The Walking Dead/The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life
Season 7, Episode 16
Airdate	April 2, 2017
Written by	Scott M. Gimple & Angela Kang & Matthew Negrete
Directed by	Greg Nicotero
Stream
← 7x15 Something They Need	8x01 → Mercy
The Walking Dead — Season Seven

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The First Day of the Rest of Your Life is the sixteenth episode of the seventh season of The Walking Dead, and the ninety-ninth episode overall.

Starring: Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon), Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene), Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes), Danai Gurira (Michonne), Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier), Lennie James (Morgan Jones), Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha Williams), Alanna Masterson (Tara Chambler), Josh McDermitt (Eugene Porter), Christian Serratos (Rosita Espinosa)

and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan)

Also Starring: Seth Gilliam (Gabriel Stokes), Ross Marquand (Aaron), Austin Amelio (Dwight), Tom Payne (Paul "Jesus" Rovia), Xander Berkeley (Gregory) (credit only)

Guest Starring: Khary Payton (Ezekiel), Katelyn Nacon (Enid), Steven Ogg (Simon), Pollyanna McIntosh (Jadis), Thomas Francis Murphy (Brion), Jason Douglas (Tobin), Kenric Green (Scott)

Special Guest Star (end credits): Michael Cudlitz (Abraham Ford)

Co-Starring: Jordan Woods-Robinson (Eric), Cooper Andrews (Jerry), Carlos Navarro (Alvaro), Kerry Cahill (Dianne), Daniel Newman (Daniel), Elizabeth Ludlow (Arat), Mike Seal (Gary), Brian Stapf (Roy), Sabrina Gennarino (Tamiel), Dahlia Legault (Francine), Peter Zimmerman (Eduardo), Karen Ceesay (Bertie), Anja Akstin (Farron)

Plot Overview

Thanks to Dwight's info, Alexandria prepares for an impending visit from Negan and the Saviors to take their opportunity. However, a few twists change the tide.

Notes

Music

• Donny Hathaway - "Someday We'll All Be Free"

In Memoriam

• In Memory of

Bernie Wrightson

Wrightson was a comic book artist and co-creator of Swamp Thing. A walker seen in "Always Accountable" was modelled after his design of the character and Gimple even named it "Wrighton" in the script.

Arc Advancement

Referbacks

• The flashback with Abraham is set at the time of "Last Day on Earth".
• The scene of Sasha watching the sunrise with Maggie is from the ending of "Them".

Trivia

The Show

Sasha is the only walker seen in the episode, the first single walker in an episode since Season 2.

Allusions and References

The gun Negan uses is based on the one seen used by the character Snake Plissken from Escape from New York.

Memorable Moments

• Negan opens the casket only to find and is attacked by a zombified Sasha.
• Just before Negan can kill Carl, Shiva leaps in and attacks one of the Saviors.
• The Kingdom is shortly joined by the Hilltop to help fight back the Saviors and Scavengers.

Quotes

• Jadis: (looking around Alexandria) What you fight for.
  Rick: Not the place - the people. Each other. You're a part of that now.
  Jadis: We take. We don't bother - our way. Maybe another way. (to Michonne) Yours?
  Michonne: Yeah, we're together.
  Jadis: I lay with him after. You care?
  Michonne: We should get back to work.
  Rick: Yeah.
• Negan: Well, Rick, you chose this. I truly don't know what more I could've done to warn you. And this isn't a warning. This is punishment. I'm gonna kill Carl now. I'm gonna make it one, nice, hard swing, try to do it one because I like him. I just want you to put that in your brain and roll it around for a minute. I'm gonna kill Carl and then Lucille here, she's gonna take your hands.
  Rick: You can do it right in front of me. You can take my hands. I told you already - I'm gonna kill you. All of you. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But nothing is gonna change that. Nothing. You're all already dead.
• Ezekiel: End these Saviors and their accomplices! Alexandria will not fall. Not on this day!
• Negan: So... we are going to war!
  Saviors: Yes, sir!
• Rick: Do you think Sasha did that herself?
  Maggie: I don't know how, but I know she did.
  Rick: She gave us a chance. You did. You made the right decision to come.
  Maggie: The decision was made a long time ago, before any of us knew each other, when we were all strangers who would have just passed each other on the street before the world ended. And now we mean everything to each other. You were in trouble. You were trapped. Glenn didn't know you, but he helped you. He put himself in danger for you. And that started it all - from Atlanta, to my daddy's farm, to the prison, to here... to this moment now. Not as strangers. As family. Because Glenn chose to be there for you, that day, a long time ago. That was the decision that changed everything. It started with both of you and it just grew. To all of us. To sacrifice for each other, to suffer and stand, to grieve, to give, to love, to live, to fight for each other. Glenn made the decision, Rick. I was just following his lead.