back to Alexandria. This is a different Alexandria now, though — this is Negan’s Alexandria.

Here’s what happened in “Service.”

Michonne looks at Rick sleeping with disdain, then leaves the home she and Rick share but not before taking a large rifle with her. Rick watches her walk out longingly. Michonne posts up on an abandoned and dilapidated car with a rifle.

“Little pig, little pig! Let me in!” — Negan comes early. Kills a walker. Makes Rick hold Lucille.

Rick tries talking to Daryl, but Negan says no. “He’s the help.” Asks Rick to show him around.

Dwight takes Rosita’s guns. He wants Daryl’s bike, but not before pouring out her canteen of water. This guy is easily becoming The Walking Dead‘s most detestable character. Negan is very much the alpha creep, but Dwight — because he’s under Negan’s thumb — embodies the prototypical bully.

The Saviors are hauling stuff out of the houses.

Michonne is using walkers for target practice, but she can’t seem to hit her target with a rifle so she uses her sword. She comes across a dead dear in the forest. She was trying to stave off death, but she ended killing a living creature. MESSAGE!

“You see, we really are reasonable people once you get to know us.” — Negan

Negan watches the testimonial video of when Rick first came to Alexandria. That was back when he had the beard. R.I.P. beard. Father Gabriel appears and “creeps the sh*t” out of Negan. The Saviors’ leader threatens relations with Maggie, speaking on how widows are “empty inside.” This is classical villain stuff. Rick tightens his grip on the barbed-wired bat. They take Negan to Maggie’s grave.

“I was gonna ask her to come back with me,” Negan says.

A gunshot goes off. Negan and Rick find Carl in a standoff with two of The Saviors.

“You should go before you find out how dangerous we all are,” Carl says to Negan.

They’re taking all of Alexandria’s medicine. Now, because of Carl’s actions, Negan wants Alexandria’s guns. ALL OF THEM! Thanks, Carl!

Negan tells Rick that he’s not taking any of their food. If they starve, then the deal’s obviously over. He wants a “thank you” from Rick in exchange for not taking their food.

Rosita and Spencer head to the railroad tracks where Daryl’s bike was last, the same place where Denise was killed. Rosita runs into the woods. Where the hell is she going?

Back at Alexandria, and Negan fires a shot into a window for fun. There are two guns missing from the inventory. Negan is not pleased. He’s threatening Olivia’s life if the guns aren’t found. Rick holds council with the people of Alexandria. He’s begging the people to hand over the two guns that are missing.

“Most of you weren’t there. You didn’t have to watch,” he says referring to the slaughter at the hands of Lucille.

“There is no way out of this… I’m not in charge anymore. Negan is. Now, who has the guns,” Rick pleads. No one is giving in if they do know.

Back to Rosita. She’s in the woods killing a pack of walkers to get their guns.

“This is not our life,” she says defiantly to Spencer.

Back to Alexandria, where Negan is effectively holding Olivia hostage. Rick and some of the citizens are searching frantically for the two missing guns. Gabriel is trying to calm Rick’s nerves, and the two talk about the empty grave that was passed off for Maggie’s resting place. Maggie still lives!

Rick finally finds the two guns in Spencer’s hiding space. He gives them to Negan. “You need to get everyone on board, or we just go back to square one,” Negan says.

As The Saviors are moving out, Rick and Negan spot Michonne hiding with the rifle. Rick begs her to give up the gun. She does. Rick asks if Daryl can stay in Alexandria. Negan pretty much deads that conversation. Before he and The Saviors leave, Negan takes the deer Michonne killed. Dwight gets Daryl’s bike

“So nobody died,” Negan tells Rick.

Negan forces Rick to say “thank you.” As Negan kills another walker at the gates, Rick comes dangerously close to swinging Lucille at Negan’s head. (Yes, he’s still holding the weapon that killed his friends.)

“In case you haven’t caught on, I just slipped my d*** down your throat, and you thanked me for it,” Negan tells Rick. Wow. That was (Rick James’ voice) cold-blooded!

Rick and Daryl exchange one last glance as The Saviors move out.

“We should have made a deal with them when we could have,” Spencer says to Rick. Rick threatens to break his jaw and knock his teeth out when he mentions the deaths of Abraham and Glenn.

“Everything we have we got from fighting,” Michonne says to Rick. She wants to fight back. Rick evokes the memory of Shane. Rick says that Judith isn’t his daughter  — she’s Shane’s. The point he’s trying to make is that he’ll die before she does. This is their life now and this is what they have to do to survive.

“You have to accept this or it won’t work,” he says.

“I’m going to try,” Michonne says.

In the final scenes, Michonne happens across a smoldering pile or rubble that looks like the RV — apparently Negan used the bazooka on it? What a jerk.

Rosita appears on Eugene’s doorstep.

“Make me a bullet,” she says. Oh snap!

Next week: The Saviors come to The Hilltop… and Jesus is back!