This Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" began with Jerry and other members of the Kingdom preparing to load up a truck with tribute for the Saviors. All we see in an otherwise-empty truck is a crate and a single melon. King Ezekiel waves them off.
Meanwhile, at Carol's house, she can't sleep. At daybreak, she sets off for the Kingdom, dispatching walkers without breaking a sweat. "Where is Morgan?" she demands, before finding him and wanting to know what really happened at Alexandria. "Is everyone OK?" she pleads. "Ask Daryl about that," Morgan replies.
Read: 'The Walking Dead' recap: 'Say yes' Related: 'Walking Dead' Winter Finale Recap: 'Hearts Still Beating'"You got what you wanted," he said of her life of solitude, "But was it what you wanted?"
With a tear, she turns and walks away. Meanwhile, Richard, the Kingdom's lieutenant, buries a backpack with the name Katy on it in a patch of dirt beside a train of shopping carts.
The Kingdom members prepare their meager drop for the Saviors, bracing for trouble. They find it when they encounter a roadblock created by a train of shopping carts, arranged like an arrow.
The Kingdom folks follow the arrow to a newly-dug grave next to Richard's previously buried backpack. "Bury me here" a sign next to the empty grave reads.
"This world drives people mad," Ezekiel remarks.
The group proceeds with its drop with the a group of Saviors led by Gavin and his hotheaded toadie Jared -- the guy who stole Morgan's bo staff in an earlier episode. Gavin forces the Kingdom gang to give up their guns, which they do at King Ezekiel's command.
Gavin then points out that their offering of what is supposed to be 12 melons is one short. "I counted them myself!" Ezekiel protests, saying he will bring more later. Gavin is hearing none of it. He has Jared draw his gun on Richard, who steps forward so that the gun is nearly touching his forehead. Now it's clear. Richard shorted the melons on purpose, knowing the Saviors would kill him, and leaving a newly-dug grave for him to be buried in.
But Jared instead shoots Benjamin in the leg, severely wounding him. Gavin warns Ezekiel to deliver as promised. The Kingdom members rush Benjamin to Carol's, the closest place to treat him, but Morgan's student bleeds out.
Richard is wracked with guilt. He caused this whole thing. Proof comes when Morgan returns to the scene and finds the lone melon; he realizes Richard stashed it.
Back at the Kingdom, Morgan confronts Richard who is distraught, explaining he meant to sacrifice himself to get Ezekiel to act against the Saviors. "We have done nothing to stop them!" he says.
Richard breaks down telling Morgan how he lost his wife and girl; they died because he didn't take action, he says.
"We can use what happened," he says of Benjamin's death, hatching a plan to take on the Saviors after gaining their trust back. He says Morgan will need to kill or he might as well kill himself.
"I'll be the one to lead our army," Richard offers, as if this would be his way of making up for getting Benjamin killed.
The Kingdom folks haul the one lone melon back -- a moment echoing the episode's first moments.
"How's the kid?" Gavin asks about Benjamin. The silence of the Kingdom members tell him that Benjamin's dead. Gavin sends the hotheaded Jared away. "Walk home...if you even look at me, I'll kill you."
Just as Richard offers the melon to the Saviors, Morgan pounces on him and beats and strangles him to death in front of everyone. Morgan explains that Richard set up the whole thing. Later, Morgan buries Richard right where his sign requested.
Even later, Morgan knocks on Carol's door. "Do you want to know what happened at Alexandria?" he asks, before telling her that Negan beat Glenn and Abraham to death, killed Spencer and others. Carol is gutted.
She offers him the solace of her cottage. "Please," she pleads, barely audible.
Carol leaves and again ventures to the Kingdom. "I'm going to be here now," she tells the leader, who is planting in a garden with Benjamin's little brother. "We have to get ready," she says. "We have to fight."
"We do," King Ezekiel responds. "But not today." Carol joins them in the garden. Meanwhile, at Carol's cottage, we see Morgan sharpening his bow staff into a spear.
"The Walking Dead" returns next Sunday night, March 19 at 9 p.m. Eastern time on AMC.