Spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead season 8 finale. The defining moment in one of television's most enduring feuds has finally arrived, but the ending isn't quite the one many fans were expecting. So why didn't Rick kill Negan on The Walking Dead ?
It looks like Rick has taken some of Carl's advice to heart - before his son's shocking death from a walker bite earlier this season, Rick was urged to imagine a world full of war and chaos. A better future. Carr envisioned a utopia where people could live in peace and work together, rather than splintering into factions constantly at war with each other. It's unclear if Rick will actually go down this path, but in the Season 8 finale, he delivered a message of hope in a moment that could have easily ended Negan's life.
After slitting Negan's throat (even though he's somehow convinced he won't die?), Rick tells the others they're going to save him. Maggie is furious - Negan was the one who killed Glenn, how could they let him live? — and she's not the only one who's a little confused. Fans on social media were quick to discuss the decision.
Those are valid points, but ultimately, it seems like Rick just wants to fulfill Carl's vision - Carl wants Rick to work for peace. After sparing him, Rick made it clear that Negan's reign of terror was no more. "Negan is alive, but the way he did it is over," Rick told his people and the remaining Saviors. "Anyone who can't stand this will pay the price, I promise you. Anyone here who wants to live in peace and fairness, who can find common ground - this world is rightfully yours. We are life. This is death." , unless we stand together, it is coming for us. "
Not everyone is so excited about this concept of peace, though. In this episode, Maggie doesn't let go of the anger she initially felt when Rick initially let Negan live. "We have a lot to do. We have to build this place, make it work better than it did before, make it thrive for the people who live here," she told Jesus. "We need our strength - the ability to defend ourselves better - and we have to have that. But... what Rick did was wrong. And so did Michonne. So we bide our time, wait for what's ours moment, and then we show him." So, it sounds like Negan isn't completely safe. Maggie hasn't forgotten what he did to Glenn - definitely not.
Regardless of what happens to Maggie, it's clear that the Season 8 finale is meant to provide some kind of solid foundation upon which Season 9 can build. Rick's big conflict with Negan is supposed to be over, with showrunner Scott Gimple telling The Hollywood Reporter the episode was meant to provide "finality." He continued, "[The ending] almost ends each character's story in some tragic ways and some sad ways and even to some extent in some hopeful ways. Every iteration of the ending means the ending ”
Maybe certain characters and storylines are over, maybe most of the conflict between Negan and Rick is over, but as long as Negan is alive, there's always the possibility of some explosive twists, especially when someone like Maggie Let man die while he still exists. Rick and Michonne tell Negan near the end of the episode that they plan to spend the rest of his life in prison as some kind of example that society can be rebuilt through reasonable and traditional punishment rather than murder. So while fans will be waiting for Season 9 for a while, at least they know they can expect more of Negan, whether or not Rick's peace plan succeeds.
