User blog:CzechOut/How to fix earlier seasons

So this was originally just going to be a reply on an existing thread, but since it's too long to post, I'll just leave a link to this:

Season 6
Would change some things in the first half, and some minor things in the second half. The first half focuses on the Wolves way too much, and not so much on the herd. The Wolves should have been dealt with in episode 2 or 3, and the rest should have been the survivors under siege by a giant herd. The herd eventually breaks through the walls on their own (not because a tower fell) in episode 6 or 7, and we get Jessie, Sam, and Ron's death, as well as Carl getting shot in episode 8. The situation is resolved by the end of the episode, with the group killing all of the walkers. It ends with Carl in a coma and Rick begging him to live so he can show him the new world they will build together. Also I would scrap the whole Dwight subplot. It's mostly just exists so there can be a deeper rivalry with Daryl later on, but it isn't needed, nor is the early introduction to the Saviors. Bonus: It would have been nice if we got to see some snow, so we can at least have the illusion the show isn't taking place during an endless summer. I know they film in during summer/fall, but couldn't they have at least made some artificial snow and put it in Alexandria when the herd was invading? It wouldn't need to be a lot, just a few piles, and they can CGI the rest. EDIT: Also no Glenn fake-out death

The second half is mostly the same, with a few exceptions. After Rick and company raid the Savior base, I would have the Lead Savior confront him and team family on the road. The Savior tries to rob them, apparently unaware of what happened at the outpost. The group kills all of the Saviors except the Lead Savior. Rick tells him to diliver a message to Negan: Alexandria now protects the Hilltop and they will protect the Saviors too, in exchange for half of their supplies. Also the whole Carol and Maggie thing doesn't happen, and Tara and Heath don't go on a supply run. The group gets captured in episode 15, with the Lead Savior identifying Rick for Negan as the leader, and Glenn and Abraham die in the same episode. I call this Game of Thrones tactics. This way, the show wont lose as many viewers as with the cliffhanger. Like the show, Abraham is originally chosen to be killed, but Daryl attacks Negan with a hidden knife (a lot more plausable than punching), but is too weak from the gunshot wound so Negan throws him off. Glenn is killed as punishment. Episode 16 deals with the aftermath. Daryl doesn't get taken and Maggie doesn't imediately forgive him. In fact, she furiously starts attacking him and has to be pulled off, clearly blaming Daryl for what happened, and not without reason. Also Michonne wouldn't be in the line up, but would stay at Alexandria. That about wraps it up for this season. Please be patient while I type up the rest.

Season 7: Part 1
It would pretty much have the same plot as the comic (if it ain't broke, right?), with a few mix-ups and character switches.

Episode 1 would be Negan visiting Alexandria after a week, and would play out like Serivce, with a few minor changes like the Saviors taking only the assult rifles and other advanced weapons. Rosita would get into a standoff with a Savior over medicine instead of Carl. Also, Gary would get into a fight with Aaron and beat him up. As punishment, Negan sends Gary home on foot early. Rick tells Jesus to follow Gary to the Sanctuary. The episode would end with Negan telling Rick the "slid my dick down your throat" line and the Saviors leaving.

Episode 2 would see Tara ask Rick what Negan whispered too him, and she would chastize him for his behavior. Rick would snap and proclaim he isn't in charge anymore, and would offer Tara a choice between compliance and exile, as she is endangering people with her behavior. Michonne would, like comic Andrea, want to leave Rick until he explains that he is just pretending. Rick would look for Carl too, but he can't find him. We then see that Carl is hiding in one of Negan's trucks with an LMG that he hid away before the Saviors arrived. Jesus would follow Gary to an outpost, but would be surrounded and captured by John, Arat and a few other Saviors, though not before putting up a hell of a fight. Gary would decide to take him to the Sanctuary for interrogation.

Episode 3 starts with Gary and John transporting Jesus to the Sanctuary. When they get to the entrance, Jesus manages to slip away, much to Gary and John's shock. They agree not to tell Negan, and Gary decides to make himself scarce when he notices Negan's trucks approaching. Carl would try to kill Negan and gun down several Saviors, but would ultimately lose control of the recoil. Dwight would start viciously beating Carl, but Negan would stop him. The rest of the episode is a tour of the Sanctuary.

Episode 4: Jesus returns to Alexandria and tells Rick about the Sanctuary and that he heard gunfire when he was stll nearby. Rick concludes that Carl must have went to the Sanctuary, and decides to go pay Negan a visit and ask for Carl back. This is partially to show that he is cooperating, but also as a middle finger to Negan to show that he knows where Negan sleeps. Rick would arrive to the Sanctuary and ask for Negan. Negan would tell Rick that he can't wait for him to see what he did to Carl. This would cause Rick to attack Negan. Negan would get the upper hand in the fight, but would stop and reveal that he did nothing to Carl. Rick and co would then leave. Back at Alexandria, Rick would inform Jesus and Carl of his plans, so Jesus would say that it's time for Rick to meet Ezekiel.

Episode 5 takes place mostly in the Kingdom, and we get the ping pong scene at the Sanctuary as well (in fact, that's the first scene); it ends with Dwight leaving to check on the Kingdom outpost. We get to meet Ezekiel and Shiva and we get the revelation that Dwight wants to help take down Negan. Rick and co. don't believe Dwight at first, with Daryl even attacking him, but are more inclined to give him a chance when Dwight tells them about Sherry. Rick and co. then leave, with the exception of Carol who stays to train the Kingdom soldiers.

