SPOILER ALERT! Rick Grimes battles for his life to prove his worth as he makes new alliance on The Walking Dead
Rick Grimes had been left grinning wildly on The Walking Dead when he was confronted by a new group of strangers he clearly hoped would help take on the sadistic Saviors.
But the latest episode of the hit TV show saw his initial joy turn to bloody horror as he was literally thrown into a fight for his life with a monster covered in spikes.
In an episode that saw a tearful reunion between Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier, Rick confidently tried to talk the new group into joining forces with them after they surrounded them in a car scrapyard as they searched for Father Gabriel Stokes.
Plot twist: Rick Grimes was challenged by a new group of strangers he clearly hoped would help take on the sadistic Saviors on Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead
Telling the new group's leader Jadis that the Saviors 'own our lives,' he warned: 'If you kill us, you'll be taking something for them. And they will come looking.
'You only have two options when it comes to the Saviors — either they kill you or they own you. But there is a way out. Join us — join us in fighting them.'
Jadis initial gave a cursory 'no' — before listening to Gabriel who grabbed one of the other leaders and held a knife to her throat.
Scary: Rick is thrown into a pit with a monster covered in spikes
Hostage taken: Gabriel took a hostage and put a blade to her throat
He then insisted that the Saviors have 'food, weapons, vehicles, fuel,' adding: 'Whatever you want, the Saviors have it.'
When he insisted that 'Rick can do anything,' Jadis took Rick up to the highest point of the scrapyard, telling him that her group 'takes, we don't bother', but conceding: 'Things are changing again, so maybe we change. Maybe.'
Telling Rick that she needed to 'know you're real with this, that you're worth it' she then pushed him off the edge of the scrapyard into a contained area that the others could see into but not actually access to help him.
Ouch! He then has to fight the strange beast hand to hand to prove his worth
Point taken: The zombie was armored with metal spikes
Metal head: The gruesome walker was outfitted with a spiked helmet
Dazed from the fall, he finally saw a monster covered in spikes — forced to battle for his life to prove his worth.
Cutting himself bad as spikes went through his hand as he pushed the monster named Winslow away, his lover Michonne looked on in horror at the deadly battle.
But she finally called out the key piece of advice, telling him to pull at the walls so items of scrap fell on Winslow, finally trapping him so Rick could stab him to death with a large shard of glass.
Great idea: Michonne watched the deadly battle and yelled out advice to Rick
Wall of waste: The creatur attacked as Rick was pinned against a wall of waste
Walls crumbled: Rick brought the walls of garbage tumbling down onto the monster
It worked: The beast while covered in trash was stabbed in the head by Rick
'You believe us now? Just tell us what you want and we'll get it,' Rick called to Jadis, who threw down a rope to get him out.
'Guns. A lot. A lot,' Jadis smiled, adding: 'And then we'll fight your fight.'
After negotiating how much the new group would keep of all the spoils, they finally agreed to shake hands — with Jadis looking disgusted at Rick's blood-soaked right hand and instead shaking with the left.
On top: Rick ascended to the top of the heap before he was thrown down
Other hand: Jadis decided to shake with her other hand when Rick extended his bloody palm
When he asked what she planned to do with Gabriel if they had not shown up, she dodged the question and told him: 'Go. Deal expires. Soon.'
Later, Gabriel lied to Rick, insisting that he had been 'jumped' by the group and forced to leave, rather than leaving of his own will as viewers had seen last week.
'We will set things right. But things are going to get very hard before that time,' Gabriel told Rick.
Great story: Gabriel lied to Rick and said he was 'jumped' by the scavenging group
Opposing views: Rosita and Tara clashed over what to do next
Asking him what made him smile so widely when he first saw the group, Rick grabbed Gabriel's shoulder affectionately as he told him: 'Someone showed me enemies can become friends.'
Despite his deep injuries, Rick had an even wider smile as he walked out to the others, knowing they now had allies in the fight against the Saviors.
'We have a deal,' he told them happily.
Done deal: Jadis and Rick made a deal to work together
Earlier, Daryl had been confronted by the Kingdom's rebel Richard who wanted them to join forces in a plot of their own to take on the Saviors.
Despite his leader, King Ezekiel, refusing to help the Alexandrians in their plot, Richard came up with an elaborate plan himself to take on a large group of the enemy - and then deliberately move the king into deciding to take up arms himself.
'We're going to hit them with the guns first, and then the Molotov — and then back to the guns until their dead,' Richard told Daryl as he took him out to a spot on the roadside where they knew the Saviors would travel.
Elaborate plan: Richard told Daryl about his elaborate plan to get King Ezekiel to fight the Saviors
He said they would then set a fire to make the Saviors who discover it angry, adding: 'I left a trail from here to the weapons cache I planted, to the cabin of someone Ezekiel cares about. Just some loner he met.'
Richard refused to explain who it was, just saying it was a woman who has 'got more balls than you and me' but insisting: 'She's gonna die either way. But it's going to show Ezekiel what he needs to do.'
When Daryl finally got Richard to confess that it was Carol, he leaped on him, repeatedly punching him in the face, before Richard finally managed to pistol whip him and get him off.
Name game: Daryl repeatedly asked Richard to name the woman he was talking about and he finally revealed he was talking about Carol
After a stand-off where they held weapons at each other, Richard again pleaded Daryl for his help, telling him: 'If you and your people want to move against the Saviors, you need to do it soon. And you need the Kingdom.
'What we have to do requires sacrifice one way or another. Guys like us — we've already lost so much.'
But Daryl instead warned him: 'She gets hurt, she dies, she catches a fever, she's taken out by a walker, she gets hit by lightning, anything — anything — happens to her, I'll kill ya.'
Armed stand-off: Daryl and Richard drew their weapons on each other over the plan to sacrifice Carol to get Ezekiel to fight
Aware where she now was, in a house alone outside the Kingdom, Daryl surprised her by knocking on her door — with them both fighting their emotions at the reunion.
When he asked why she left them, Carol insisted: 'Had to… I couldn't lose anyone. Couldn't lose any of them. I couldn't lose you.
'I couldn't kill them. I could — I would — if they hurt any of our people, any more of them, that's what I would do. And there wouldn't be anything left of me after that.'
Together again: Carol and Daryl hugged as they were finally reunited
Living alone: The survivor opted to live alone but got a visit from King Ezekiel
Checking in: Ezekiel and his crew checked in on Carol and brought her cobbler
She got even more emotional when she asked if the Saviors killed any of them — assuming the worst — but Daryl lied, telling her: 'Everyone's alright. Everyone's alright.'
Back at the Kingdom, Daryl confronted Morgan Jones, telling him: 'We need the Kingdom. You've gotta make that happen.'
When Morgan insisted it 'can't be me,' Daryl snapped: 'Whatever it is you're holding onto — it's already gone, man. Wake the hell up, man!'
Not true: Daryl lied to Carol and did not tell her about Abraham and Glenn being murdered
Tense talk: Morgan and Daryl had a tense conversation back at the Kingdom
Getting along: Daryl was getting along easy with Ezekiel's pet tiger Shiva
But Morgan reminded him how he had earlier sad that 'if Carol knew about Abraham and Glenn, she'd be leading us right to them, ready to kill them all' — and correctly guessing that Daryl had hidden Negan's killing spree from her.
'You're the same as me, Daryl. You didn't tell Carol what happened. You didn't cause she'd be here otherwise,' Morgan told him.
'See we're all holding onto something.'
Similar traits: Morgan told Daryl they were the same because he hid Negan's killing spree from Carol
The episode titled New Best Friends ended with Rick and the others heading back to Alexandria to stitch up Rick and return the supplies Gabriel took, and Daryl marching off to Hilltop, saying: 'I'm getting ready.'
A teaser for next week's episode also showed the return of Negan — and the promise of more bloodshed.
The Walking Dead will return next week on AMC with an episode titled Hostiles And Calamities.
Getting ready: Daryl declared that he was going back to the Hilltop and 'getting ready'
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