'The Walking Dead' Season 8, Episode 7 'Time for After' Recap: Eugene Breaks Down, Rick Regains Allies [SPOILERS]

In yet another slow-paced episode of “The Walking Dead,” Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) team seemingly gains the upper hand even more, but things take a sharp curve when Rick finds out something shocking and a huge deviation from their original plan. It’s something that could jeopardize what they’ve been building towards, and frankly, it’s a tad frustrating on his part—especially after regaining Jadis’ (Pollyanna McIntosh) allegiance. Meanwhile, as things get out of control, Eugene (Josh McDermitt) finds his purpose within the Sanctuary and tries to snitch on Dwight (Austin Amelio). Due to his incredible detective skills, he finds out that Dwight is indeed the rat in Negan’s camp. Again, it’s a slow-paced episode, but it does come with massive points that can ultimately lead to a shocking twist for next week’s midseason finale.

Not until after

“The Walking Dead: Time for After” opens right where we left Rick from last week’s episode. He’s sitting in the dark just as his container cell door opens. He stands, and we see Jadis with some of her Scavengers observing him. She takes pictures of him with an old bulb camera as an artist draws Rick. He reminds Jadis that his offer still stands, but she ignores him and continues taking his photo. The artist finishes drawing him. When asked why she’s taking his picture, Jadis simply says “sculpture” and “after.” It puzzles Rick, and he doesn’t get an answer as they bring him back in and closes the gate.

Eugene struggles to find his true allegiance as the Sanctuary falls

At the Sanctuary, we see Eugene pace in his room. He’s finally figured out that Dwight is Negan’s rat, and he struggles to think of what he should do. He decides to confront Dwight about it and urges him to desist from helping Rick. If he fails to do so, he will tell Negan about it. Dwight collars him and says that the Saviors are bound to lose from now on and that the only way for them to survive is to wait for Rick’s plan to play out. There’s more guilt tripping from the two, but Eugene insists that he is Negan, and he wants the people of the Sanctuary safe. Eugene leaves and reminds Dwight that the safety of the people in the Sanctuary is his utmost concern. It’s a surprising change of heart for Eugene because he’s slowly shedding his coward exterior.
He sees Laura (Lindsley Register) guarding a part of their wall as walkers bang on it from the other side. Eugene asks her how much time they’ve got before the walkers find their way in, to which she says a day or two. He walks away, but Dr. Carson (R. Keith Harris) calls him. Father Gabriel’s (Seth Gilliam) health is deteriorating, and Dr. Carson sets out to get some meds and asks Eugene to stay with Father Gabriel. Father Gabriel wakes up and asks Eugene if he is going to help him bust Dr. Carson out. But due to the walkers surrounding the area, Eugene doesn’t see it as a possibility. He goes on to say how he’s a survivor, and he refuses to jeopardize his safety in the Sanctuary just to help his “former travel colleagues.” However, Gabriel tells him that he’ll know what the right thing to do soon and that God always has a plan.
Meanwhile, we finally see what Morgan (Lennie James) is doing after his brawl with Jesus (Tom Payne). He’s high up in a tower next to the Sanctuary, scouting with his sniper along with the others from Rick’s team. He sees a truck pull up from afar and radios to the other snipers that it’s one of theirs, with Daryl on the driver’s seat.
Back in the Sanctuary, Eugene gets a visitor, and it’s Tanya (Chloe Atkas). She’s come to ask Eugene about her broken boombox. He says that it’s not yet ready and it puzzles him how it’s more important to her than the threat of the Walkers outside. Tanya doesn’t care anymore, seeing how she’s always been a prisoner ever since she became one of Negan’s wives. She leaves Eugene a bottle of wine as he tells her that he needs it so it could help him sleep. Tanya then tells him about his wasted chance of killing Negan with the manufactured pill. He could’ve stopped this from happening if Negan died earlier on.
Outside, Daryl (Norman Reedus) plans their spur of the moment attack with Michonne (Danai Gurira), Tara (Alanna Masterson), and Rosita (Christian Serratos). Daryl will use the truck to ram into the Sanctuary walls to open up a breach. That way, the Walkers can come in to finish off the remaining Saviors inside the compound. Rosita knows that it’s a bad idea and chooses to stick with Rick’s original plan to stay put and wait for his signal. Michonne thinks twice but eventually decides to follow through with Daryl and Tara to make the attack. Morgan emerges and tells them about his sniper team.
Back inside, Negan calls for Eugene and indirectly tells him that he’s making him his second man. As Eugene cowers in fear, Negan stands up to shake his hand, but Eugene takes it as a gesture for him to kiss Negan’s hand. He retracts it and tells Eugene that it’s rare for him to shake someone’s hand. That means Eugene is bumped up to a higher level in Negan’s team. Eugene leaves and thinks of a way to draw the Walkers away from their compound. Later, he scavenges through the piles of stuff in the storage room. Eugene sees Sasha’s casket with the iPod that she used before turning into a Walker last season. He’s assembling a device to distract the Walkers.
Outside the compound, Daryl, Michonne, and Tara prepare their plan. However, Michonne has a last minute change of heart and leaves, wishing good luck on them. With her gone, Daryl and Tara poise for the attack.
As soon as Eugene finishes building his device, he steps out to try and lure the Walkers away with it. He’s going to play the music from the iPod as he flies it from the Sanctuary. Just as Eugene starts, Dwight points a gun at him and tells him to stop. Dwight wants Rick to win, and he wants Eugene to crossover to their side once again. But seeing how there’s no point in arguing with him, Eugene mans up and proceeds to fly the device, with Dwight unable to pull the trigger on him. Eugene only wants everyone in the Sanctuary safe, gambling his life in exchange for their safety. The machine flies off but Dwight shoots it down—and then the chaos happens.
Daryl drives the truck towards the Sanctuary as Tara, Morgan, and his snipers fire at the guards stationed at the windows. Dwight and Eugene panic as Daryl successfully rams the truck into the walls of the compound. The Walkers pile in, and Negan’s soldiers struggle to hold them off. Eugene looks on, horrified. He runs off and storms angrily inside Father Gabriel’s room, stressing his decision never to help him nor Rick. However, it looks like Eugene is feeling the guilt, and only projecting it towards Gabriel. He then goes to Negan to tell him about a new plan to lure the Walkers away. Eugene wants to make new bullets, as long as Negan gives Eugene full control of the machines needed. Negan agrees and smiles at how proud he is at Eugene. However, he tells Negan that’s it not the only thing that can help them. Eugene then tries to snitch on Dwight but is cut off as Negan’s soldiers (with Dwight) barge in to inform him that the compound is swarming with Walkers. Negan tells them not to worry as Eugene has something to say to them. Try as he might, Eugene couldn’t get it out with Dwight in the room, so he volunteers to fix the intercom system to “absolutely change the system of communication” in the Sanctuary and leaves. Alone in his quarters, the sound of gunshots surrounds Eugene. His guilt is overbearing, and he breaks down. Eugene grabs the bottle of wine and drinks himself to sleep.