Episode 6 we get to see all of the communities, and how they're dealing. Rick has a meeting with a select group of people from Alexandria. Some are offended that Rick didn't trust them with his plan before, but Rick tells them that he needed them to believe they were submiting, otherwise Negan might have picked up on something. Everyone seems supportive of the plan with the exception of Morgan, who doesn't want to go back to killing. Privatly, Daryl is also worried, as he is still guilt-ridden over Glenn's death and doesn't want to repeat the same mistake twice. At the Hilltop, Jesus informs Maggie of the plan, and also tells her to keep an eye on Gregory, as they don't trust him. He also tells Kal, but Kal almost betrays him by revealing the plan to the Saviors. When Gary gets to the meeting spot, however, Kal changes his mind and instead tells Gary that the drop will be light, which causes Gary to punch him in the stomach. We also get to meet Gavin, the leader of the Kingdom Outpost, who seems oddly reasonable for a Savior, though Ezekiel isn't buying it.

Episode 7 we get a montage as several weeks pass and Alexandria and the other communities gather supplies. Simon is now in charge of the Alexandria pickups, and is much less leniant than Negan. Eventually, Negan makes a surprise visit while Rick is away gathering supplies, arriving with 8 men. Spencer tries to get Negan to kill Rick, but is gutted instead. Rick tries to ambush Negan at the end of the episode, with Sasha sniping the driver and Rick, Daryl, Tara and Heath gunning down two Saviors that jump out the back, with the rest surrendering. Rick is about to shoot Negan, but his gun is shot out of his hand. More Saviors emerge from the woods, having secretly camped out there just in case. It ends with Gary surprising Sasha in the tower and Negan taunting Rick.

Episode 8 starts with Gary attacking Sasha and almost killing her, but she manages to stab him and throw him out of the tower. Everyone on the ground, however, assumes Sasha was the one that fell. As Negan continues taunting Rick, Carl takes a potshot at Negan, but hits Lucille instead. Negan is enraged, and demands Carl be handed over. When the Alexandrians don't comply, Negan lines up Rick and co. and is about to Lucille one of them. Jesus attacks the Saviors with some badd-ass kung fu, maniging to get to Negan and hold him hostage. In the confusion, the Kingdom forces attack as well. Negan manages to break free and orders a retreat. Back at the Sanctuary, Negan delivers his "going to war" speech from the comic, and is then informed that he has a visitor, which is revealed to be Gregory.

Season 7: Part 2
Episode 9 opens with Rick's militia arriving in front of the Sanctuary after dealing with the scouts. Rick gives the Sanctuary an ultimatum: hand over Negan and all of their weapons and they will be spared. Negan stands on top of a truck parked outside the Sanctuary, with Simon also present, and introduces the "ace in his sleeve". Gregory. Gregory tells the militia that the Hilltop stands with Negan and threatens to banish the Hilltop fighters and their families if they don't leave immediately. Most of the Hilltopers comply, but Jesus and Kal decide to stay. In total, about 12 people walk away. Negan is infuriated, as Gregory told him half of the militia consisted of Hilltopers. He kicks Gregory off the truck, declines Rick's offer in a vulgar fashion and orders his snipers to open fire. Negan takes cover behid the truck and retreats inside. As the herd approaches and the suvivors retreat, Negan orders Dwight to radio the outposts. Dwight goes to the radio, but shoots it instead, making it look like it was damaged in the shootout. Before he retreats, Rick prepares to ram a truck through the fence, but Tara thinks it won't be enough and wants to ram the truck to through the wall as well. When Rick declines this option, Tara knees him in the groin and drives the truck inside herself. Rick is forced to leave her. Tara rams the truck through the wall. Several workers are killed as zombies begin to pour in. Tara herself is almost devoured, but is saved by Negan, who tells her she isn't getting off that easy. The episode ends with the Hilltop fighters and Gregory walking back to the Hilltop. Maggie is furious that they ran and proceeds to raly the people to her side, ultimately ordering Gregory's arrest. She is now the leader of the Hilltop.

Episode 10 opens with Rick leading an attack on the Alexandria outpost. The outpost is heavily fortified, and the fighting is heavy. There are casualties on both sides and include Eric, who is shot in the head. The militia eventually capture the outpost. Though the outpost was under the command of Simon, he is nowhere to be found. Instead, it is his deputy who was left in charge, Morales, who is among the dozen captured Saviors. Rick is shocked to find Morales working for the Saviors. Morales coldly states that his family is at the Sanctuary, and he is simply doing what he has to to keep them safe. He thus, refuses to cooperate with Rick. Rick decides to keep them alive so they might trade them for Tara in the future. Meanwhile, Ezekiel was tasked with attacking Gavin's outpost with the Kingdom's forces, while Carol stayed behind to guard the Kingdom. Ezekiel returns alone and tattered, without Shiva. Carol asks what happened, but Ezekiel simply walks past her and goes to the theater room.

