Shock return from season one character in The Walking Dead

THERE’S a huge shock in The Walking Dead with a character from season one making a return and possibly changing the whole course of the war with Negan.

THERE was a shock return, a not-so-shocking death – and what looks like a completely shocking change in Rick in The Walking Dead.

Beware, we have plenty of spoilers ahead in this review of the rather shocking episode two of season eight of TWD.

Ezekiel seems to be taking war rather too lightly in this episode.

The action takes up pretty much where it left off. Negan and his cronies have been shut up inside the Sanctuary after Rick and co led a huge Walker Herd up to his base. With Negan’s hands tied, it’s time to take down his outposts.

Ezekiel, Carol and the Kingdom are getting stuck into one, Tara, Jesus, Morgan and some Hilltoppers are attacking another and Rick, Daryl and Aaron are taking down a third.

The action shuttles rapidly between all three but it’s at this point that I have to ask about ammunition.

There was a whole plot sequence in season six about the lack of ammunition and how Eugene’s plan to make more was a genius idea. This season, they’re not worrying about that. In fact, Aaron, Eric and Tobin’s team spend the entire episode firing their guns on full automatic without EVER running out of ammunition. Or even changing magazines. I’m all for keeping the action going but surely that could add to the drama? We’re running out of ammo, plus all this firing is attracting Walkers?

But, anyway, we see Aaron, Eric and Tobin pinning down a large mob of Saviours while Rick and Daryl lead a small team in the back to seize their armoury.

Meanwhile Jesus, Morgan and Tara are taking down the radar station outpost, the one that started it all when our heroes took it out in season six.

This is the Carol we know and love, the gun-toting badass.

Finally, Ezekiel and Carol are chasing a Saviour scout, before he can warn an outpost that they are attacking.

The radar station sees Tara and Jesus fighting over whether they should take prisoners or not – while Morgan is taking matters into his own hands by turning into the Terminator. Or should that be Morganator? At least he stops to change magazines on his pistols.

Carol and Ezekiel are also bickering, as Ezekiel is acting as though this is just a walk in a park. Albeit a walk in a park with a tiger. Carol, being Carol, is not as hopeful. Ezekiel reckons is he acts like it can only go to plan, then it will. Oh dear. Fans of the comics will know this is the sort of thing that leads Ezekiel into a trap that will cost him the lives of his Knights, as well as Shiva the tiger.

Rick and Daryl, meanwhile, are struggling to find the guns. Aaron and Eric and their force are keeping the Saviours trapped, until their own dead can arise and start biting into them from behind. Clever move, even if it does leave a bad taste in the mouth – so to speak.

As expected, Eric takes a bullet to the gut. Not looking good for him.

But the real shock is coming to Rick. First of all he beats a big Saviour in hand-to-hand combat – only to find the man was actually protecting his baby, little older than Judith.

Rick Grimes may well question his whole war strategy after this episode.

Then, while he is coming to terms with that, another Saviour has him at gunpoint. And here’s a shock. It’s Morales. He’s the guy from the Atlanta group in season one, the guy who left to find family rather than follow Rick to the disease centre. Given Carol, Daryl and Carl are the only other survivors from that group, maybe he made the right choice, even if he has ended up as Negan’s flunky.

Anyway, he announces that Rick is trapped and he has called for back-up.

Of course Rick is not going to be a goner. Daryl’s wandering around on the same floor, while the “back-up” is currently being shot up or eaten by their own dead who have turned into Walkers. But this looks like being a pivotal point for Rick.

Tara told Jesus that he could take all the prisoners he wanted, because Rick would back her up and kill them. But will he now? When he’s seen them fighting for a baby like Judith and when he can put a face to them, like Morales?

Will Daryl ride to the rescue of Rick?

Instead of a war of extermination, we could see a change in tactics from Rick after this episode. But how will he manage Tara, who wants revenge for Denise’s murder? Or Aaron, who will want revenge for the death of Eric?

One thing is sure, you don’t want to fall in love on this show. About the only couple that hasn’t been torn apart yet is Rick and Michonne. Ooops. Have I just jinxed them?