Service (The Walking Dead)

Last updated
"Service"
The Walking Dead episode
Negan Arrives at Alexandria.jpg
Negan enters Alexandria for his first visit.
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 4
Directed by David Boyd
Written byCorey Reed
Original air dateNovember 13, 2016 (2016-11-13)
Running time60 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Cell"		Next →
"Go Getters"
The Walking Dead season 7
List of episodes

"Service" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead , which aired on AMC on November 13, 2016. The episode was written by Corey Reed and directed by David Boyd.

Contents

The episode focuses on the remaining members of the core group holding together in Alexandria, while mourning the deaths of Glenn and Abraham, but Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors show up early at their gates for their first offering.

Plot

At Alexandria, Michonne takes a hidden sniper rifle and leaves for a field, with a burnt-out car, to practice with the weapon. A walker eventually approaches and she misses it several times, and eventually decapitates it with her katana. She finds one of her stray bullets hit a deer, and she carries it back to Alexandria.

Meanwhile, Negan and his Saviors, including a captive Daryl, arrive earlier than expected to collect half of Alexandria's supplies. Rick says they have already set out half of their supplies, but Negan retorts that he gets to determine what they take, as they are providing a "service" to the community. He orders his Saviors to search the homes, taking their beds. Dwight forces Rosita and Spencer to collect Daryl's motorcycle from the nearby woods. While outside of Alexandria, Spencer expresses his concern that Rick is not more accepting of Negan's rule. Rosita recovers a gun from the undead corpse of a Savior and they find Daryl's bike.

As they wait, Negan taunts Rick over video footage taken from when Rick's group first arrived in Alexandria, and asks to see the "sick girl" Maggie. Gabriel appears and asks if Negan would like to pay his respects to her, tricking him into believing Maggie is dead. Their conversation is broken by a gunshot, and they congregate at the community's infirmary. There, Carl holds a Savior named David at gunpoint due to the man taking too much of the medicine away from them along with another Savior as well. Negan is impressed by Carl's bravery but forces him to stand down otherwise he will kill someone to prove a point to them again in which Carl complies at once, and then Negan demands to see the armory, as Alexandria seems to have a lot of guns. After Olivia shows Negan around the armory, he instructs them to turn over all the guns, including those that Rick's group had stolen from one of his outposts. As the Saviors load the guns on their trucks, they find two listed in the inventory missing, and Negan threatens to kill Olivia if they aren't returned. Rick and the other Alexandria survivors search through the homes to find them, and Rick discovers them, along with a stash of food, hidden in Spencer's home.

With all the guns collected, the Saviors prepare to leave when Rick sees Michonne hiding in one of the dilapidated houses outside. He begs Negan for a moment, and goes to the house and convinces Michonne to turn over the rifle, which was not in the inventory, and the deer for the better good despite her protests. Appreciative of Rick's effort, Negan warns Rick that if they catch any Alexandrian with a gun, they will kill them. Rick asks if Daryl can stay, but when Negan tells Daryl to plead his case, he remains obstinately silent.

After the Saviors leave with Daryl in tow, Rick accuses Spencer of hoarding supplies, while Spencer taunts Rick for his failure as a leader then afterwards, is confronted by an infuriated Rosita upon learning that he had guns hidden and that she spent wasting time finding on one gun when he had them in her need of bullets. Later, Michonne attempts to encourage Rick to fight. Rick tells her he cannot. He explains that he knows that Judith is not his daughter but that of his friend, but loves her anyway, and similarly with Alexandria, they need to accept Negan's rule to keep living. The following day, while outside Alexandria in the same field, Michonne finds all the mattresses that the Saviors took burned in a pile by the road.

At night, Rosita finds and picks up an empty shell casing that Negan had fired earlier. She visits Eugene and requests he make her a bullet for the gun she still has.

Reception

Critical reception

Jeffrey Dean Morgan received mixed to positive reviews for his performance as Negan in this episode. Jeffrey Dean Morgan by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Jeffrey Dean Morgan received mixed to positive reviews for his performance as Negan in this episode.

"Service" received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 62% with an average rating of 6.94 out of 10, based on 34 reviews. The site's consensus reads: Though the pace is slower than desired, "Service" systematically sets a foundation for a frightening future while furthering the story of life under Negan's rule. [1]

Kelly Lawler of USA Today reviewed the episode, saying, "Jeffrey Dean Morgan's villain is still just as boring, just as non-threatening as he was before. An extra-long episode that was basically just the IKEA trip from Hell doesn't really do anything to further his character." [2] Erik Kain of Forbes also reviewed the episode, saying, "All told, this was the weakest episode of the season so far by a long shot. I hope the showrunners tighten things up going forward, and give us more action, more intertwined storylines, and less Negan and his endless chatter." [3]

Ratings

The episode received a 5.4 rating in the key 18-49 demographic with 11.40 million total viewers. [4] At the time, it was the lowest rating the show had since "Dead Weight" from season four. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Grimes</span> Main protagonist in The Walking Dead

Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the protagonist in the post-apocalyptic comic book series The Walking Dead and the first nine seasons of the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, the character made his debut in The Walking Dead #1 in 2003. Rick is a small town sheriff's deputy and is married to Lori. They have a son, Carl, and a daughter, Judith. He awakens from a coma after a life-threatening gunshot wound to find the world overrun by reanimated humans dubbed "walkers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michonne</span> Fictional character from The Walking Dead