Episode 11 opens with a flashback of Ezekiel's assault on the outpost. He is confident, and things seem to be going well at first, with the Saviors taking some casualties and retreating. It was all a trap, however. When the Kingdom army walks into a clearing, they are suddenly blinded by lights and mowed down by rifles and a .50 cal machine gun. Richard, who is actually good friends with Ezekiel, throws himself on top of the king to shield him, sacrificing himself. Ezekiel mourns Richard in the middle of the field, surrounded by his dead soldiers. Richard reanimates and attempts to bite Ezekiel, but is suddenly shot in the head by Gavin, who is accompanied by other Saviors. Gavin chasizes Ezekiel for breaking the deal, as Gavin was always fair to Ezekiel despite the circumstances. He informs Ezekiel that he will be executed by Negan and he can't promise that it will be painless. Suddenly, Daniel reanimates and bites Gavin on the ankle as more walkers show up, giving Ezekiel a chance to escape in the confusion. His leg is injured however, and he can't run very fast. He stumbles into a ditch where he is surrounded by zombies and is only saved when Shiva sacrifices herself. Carol and Benjamin try to get Ezekiel to continue fighting, but to no avail.

Episode 12 opens with Negan and the Saviors trying to clear out the walkers with melee weapons. Unfortunately, there are too many so they are foced to retreat to the upper level. Negan orders the Saviors to keep at it every hour. He privatly tells Dwight that if they stay trapped for more than a few days, they're all dead. Negan and Dwight then go to visit Tara, who expresses a desire to see all of the Saviors dead, especially Dwight. Rick, meanwhile, prepares to take out the final outpost, and is surprised to be joined by Maggie and the Hilltop. They clear out most of the outpost, but a handfull of Saviors manage to escape in a small fleet of armored cars. Afterwards, Rick and co. recieve the news that Ezekiel's assault failed. This worries Rick, as the Saviors now have a good chance to get out. Back at the Sanctuary, David visits Tara and tries to rape her, but is killed by Negan. Negan appologizes and wants Tara to understand they're not monsters.

Episode 13 is the calm before the storm. We see how all of the survivors are dealing with the war, in every community. Carol continues trying to get Ezekiel to snap out of his state, with little success. The big shocker in this episode is that a worker sneaks into Tara's cell and kills her, despite her remorse. When Negan arrives to investigate the gunshot, he finds the worker with a gun, having shot Tara in the chest. He explains that Tara killed his family when she knocked the walls down and begs Negan to let her turn, as his family is still undead downstairs. He then shoots himself in the head.

Episode 14 sees the survivors planning another assault. At the end of the episode, a grenade goes off in Alexandria. It was thrown by Negan, who has escaped the Sanctuary with the rest of the Saviors. They also have several armored cars and trucks. He has brought Tara with a bag over her head, and offers to hand her over as a token of good faith. This, of course, is a trap, as Tara has reanimated. When Sasha removes the bag from her head, she bites her on the wrist. Negan then orders the Saviors to attack.

Episode 15 starts off where 14 left off. The Saviors fire at the survivors at the gate, though they manage to get to cover in time. The Saviors then begin tossing grenades into the Safe Zone, destroying several houses. Rick is knocked out and Heath gets his leg blown off, though is saved by Rosita. Carl and Michonne help get Rick away from the explosions. Sasha declines having her arm amputated, as she wouldn't be able to us a sniper. She instead climbs a tower and starts sniping Saviors, even blowing a bunch of them up when she hits one of their grenades. Dwight commands several Saviors in the assault. Daryl sneaks outside the Safe Zone with Morgan, and begins killing Saviors, when he runs across Dwight and his group. He is about to kill him, when Dwight suddenly guns his group of Saviors down. When he sees Daryl, he tosses some grenades to him, and reminds him he's on their side. The day is saved when Maggie arrives with the Hilltop forces. Negan and the rest of the Saviors retreat. Gavin also leads an assault on the Kingdom, now walking with a peg-leg. He takes the place pretty quickly, with Ezekiel's theater room being the last holdout. Gavin rounds up a bunch of civilians and threatens, albeit reluctantly, to shoot Nabila if Ezekiel doesn't give up. Ezekiel finally snaps out of his depression and formulates a plan. He pretends to surrender while Carol, Benjamin and a few others sneek out the secret entrance to the theater and outflank the Saviors. Gavin is shot in the shoulder and a lot of the Saviors are killed, but a handful and Gavin manage to escape. The episode ends with Simon questioning Negan on the road about what they will do now that they lost, but Negan informs him that the smoke means they won, since Alexandria is burning.

Episode 16 deals with the aftermath. Alexandria mostly destroyed, Sasha saying goodbye, and the Kingdomers evacuating to the Hilltop since they are too few to defend the Kingdom now. Eugene, who has been making bullets, is also captured when an accident causes an ammo crate to explode outside, killing several Alexandrians and attracting a small herd that prevetns Eugene from escaping. The herd is killed by the Saviors, who investigate the explosion and subsequently capture Eugene and the ammo crew.

Season 8: Part 1
Episode 1 involves the survivors trying to reach the safety of the Hilltop. They pack up in every vehicle that wasn't destroyed and set off. On the way, they run into an armored box truck driven by the Saviors. It blocks the road and opens fire with a 50.cal machine gun, completely destroying the first car in the convoy. Daryl manages to flank it and destroy it with one of the grenades Dwight gave him. Rick and co. conclude that driving on the road is too dangerous, so they continue on foot through the woods. We then cut to the Sanctuary garages, where Negan visits Alden. Alden seems to be the chief mechanic of the Saviors, and is hard at work creating armored cars for the Saviors. Negan praises his work, especially since it were his inventions that allowed some of the Saviors to escape the Satelite Outpost. Negan offers Alden a chance to act as second-in-command of the Savior Armored Unit, under the Lead Savior (let's just call him Bud). Alden eagerly accepts (we will later find out why). By the end of the episode, the Alexandrians arrive to their destination after navigating a dangerous swamp. The Kingdomers also arrive, packed into three buses.

