‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 Episode 9 And Beyond: ‘Rise Up’ Banners And 2017 Release Date, Rick Grimes Meets King Ezekiel, Sanctuary Crumbling?

The Walking Dead mid-season 7 finale ended, and now fans will have to wait for episode 9 in February 2017. “Rise Up” banners have been popping up all over social media, and fans hope that things will pick up when the series resumes next year. There are some that didn’t have the patience for good storytelling, but it appears to those that do will be rewarded in the second half of the season. With Rick’s Colt Python in hand and his reuniting with the rest of the group at Hilltop Colony, it appears, to quote Gandalf, “the board is set, the pieces are moving.”

The march to war. #TheWalkingDead #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/gUWEIStBOY

— Mark (@ThatMarvelWitch) December 13, 2016

An Alliance Against The Saviors

One could say this is the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King’s version of the zombie apocalypse as “the enemy.” Negan has likely enabled a boiling point for the members of Alexandria. Rosita displayed such a tipping point considering her unmitigated gall with Negan at point blank range.

Even the leader of the Saviors recognized the “stink eye” that Rick keeps giving him. That alone should set off bells and whistles, and Rick could likely keep his declaration to kill Negan which occurred during the season seven premiere.

The Walking Dead episode 9 promo gave way to an uprising against Negan and the Saviors, according to the Independent. This was already obvious when one of the Knights of the Kingdom, Richard, had asked Morgan and Carol to join King Ezekiel into taking on this most heinous group. The promo even shows Rick Grimes asking King Ezekiel for his help and hopefully Richard said something to the king regarding the possibility that the Saviors are dishonorable enough to stop honoring their remote meeting place and decide later to outright invade The Kingdom.

Abraham said in season 6 that the Saviors had numbers, and this was just confirmed it when Michonne hijacked a truck and held a Savior hostage. Michonne herself was aghast at the sizable community under the thumb of Negan.

That said, will Tara “swear” to keep her promise to the ladies-only community and keep them out of the fight?

Will Negan’s Own Saviors Turn Against Him?

There had been a few Saviors here and there in The Walking Dead’s season 7 who had reached a tipping point themselves. One man just walked away, and Dwight was told to retrieve him. When they finally encountered each other, the audience could see the man has had enough of Negan. Dwight did him a favor by ending his misery.

This got Dwight to thinking about his own situation as his wife was stolen by Negan for the Savior harem. The women of the Sanctuary were obviously not enthused about their situation of indentured servitude, and it would make sense for a reckoning to occur from the inside.

After all, even if one is on Negan’s side, expect mistreatment from this man for as long as you live as he obviously torments, tortures, and makes fun of those in his own community.

The Walking Dead episode 9 preview demonstrated just that when the crew acknowledged the fact the Sanctuary had workers there and likely not by choice.

So perhaps the combined communities’ awareness of inside opposition would be very helpful? There’s already someone on the inside that released Daryl via a motorcycle key attached to a note, so it seems like Negan’s Sanctuary could be crumbling.

Do you think Rick Grimes, Alexandria, The Kingdom, and Hilltop Colony could influence Sanctuary dwellers to “Rise Up” against Negan as well? With a little leverage and hope given to the weary on Negan’s side, hopefully, there will be no more hot irons to the face.

Negan is a ticking time bomb. Watch the Mid-Season Finale of #TWD: https://t.co/DsSbndfrpS pic.twitter.com/RClWt4jgeP

— The Walking Dead (@WalkingDead_AMC) December 12, 2016

The Walking Dead season 7 returns with episode 9 on Feb. 12, 2017. How do you think this will all go down and do you think Rick’s long history and patience could finally get him ahead of even Negan? Will the combined forces of the Hilltop Community, Alexandria, and The Kingdom fare well in this uprising?

[Featured Image by Gene Page/AMC]