The Walking Dead: Dwight turns good as Rick gets guns he needs

It looks like The Walking Dead has been invaded by characters from Pirates Of The Caribbean as the sides line up for war. There’s just time for some shocks and soggy zombies in the penultimate episode.

THE fuse is lit and the action is about to explode in The Walking Dead: Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Blistering barnacles, these zombies have been in the water long enough to grow sea life but, unlike the Well Walker in Season 2, haven’t got all bloated and nasty.

Well, actually it’s just The Walking Dead with a guest role by the long-dead crew members of The Flying Dutchman from Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End. It was lovely to see those barnacles get another outing, although Rick and co were somewhat brutal with the owners. Those zombies just wanted an autograph and instead they got automatic gunfire.

Still, that’s Hollywood of today for you …

Anyway, that’s what it looked like when the penultimate episode of season seven kicked into life. A ship washes aground and the barnacle-covered crew head ashore, looking for trouble and people to eat.

We knew they would come into it later but first it was time to head over to Negan’s house and discover that Sasha had survived her suicide mission to kill Negan, which does make us wonder. First Carl, now Sasha. Given his earlier behaviour, Negan seems pretty keen to keep our heroes alive when they show up at his house trying to kill him.

We got to see a more nuanced side of Negan thanks to him stabbing Sasha’s would-be rapist in the neck and instead giving her a choice — join him, try to kill him or be eaten by said rapist’s zombified corpse. Well, when I said nuanced, it was in the context of Negan liking to throw people into furnaces and beat their brains in.

Sonequa Martin-Green plays Sasha on The Walking Dead, although perhaps not for much longer.

Still, with a little tweaking, this could have been even more powerful. As it was, we have Sasha in tears, wondering whether to join Negan or take up the offer to be part of a new Star Trek show.

Luckily Eugene is on hand to help her decide, thanks to his suicide pill he invented.

Sorry, but I hate this storyline. I just don’t buy that Eugene could see living with the Saviors as a viable option. He’s lying through his teeth to Negan. He got punched out by Abraham when his lies were found out and Negan is only going to be more inventively vicious. Plus I thought we had the whole overcoming-my-cowardice plot line back in season six when he rescued Tara. Obviously he will come good but I think Secret Agent Eugene would have been a far more appealing storyline. But what would I know?

Maggie had to save Gregory from a Walker, which made him hate her even more.

Meanwhile Gregory is attempting to backstab Maggie, who responds by saving his life from a Walker. He’s so grateful, he decides to go and beg Simon to come and kill her, which will obviously impress the rest of the Hilltop so much they will restore him to true leader. Yeah, I’m sure that’s going to end well.

But back to the barnacled zombies, who decide to interrupt Rick and Tara’s attempts to get Oceanside to fight with them. This was a continuation of the theme of this half of the series, with many of the ordinary people wanting to fight but the leaders of the groups scared to commit. It also showed how good the Alexandrians are at fighting, which was a welcome return to action.

Tara tried to talk some sense into Natania but it didn’t go that well.

Personally, I would have liked to see Tara feel a little more regret at stripping Oceanside of all its weapons and maybe a little more of Rick urging them to fight. He was so powerful talking to Ezekiel, surely he could have mustered a little more of that eloquence?

By the way, why don’t they just use the psycho kid Rachel to take out Negan? She slaughtered zombies with pleasure and wants to kill Tara. We know that Negan has a weakness for little kids, so it would be: “Well hello there little girl, aren’t you cute?” Stab! Stab! Stab! No more Negan …

Mimi Kirkland as Rachel, the most psycho kid since Mika in season four. Still, send her to meet Negan and she’d sort him out.

Still, now Rick has the guns to get Jadis and the Junkyard Bunch (sounds like the name of a very dodgy cover band from the 1980s) on side in the war.

There was just time to discover that Rosita had been rescued by Dwight and he was offering his services to Rick to bring down Negan. So the episode ended with Rick embracing him with both barrels.

So all the pieces are now in place … everywhere bar Oceanside is ready to fight and those killer ladies will surely join up by the middle of next season.

Meanwhile Dwight is ready to betray Negan and surely Eugene will also turn good once the war starts.

And it will start next episode …