Episode 2 we get to find out what happened to Eugene. He is being held prisoner, and was beaten for refusing to cooperate. He continues doing so when Negan visits him. Negan grabs his crotch, which he refers to as his "crystal balls", and predicts that he will kill Eugene' friends (the ammo crew) one by one in front of him, burn his face, and finally cut his penis off if he doesn't start producing bullets for him. Eugene isn't swayed, however. Back at the Hilltop, Rick, Maggie, Ezekiel and a few others formulate a plan to deal with the Saviors. They know Negan is coming, but conclude that they need to dwindle his forces as much as possible before that happens. They organize a small unit made up of some of their most skilled fighters, which include Daryl, Carol, Morgan and Jesus, to harry the Saviors on the road, specifically destroy as many armored vehicles as possible. We also get an emotional scene with Daryl and Maggie, where Maggie finally forgives Daryl.

Episode 3 opens with an armored station wagon driving down the road when it hits a trip wire and is flipped over by a grenade explosion. A Savior manages to crawl out of the wreckage and begs to be spared. He is, however, ruthlessly killed by Morgan, who is starting to show signs of PTSD. At the Sanctuary, Dwight visits Eugene alone. He tells Eugene that he is working on a plan to get him out. Eugene doesn't believe Dwight, and calls him out on playing both sides. Dwight doesn't outright deny this, but states that he wants the same thing as Eugene, so while he won't pretend to be a good guy, they're on the same side. When Eugene asks him about Tara, Dwight simply states that there wasn't an opportunity to help her. Eugene finally asks why Dwight doesn't just kill Negan and end the war, but Dwight says that he would if he thought he could get away with it, but that he doesn't think it would end the war anyway, and would, in fact, only make it worse since Simon would be in charge. When they're done, Emmet Carson surprises Dwight outside of Eugene's cell. He tells Dwight that he heard everything. Dwight begins to discretely draw a knife from his back, but holsters it when Carson says that he wants to escape with Eugene. Meanwhile, Rick and co. discuss another problem: they're short on ammo, and are practically only left with pistol bullets and a few rifle magazines. Maggie asks about Eugene, but Rick tells her that when they passed by the ammo factory, Eugene and the ammo crew were missing. They conclude that Eugene and the crew were captured, but there is little they can do about it.

Episode 4 will be a more Sanctuary heavy episode. Dwight decides to try to recruit Mark. When he enters Mark's room, he catches him with Amber. Mark falls to his knees and begs Dwight not to tell Negan, but Dwight tells him to relax, as he will not only keep it a secret, but also help Mark and Amber escape. He also goes to visit Alden, and wonders why Alden is so gung-ho about fighting in the war, being that he's a worker. We find out that Alden was stationed at the Satelite Outpost and escaped with Bud and a few others when the Militia attacked it (though Bud gets the credit for commanding the escape, it was actually Alden's idea to use the cars). When he got to the Sanctuary, however, he discovered that his girlfriend was among those killed when the walls came down, so he desires revenge. We also see that Dwight has developed a good friendship with Laura, so he asks her to stay at the Sanctuary intead of going to the Hilltop to fight (since he doesn't want her to be killed). She resists at first, but is ultimately convinced. Negan, meanwhile, discusses war plans with Simon. Simon wants to simply bomb the Hilltop like they did Alexandria, but Negan rejects this idea, as he wants to continue subjugating the Hilltop after the war is over. When Simon becomes adamant, Negan snaps and reminds him of a previous community that he pushed too hard. Negan reveals that Simon and his men sexually exploited the women in the community in exchange for collecting fewer supplies. When Negan found out about it, he let Simon off easy because it wasn't explicitly rape, but put a stop to it nonetheless. The damage was already done, however, and the community eventually rebeled, which resulted in nearly all of their men being wiped out while the women and children escaped to an unknown location. The Saviors are also running low on ammo, so they go on to discuss that when Negan suddenly gets an idea. We also get a scene at the Hilltop with Rick talking to an imprisoned Morales about their respective journeys.