After

Elsewhere in the episode, Rick is brought out from his container cell to Jadis. While he’s bound, one of the Scavengers brings out a Walker with thorny helmet, similar to the one that Rick fought when he first tried to team up with Jadis back in Season 7. Rick fends the Walker off including the two Scavengers who brought it out. Jadis tries to attack Rick with her gun, but he immobilizes her. More Scavengers come out, poised to shoot Rick. However, he tells them that he’s leaving, and nothing could stop his team from raining hell upon them. Jadis tells the Scavengers to stand down, finally accepting Rick’s deal.
He helps her up and gives the details of the next step of the assault on the Saviors. Rick tells Jadis that Negan is for him to kill alone. Jadis then widens the deal by saying everything from Negan’s camp is hers. Rick tells her only a fourth of it could be hers. Jadis agrees to a fourth, but Rick has to be sculpted with his boxers off. Rick refuses and demands his clothes back. Finally, Jadis admits to getting only a fourth, with nothing else included.
The episode ends with Rick bringing the Scavengers to the set rendezvous point. He discovers a bunch of Walkers and kills them. Rick radios in, but no one answers. As he surveys the area with a sniper scope, he’s horrified to see the Walkers surrounding the Sanctuary now gone, with a truck lodged between the wall.

‘The Walking Dead: Time for After’ Overall Verdict

As previously mentioned, this relatively slow-paced episode of “The Walking Dead” is meant to keep us all waiting and anxious for what’s to come. It’s good to see Eugene step up his game and finally take charge of himself, albeit guilt-inducing circumstances. Given how he’s dead set on saving the Sanctuary I see him going back to Rick’s team as very unlikely. He might as well just die along with the Saviors. What Daryl did today could significantly jeopardize Rick’s near-perfect plan to put an end to Negan. It’s a frustrating situation for Rick, and this might just heighten the feud that’s slowly brewing between him and Daryl.
“The Walking Dead” continues next Sunday with the 90-minute midseason finale titled “How It’s Gotta Be,” 9/8c on AMC.