Lance has had enough, and as war is prepared for, the Alexandrians find themselves on the same page even if they are in different locations.

Welcome to The Empire Strikes Back moment of the show’s final season. This episode takes one major player off the table, ignites all out war and reminds the cast, inside and outside the Commonwealth, that they have a common enemy.

Let’s start outside because this is where the meat of the episode is. There’s some excellent Maggie material this week as she realizes just what’s coming and who she has to trust. The Maggie/Negan relationship, which has always been difficult and occasionally dull continues to evolve in fascinating ways here. Maggie trusts her son with the man who killed her husband. That’s the exact sort of post-apocalyptic re-forged relationship the show always excels at.

It also marks Maggie out as, finally, learning and this week the tuition fee is paid in blood. Lynn Collins returns one last time as Lance’s newly hired gun, Leah. She captured Maggie and the fight that ensues is one of the show’s most brutal and emotional. There’s nothing emotional here, nothing flashy. Just two people filled with hate damaging each other. The fact Daryl makes the save is irrelevant. This is Maggie facing the consequences of her actions and it marks a turning point for the character.

Speaking of turning points, Lance continues to be something approaching a problem. This week though there’s some welcome context. Lance moves, Lance takes action and the result is a chilling ending where Gabriel, Aaron and Daryl have to fight their way clear of an ambush that is the closest any of them have come to death. Seriously, there’s a moment where a killshot misses Daryl by an inch and he sees it. It’s a really smart action scene that not only serves to emphasize how much danger the characters are in but how competent they are. This is a war, and it’s one where every side is a threat.

But not everyone fights the same way. The Commonwealth-based characters are all finally on the same page and the episode finishes with their news story running on the front page: PAMELA MILTON IS LYING TO YOU

Verdict: War is here. Inside the Commonwealth and out. The final act of this season is going to change and scar the world forever. It can’t come soon enough. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart