Rick's Group & Oceanside May Come To Blows On 'TWD'

Rick is building an army on The Walking Dead, trying to amass enough soldiers and weaponry to combat Negan's seemingly endless amount of greasy-haired devotees. In an effort to help with that, Tara chose to reveal to him the community she'd run into on her last supply run, even though she'd promised residents of the ultra-secretive Oceanside that she wouldn't. It's a betrayal of people who are just trying to survive on their own terms, but the promo for "Something They Need" indicates an even bigger betrayal might be coming. Does Rick's group attack Oceanside on The Walking Dead?

The promo shows Tara leading a group of armed Alexandrians through the woods, presumably to Oceanside's location. Then there are explosions at Oceanside and women running for protection. It's not actually clear in the promo just who is apparently terrorizing Oceanside because the perpetrator isn't shown, but the editing could lead one to assume it's Rick and his people.

But what reason would Rick have to attack Oceanside if he wants their help? When he needed to approach the Scavengers for assistance, he did so peacefully — aside from a few threats and pulled knives — and he had a lot more reason to be violent with them, because they'd kidnapped one of his people. Rick would be better off putting on his diplomat hat to talk Oceanside into being on his side.

However, Rick might not have any other option but to attack. Oceanside is a highly protected community that will do anything to stay that way, as evidenced by how many times they turned their guns on Tara just for stumbling onto their land. Perhaps Rick does try to handle things without force at first, but his suggestion of joining forces is shot down — which makes sense considering the Kingdom and Hilltop have already rejected him, and Oceanside is even more insular.

But what Oceanside has is of great importance to Rick, so he wouldn't be able to just let that rejection go. He needs even more guns to assuage the Scavengers and Oceanside has guns. Maybe he won't make them join the ranks, but he could resort to stealing their weapons. The explosion could be a diversion while the Alexandrians move in for the heist. It would be a low-down tactic but Rick has done messed-up things in the name of the greater good before. Like, say, slaughtering an entire building full of Saviors in their sleep and getting himself into his current mess.

Until it unfolds, it's hard to say whether Rick & Co. will be on the attack or not. Either outcome would make perfect sense in the current storyline, though attacking will likely cause more trouble down the road than trying to keep the peace would. Then again, it's not The Walking Dead without a little bloodshed along the way.