The Walking Dead: Why Did Morgan Do That?

03/12/2017 10:05 pm EDT

WARNING: Major Spoilers ahead for the latest episode of The Walking Dead, 'Bury Me Here'!

Wow. Tonight's episode of The Walking Dead - 'Bury Me Here' - was one of the most shocking of the season. Each minute was packed with surprise, and the landscape of the entire series has completely shifted.

One of the biggest changes tonight? Morgan has given up his vow of peace, and he announced that fact in the most shocking of ways. In an instant, Morgan took his ally Richard's life.

Why would he do that?

Well, there's a couple of reasons here. When you break it down, it actually makes much more sense than you'd think.

First of all, Morgan still hasn't recovered from the loss of Duane. He thought his time with Eastman helped him gain closure, but that wound is still fresh in Morgan's heart. He took Ben under his wing, and the young man became the son he was still missing.

When Ben was killed, Morgan knew it was Richard's fault. At this point, in his mind, Morgan has lost two sons. It's impossible to remain peaceful after that. The thing is though, Morgan didn't kill Richard out of rage.

This leads to the second big reason behind Morgan's decision. Richard basically told the guy to do it.

See, Richard has been saying that it's going to take a death in order to get Ezekiel to change his mind about the war. He was ready to be the sacrifice, and that's why he set up the cantaloupe incident with the Saviors. He intended for them to kill him.

Instead the Saviors killed Ben. When Richard and Morgan talked about this, he still insisted that someone else would have to die. Richard told Morgan that he'd have to kill in order to get Ezekiel to fight, insinuating that he'd still be the sacrifice.

Richard told Morgan to kill him, and earn the Saviors trust. That way they could really begin the war, and avenge Ben's death.

MORE WALKING DEAD: Who Dies In 'Bury Me Here?' / Tonight's Talking Dead Guests / Does Richard Die In The Comics? / Lucille Appears On The Big Bang Theory / Episode 7x12's Series Premiere Easter Egg

The Walking Dead TV series airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

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