The Saviors (TV Series)

"We survive. We provide security to others. We bring civilization back to this world. We are the Saviors."

- Negan to his Saviors

The Saviors are a vast organization of hostile survivors introduced in Season 6 of AMC's The Walking Dead. They serve as the primary antagonists for the second half of Season 6, Season 7 and Season 8.

Overview
In contrast to their namesake, the Saviors are extortionists: they resort to murder and brutality to coerce other communities of survivors (such as Hilltop) to provide a steady stream of food and other goods.

They also have a reputation of being ruthless and uncompromising. They do not employ the scorched earth technique used by the Wolves, and there is no evidence that they are cannibals like the inhabitants of Terminus.

The Saviors (or at least their leader) are even opposed to rape, according to one of their members. However, their violence is still extreme: on several occasions, they have clubbed people to death, and one group has taken polaroid-style photos of their victims. One known victim is a 16-year-old boy who was beaten to death to force the servitude of the Hilltop community.

Negan is notorious for this particular execution method, carrying with him at all times "Lucille", a baseball bat wrapped with barbed wire. Most of the Saviors are shown as sociopaths: they do not show any remorse toward killing others, nor do they show satisfaction. There are still reasonable members such as Gavin, who shows genuine respect to Ezekiel and acknowledges that the Kingdom have been good to them.

It is common practice for Saviors to shoot one person when they encounter a group of strangers on the road, before stealing supplies from the rest.

While some individual Saviors may not be particularly dangerous, as each member of Rick's group has been able to overcome multiple Saviors quite easily, what makes them such a formidable threat is their massive numbers, which enables them to overwhelm other groups and employ psychological warfare on a large scale.

The Saviors are the largest group of survivors in the series, numbered in the hundreds, with their main base located at a compound called The Sanctuary, although the bulk of their force is not found there, but divided into smaller groups residing at various outposts spread throughout the region.

To make it easier to avoid retaliation, Saviors tend to instate a disarmament policy on subjugated communities.

Negan has created a cult of personality around himself, and so many Saviors identify themselves as "Negan".

Government and Society
The Saviors have a well-structured hierarchy. At the top of the power structure is Negan, whose will is carried out through his lieutenants. Simon is the second-in-command and also maintains power over the lieutenants, taking responsibility for subjugating communities that show resistance to their rule.

The lieutenants themselves lead missions and have added benefits in the Sanctuary. Below the lieutenants are the "soldiers" who fill the role of scouts, enforcers and guards. Under the soldiers are noncombatant survivors who labor for points in exchange for supplies and comfort benefits.

Any woman whom Negan finds attractive can offer herself off as a wife for him to escape the point system. At the bottom are the prisoners who are identified by a letter painted on their shirts.

Pre-Apocalypse
Their lives before the outbreak are largely unknown. It is likely many of them lived in the Virginia/Maryland area and some may have been criminals or part of a gang.

"Always Accountable"
The first time the Saviors appear, a group of them are waiting in ambush to capture three escaped members: Dwight, Sherry, and Tina. Instead, they see Daryl Dixon on his motorcycle and a car containing Sasha Williams and Abraham Ford, and ambush them instead. At least three of them open up with assault rifles; they then pursue in vehicles.

Two of them inside a green sedan are shot to death by Sasha and Abraham. Elsewhere, Daryl is separated from his friends, crashes and injures his arm, but gets back up on his bike and speeds away. Two Saviors in a red sedan inadvertently wreck their car near some zombies in their pursuit, and other Saviors in a grey Jeep completely lose track of Daryl.

Daryl soon meets Dwight, Sherry, and Tina, who mistake Daryl for a Savior and capture him for a time. Daryl is present with them when they are confronted by Saviors Wade, Cam, and at least two others in the charred forest. From hiding, Daryl lures Cam near a zombie, which bites the man's arm. Wade hacks off Cam's arm to save his life, then calls off the search for Dwight and the women, stating that their leader "only wanted to take this so far, and he only wants ass that's willing".

After Tina's death, Dwight and Sherry make the decision to return to the Saviors, and force Daryl to give over his motorcycle and crossbow before leaving.

"Start to Finish"
Later the same day, Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham are stopped on the road by eight heavily-armed Saviors on motorcycles. Their leader commands them to get out and give them their weapons. When they ask him why, he states "Your property now belongs to Negan."

"No Way Out"
Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham are forced out of their truck and disarmed by the Saviors on motorcycles. The leader of the group verbally antagonizes them, announcing everything they own now belongs to Negan, and sends one of his lackeys named T. with Daryl to the back of the truck.

The leader continues his tense exchange with Sasha and Abraham, but when he finally motions to shoot them, he and the other Saviors are blasted to pieces in a sudden, fiery explosion. As Sasha and Abraham collect their faculties, they discover it was Daryl, who had quietly killed T. behind the truck and then opened fire with an RPG. One of these men was the boyfriend of another Savior named Michelle.

"Knots Untie"
Two months later, The Saviors deem one of Hilltop's "drops" to be too light, kill two of their residents, and take one hostage named Craig. They then give an ultimatum to Craig's brother, Ethan, to kill Hilltop's leader Gregory in exchange for Craig's safe release.

During the ensuing scuffle, Rick Grimes, the leader of another community whose group has come to establish trade with the Hilltop, kills Ethan, rescuing Gregory. Rick, Maggie Rhee, and the other visitors from the Alexandria Safe-Zone learn about the horrible crimes committed by the Saviors, including the bludgeoning of a boy named Rory.

Hearing the name "Negan", they now realize that the dangerous men Daryl was forced to kill on the road with an RPG were Saviors. They reason that it is only a matter of time before they discover and target Alexandria, so Rick proposes a preemptive strike. Soon Maggie negotiates a deal with Gregory whereby the fighters from Alexandria agree to completely wipe out the Saviors in exchange for supplies.

"Not Tomorrow Yet"
Using intelligence from Andy, a Hilltop resident who has been inside the Saviors' base for a drop-off, Rick orchestrates a raid. The element of surprise is the key; their goal is to seize the Saviors' armory. Most of Rick's fighters, Jesus and Andy from Hilltop, and several "native" Alexandria residents participate. Before dawn, Andy is given a decapitated head of a zombie which somewhat resembles Gregory to distract the guards.

Andy parks outside the compound: showing them the head, he claims he is there to fulfill their deal to secure the safe release of Craig. The guards believe him, and one goes inside to bring out Craig. Daryl sneaks up from behind and slashes the throat of the first guard. A moment later, the second guard appears (with Craig) but is impaled by Michonne. The group then swarms the compound quietly.

Rick finds a sleeping Savior, and according to plan, kills him in his sleep (by stabbing him through the head). Glenn Rhee and Heath similarly find themselves together in a room with two sleeping Saviors. With great reluctance and obvious emotional turmoil, Glenn stabs one to death; this is the first time he has killed a living person.

Heath is immobilized by the task in front of him, but Glenn intervenes and kills the other sleeping man too. They see a series of polaroid-style photographs on the wall showing individuals whom the Saviors have killed. All of them have their faces and heads bashed gruesomely into completely unrecognizable pulps.

Still in silence, Sasha and Abraham find a locked door and believe it could be the armory. As they attempt to open it, a Savior sneaks up on them to stab them. Sasha stabs the man repeatedly, but he manages to pull the fire alarm.

A furious shootout begins.

With his assault rifle, Rick shoots down three men who charge to join the fray. Aaron shuts himself behind a door, but is attacked by a Savior whom he stabs to death. Aaron then opens the door and surprises a second, larger Savior, who turns to open fire on Aaron but is himself shot through the head by Rosita Espinosa.

Outside the compound, a man and a woman attempt to flee but Tara Chambler kills the woman and wounds the other with her pistol. Back inside, the melee escalates: Sasha shoots one man, Daryl bludgeons another with the butt of his shotgun, and Glenn and Heath sprint for their lives into the armory with Saviors in immediate pursuit. Glenn and Heath shut the door to the armory as it is being perforated with bullets, then they return fire blindly. When they open the door, there are at least six bodies splayed right outside the threshold.

One of them unexpectedly stirs and takes aim with a pistol, but before he can shoot, he is killed by Jesus. Outside, the gray-haired Savior injured by Tara is confronted and eventually shot by Father Gabriel Stokes.

At sunrise, at least 24 Saviors are dead. While their attackers have suffered psychological damage, they have no fatalities or serious injuries of their own. Suddenly, a lone survivor named Primo attempts to flee. Rosita shoots him from the motorcycle, which Daryl recognizes to be his own. As they interrogate the captured Savior, they get a threatening message over his radio from an unseen woman who has captured Carol Peletier and Maggie.

"The Same Boat"
During the night raid on the compound, Carol and Maggie stood guard outside. A Savior named Donnie spotted them and charged, but Carol shot first hitting him in the arm. However, they were immediately captured by three Saviors: Molly, Michelle, and their leader Paula.

The four remaining Saviors watch in disappointment as their friend Primo is captured near the compound. After a tense conversation with Rick via a radio, Paula determines they are outgunned and flees with her two captives. She radios a scout group of more Saviors for backup, and travels to a safe house she identifies as "the break point".

The Saviors' safe house turns out to be a slaughterhouse infested with freely-roaming zombies. Donnie is suffering agonizing pain as his nerves die from Carol's gunshot, and his hysteria unsettles the group.

Carol begins an extremely convincing ruse to look like a helpless, weak, religious person, and she reveals that Maggie is pregnant. Her scheme is so effective that Paula ridicules her beliefs while another captor, Michelle, even asks Molly to smoke her cigarettes in another room (to avoid harming Maggie's fetus from secondhand smoke). Paula correctly surmises that Rick and his group have tracked them, but plans to fight to the death if they arrive. Maggie refuses to tell Michelle where their home is, to protect Alexandria. She learns that Michelle's boyfriend was one of the men killed by Daryl's RPG strike.

Carol and Maggie escape their bonds and find out that Donnie has died of his wound. They string up his corpse so that after he turns into a zombie, he will bite the first captor that walks through the door. This turns out to be Molly, whom Maggie finishes by brutally pistol-whipping. In a hallway, Maggie and Carol are stopped in their tracks by a booby-trap of immobilized zombies.

Paula arrives and, having seen Donnie and Molly both dead, runs out of bullets trying to shoot them. Carol has the drop on her, but is distraught and begs Paula to simply turn and leave. Michelle arrives and tries to stab Maggie, forcing Carol to kill her. At wits end, Paula rushes Carol and they struggle near the zombies. Paula is finally impaled on a spear and a zombie bites away a sizable portion of her face as she screams in agony.

When the scout group of Saviors arrives to rendezvous with Paula, Carol mimics Paula's voice and lures them into the slaughterhouse's kill floor. There, Carol locks the group (consisting of at least 4 men and 1 woman) inside, and burns them all alive with one of Molly's cigarettes in a trap of gasoline. Exhausted and emotionally overcome, Carol and Maggie finally meet Glenn, Rick, and the others.

Rick confirms to his captive, Primo, that all the other Saviors are dead. He asks one last time if Negan was among the men they killed. Primo, in a statement very similar to one made by Paula and Molly earlier, states that he is Negan, and tries to continue talking but Rick interrupts by immediately executing Primo.

"Twice as Far"
A week passes as things return to normal in Alexandria. having killed almost twice the largest number of Saviors seen by the Hilltop, Rick and the others assume that the Savior threat has been eliminated.

While several Alexandrians are out on supply runs, a group of 12 Saviors, this one being led by Dwight, captures Eugene Porter offscreen and then ambushes Daryl, Rosita, and Denise Cloyd on train tracks. Denise is immediately killed by Dwight, who wields Daryl's crossbow and is now scarred on almost one whole half of his face, suggesting a punishment.

They reveal Eugene is their hostage, and Dwight demands they cooperate and allow his group to plunder the Alexandria Safe-Zone. Dwight complains about the crossbow's kick and states that he wasn't aiming for Denise (implying his target was Daryl). He recognizes Daryl and is ungrateful for the help Daryl provided during their first encounter. Eugene spots Abraham by some barrels nearby, and exposes his position to the Saviors. While they are distracted, Eugene suddenly bites Dwight on the crotch.

