This season of The Walking Dead has spread the focus between different members of the cast; however, the fourth episode returns to Alexandria, under the rule of the leader of The Saviors, Negan. The biggest moment of the episode came out of nowhere when Rick revealed to Michonne something huge from his past.

　　How do the members of the Alexandria cope with Negan demanding everything they have? He's the man who killed two of their own, and now, he wants more. We're taking a look at the biggest developments from the November 13 episode of The Walking Dead.

　　Warning: Spoilers for Episode 4 of The Walking Dead ahead.

　　

Negan Makes Alexandria Completely Dependent on The Saviors

Time has passed between the events in Episode 1 and Episode 4, and things seem to be getting back to something mildly resembling normalcy in Alexandria, until, that is, Negan and The Saviors show up to spoil all the fun, by demanding half of all their supplies. To make matters worse, Negan wants all of Alexandria's guns. A good chunk of this week's episode revolves around Rick trying to find a few missing weapons.

　　Alexandria now has no way to protect themselves from walkers or roaming marauders. Negan proves this point by beating down a walker inside the town, since he's the only one with weapons (although a few people, like Michonne, still carry blades). He's made Alexandria entirely dependent on The Saviors for protection. In addition, Negan uses fear to motivate people and bend them to his will. If you disobey him, you get a bat to the head. A feeling of complete hopelessness is setting in. It feels like there's no way out.

　　

The Beginning of an Uprising

That being said, viewers are catching an early glimpse of the eventual uprising against The Saviors. Everyone watching the show knows it is coming. First, Spencer voices his frustration with Rick, telling Rosita "This doesn't have to be our life." In addition, Carl stands up to The Saviors, drawing a gun on them and threatening to kill Negan. Everyone else in Alexandria seems to be compliant, as two of their members have been killed by Negan, and one--Daryl--is currently Negan's prisoner, being trotted around town by The Saviors.

　　During one scene, Hilltop was mentioned as a group Alexandria could join with in order to take down The Saviors. Everything isn't going to come together quickly to for the epic, final battle. It's going to be a slow burn, but we're starting to see dissension in the ranks, which may prove to be the spark of a war.

　　

Rick, You Are NOT The Father

Towards the end of the episode, Rick is talking to Michonne about everything he's had to endure over the past few years. He goes into detail about how he was in the hospital and his wife, Lori, was in a relationship with Shane, Rick's friend and coworker. Everyone thought Rick was dead. However, years later, Lori gave birth to Judith, and Rick seemed to think that she was his child.

　　Rick admits to Michonne he knows Judith isn't his child, but he's going to do his best to raise her as his own and give her the best life possible. It's extremely comforting to know that Rick still wants to give the best life to a child who isn't biologically his. By the way, has anyone seen Judith this season?

　　This revelation both is and isn't a shocker at the same time. It makes complete sense that Shane is Judith's father, considering that he and Lori were together for quite some time before Rick returned. It's something that seems like common-sense, but it's not something fans have thought about in years.

　　Fans may feel like the show is dragging a bit, but this episode did a fantastic job at establishing the status quo for this season. One of the biggest problems with the episode, overall, was that it felt extremely bloated, and a lot of that came from all the commercial breaks, which really destroyed the momentum the episode was building. More than likely, the best way to watch the episode is without the commercial breaks, if possible. While on its own, "Service" may have felt a bit stagnant; however, it does a fantastic job at changing the character's roles under Negan's rule.

　　Mat Elfring on Google+