Spoilers aplenty below for The Walking Dead's latest episode, so beware.
Throughout what we've seen from Season 7 of The Walking Dead, it seemed as if the creative team was setting up a mega-rift between Rosita and Sasha over all things Abraham-related, You know, to go along with all the mini-rifts Rosita is creating with other characters. (I can't wait for Tara to flip out one day.) But against all assumptions, tonight's episode actually ended with both women agreeing to combine their efforts to destroy Negan. This partnership is an admirable one, all things considered, but it's still one that's destined for failure. Even without accounting for the source material.
While I'd certainly love to see Sasha and Rosita each swinging a baseball bat into Negan's face at the same time, it's even less plausible than Michonne trading in her katana for a butterknife. Negan may have some dissenters within the Saviors, but there are still a ton of them who are loyal to their brutal bones, and any serious attempt to kill or dethrone the villain will be met with a resounding call for revenge. Which is why it's easier to get behind Rick's eventual goal to get The Kingdom and Hilltop to join Alexandria, since there is a definite safety in numbers when it comes to large-scale battles like that.
The Walking Dead has given us a situation already where Rosita could have taken Negan out at close range, which was referenced tonight during her confrontation with Father Gabriel. She would love to have that moment back, saying that it would mean the now-flippant Eugene would still be there and Olivia would still be alive, but that's definitely not provable. Had she, in fact, killed Negan with the one bullet in the one gun that Team Family had, then the Saviors would have mowed down a lot more than just Olivia. The show likely won't lob out another freebie sneak attack option like that again, but even if it did, the singular goal of killing Negan would probably be outbalanced by the deaths of all the other Alexandrians.
Beyond those issues of numbers and opportunity, there's something to be said about how single-minded both Rosita and Sasha are in their respective quests (which links to Rosita's previously mentioned lack of steadfast concern with the safety of others). With her stitched-up scab as a physical reminder of her dedication to the anti-Negan cause, Rosita is a kettle on the brink of bubbling over, and Sasha is only slightly more calm about things. She has the memory of Abraham to keep her militant-minded and focused, but she isn't so far removed from the emotional turmoil that drove her previous fugue states.
What's more, Sasha is already on The Walking Dead's Death Row, speculatively speaking. Actress Sonequa Martin-Green is heading up the cast of the upcoming sci-fi adventure series Star Trek: Discovery, so her time on the AMC drama is almost definitely winding down. And we already know that Jeffrey Dean Morgan will be involved with the show for longer than just this season, so unless he's going to be playing a ghost, he's not likely to bite the dust soon.
I rather like The Walking Dead pairing Rosita and Sasha together like this, rather than them taking individual routes to vengeance, and it's an intriguing counterpart to Rick's plan. His attempts to bring the communities together to bring Negan down is broadly analogous to colonists revolting against the British, while Rosita and Sasha's situation is more like a covert ops assassination operation. The former is a far likelier shot at escaping Negan's rule, but perhaps Sasha and Rosita will squash my expectations and achieve what others have failed to do.
They are both willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, which works in favor of their success. But I'm still skeptical, since I'm not at all convinced that Rosita is actually willing to work contentedly with anyone at this point, much less Sasha. Sure, Rosita gave her the gun, but that's not the only way to take someone down in this world. Especially not with the right amount of motivation. Everyone would be wise to sleep with one eye open.
Will Rosita and Sasha's partnership be one that ends in bloodshed or...well...even more bloodshed than the first option? Find out when The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET, and while you're waiting, head to our midseason premiere schedule to everything else that's yet to premiere in early 2017.