Michonne Grimes is a fictional character from The Walking Dead. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the television series of the same name, in which she is portrayed by Danai Gurira. Armed with a katana and harboring a mysterious past, Michonne is introduced wearing a hood and pulling the shackles of two reanimated corpses for protection and camouflage. The two walkers are subsequently revealed to be her zombified ex-boyfriend and his best friend. In both the comic and TV series, she has a prominent role in the conflict between the town of Woodbury led by The Governor, and the Prison group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Ford</span> Fictional character

Sgt. Abraham Ford is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and was portrayed by Michael Cudlitz in the American television series of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Porter</span> Fictional character

Eugene Porter is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and is portrayed by Josh McDermitt beginning in the fourth season of the American television series of the same name. In both media he claims to be a scientist who knows the cure to the zombie plague and is being escorted to Washington, D.C. by Sgt. Abraham Ford and Rosita Espinosa, and encounter Rick Grimes and his group and recruit them to assist their mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosita Espinosa</span> Fictional character

Rosita Espinosa is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and is portrayed by Christian Serratos in the American television series of the same name. She accompanies Eugene Porter and Abraham Ford on a mission to Washington, D.C. In the comic book series, she joins Rick Grimes' group after they leave the prison and go to DC. Eventually Eugene is revealed to have lied but they continue on to Washington anyway, since he was still convinced the city would offer greater chance of survival, and they eventually find the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negan</span> Character in The Walking Dead

Negan is a character in the comic book series The Walking Dead, its self-titled television adaptation, and its spin-off series Dead City. He was the leader of the Saviors, a group of survivors in the Sanctuary that oppresses other survivor communities and forces them to pay tribute to him. In the comics, the character's appearance is based on Henry Rollins, as confirmed by Charlie Adlard. Jeffrey Dean Morgan portrays Negan in the television series, having first appeared in the sixth-season finale.

Gabriel Stokes (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) Fictional character

Father Gabriel Stokes is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and is portrayed by Seth Gilliam in the television series of the same name. He is an Episcopal priest from Georgia who isolated himself from the outside world at the beginning of the outbreak, after shutting out the members of his congregation, causing their deaths. He is struggling to come to terms with the new reality he faces and his own faith.

Aaron (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) Fictional character

Aaron is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and television series of the same name. He is portrayed by Ross Marquand in the television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Monroe</span> Fictional character

Spencer Monroe is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, where he was portrayed by Austin Nichols. He is the son of the Alexandria Safe Zone leader, Douglas Monroe and his wife, Regina. He is known for being cowardly, jealous and selfish, while trying to build a relationship with Andrea. In the television series, he is the son of Deanna and Reg, and has a brother named Aiden. In the TV series, he falls in love with Rosita Espinosa and starts a relationship with her after Abraham Ford dumps her. In the seventh season, Spencer is killed by Negan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knots Untie</span> 11th episode of the 6th season of The Walking Dead

"Knots Untie" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on February 28, 2016. The episode was written by Matthew Negrete and Channing Powell, and directed by Michael E. Satrazemis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not Tomorrow Yet</span> 12th episode of the 6th season of The Walking Dead

"Not Tomorrow Yet" is the twelfth episode of the sixth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 6, 2016. The episode was written by Seth Hoffman and directed by Greg Nicotero.

Sing Me a Song (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 7th episode of the 7th season of The Walking Dead

"Sing Me a Song" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on December 4, 2016. The episode was written by Angela Kang and Corey Reed, and directed by Rosemary Rodriguez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearts Still Beating</span> 8th episode of the 7th season of The Walking Dead

"Hearts Still Beating" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the seventh season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on December 11, 2016. The episode was written by Matthew Negrate and Channing Powell, and directed by Michael E. Satrazemis.

Say Yes (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 12th episode of the 7th season of The Walking Dead

"Say Yes" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 5, 2017. The episode was written by Matthew Negrete and directed by Greg Nicotero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The King, the Widow, and Rick</span> 6th episode of the 8th season of The Walking Dead

"The King, the Widow, and Rick" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on November 26, 2017. The episode was written by Angela Kang and Corey Reed, and directed by John Polson.

Siddiq (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) Fictional character

Siddiq is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, where he was portrayed by Avi Nash.

"The Key" is the twelfth episode of the eighth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 18, 2018. It was written by Corey Reed and Channing Powell, and directed by Greg Nicotero.

"Who Are You Now?" is the sixth episode of the ninth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on November 11, 2018. This episode is the first not to have Andrew Lincoln credited in the main cast billing as Rick Grimes and the first not to have Lauren Cohan credited since season 2.

"Adaptation" is the ninth episode and mid-season premiere of the ninth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on February 10, 2019. The episode was made available a week earlier on February 3 via AMC Premiere, the network's on-demand service.

References

  1. ↑ "Service". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  2. ↑ Lawler, Kelly (November 18, 2016). "'The Walking Dead' recap: Apocalypse now". USA Today . Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  3. ↑ Kain, Erik (November 13, 2016). "'The Walking Dead' Season 7, Episode 4 Review: 'Service' Is New Season Low". Forbes . Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  4. ↑ Porter, Rick (November 15, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Westworld' ticks up as 'Walking Dead' slips a little more". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ Bibel, Sara (November 26, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Witches of East End' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.