A shootout ensues, during which Abraham shoots two Saviors, Daryl slashes the throat of another, and Rosita shoots one who was stalking Abraham. Outmatched, Dwight shouts for a retreat. He flees with four surviving Saviors, but not before shooting Eugene. Eugene's wound turns out to be non-fatal, and the Alexandria group is able to retrieve and bury Denise's corpse within their walls.

"East"
As she flees Alexandria, a small group of Saviors led by Jiro stop Carol on the road. After pleading with them, Carol, who had sewn a gun in the sleeve of her coat, is forced to shoot them all. One survives and charges at her but is stabbed by Carol with a spear from her car.

Jiro also tries to kill Carol by hiding behind the car, he attacks her with his knife but she manages to inflict a gunshot to his chest, he is ultimately killed by Rick who stabs him in the head after he fails to tell him of Carol's location. Only one is still confirmed to be alive and he sets off after her. Rick realises that not only were the Saviors dangerously close to Alexandria, but they are far more numerous than previously thought.

Dwight and the saviors from the previous day manage to capture Glenn and Michonne, who are searching for Daryl, who has gone looking for Dwight to avenge Denise's death. After Daryl fails to save Glenn and Michonne from captivity, he is shot in the shoulder by Dwight. Rosita, who had decided to go with Daryl, is also captured by Dwight's group.

"Last Day on Earth"
A group of 8 Saviors led by Simon murder a group of survivors from a library off-screen for trying to fight back. They chase after the lone survivor and surround him in the woods.

They beat him and drag him across the road while letting him know he will be made an example of. Rick's group encounter these Saviors while taking Maggie to the doctor at Hilltop, and Simon tells them to give them their supplies. Confident he is in control of the situation, Rick mocks the Saviors by turning their request back on them. With neither side willing to negotiate, Rick's group leaves and they try to take alternate routes but each time they are stopped by increasingly larger groups of Saviors (8 to 16 to 40+) and the roadblocks become more elaborate and indicative of their vast manpower.

The final roadblock consists of large burning logs. As they ponder their next move, and the library survivor is hung from a nearby overpass, and Simon verbally intimidates Rick, who by this point is quite shaken.

Elsewhere, Roman, the surviving Savior from Carol's attack holds Carol's rosary and follows the horse tracks. He later finds Carol and tortures her by shooting her and waiting for her to bleed out. Morgan arrives and after he refuses to surrender, shoots Roman to death, breaking his code to never kill a living human again

After abandoning their vehicle as a decoy with Eugene, Saviors hidden in the woods whistle and herd Rick and company towards a group of over 100 Saviors whose combined whistling has become a deafening sound. A beaten Eugene kneels on the ground. Simon notices that Carl has one of their guns and he uses it to point at the group when they are told to kneel.

The "man himself" walks out of the RV and introduces himself as Negan and explains to Rick that half of their supplies will belong to him and that is the "new world order." Negan explains that he is going to punish Rick and the group for killing so many of his people. Negan orders the Saviors to cut Carl's other eye out and feed it to Rick if anyone moves or talks while he slowly chooses a member of Rick's group to get bludgeoned to death with Lucille, a baseball bat wrapped with barbed wire.

"The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"
Negan cruelly chooses Abraham after a final random selection and he brutally bludgeons him in front of the survivors with Lucille. Negan starts taunting Rosita with his bloody bat. Daryl suddenly stands up for her and punches Negan for his actions. This causes Negan to make good on his promise to "shut that shit down no exceptions," and brutally beats Glenn in the same manner as the group watches, horrified. After taking two brutal blows to the head, a bloodied Glenn looks at Maggie.

He is a bloody mess; bleeding profusely from his slightly dented head and left eye almost bulging out of its socket. Glenn attempted to speak his final words to a horrified and crying Maggie. Negan, seeing this, held off for a moment to hear what Glenn had to say, expressing admiration for his perseverance. After a few moments, Glenn utters his heart-breaking final words, "Maggie, I'll -- I'll find you."

"No, exceptions!" Negan exclaims. Without hesitating,  swings his bat across the bloodied Glenn's face. What follows is a prolonged and savage beating into Glenn's head, shattering his entire skull to pieces, and then into a bloody mush. Glenn's graphic and mangled corpse lies in a large pool of bloody brain matter, guts, and an eyeball. Glenn's dead hand twitches.

Unsatisfied with Rick's cooperation, Negan takes him on a journey back to the final roadblock, where he forces Rick out into a herd of zombies and subjects him to psychological torture. When they return to the clearing, Negan orders Rick to cut Carl's left arm off.

With no way out, Rick breaks down crying. Before he can do the deed, Negan stops him and asserts his dominance over Rick and Alexandria. Finally satisfied that Rick is broken and subservient, Negan has Daryl taken prisoner and leaves the group a truck to collect their tribute, before leading the Saviors away.

"The Well"
Despite living a seemingly idyllic life, it is revealed that The Kingdom, a large and peaceful community Morgan and Carol discovered, also pay tribute to the Saviors. Soon after the arrival of the newcomers, a group of Saviors arrives to meet with representatives from the Kingdom.

Gavin, the leader, counts the pigs on offer and is pleased to find that they’re bigger than the last shipment. Richard remarks that they fed the pigs well. When Dianne, a Kingdom member, starts explaining to Morgan who the Saviors are, he interjects, “I know who they are.”

As they load up the trucks, Jared picks a fight with Richard. Ezekiel orders his people to lower their weapons and Gavin tells his man to stop punching Richard. Gavin reminds Ezekiel that the following week is a produce week. He warns Ezekiel that Richard will be the first to die if they deliver less than requested.

"The Cell"
The Saviors are shown in their home, The Sanctuary, with Daryl as their prisoner. At the Saviors compound, Dwight watches TV, plays air hockey with Laura and carves wooden figurines. In the marketplace, he cuts to the front of the bread line and grabs an entire loaf. He watches Saviors beat up a red-haired man who gets into an argument with a worker. After the man is beaten to death, Dwight raids the man’s living quarters, taking a jar of mustard and another one of pickles, as his pregnant wife and son watch.

Dwight grabs tomatoes from a vegetable garden and eggs from a chicken coop. Dwight, Gordon, and the workers kneel as Negan passes by. Dwight fixes himself an egg and salad sandwich, using the ransacked ingredients, and eats it outside, looking somewhat satisfied. He watches two workers wrangle a walker and chain it to the compound’s walker-encrusted outer fence.

Dwight slathers dog food onto bread and takes the sandwich to Daryl, who is naked in a dark cell. Daryl eats it. Dwight shuts the door. There’s the distinct sound of the door being locked.

Daryl lies in the dark cell as music blasts in his ears. Dwight opens the door and gives him another sandwich. Daryl eats it. Dwight leaves; the sound of the door being locked is heard once again. The scene is repeated, only this time, Dwight gives Daryl clothes.

The two go outside and watch as two Saviors put the red-haired man on chain links. Dwight tells Daryl that he could either wind up as one of Negan's workers, one of Negan's lieutenants, or a walker on the fence.

Dwight takes Daryl back to his cell and talks to Negan. In the middle of their conversation, Arat (one of Negan's lieutenants) informs them that Gordon has escaped the Sanctuary. Dwight goes to find him.

Back at the Sanctuary, Joseph gives Daryl another sandwich, but forgets to lock the door once he leaves. Daryl escapes but is found by Sherry. She warns him to go back to his cell. Daryl ignores her and runs towards a parking lot full of motorcycles. Trying to find the keys to one of them, he gets surrounded by a bunch of Saviors. Negan comes by and asks each Savior who they are.

They reply with, "Negan." Negan gives Daryl 3 choices, he works for points, he winds up on the fence as a walker, or he becomes one of his lieutenants. He pretends to hit Daryl with Lucille and taunts him. Negan then leaves Daryl with the Saviors and they beat him.

Dwight finds Gordon and Gordon begs Dwight to shoot him. He does and brings Gordon back to the Sanctuary, where he is put on the fence.

Sherry and Dwight smoke cigarettes, and have a conversation. Dwight says that living in the Sanctuary is better than being dead.

Dwight goes back to Daryl's cell, gives him a picture of Glenn's corpse, and starts playing sad music, and Daryl starts sobbing. Dwight returns later, seeing Daryl has puked, and had fell asleep. He takes Daryl over to Negan, where Negan asks Daryl, "Who are you?" "Daryl," he replies. Daryl is thrown back in his cell.

"Service"
Negan arrives with a large group of over 30 Saviors; Daryl is among them, looking injured and pale. Negan demands to be let in; Spencer opens the gate for them. Rick meets Negan at the gate and notes that he came earlier than planned. Negan strides into Alexandria and thrusts Lucille into Rick's hands, saying, "Hold this."

Rick tries to check in with Daryl, whose face is swollen and bruised, but Negan forbids Rick or any of the Alexandrians from speaking to him otherwise they will face consequences. Rick tells Negan that they already set aside half of their supplies, but Negan says he'll be the one to decide which supplies to take. Arat, one of Negan's lieutenants, orders the Saviors to start searching the houses. Dwight confiscates Rosita and Spencer's guns and taunts them by taking Rosita's hat and pouring her water out. He orders them to bring back Daryl's motorcycle.

Later, the Saviors haul furniture out of residents' homes. Negan inquires about Maggie's whereabouts. Gabriel asks if Negan wants to pay his respects. "She didn't make it?", Negan asks. Rick says nothing, but shakes his head hesitantly. Gabriel leads Negan to the graveyard where Glenn, Abraham, and supposedly Maggie are buried. Negan rues Maggie's death, saying he'd planned on asking her to join him as his wife at his compound. Rick quietly seethes with anger and tightens his grip on Lucille, but swiftly relaxes. Moments later, they hear a gunshot.

In the infirmary, Carl holds David, a Savior, at gunpoint. He orders David to return some of the medicine he took. Rick begs Carl to lower his gun. Negan jokes about Carl's fearlessness, and Carl finally complies after Negan threatens to harm more people. As a precaution, Negan declares that he's confiscating all the guns in Alexandria.

Olivia takes a group of Saviors to the armory. Negan tells Rick he'll leave their food untouched to ensure that they remain strong enough to collect for him. Negan commands Rick to thank him, but Rick refuses. Negan says that Rick is the one who forced Negan's hand and that is why he should thank him. Negan asks if anyone keeps guns outside of the armory. Rick assures him that all their guns are kept in storage.

Arat informs Negan that two guns are missing from the armory. A disappointed Negan threatens to kill Olivia if Rick doesn't find the missing guns. Rick calls a meeting with the residents of Alexandria in an attempt to locate the missing guns. Ignoring the question about the missing guns, Eric asks Rick how he plans to get them out of their situation with Negan. Rick emphasizes that there's no way out; Negan is in charge.

Rick brings the missing guns to Negan. Rosita and Spencer return as Negan gathers his group at the gate and the Saviors begin to leave in small groups. Rick sees Michonne lurking in a dilapidated house nearby, watching them. Rick asks Negan if he can give him "a second." Negan refuses, but he permits Rick to speak with Michonne.

Negan refuses to leave Alexandria until Rick thanks him. "Thank you," Rick concedes. A walker approaches, and Negan turns to kill it. Rick once again tightens his grip on Lucille as he contemplates killing Negan, but decides against it. Negan retrieves Lucille on his way out saying that he can't forget her. The Saviors leave with half of the Alexandrians' belongings, and Daryl, in tow.

"Go Getters"
The Saviors secretly lead walkers in through the front gate, drawn by music and fires. The nest morning, Simon leads a group of over twenty Saviors into The Hilltop to collect half of their supplies and to intimidate the inhabitants.

The Saviors stride into Barrington House. In the study, Simon tells Gregory they unleashed the walkers on The Hilltop to remind its residents that walkers are still a threat and the Saviors provide a great service by killing them.

He informs Gregory that The Saviors at the outpost were killed, and reveals that he is aware of the Hilltop's alliance with Alexandria. Gregory pretends this is news to him. Later, after being tricked by Jesus into giving up his best scotch, Gregory is forced to kneel in front of Simon, before the Saviors leave. Jesus manages to sneak on the trucks undected and later see Carl also on the truck.

"Sing Me a Song"
Two Saviors sit in the back of a cargo truck as they wait for a nearby walker herd to thin out. After the herd is gone, they get in the cab and continue on to Negan's compound. Carl picks up a machine gun as the cargo truck slows to a stop.

He hears voices outside, immediately recognizing Negan's. Carl emerges from his hiding spot as Saviors unload the truck; he opens fire and takes one down, demanding to see Negan. Negan suddenly appears, who calmly says "You look adorable," as he uses a nearby Savior as a shield.

Carl shoots another Savior when he tries to approach, but Dwight tackles him before he can do any further damage. Daryl watches helplessly from the other side of the walker-encrusted fence. Negan tells Dwight to back off and offers to show Carl around the compound. Carl refuses but complies after Negan threatens to chop off Daryl's arm.

Inside the Sanctuary, Negan addresses the crowd kneeling on the factory floor. He announces that the Saviors secured a big load of goods and everyone will get fresh vegetables at dinner, regardless of how many points they have. Negan then takes Carl to his apartment; he orders Carl to sit across from him and remove his hat and eye bandage.

"That is disgusting," he says with relish, seeing Carl's scarred eye socket. He carries on with his mockery of Carl's injury until Carl starts crying through humiliation. Negan in a rare act apologizes for hurting his feelings and tells him that he forgot he was a kid.

Carl taunts Negan for being unable to kill him, Rick, or Daryl. Negan suggests they take a car ride.Negan and Carl prepare to leave in the cargo truck. On their way out, Daryl warns Negan against hurting Carl. Negan tells Dwight to put Daryl back in his cell and drives off. Jesus, who'd been hiding on top of the truck, stays behind at the compound.

"Hearts Still Beating"
In Alexandria, Negan enjoys a shave in Rick's bathroom. He begins to instruct Carl about shaving techniques. At the Saviors' compound, Daryl escapes his cell. Negan sits at the head of the table and tells Carl to place a setting for Rick. Olivia pours lemonade for Negan. They all eat in silence. Negan says he's tired of waiting for Rick.

Gary rummages through the goods that Spencer collected and commends his hard work. Laura goes up to Spencer and offers to show him their compound, if he plays his cards right. She catches Eugene watching them and calls him out. Daryl sneaks down the hallways of the Saviors' compound. He hears Saviors approaching and ducks into Dwight's apartment. Inside, he devours a jar of peanut butter, changes into Dwight's clothes, and listens to the Saviors in the hall. He notices Dwight's carved figurines on a table and smashes it and flees the apartment.

Daryl escapes the building and runs into Fat Joey. Fat Joey surrenders and pleads for his life, but Daryl bludgeons him to death with the pipe. Jesus finds Daryl in the midst of bashing in Fat Joey's head. Daryl grabs Joey's gun (Rick's Colt Python) and hops on a motorcycle. Daryl and Jesus leave the compound. Spencer walks to Rick's house and introduces himself to Negan.

Rick and Aaron arrive at the Alexandria gate and are surprised to be greeted by Saviors, who inspect the goods that Rick and Aaron brought back from the lake. Negan shares a drink with Spencer on the porch and pines for a pool table. Spencer tells him where to find one. Negan smiles and calls Spencer his "new best friend".

The Saviors unload Rick and Aaron's cargo truck and David find the "congrats for winning, but you still lose" note. Enraged at the disrespect, he starts to beat up Aaron, believing the note was intended for them. Rick tries to intervene but is stopped by Laura, while Gary and David both savagely beat Aaron. They finish beating Aaron, then Rick helps him up; "My heart's still beating, right?", he asks Rick.

As Negan and Spencer play pool in the middle of the street, residents gather around to watch. Spencer tells Negan that Rick's ego is out of control and proposes that Negan appoint Spencer the new leader of Alexandria. He explains the situation about his parents dying not long after Rick's arrival.

Negan considers Spencer's betrayal. He points out that Rick is swallowing his hatred to gather goods for Negan so he won't kill anyone else. "That takes guts," he says. Negan wonders aloud why Spencer doesn't just kill Rick himself instead of sneaking around. Negan answers his own question: "It's because… you got no… guts," he says as he plunges a knife into Spencer's abdomen, disemboweling him. "There they are. They were inside you the whole time," Negan jokes as Spencer's guts spill out onto the asphalt, killing him.

Incensed, Rosita whips out her gun and shoots at Negan; however, the bullet hits Lucille instead."''SHIT! WHAT THE SHIT?!" ''Negan yells. Arat wrestles Rosita to the ground and holds her at knife-point." SHIT! YOU JUST… YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! YOU SHOT LUCILLE!", Negan picks up the bullet casing and realizes it's homemade. He demands to know who made the bullet. Rosita lies and claims she made it herself as she presses her cheek against Arat's knife, cutting her own face.

Negan doesn't fall for it and orders Arat to kill someone; she then shoots Olivia in the head, killing her. Rick arrives at the scene with Aaron and tells Negan to leave upon being explained the situation. Negan agrees to go as soon as he learns who made the bullet. Tara falsely confesses to making the bullet, but as the Saviors turn their guns on her, Eugene steps up and tearfully admits it was him. Negan and his crew leave with Eugene in tow. Upon seeing that Spencer is reanimating, Rick angrily stabs him in the head.

"Rock in the Road"
Negan finds that Daryl has escaped and dispatches a search party to Alexandria. Simon immediately volunteers to lead the mission. He later arrives with a group of a dozen Saviors, moments after Rick’s group returns to Alexandria. Rick innocently wonders why they are back so soon for tribute. Simon tells him they’re looking for Daryl.

The Saviors ransack Alexandria but come up empty. Simon notes that the pantry shelves are bare. Aaron explains that they’re having a hard time scavenging, and Simon mocks the community. As the Saviors leave, he apologizes for messing the place, but warns Rick that the next supply pick-up is nearing. “Tick-tock, chop-chop!” he reminds Rick.

"New Best Friends"
Gavin, Jared and his group of Saviors arrives at their pickup location for the Saviors’ collections. Gavin comments that the drop looks light, but Ezekiel tells him they have met their obligations and Gavin agrees. Jared says that he wants Richard's gun and the two men face off. Ezekiel tells Richard to hand over his gun, which he reluctantly does. When Jared lunges at Richard, Morgan strikes him with his staff.

Jared seizes the staff and hits Morgan with it, so Benjamin strikes Jared and sends him to the floor. Ezekiel bans Richard from attending future exchanges, but Gavin stops him and tells him to keep bringing Richard, and he will keep his word to kill him if he doesn't control his temper and as the Saviors prepare to leave, Morgan asks for his staff back but Jared leaves with it.

"Hostiles and Calamities"
At the Sanctuary, a group of Saviors discovers Fat Joey’s body in the bike lot where Daryl killed him. Dwight forces his way to the front of the crowd and immediately notices a missing motorcycle. He panics and runs through the halls of the Sanctuary, until he arrives at Daryl’s empty cell. It’s moments after his escape.

Dwight grabs his walkie from his apartment and spots Daryl’s prison clothes on the floor. He finds the note that Daryl received from his liberator and studies it: “Go now.”

Negan returns to the compound with his new prisoner, Eugene, who shakes with terror as Laura, a female Savior, walks him deep into the bowels of the Sanctuary. She stops their march and opens a door. Eugene is surprised to see she’s taken him to a private apartment, meant for him. As he explores his new digs, Laura reveals that Daryl has escaped. She asks Eugene if he has any leads to his whereabouts; Eugene tells her that he doesn’t and assures her, with sincerity, that he’d tell her if he did.

Eugene continues inspecting his new commodities; he is delighted to find the fridge stocked with food and to learn that Laura can get him a meal of his choosing: he first asks for lobster, much to Laura's incredulity, then asks for canned pasta in tomato sauce. He’s disappointed to learn that they’re out of pickles.

Dwight sits in his room, examining the handwriting on the scrap of paper, “Go now.” Saviors barge in and start to beat him savagely as Negan watches from the doorway. Dwight sits in Daryl’s dark cell, terrified. Negan informs him that Sherry ran away and wonders if she helped Daryl escape. Dwight defends Sherry. Negan continues hypothesizing and questions whether Dwight changed his stripes and helped Daryl himself; he then orders Dwight to find Sherry and bring her back. In the infirmary, Dr. Carson stitches Dwight’s wounds and remarks that Sherry was soft and probably helped Daryl escape. In a flash-forward, Dwight looks at a photo of himself and Sherry in happier times. Back in the present, Dwight retrieves his backpack from his apartment. He grabs a carton of cigarettes from a hiding spot. Inside the carton is a cigarette stained with Sherry’s lipstick. Dwight leaves the compound on a motorcycle.

Laura shows Eugene around the factory floor and explains the Saviors’ point system, which he’s exempt from; he can take whatever he wants. She gifts him a jar of pickles. Outside, by the Sanctuary fence-line, Negan orders that Simon go lead a search party to Alexandria to search for Daryl. Eugene is brought before him and is given an intimidating introduction. When asked for his name, Eugene responds with “Eugene.”

Negan then prompts the Saviors for their names and they respond in unison: “Negan.” Negan terrifies Eugene by showing him the damage done to Lucille by his home made bullet. Negan grills Eugene about his credentials, asking if he is a "smarty pants". Scared, Eugene falls back on an old lie that he told Abraham and claims he has multiple PhDs and was part of the Human Genome Project.

Negan asks Eugene for advice on how to prevent his fence-line walkers from deteriorating. Eugene impresses Negan with his proposed solution: covering them in a shell of liquefied metal that will make the walkers indestructible once it dries. As a reward for his ingenuity, Negan offers to send several of his wives to Eugene’s apartment. He also nicknames him "Dr Smarty Pants."

Eugene plays video games while three of Negan’s wives watch. Tanya and Frankie sit next to him, while Amber sits away from the group, drinking. During conversation, Tanya jokingly asks if Eugene knows how to make a bomb. Eugene lists the ingredients he would need to make one.

Eugene walks outside with Amber, Tanya and Frankie. He mixes ingredients and ignites a balloon filled with hydrogen. The wives clap giddily.

Dwight rides his motorcycle through a dead suburb; he parks in front of an abandoned house and enters. He looks for Sherry in their old home, where they agreed to rendezvous if they ever got separated. He gazes at the photo of himself and Sherry in happier times. He finds a farewell note from Sherry, along with her wedding rings.

She admits to freeing Daryl and apologizes for forcing Dwight into Negan’s world. Dwight is shaken with emotion; he places the rings in his cigarette carton. He puts pretzels and beer next to a candle, something that was mentioned in Sherry's letter.

Tanya and Frankie visit Eugene, seeking his help; they explain that Amber wants to commit suicide and ask if he can make some pills for her. Eugene reluctantly agrees. Eugene uses his position of power to cut in line in the marketplace and orders cold capsules. He also takes an unusual looking toy which he seems to like which he calls a "grimbly gunk". He goes back to his apartment and makes the pills.

Dr. Carson treats Dwight’s wounds. Dwight tells him that he found Sherry caught up in walker trouble and killed her. Laura escorts Eugene to the factory floor, where a crowd has gathered around the furnace. Negan enters and points Lucille directly at Eugene. “You are gonna wanna pay close attention to this,” he says.

Negan turns and whacks Lucille against Emmett Carson’s shoulder. Negan accuses Emmett of helping Daryl escape in order to impress Sherry. He shows Dr. Carson a note from Sherry, which Dwight clipped from her farewell letter and planted in Dr. Carson’s desk. “Goodbye. -- Honey,” it reads. Emmett accuses Dwight of lying, but he quickly folds and falsely confesses when Negan threatens him with the iron.

Negan stares intently at Eugene before he grabs Dr. Carson and throws him face-first into the furnace, burning him alive. Negan puts his arm around Dwight, saying “Good thing we have a spare Dr. Carson.” Frankie and Tanya visit Eugene in his apartment. He correctly guesses that the pills are for Negan, not Amber, and refuses to hand them over. Tanya calls him a coward and they leave.

Negan pays Eugene a visit. He tells Eugene that he doesn’t make his invitation lightly and explains that he doesn’t need to be scared anymore. Negan asks Eugene “Who are –” but before he finishes the question, Eugene seemingly betrays his former friends by responding "I'm Negan" Eugene, dressed in a dressing gown and eating pickles, oversees workers at the Sanctuary fence-line as they execute his plan to fortify the walkers with molten metal.

Dwight joins Eugene on the upper stairway. Dwight asks him if he’s on board; Eugene assures him that he is. After trying to apologise for biting his groin there is a name exchange, Eugene ends his introduction with, “We are Negan.” To this, Dwight reluctantly replies "...yeah."

"Say Yes"
While out scavenging, Rick and Michonne come upon the Saviors golfing in a field. They spot batteries in the Saviors’ truck.

"Bury Me Here"
Ezekiel, Richard, Morgan and the Kingdommers arrive at the meeting point, where the Saviors await. Gavin reprimands Ezekiel for arriving late. Gavin interjects as Ezekiel begins explaining their delayed arrival.

Jerry tells him not to interrupt the King. Annoyed, Jared hits Jerry over the head with Morgan’s fighting stick, which he previously took during their last drop. Benjamin mutters under his breath, “rat faced prick.” Jared hears this and glares at him. Gavin inspects the offering, then demands their guns.

The two groups draw their weapons on each other. Richard advises Ezekiel to disarm and is promptly mocked by Jared. Ezekiel reluctantly complies. Gavin explains that he took their guns because things are going to get emotional.

He points out that they’re short one cantaloupe. Ezekiel insists there are twelve cantaloupes. On inspection he counts them and realizes there are eleven. Gavin explains he’s going to teach them a lesson so they understand the stakes. Jared raises his gun and points it at Richard, point blank. “Just do it,” Richard tells him. Jared shifts his hand at the last second before pulling the trigger, and shoots Benjamin in the leg.

Shocked by the turn of events, Gavin chastises Jared and tells him to return Morgan’s fighting stick and to the truck without saying a word, he reluctaly complies. Keeping with the lesson, Gavin orders Ezekiel to bring him the twelfth cantaloupe the next day. Meanwhile, Benjamin is bleeding out on the ground. After Ezekiel acknowledges what he owes Gavin, the crew quickly loads Benjamin onto the truck.

At the drop, Gavin asks after Benjamin. When no one replies, Gavin realizes that he has died. He becomes upset and furiously orders Jared to start walking back to their outpost without saying a word or doing anything to spark another issue, threatening to kill him if he did so. Jared complies and walks away from the exchange, appearing to be embarrassed at his superiors commands.

After his men receive the missing cantaloupe, Gavin witnesses Morgan attacking and stangling Richard, but Gavin allows him to as he wanted Richard to die, so he responds with "Let em be!" as the Saviors aim guns at Ezekiel and his men, likely to shoot if they attempted to stop Morgan.

Morgan then exposes Richard's plan about how made them late for their exchange that got Benjamin killed, and how he wanted war with the Saviors. He then stands up from the lifeless corpse of Richard. He assures Gavin that they “get it” and the Kingdom will honor their relationship going forward. Gavin is pleased to hear this, and he and his men leave without any further trouble.

"The Other Side"
Simon and his men returned to the Hilltop Colony and are still searching for Daryl. He spends some time with Gregory and they both agreed that if there is any trouble in the Hilltop, Gregory will come to the Savior's compound and they will take care of it. While there, he also took Harlan Carson from the Hilltop to the Sanctuary as a replacement for his late brother, Emmett Carson; whom Negan recently killed.

Rosita and Sasha later enters the Sanctuary. Negan emerges with Lucille outside the Sanctuary and greets Harlan Carson, who was taken from the Hilltop by Simon and his men. He hugs Eugene and hands him a Walkie-talkie before he walks back inside the Sanctuary, while Sasha is unable to get a clear shot from Negan.

That night, Sasha and Rosita kill a Savior accompanying Eugene in the courtyard and attempt to break him free. Eugene refuses and goes back inside.

Rosita keeps watch as Sasha slips through the fence. She closes the opening behind her at the last minute, locking Rosita out. Despite Rosita’s protests, Sasha tells her it is not her time and that Alexandria still needs her. Rosita watches as Sasha guns down another Savior and breaks into the Sanctuary. Rosita bangs on the fence as gunfire erupts inside the building. As more Saviors arrive, Rosita grabs her bag and runs from the Sanctuary.

Rosita stops and sobs in frustration. She stops and notices a dark figure with a crossbow watching her.

"Something They Need"
Sasha, having failed to kill Negan off-screen, lies on the ground of Daryl’s old cell, her arms and legs bound. David enters a cell in the Sanctuary, where Sasha is imprisoned. She asks for water, which David uses as a catalyst to sexually harass her. Before he can rape her, however, Negan intervenes and asks David what he was doing. However Negan is fully aware of his attempt and deems his actions as inhuman. David apologizes, but Negan doesn't accept it and stabs him in the neck, killing him.

Sasha assures Negan that Rick did not send her to assassinate him. Negan, impressed by Sasha’s “lady nuts,” asks her to join the Saviors. He unties her wrists, gives her his knife and presents his proposition: she can choose not to use the knife, allowing David to reanimate and kill her, or she can save herself and use the knife against David, but she’ll have to join Negan’s cause. He leaves the cell.

Eugene brings Sasha a blanket and pillow. He explains why he joined Negan and recommends she do the same as Abraham would want her to. Sasha glares at him and Eugene admits he wouldn’t. Sasha orders him to leave as David starts to reanimate.

Negan opens the door to Sasha’s cell and sees that Sasha has put down David with the knife. “You win,” Sasha says, agreeing to join him. Negan retrieves the knife and says that Sasha needs to further convince him of her loyalty. He tells her that he knows Rick is formulating a plot against him and that he plans to enlist her help in stopping him.

Rick's group returns to Alexandria where Rosita opens the gate for them. Jesus asks about Sasha's whereabouts, but Rosita doesn't answer and tells them there is someone there to see them.

Rosita leads the group to the jail, where Dwight is being held. Daryl charges at him but is held back by Rick and Michonne as Rosita insists he wants to help them.

"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"
Dwight offers to help Rick's group ambush Negan and the 20 Saviors that are coming to Alexandria and from there, take out the Sanctuary and the other Savior outposts. Rick eventually agrees and summons the Scavengers to help fight.

When the Saviors arrive at Alexandria, its revealed that the Scavengers have betrayed the Alexandrians in exchange for a better deal from the Saviors. While the Saviors have the upper hand at first, Negan is caught off-guard when he releases a captive Sasha Williams from a coffin only to find that she has committed suicide and reanimated as a walker.

Sasha's attack gives the Alexandrians the chance to fight back, but the Saviors quickly regain control of the situation. In punishment, Negan prepares to kill Carl Grimes with Lucille and then take off Rick's hands, but the Kingdom and the Hilltop join the fight, catching the Saviors completely off-guard and forcing them and the Scavengers to retreat.

Both the Saviors and the Scavengers take heavy casualties in the battle.

Following the battle, the Saviors prepare for war with the combined forces of Alexandria, the Kingdom and the Hilltop. Negan addresses a crowd at the Sanctuary, informing them of the situation.

"Mercy"
The Saviors will appear in this episode.

Saviors

 * Negan (Leader)
 * Simon (Second-in-Command)
 * Dwight (Lieutenant)
 * Wade (Lieutenant)
 * Gavin (Lieutenant)
 * Arat (Lieutenant)
 * Regina (Lieutenant)
 * Morales (Lieutenant)
 * Paula (Lieutenant)
 * Jiro (Lieutenant)
 * Mara (Lieutenant)
 * Lead Savior (Lieutenant)
 * Harlan Carson (Physician)
 * Emmett Carson (Doctor)
 * Primo (Medic)
 * Keno (Guard)
 * Mark (Guard)
 * Huck (Guard)
 * Gabe (Guard)
 * Little Roy (Guard)
 * J. Top (Guard)
 * Eugene Porter (Chief Engineer)
 * Joseph (Former Chief Engineer/Guard)
 * Cam
 * Jared
 * Laura
 * Gary
 * Dean
 * Dino
 * Timmy 
 * Donnie 
 * Molly 
 * Michelle 
 * Miles 
 * Roman 
 * Neil 
 * George 
 * Chris
 * Isabelle
 * David
 * Roy
 * Nelson
 * Savior 2
 * Savior 3 
 * Savior 4
 * Savior 8
 * Savior 9
 * Hundreds of unnamed Saviors

Non-Combatants/Workers

 * Amber (Concubine)
 * Tanya (Concubine)
 * Frankie (Concubine)
 * Gabriel Stokes (Prisoner)
 * Todd
 * Gracie
 * Maria 
 * Savior 5
 * Savior 6
 * Savior 7
 * At least 2 unnamed prisoners
 * At least 2 unnamed concubines
 * Hundreds of unnamed members

Formerly

 * Craig (Ex-Prisoner)
 * Daryl Dixon (Ex-Prisoner/Custodian)
 * Sherry (Ex-Concubine)
 * Tina (Ex-"Fiancée")
 * Gordon
 * Sasha Williams (Ex-Prisoner)

Killed Victims

 * Rory
 * Tim
 * Marsha
 * Ethan (Indirectly Caused)
 * Denise Cloyd (Accidental)
 * Library Survivor (Alive)
 * Abraham Ford
 * Glenn Rhee
 * Red Haired Savior (Alive)
 * Gordon (Alive)
 * Spencer Monroe (Alive)
 * Olivia
 * Emmett Carson
 * Benjamin (Alive)
 * Richard (Indirectly Caused)
 * David (Alive)
 * Sasha Williams (Caused)
 * Andy
 * Freddie
 * Francine
 * A group of library survivors
 * Cyndie's mother and brother
 * Numerous Oceanside residents (including all their male residents aged 10 and above)
 * Many unnamed Militia members
 * Numerous amounts of zombies and unnamed people

Deaths

 * Tina
 * Lead Savior
 * Timmy
 * Gabe
 * Donnie (Alive and Zombified)
 * Molly
 * Michelle
 * Paula (Alive and Zombified)
 * Primo
 * Neil (Alive and Zombified)
 * Miles
 * Jiro
 * Roman
 * Gordon (Alive and Zombified)
 * Maria (Confirmed Fate)
 * George
 * Chris
 * Joseph
 * Isabelle
 * Emmett Carson
 * David (Alive and Zombified)
 * Roy
 * Mara
 * Nelson
 * At least 100 unnamed Saviors

Appearances
{{scroll
 * content =

Season 6

 * "Always Accountable"
 * "Start to Finish"
 * "No Way Out"
 * "Not Tomorrow Yet"
 * "The Same Boat"
 * "Twice as Far"
 * "East"
 * "Last Day on Earth"

Season 7

 * "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"
 * "The Well"
 * "The Cell"
 * "Service"
 * "Go Getters"
 * "Sing Me a Song"
 * "Hearts Still Beating"
 * "Rock in the Road"
 * "New Best Friends"
 * "Hostiles and Calamities"
 * "Say Yes"
 * "Bury Me Here"
 * "The Other Side"
 * "Something They Need"
 * "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"

Season 8
}}
 * "Mercy"
 * "The Damned"
 * "Monsters"

Trivia

 * According to Robert Kirkman who gave his description on this group - "I think the Saviors are dangerously organized. The Wolves were psychotic, the Hunters had a lot of weaknesses. When it comes to the Saviors, and Negan in particular, the way I've always thought about this in the comics is this is a group that's led by a guy who's had his morality dial a few clicks away from Rick toward the darker aspects of his personality, but is still an intellectual and capable leader who's kept his group alive against all odds just as long as Rick has. It's really the best encountering the best. When these two forces come head to head, things are going to get interesting. This is a much different group than they've ever encountered. The Saviors are a group they're not really prepared for."
 * It appears that the Saviors use some kind of whistle to threaten and play with the people they're aiming to extort.
 * The Saviors are the largest group encountered on the show so far.
 * The Saviors are the longest recurring antagonistic group on The Walking Dead.