One of the advantages to splitting a season of television in half the way The Walking Dead does every season is it affords an opportunity for course correction.
For all the criticism The Walking Dead faced during the first half of season 7, the show stuck to its guns, leaving Rick and the other survivors together in a united front ready to face off against Negan and his Saviors.
The potential storytelling opportunities this presents The Walking Dead are vast, as it may yet bring Carol and Morgan back to the central storyline where their characters can do more good.
It was effective to a point, but the show was in dire need of conflict greater than Daryl listening to ‘Easy Street’ on repeat.