Episode 5 opens with Daryl, Morgan, Jesus and Carol observing a small Savior camp. Daryl thinks it's too convinient, when Morgan, apparently having a PTSD episode, goes into beserk mode and starts slaughtering the Saviors. Daryl's instincts prove to be correct, as Morgan is quickly surrounded and captured by more Saviors commanded by Regina. There is little the other survivors can do. At the Sanctuary, Negan visits Eugene and tells him time is up and, since he's short on time, he will have to accelerate his torture plans. To his surprise, Eugene actually agrees to produce bullets for the Saviors, but that he'll need to go back to the bullet factory (the equipment is too large to be transported), and will need his crew and someone who knows something about chemicals, to help him mix the gunpowder. Negan is happy to hear this, and tells Eugene he will have everything he needs, including his chemist (Negan gives him Carson, just as planned). He leaves Dwight to figure out the logistics, while he goes to the courtyard to introduce his tainted melee weapon idea. At the Hilltop, Rick is informed by Daryl that Morgan was captured. We get a few character scenes with Carol and Ezekiel (who are a couple now), as well as Carl and Enid doing some boyfriend/girlfriend stuff (not like that you prevert). The Saviors begin leaving the Sanctuary while Eugene, the ammo crew, and Carson are escorted to the bullet factory by 6 Savior guards, one of which is Mark. On the road, Mark is driving a van with another Savior riding shotgun with Eugene and the crew in the back. The rest of the guards are in a pickup truck in the front. Mark suddenly shoots the Savior next to him and proceeds to ram the pickup off the road. None of the other guards survives the crash. Eugene tells them they need to get to the Hilltop. The final shot is of Negan and his army having arrived at the Hilltop outskirts. Negan tells them they will attack at sundown.

Episode 6 opens with the Saviors mucking up their weapons using chained-up walkers. Dwight is waiting his turn when Negan tells him to make sure all of his arrows are mucked up. Dwight complains that the weight will alter the trajectory, but Negan tells him to do it anyway. Negan goes to check on a captured Morgan, who is now worse, and keeps raving about having to "clear". Negan finds it somewhat amusing, and decides to keep Morgan alive for now. The survivors meanwhile, are readying their defences, having erected barricades as well, Negan eventually arrives to the gates and tells everyone who isn't fighting to lay face down in the dirt. He then orders a truck to be plowed through the gates, but it is immediately riddled with bullets. Another truck is sent in, followed by armored motorcycles and cars. These break through the barricades and kill several survivors. Jesus is nearly run over by Alden in a modified muscle car, but is saved by Kal, who pushes him out of the way only to be run over himself. Jesus briefly mourns his friend, then turnes his attention to Alden, who has turned around and is now looking at Jesus. We can see that Alden is drunk and blasting loud rock music. He tries to run Jesus over again, but this time Jesus acrobatically jumps over the car, causing Alden to crash into a trailer. Alden manages to get away, with Jesus about to go after him, but stopping when he notices Negan and the rest of the Saviors pouring in on foot. They are mostly armed with melee weapons, with some, including Negan himself, carrying riot shields, which partially protect them from small arms fire. Rick witnesses this as well, as he and Daryl deal with the last of the bikers, with Rick shooting Bud in the head. A huge battle ensues, with the Saviors gradually pushing the survivors back. Negan, Dwight and Simon eventually flank Rick, Daryl, Aaron and Tobin, who are not aware of their presence. Negan gleefully tells Dwight to shoot Rick with his crossbow, and tells him that it doesn't even have to be a fatal blow. Dwight hesitates, but ultimately shoots Rick in the abdomen.

Episode 7 starts where 6 left off. Daryl and Aaron open fire on Negan, Dwight and Simon, who take cover behind an overturned car. Negan gleefully exclaims that, without Rick, the resistance will fall apart. Daryl and Aaron provide cover while Tobin carries Rick to the Barrington house. They are blindsided by a Savior, who rushes towards Rick and Tobin with a machete. Carl opens the door to the Barrington house and shoots the Savior attacking. As the Savior is falling, he manages to slash Tobin's back, though the cut isn't deep. The defenders retreat to the Barrington house. The sun has completely set by now, and Negan and the rest of the Saviors prepare to storm the house. Meanwhile, Eugene, Carson, Mark, Amber (who was smuggled out as well) and the ammo crew are driving towards the Hilltop. Eugene tells Carson to flash the headlights, since they're now in an urban area and he doesn't want them to crash. When Carson reluctantly does so, they see that the street is full of walkers, whom they just attracted. To make matters worse, as they back away, their engine is shot out by a Savior sniper. Noticing that a few Saviors are coming to capture them, he slams the horn, which causes nearby walkers to pile on the hood. As the Saviors are busy shooting the walkers, Eugene and the rest exit through the back of the van and duck into a nearby building. As the Saviors clear out the walkers in the street, Eugene instructs Mark to shoot the lock on a gate where walkers have piled on. He does so, and the street is quickly flooded by the undead, with the Saviors outside overwhelmed and killed. Eugene instucts the other survivors to distract the sniper. As they do so, the sniper continues shooting at them. Suddenly, Eugene appears behind him and pushes him off the roof. The survivors decide to make camp for the night, and leave on foot in the morning. As Negan and the Saviors prepare to storm the house, Michonne, Carol and Ezekiel sneak outside and begin turning on the lights of the Savior automobiles. As the Saviors are gradually illuminated by light, they are quickly gunned down. Seeing what is happening, Negan orders a retreat. Morning comes. Rick has been bandaged by now, and curses Dwight's name for betraying him. He is able to walk, so goes outside to see the aftermath. He finds Simon on the floor injured. Remembering how Simon treated them during pickups and Dwight's betrayal, he shoots Simon in the head. He is then informed by Rosita that everyone in the infermary is getting worse, as though they were bitten. Daryl also brings Rick a Savior knife which has dried blood on in, that isn't fresh but smells as though it came from a rotting corpse. Rick is horrified at the implication.

