Negan forces Rick to push through psychological trauma for his own pleasure
Nearing the end of this episode, the entire group had already been through plentiful psychological trauma. The one who got it the worst, however, was undoubtedly Rick. Not only did he witness Lucille getting drenched in the blood of two of his closest friends and most trusted allies, but he was dragged along inside the RV by Negan who played some sick mind games on the trembling leader.
What we reckon would be about two hours later, Rick returns to the group, all still frozen in fear, right after having fended off walkers during an attempt to recover Negan’s hatchet himself. Rick was nearly driven to madness, collapsing atop of the RV in a moment of relative serenity and reflection. Only seconds later, Negan forced Rick back onto his useless quest, leaving the traumatized survivor running and fighting for his life.
We can’t begin to comprehend the toll this must have taken on Rick’s character. It’s as if Negan grabbed him by the neck and dragged his face through all the horrors that had just occurred, all while adding a bunch of unneeded pressure, simply to prove a point. From a psychological point of view, this was undoubtedly the most daunting moment across all of The Walking Dead
