I thought this was the strongest episode of the season. It hit so many notes great, and there was some satisfying payoff to long story threads too, not to mention many more coming to a head in the next two episodes. The biggest fault of this show the past two seasons is that they've spent so much time putting so much stuff in place, that they need to stick the landing, and I think they will do it if the next two episodes are as strong as this one.

The Carol/Morgan stuff was great. The parallels between Henry and Sophia for Carol were great, and not only did she take a big step in reclaiming herself after losing herself over the past few seasons, and it was some nice closure for Carol finding Henry alive. The tree Henry was hiding in, I believe, was filmed at the exact same place Sophia was last seen alive. I also liked the call backs to Morgan saving Rick in season 1 and Carol in season 6, and Michonne bringing how Andrea brought her back from grief was a nice touch. I like that Walking Dead right now is looking into the future, with The Helicopter and Georgina last week, plus the envisioning to A New Beginning, while also looking backwards (in more way than Morales, which was a shame).

The Negan/Jadis stuff was well done. Jadis playing dead was very well done. They've done a great job with slowly peeling back the layers that makes Negan such an intriguing character. The Scavengers were so superfluous and unnecessary for All Out War, but using Jadis as a means to foreshadow the future makes them a lot more tolerable in hindsight, and Jadis in two episodes became a character I've really come around on. And Negan picking up someone on the side of the road is how cliffhangers should be done, because it's not a big WTF moment, and we get a little follow up scene after where Negan says to the guard not to tell anyone he's back. It gives fans something to wonder about (Laura, The Savior who knew Dwight was a traitor, seems most likely, but Gregory's whereabouts are also currently unknown), and now we know the Negan/Simon stuff is going to come to a head next episde.

I really like the dichotomy between Rick and Negan. Despite being 'evil', Negan has prove time and time again that he truly does believe people are a resource and they should be kept alive, it's more a problem that his experiences in the apocalypse and made him think his way is the only way. Jadis captures him, and he talks his way out of it not out of self-preservation as much as simply being genuine and connecting with Jadis on a human level, similarly to how he connected with Gabriel in 8a. I liked that he said the same thing he said when killing Abe and Glenn, "I'm sorry this is happening/happened to you. I really truly am sorry." And he his sorry. Negan gave his word to Jadis he'll make it right, and Jadis takes him at his word, and I believe Negan will deliver. Compare that to Rick who in the same episode gives those Saviors his word that he'll bring them back, but then he kills them in cold blood, even The Savior who saved him from a walker. If the roles were reversed with Negan/Rick's people, and Negan gave them his word, I don't believe Negan would murder them and lie.

And it was GREAT to see Jared get a horrible death like he do truly deserved. Whoever plays him was just so easy to hate, that him escaping justice numerous times just made his eventual demise all that much sweeter.

Can't wait for the next episode. And then it's the big night, Season 8 finale/Fear S4 premiere in the same night. Season 4 of Fear looks fantastic with some nice additions to the cast.