Episode 8 starts with Eugene and co. walking to the Hilltop. Eugene is a bit down after killing his first human, but Carson assures him that the sniper, Donnie, was an animal, making Eugene feel better. Meanwhile, Negan is enjoying his apparent victory, when D.J. approaches and informs him that they spotted Eugene and the ammo crew, Carson, Mark and Amber approaching the Hilltop. Negan isn't alarmed, as he figures they'll get them back soon. Eugene and co. arrive as Jesus and Aaron are blocking the broken gate with one of the Kingdom buses. They are releaved to see them. Tobin (who never hooked up with Carol) is dying from his wound, with his wife Paula and his son Mikey by his side. When Tobin passes, Carl comforts Mikey. As noon approaches, Rick sits in bed with a worried Michonne and Carl. Daryl blames himself for not killing Dwight when he had the chance, but Rick says that he's glad he didn't. Since everyone else is sick, and Rick is fine, he concludes that Dwight shot him with a clean arrow, and they were right to trust him all along. He adds that Eugene says that Dwight helped him escape. Rick begins to plan a counter attack, when he is interrupted by a horn. Negan is at the gates, with Dwight, about 10 Saviors and a truck. He yells that he knows Rick is dead and orders the survivors to send out their new leader to negotiate. Negan is shocked when Rick shows up. He angrily looks at Dwight, but Rick tells him to look at him. Rick asks Negan what he's fighting for, with Rick the militia defending himself against a ruthless maniac. negan indulges Rick, and tells him that he's defending himself against bunch of ingrates. Rick sarcasticly asks if they should be grateful for Negan stealing half of their supplies, but Negan sees it as a tax. The Saviors provide security, and the rest of the communities work. He thinks that this is what it takes to keep people alive and productive. Rick asks if Negan is the dumbest person alive and goes on to propose a better system, one where they would all contribute and trade. Negan slowly starts becoming convinced of this idea, and ultimately agrees to bury the hatchet. When he does, Rick cuts his throat with a knife as the rest of the Saviors look at him, shocked. Rick tells them that they can save Negan's life, and will if the Saviors go home. Negan tackles Rick, while Dwight orders the Saviors to stand down and let them fight. Suddenly, Michonne and a few others attack the Saviors from behind. A Savior nearly kills Michonne, but she is saved by Dwight. Gavin, who's been left in charge of the camp, sees the Saviors being killed and orders the rest of the Saviors to board their vehicles and attack. Rick and Negan continue to fight, with Negan managing to break Rick's leg before passing out from blood loss. As the rest of the Saviors charge into battle, Dwight grabs Lucille and starts waving her around, which prompts the Savior warband to stop. Dwight declares that Negan has fallen and that, if the Saviors want to survive, they will follow him as they followed Negan. The Saviors stare at him confused. Dwight tells them that they don't have to be afraid of Negan's rules anymore, and asks them to give him a chance. Gavin nods to Dwight, and the rest of the Saviors seem suportive. Alden doesn't seem too happy, but doesn't say anything. Dwight orders the Saviors to pack up and prepare for the journey home. As they leave, Harlan and Rosita rush out to tend to Rick. Rick, however, orders them to save Negan first, even though Rick's leg is in critical condition. Later, Rick discusses the decesion to spare Negan. He thinks imprisoning Negan forever is a better punishment and sends a better message, one where law and order exist and people don't just kill each other when they're wrong. Daryl disagrees, and so does Maggie, though she admits Glenn might have liked that. Rick also points out that the Saviors see Negan as almost a god, and killing him might turn him into a martyr. By locking him up, they show that he's just a man. Rick goes on to diliver a speech to the rest of the communities. After, Michonne helps him to bed, where Rick asks for Carl. Michonne hasn't seen Carl, which prompts Rick to ask her to help him get to the infermary. Carl is standing over Negan with a gun. Rick tells his son that if they kill Negan, they are no better than he is, and are, in fact, worse, since Negan spared them both when he had a chance to kill them. Carl is eventually talked down and leaves. Rick notices Negan is awake. He informs Negan of his fate and that he will spend the rest of his life in jail as everyone thrives without him. This speech is given as we're shown the communities and the Saviors returning home. We also see Morales reunited with his family. He concludes by saying: "You're going to die in jail and old man, Negan. You're fucked.".

Season 8: Part 2
Episode 9 takes place a year and a half after the end of the war. It opens with Rick waking up next to Michonne. The two are now married. We get a tour of Alexandria, where we see that the community has not only been rebuilt, but has expanded. There are new houses, gardens and even a windmill. Rick is also walking with a cane now. Rick, Michonne, Carl and Judith have breakfest together, They talk about Michonne's upcoming misson to the city; salviging artifacts from a museum to put in Alexandria's new one. Carl also brings up wanting to apprentice under Earl, as he wants to become a blacksmith. Rick is resistant to the idea of Carl moving to the Hilltop, so he postpones the conversation. As Michonne leaves for the mission, Dwight and the Saviors approach to trade food for scrap. It is revealed that a hydroelecric power plant has been built near the Sanctuary, since it was near a river and had the neccesary materials. Alden and Eugene worked together to design it, with Gavin overseeing constuction. A cable has already been constructed to power Alexandria, and it is revealed another one is being built to the Hilltop. Dwight complains that the soil (what little there is) around the Sanctuary is poor, and that they need to build more glass houses. He asks Rick to talk to Oceanside (since they produce glass), since he thinks they are more likely to accept a proposal from him, given the history between Oceanside and the Saviors. He also brings up two of his men going missing on their way back from the construction project, and asks Rick to look into it. Dwight also talks to Daryl, with whom he's developed something of a friendship, and reveals that he doesn't want to lead the Saviors anymore, and in fact never did, doing it only to keep the peace. Daryl tries to convince Dwight to think it over, as he is the best suited for the job, but Dwight doesn't  seem convinced. Daryl tells him that, if he really doesn't want to lead, they need to have an election, with Dwight overseeing it. On a personal note, Daryl asks how things are with Sherry, but Dwight reveals that they are no longer together. Michonne's mission in the city goes awry when a glass floor collapses and Ken Sutton is killed. Michonne manages to retrieve most of the artifacts nonetheless. At Alexandria, Carl goes to talk to the imprisoned Negan about his day, specifically about Rick not wanting Carl to go to the Hilltop. Negan tells him that Rick is just being protective, and will come around eventually. Before Carl leaves, Negan asks if he still wants to kill him. Carl replies that he does.

