Rick is no longer afraid of Negan and his evil ways, which is going to pay off in a big way next season.
That plays into what Scott Gimple has stated about the way Season 8 will change things up completely from Season 7, with the impending war making episodes a lot “more kinetic and fast-moving.”
Considering this past season lost quite a few fans over the more subdued standalone episodes, it’d be more surprising if Gimple wasn’t promising quicker and action-packed storylines.
For one, executive producer and finale director Greg Nicotero says that Season 8’s storyline launches off from a big moment within Season 7’s capper: when Rick and Negan are staring each other down before Shiva arrived, in a way that was completely opposite from how they faced each other in the season premiere.