'The Walking Dead' frenemies: 9 times friends fought, 9 times enemies made up
To celebrate the Oct. 22 Season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead — the series’ 100th episode — Yahoo TV will be posting a new TWD-related story every day through the season opener.
The theme for Season 8 of The Walking Dead is fighting, as the Alexandrians and their allies are going to go all out to try and finally thwart Negan and the Saviors and end their oppressive reign over the other communities. And while fighting has always been a theme of the series — whether it be BFFs Shane and Rick butting heads or all the living trying to avoid the hangry walkers — so has enemies making up. Father Gabriel and Rick, Carol and Morgan, the Alexandrians and Dwight… OK, that last one isn’t a sure thing yet, but we have hope. Below, all our favorite frenemy moments from TWD so far, from fighting friends to reconciling rivals.
The Friends Who Fought
Rick and Shane
Season 2, “Better Angels”
The former BFFs and sheriff partners found themselves in a love triangle, with Shane jonesing for Rick’s wife Lori and ready to be a father to Rick’s son Carl when they all thought Rick had died early in the apocalypse. But when Shane realized he was likely the father of Lori’s unborn bambino, he lost what light grip he was maintaining on his sanity and took Rick into a field to shoot him. Rick stabbed him to death instead, and Carl shot him before Zombie Shane could do any damage.
Carol and Rick
Season 4, “Indifference”
Carol was trying to spare the entire prison population from being wiped out by a deadly flu, but Rick decided he could no longer trust her around his family after she took it upon herself to kill and burn the bodies of flu-infected Karen and David. He took it upon himself to banish her from the prison, sending her off on her own with a car and some supplies, but without kiddies Lizzie and Mika, who she’d sworn to raise as her own children after their father died.
Andrea and Michonne
Season 3, “Say the Word”
Michonne had saved Andrea’s life when an injured Andrea was separated from the rest of Rick’s group at the end of Season 2, and Andrea had provided the lonely Michonne with friendship. But their bond was shattered when Andrea, desperately craving a stable home after months of living on “twigs,” foolishly threw her trust to sadistic new boyfriend The Governor, ignoring Michonne’s spot on warnings about the dude.
Rick and Morgan
Season 6, “Heads Up”
Who’s wrong and who’s right? Morgan’s personal philosophy, the one that brought him back from madness, is not to kill the living. But his commitment to maintaining that philosophy has put others at risk, like when he allowed a group of Wolves who were attacking Alexandria to escape unscathed. They left Alexandria and attacked Rick, who barely fought them off and did the dirty work Morgan wouldn’t do when he killed them.
Abraham and Eugene
Season 5, “Self Help”
This isn’t the only time they fought, but it was certainly the worst blowout we saw between pals Eugene and Abe. After Eugene admitted that he’d lied about being a scientist, and worst, about there being a cure for what caused the apocalypse waiting in Washington, D.C., only an intervention by their friends prevented a furious and betrayed Abraham from beating Eugene to death.
Tyreese and Rick
Season 4, “Isolation”
Tyreese was full of fury when he found out someone had burned the bodies of his girlfriend Karen and fellow prison dweller David because they were infected with a potentially killer flu. Rick and Daryl tried to calm him down — which only made him angrier — and his outlet for his grief and frustration was to connect his fist with Rick’s face.
Rick and Tara
Season 6, “Heads Up”
When Spencer risked his life to help his fellow townsfolk, Tara risked her life to save Spencer’s when his plot went awry. Rick was not happy about that, and let Tara know about it in no uncertain terms. She responded with her review of Rick’s bossy behavior, but she let her fingers, er, finger, do the talking.
The Heapsters and the Alexandrians
Season 7, “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life”
Rick and company made a major effort to secure (i.e. steal) guns from the Oceanside community, the price tag for getting Jadis and her Heapsters to join them in the fight against Negan. But when the Saviors showed up in Alexandria ready to battle, Jadis aimed her gun directly at Rick, betraying their alliance and, we’re guessing, putting the Heapsters just behind the Saviors on Rick’s s/h*t list.