Episode 10 starts with Negan and Carl. Negan is disapointed that Carl still wants to kill him, but understands. We then get to see Maggie breaking a horse at the Hilltop Gregory comes to talk to her and informs her that Ken has died, and suggests she organizes a funeral. When Gregory leaves, Maggie tells Jesus that she is surprised how well Gregory took the election loss when he ran against her. Jesus thinks Gregory is lucky he wasn't executed, let alone pardoned. Maggie assures Jesus that she doesn't trust Gregory, and that she is keeping an eye on him. She then has a meeting with Earl and Tammy; Ken's parents. Earl stays mostly quiet, but Tammy is livid that her son died over some artifacts that, in her eyes, weren't worth the risk. She demands that Alexandria sends some form of compensation, and even that Rick and Michonne should be put on trial. Maggie tries to calm her down, but it has little effect. Meanwhie, Gavin is overseeing the Hilltop cable constuction, with workers from every community. Justin shoves Henry to the ground when the boy doesn't give him extra water, which prompts Benjamin to get into a fight with Justin. Gavin breaks it up, and sends Justin home as punishment. He also sends Benjamin and Henry back to the Kingdom. When Benjamin protests, Gavin says that he understands the fight was Justin's fault, but the other Saviors might not feel that way, so he's sending them away for their own safety. At dinner, the Grimes family talk about Ken's death. Rick goes on to talk about Carl going to the Hilltop. It seems like Rick is going to decline, but he accepts, much to Carl's surprise. Rick, however, tells Carl to postopne his trip, as some Saviors went missing recently. Carl later tells Negan the good news. Negan asks if Carl is excited to see Enid again, but Carl says that he and Enid broke up a while ago. Negan says that he's sorry, but points out Carl didn't answer his question. Carl continues to avoid the subject. Gregory visits the Sutton family and offers his condolances. He offers them drinks, but Earl refuses though Tammy accepts and gets very drunk. Tammy goes on to complain about the way Maggie is running the Hilltop. When Gregory suggests they eliminate her, Earl amd Tammy balk at the idea of killing her, Gregory assures them that he doesn't want to hurt Maggie, just remove her from power. Justin is walking back to the Sanctuary when he hears something in the woods. He seems to recognize the person that emerges, before getting knocked out.

Episode 11 starts Rick receiving word from the Sanctuary that Justin has not returned. He tasks Daryl, who is now chief of security, with finding the missing Saviors. He also asks him to check in on Morgan. Daryl first goes to Morgan, who's living in the wilderness in self-imposed exile due to his PTSD. After chatting for a bit, Daryl asks him if he knows anything about the missing Saviors. Morgan claims that he doesn't, and that he doesn't even kill walkers anymore. He has also become a vegeterian. Daryl then searches the road and finds Justin's bag. He follows the trail through the forest, eventually coming across a few walkers, one of which is Justin. After dispatching them, Daryl notices rope burns around Justin's neck. Rick, meanwhile, meets with Nathania, the leader of Oceanside. He manages to convince her to ship glass to the Sanctuary, in exchange for Oceanside being connected to the electricity grid. At the Hilltop, Gregory visits Earl again, with Tammy already passed out from booze. This time, Earl accepts the drinks. After getting him drunk, Gregory manages to convince him that killing Maggie is the only way the Hilltop will be safe. Earl later attacks Maggie while she's taking Hershel on a stroll, but hesitates before being tackled by Jesus. He is put in a jail cell. where he keeps muttering Gregory's name, leading Maggie to conclude he was behind it. She doesn't think that Earl's testimony will be enough, so decides she will make Gregory implicate himself. She goes to Gregory and reveals Earl tried to kill her, though acts as though she has no idea Gregory was behind it. Gregory comforts her and offers a drink, which she accepts. After he pours the wine, Maggie pretends to drink it, but dumps it while Gregory isn't looking. When Maggie starts pretending she isn't feeling well, Gregory starts gloating about killing her, at which moment Jesus busts through the door and Gregory is arrested, despite his pleas. Maggie contemplates what to do with Gregory, as Rick established a no-kill rule. Jesus points out that, unlike Negan, Gregory is dangerous even while locked up, as he can stil manipulate people. Maggie decides Gregory must be executed. The episode ends with the hanging of Gregory.

