Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Rick, Maggie and Ezekiel coordinate attacks against Negan’s Saviors, using walkers to trap the Sanctuary while their fighters strike nearby outposts. The plan fractures as Daryl and Tara force the herd inside the Sanctuary, undermining the siege; the Saviors later break out. The conflict spreads across the communities, and the Kingdom suffers heavy losses. During the first half, Carl brings Siddiq back to Alexandria after previously warning him away; Carl is bitten while they fight walkers on the journey.
The Saviors attack Alexandria, and Carl reveals the bite to Rick and Michonne before the residents escape to Hilltop. He writes letters urging his family to build a peaceful future and then dies by suicide before he can turn. His appeal changes Rick’s aim: although he continues the fight, he begins to imagine a settlement that does not end with Negan’s death. The war grows more personal as Simon challenges Negan’s control and massacres Jadis’s people, while Dwight secretly feeds Rick’s side information.
Negan uses Dwight’s betrayal to feed Rick false battle plans, but Eugene sabotages the Saviors’ ammunition, leaving them vulnerable when the final confrontation begins. Rick cuts Negan’s throat, then orders Siddiq to treat the wound and keep him alive. Following Carl’s wish to end the cycle of vengeance, Rick imprisons Negan rather than killing him. The Saviors’ campaign is broken, though Maggie, Daryl and Jesus oppose Rick’s decision and the season closes with the alliance’s victory unsettled by that choice.