HOLLYWOOD—A war is brewing and things only intensified on the latest episode of “The Walking Dead.” This week’s episode, ‘New Best Friends’ opened with King Ezekiel and his crew awaiting the arrival of The Saviors to deliver their latest offering. Once again Gavin and his mouthy pal started a feud with Richard that forced Ezekiel to play peacemaker. Looks like Taran is starting to piss off Morgan, who never seethes red. Hmm, could this be the turning point that leads Morgan to make the decision to unleash his inner darkness?

Daryl tried to reason with Morgan, but it looks like this friendship is becoming more strained each day. Watching Daryl pick-up that crossbow after being without it for what seemed like eons was a moment worth waiting for people. Richard and Daryl began making moves in an effort to sway Ezekiel to see the danger staring them in the face. Richard’s goal was to start a war with The Saviors at the expense of Carol, which Daryl was none too pleased to learn about. Richard’s impulsiveness, led to a fistfight, where weapons were drawn.

It was a junk yard where a new horde of survivors led Rick, Michonne, Aaron, Rosita and Tara to their community. Rick came face-to-face with the woman who appeared to be the leader of this new group, just as Gabriel made his entrance making it clear that he was in no massive danger. Rick pointed fingers at The Saviors who will come looking to kill or own, and he proposed joining to take out a threat. Unfortunately, they were not ready to join, but a battle erupted, and Father Gabriel was forced to hold a knife to a woman’s throat to reason with the new ‘enemy.’ Wow, Gabriel was able to convince the female leader, whereas Rick wasn’t? To test Rick’s allegiance he was thrown from the top of the landfill.

Rick assured his comrades that he was ok, however, he found himself in a trap where he was forced to fend off a walker that was literally booby trapped with spikes and all sorts of death traps making survival seem impossible. However, a bit of advice from Michonne helped him kill of a threat, earning the respect of his new ‘friends.’ Jadis and her minions are on the hunt for guns, and Rick after 40 minutes into the episode has built new allies.

Well, well back at the cabin, Carol received a visit from King Ezekiel who delivered cobbler. Her quiet afternoon was soon interrupted by another knock on the door, this time she was stunned to come face-to-face with Daryl, which brought her to tears. Jeez, could Daryl and Carol become the newest super-couple ‘Caryl.’ It appears the bond between Rick and Father Gabriel is indeed strengthening, yet fractures were evident between Tara and Rosita, as Tara was determined to fight against all odds. Hmm, I’m getting the impression that Rosita could be bidding farewell by the end of season 7.

Daryl decided to ease Carol’s concerns, by not divulging that Glenn, Abraham, Spencer and Olivia are all dead. Hmm, at first I suspected that was a bad thing, but now I think it was for the best. Carol is quite impulsive, so her learning about the others deaths would only push her over the edge in a quest for revenge that would turn out bad for everyone involved.

Morgan and Daryl chatted about Carol’s situation, and the lies they are keeping to protect each other. He pushed for Morgan to convince King Ezekiel to get The Kingdom on board for a battle that is inevitable. Its official, Daryl has left The Kingdom to return to The Hilltop. Must say I’m looking forward to next week’s episode where the focus returns to the focus of The Saviors and what is going on with Eugene. Things are becoming interesting “Walking Dead” fanatics!