The Walking Dead season 7, episode 2, “The Well,” followed up Negan’s brutal introduction with the introduction of another community known as the Kingdom.

‘The Walking Dead’ season 7, episode 2 recap:

As Carol and Morgan make their way to The Kingdom, Carol goes in and out of consciousness. One minute they’re traveling and everything is fine, the next they’re surrounded by walkers. Carol’s able to hobble away from the scene only to find herself alone and surrounded by more walkers. Even when Morgan and the others come to save her, she can’t seem to tell what’s actually happening as she sees the walkers as people that are still alive.

The next time Carol wakes, she’s in clean clothes and has been patched up by the people at the Kingdom. Morgan thinks it will be about a week before Carol is well enough for them to travel back home, until then he has to help out around their community. For the time being, they’re keeping the amount of information they give out to a minimum. Still, Morgan has to bring Carol to meet King Ezekiel.

Carol is pretty shocked to be greeted by Shiva, the tiger that stays by King Ezekiel’s side. With the look on Carol’s face, I can only imagine what she’s really thinking, but calls it all amazing. They’re welcomed to stay as long as they need so long as they contribute to the community. Once they’re alone, Carol calls the place a circus to Morgan.

She can’t seem to handle the amount of pretending it will take to keep up the charade needed for Ezekiel. Morgan is adamant that he helps Carol, but of course she’s still in the mindset of being on her own.

In the meantime, Morgan is helping out anyway he can. This includes going hunting for pigs with Ezekiel and his men. Out there Morgan learns that the pigs they find and use for food are feeding on the walkers. While Ezekiel continues to display the same theatrics that he does at the Kingdom, he’s at least showing the people around him how to survive. At the end of it all Morgan notices that the pigs aren’t returning to the Kingdom, but all Ezekiel will say is that they’re going somewhere else.

Once they arrive back at the Kingdom, Ezekiel compliments Morgan on his skills with the staff. He wants Morgan to train the younger member of the hunting crew, but Morgan isn’t so quick to sign up. Morgan disagrees that the staff can’t kill anyone and he had to use a gun to defend Carol. But Ezekiel seems more confident in Morgan’s skills and convinces him to try. While Morgan spends even more time with the Kingdom people, Carol helps herself to some of their weapons and food.

Ezekiel lets Morgan in on the secret that they slaughter their pigs far away from the community so that no one else will hear. Then the Saviors come and pick up the food from Ezekiel at a parking lot. When they go to explain to Morgan who the Saviors are, he informs them that he’s already aware.

When one of the Saviors and Ezekiel’s right hand man Richard get into a fight, Morgan is quick to pull out a gun. Ezekiel has everyone lower their guns though and the tension leaves just as fast as it started. The Saviors remind Ezekiel that they have a week before the next meeting or else one of them will be killed. Morgan is surprised to learn that Ezekiel seems to be taking a non-violent approach when it comes to dealing with the Saviors.

Morgan learns that the young man he’s teaching lost his father about a year ago. They lost a group of men in a fight with the Saviors and that’s why Ezekiel is keeping his deal with them a secret, so that people don’t have more reason to revolt against them. You’d think that would appeal to Morgan, but he appears to be rethinking his no-killing rule.

Carol kept her promise and tried to leave, only to be caught by Ezekiel. He wishes that she would stay, but Carol says that she’s no good there. Ezekiel lets her know that she’s not buying the sweet and innocent act, he also knows that she was shot by a Savior. So she loses the front and calls the Kingdom a joke, he seems to think that atmosphere of it keeps the people happy. It’s also human nature to want someone to follow, and that’s why he does it, to help them feel safe.

Ezekiel explains to Carol how he came across Shiva and saved her from dying. Since then she never tried to hurt him and it was his power over Shiva that made people respect him. Shiva’s protected him and now he’s trying to help others. Before the apocalypse he used to act in theater and that’s where his persona came from.

Carol seems neither impressed nor bothered by his story, simply saying she doesn’t care. Despite him being honest with her, Carol still wants to leave. It’s his talk about how not everything is bad and there’s still hope that changes Carol’s mind. He’s genuinely interested in helping her, which Carol just doesn’t understand.

Ezekiel allows Morgan and Carol to leave the Kingdom. They stop at the little yellow house they passed on the way in when she was hallucinating. Carol will still be on her own but close enough to the Kingdom if she needs help. Despite their differences, Morgan and Carol have made up and she regrets having fought with him before.

Carol’s not there long before Ezekiel and Shiva come visiting. He knocks on her door and offers a pomegranate, Carol doesn’t even look mad to see him.

The episode was most definitely a departure from the violence that was seen in the season premiere. I have to think that this was done on purpose as a relief to fans that are still processing the deaths from last week. Not only are fans reassured that Carol and Morgan are alright, they’re introduced to this almost comical leader.

There’s a new dynamic between Carol and Morgan to look forward to now that their beliefs are shifting. Carol is becoming more open to the idea of leaning on others while Morgan is becoming more open to defending those he loves in whatever way he needs to. There’s also the whole new world of the Kingdom that’s been opened up. It’s going to be play a big role going forward and I look forward to seeing how all these communities start connecting to one another.

Extras from ‘The Walking Dead’ season 7, episode 2:

What did you think of ‘The Walking Dead’ season 7, episode 2, “The Well”?