Episode 12 would start with the Kingdom. Ezekiel, Carol, Benjamin and Henry are spending some quality time together. They are interrupted by a gunshot heard outside the gates. Jed, Regina, and a few other Saviors are in front of the gates, armed mostly with pistols. Jed demands Ezekiel hand over Benjamin, as he believes him responsible for the death of Justin. After a tense stand off, the Saviors leave, though Jed implies they will be back. Daryl informs Rick on his findings. This coincides with Rick recieving word that Maggie has executed Gregory. Because Gregory was hung, Rick naturally suspects her of being behind the missing Saviors as well, so decides to travel to the Hilltop to confront her, leaving Michonne in charge. Daryl decides to travel with Rick to the Construction Campsite to talk to some of the other Saviors. They take a ride on Daryl's motorcycle, but encounter Gavin and the other Saviors on the road, traveling back to the Sanctuary. Gavin informs them that three more Saviors went missing from the campsite. Jed also adds that his group was attacked on the road with flashbangs and smoke grenades, and that they abducted a Savior. Jed didn't see the attacker, but remembers hearing a woman's voice. Jed is also angry at the ammunitions embargo imposed on the Saviors, as he believes only pistol bullets aren't sufficient to protect themselves. Gavin hushes Jed, but privatly tells Rick that he has a point, though Rick still isn't comfortable with the Saviors having access to rifle ammunition. Before they leave, Gavin informs them that Morales is among the missing Savoirs. This comes as quite a shock to Daryl and Rick, so much so that Daryl decides to seek out Morgan to help him find the culprits, also telling Rick that he doesn't think Maggie is behind the killings as she doesn't have enough motive, especially since the cable was being constructed for the Hilltop. Rick agrees, but thinks he should speak to Maggie nontheless. Daryl lends Rick his motorcycle while he goes to find Morgan. Rick arrives to the Hilltop and has an argument with Maggie about Gregory, though they ultimately reconcile. Negan, meanwhie, is taking a bath under the armed supervision of Rosita. He aplogizes for killing Abraham, though Rosita is having none of it. Negan then asks her about Eugene, and tells her that he believes Eugene likes her, but this only frustrates Rosita further. When Negan goes back to his cell, Rosita angrily slams the door. Negan, depressed, leans against the door after Rosita leaves, only for it to swing open.

To Be Continued

Summary
If you're not the reading type, here's a quick summary of my changes
 * Structure - The most obvious change, with All-Out War starting in the middle of Season 7 instead of Season 8. With this structure, Season 7 is not as slow, and the show doesn't lose as many viewers.
 * No pointless subplots - With the tighter structure comes the added benefit of getting rid of the extra weight. So no bottle episodes, no filler masquerading as character development. Characters develop through the actions they take. For example, Daryl becomes wiser and more catious after getting Glenn killed.
 * No Scavengers, No Oceanside - Oceanside comes in the second part of Season 8, and the Scavengers don't exist, since they're ulitmatelly pretty irrelevant to the plot.
 * Closer to the Comic - Since we are addapting an already existing story, we should try to stick to it as much as possible, otherwise why not just make our own original story? Changes should only be made to improve or expand on some aspects or plots.
 * The Saviors aren't pussies/morons - In my version, the Saviors wouldn't be as numerous, but would be smarter and more dangerous. In the TV Show, the only reason the Saviors are a problem is their large numbers, and during Season 8 they just die like flies. I swear, the Sanctuary should have been depopulated twice over with the amount of Saviors killed during the war. Even episodes where the Saviors should be triumphant like when Ezekiel assults the Chem Plant Outpost, they all end up dying anyway, and like 2/3 are killed before Ezekiel even gets to getting his forces machinegunned, mainly by running around in the middle of the forest like headless chickens, despite knowing that Ezekiel is coming. Either Scott Gimple was scared that people might tune out of Season 8 like they did Season 7 because the good guys kept getting the shaft (which I don't think is the main reason, but whatever) and went too far in the opposite direction, or the directors thought you can't have a cool scene unless someone is dying every second, so they just killed of Saviors like ants with a magnifying glass, asking if they could rather than if they should.
 * Tara get's Holly's death, Sasha gets Denise's - Since the writers don't seem to know what to do with Tara, I think this would be a good end for her. Sasha goes out like a warrior, the way Abraham would surely want to go out himself.
 * Eugene becomes a badass, instead of reverting back to his coward mode.
 * Not all the Saviors are assholes - The TV Show touches on this, but never really explores it, with Gavin getting killed in an extremely anticlimactic fashion. It's almost like the writers were afraid the audiance might get confuesed, and didn't want to challenge them. So Gavin would survive the war, and Alden, who was a worker would join the war out of grief and anger, showing how a person may percieve things differently on the other side.
 * Bigger, more exciting battles - How does Gimple manage to take the most exciting part of the Negan arc and make it boring? Negan comes to bomb Alexandria, so now our heros must defend their home against overwhelming odds? Nah, let's just have them hide in a literal hole in the ground. Battle for the Hilltop, which should be the most exciting part of All-Out War? No armored cars or motorcycles, no establishing shots of the huge battle, and instead of Rick getting shot, Tara gets the arrow, a character no one cares about. Negan isn't even present for the battle ffs.

That concludes this part. I might do a part 2 on Season 8, but I feel like the main problem's with the show have been fixed. I hope you've enjoyed it :)