Dale and Shane
Season 2, “Secrets”
Everyone may have noticed that Shane was becoming more and more unglued since Rick’s return from the allegedly dead, but no one was on to his sinister intentions more than Dale, who called him on his behavior and the fact that he had seen Shane aim his gun at Rick. Shane’s response: Be careful, Dale… if, as you say, I pulled a gun on my BFF, what do you think I’d do to you?
The Enemies Who Made Up
Rick and Father Gabriel
Season 7, “Service”
Even after Gabriel let his own parishioners die and Rick’s group saved his life, the man of the cloth turned on Rick and company, urging Deanna not to trust them as new residents of Alexandria. But guilt finally got the best of Gabriel, who gained Rick’s trust by risking his own life to protect baby Judith, and, during Negan’s first visit to town, coming up with a quick-thinking plan to protect widow Maggie from Negan’s nefarious intentions.
Merle and Michonne
Season 3, “This Sorrowful Life”
As The Governor’s lieutenant, Merle had a hand (and a knife-enhanced second one) in carrying out The Governor’s plot against Rick and the prison. And when The Governor demanded Michonne as the price for leaving Rick and company alone, Merle planned to deliver her. But with elder Dixon bro finally on a path to redeem himself, decided to let Michonne go, and sacrifice himself to take out The Governor. It was a good, selfless, though unsuccessful, plan.
Glenn and Nicholas
Season 6, “Thank You”
Nicholas was another Alexandrian who wasn’t happy about #TeamRick’s arrival in town, mostly because it highlighted the Alexandrians’ own inability to handle the real world of the apocalypse. Nicholas even tried to kill Glenn! Despite that, the kind soul that was Glenn Rhee agreed to help train Nicholas to become more capable, prompting Nicholas to thank him (just before he decided he couldn’t take the walker-filled world anymore and killed himself).
Rosita and Sasha
Season 7, “The Other Side”
Abraham harshly dumped one (Rosita) to be with the other (Sasha), but the two women were ultimately united by a desire to make sure Negan paid for killing Abraham and Glenn. During a mission to the Saviors’ lair, the two bonded further as Rosita revealed how she’d cleverly learned so many skills during the apocalypse, and how she’d come to understand that she didn’t hate Sasha; she was jealous she’d figured out Abe before Rosita did.
Carol and Morgan
Season 7, “Bury Me Here”
They’d been at loggerheads about his refusal to kill, even to protect others, while Carol had proven time and time again she would do, i.e. kill, anyone to protect her loved ones. But when Morgan lost his way again after the death of Benjamin — killing Richard for his role in the young man’s death — it was Carol who stepped in and begged Morgan to take a time out and chill before spiraling further into his breakdown.
Tara and Glenn
Season 4, “Inmates”
Tara had been fooled into fighting on #TeamGovernor against the prison, but Glenn almost immediately forgave her for her misplaced allegiance, as the two teamed up to escape the walker-overrun campus. Later, of course, Tara would be forgiven by all of Rick’s group, and remains a beloved Alexandria resident.
Dwight and Rick’s Group
Season 7, “The First Day of the Rest of Your Lfe”
This one’s not solid yet, but when Dwight went to Alexandria to try to forge an alliance with Rick’s group against Negan — his very murder-minded boss — Rick listened. Tara’s still not ready to forgive Dwight for killing Denise, and Daryl’s still ticked about all those dog food sandwiches and “Easy Street” replays, but it certainly seems like the Alexandria gang is ready to include Dwight in their war plans against the Saviors.
Jesus and Rick and Daryl
Season 6, “Knots Untie”
The trio certainly had an adventure in “The Next World,” with their shenanigans eventually costing Alexandria a whole truckload of supplies. But in this episode, Jesus offered Rick and Daryl and their people a more long-term treat: the chance to meet people from other communities. Their world — and the pool of potential supply traders and fighting evildoer allies — just got a lot bigger, Jesus told them.
Rick and Carter
Season 6, “First Time Again”
Alexandrian Carter plotted to kill Rick, so upset was he with Rick’s dangerous plan to draw the quarry pit walkers away from the town. But flashforward to the end of the Season 6 premiere, when Carter had come around to Rick’s ideas, and the two even shook hands. Just before Carter become walker fodder. He was right about it being a dangerous plan …
The Walking Dead Season 8 premieres Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. on AMC.
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