A tower outside Alexandria has collapsed and knocked over the East walls, creating an opening for the enormous herd. That’s where the last episode of The Walking Dead left off, and that’s where the midseason finale picked up.
Walkers have gained access to the community and are spreading around very rapidly, forcing everyone to hide in nearby homes.
Anytime you have disaster in a midseason finale, you expect plenty of deaths, right? Well, character deaths weren’t overwhelming in tonight’s episode, but we did lose a beloved character.
Deanna’s Legacy Will Live On:
Deanna, the only person who died, was bit while saving Rick’s life. She is the one who ran the community, the one who believed in it very much, the one who had plans to expand, and the one who kept the peace alive through the thick and thin.
Now that she is gone, she has given the keys to Alexandria to Rick. It’s his town, he will be in full control and will attempt to carry Deanna’s legacy.
“Guess what? They’re all your people, Rick,” Deanna said. “They are…I didn’t run over to help you out there because I like you, or because I think you’re a good man, a good father, or that you can grow one hell of a beard. I ran over to help because you’re one of us. That’s the right answer.”
But before Rick can take over Alexandria as its leader, he must save the town from the threat at hand.
Carl vs. Ron:
Ron made his first attack on Carl, getting Carl alone in a room and attempting to shoot him. Thankfully, Carl knew how to defend himself and did not allow Ron to kill him as the two got into a skirmish, breaking windows and attracting walkers to the house. With a broken window, walkers were able to flood the house, as Rick and Michonne ordered everyone to go upstairs and blocked off the stairs with a sofa.
Rick, this is why you do not trust Ron with a gun. Carl did not tell Rick and Jessie about Ron’s attack, but he did force Ron to surrender his gun.
“Look, I get it. My dad killed your dad, but you need to know something. Your dad was an asshole,” Carl told Ron after taking away his weapon.
Perhaps Ron will now follow Rick’s orders and get along with Carl, but the kid still cannot be trusted until he earns that trust from Carl.
Carol vs. Morgan:
Carl and Ron weren’t the only ones facing off against each other. Carol and Morgan had a battle of their own. Carol wanted to kill the Wolf member, while Morgan wanted to save his life to change him. As Carol pulled a knife on the W man, Morgan stood in her way to stop her.
Carol was in full Carol mode once again, telling Morgan to move out of the way or she would be forced to kill him as well. After warning Morgan a couple of times, Carol attacked him but Morgan retreated and body slammed Carol to the ground, knocking her out.
In the midst of this battle, the Wolf member got loose and knocked Morgan to the ground, snatching his knife and threatening to kill Denise. Tara, Eugene, and Rosita came to rescue Denise, but the Wolf member forced them to drop their guns and slide them his way.
With a gun pointed at Denise, the W man escaped the cell. How will he survive with all the walkers outside? No one knows, but Morgan’s foolish plan to change this man backfired and now, in addition to the walkers, we have a crazy man loose, holding Denise hostage.
Great job, Morgan. You are a real hero, allowing another threat into Alexandria. It seems he has been the middle man in all this chaos. He was the reason The Wolves were able to track Alexandria in the first place, which led to the attack by The Wolves which led to the loud horn attracting the enormous herd which ultimately led to the walls collapsing and the walkers wandering around the community. Now, because of Morgan one of the Wolf members is wielding a gun and threatening lives.
By now, this man should be exiled.
Blending In – An Old Method:
This episode was reminiscent of the second episode of the series titled “Guts.” Rick brought back an old method he used with Glenn to escape the walkers that had entered Jessie's home (this method was also used by Carol in “No Sanctuary” to make an attack on Terminus). Rick smeared walker guts all over himself and the others who were with him – Father Gabriel, Michonne, Jessie, Carl, Ron, Sam and Judith - and the group gracefully walked through the huge herd and made it outside the house that consisted of many more walkers.
Rick’s plan was to make it to the armory so they could equip themselves with guns and ammo, but that plan may be destroyed since the episode ended with Sam calling out for his mother.
When you are trying to blend in with walkers, rule number one: DO NOT SPEAK! It looks like Sam has broken that rule which could force the walkers to attack him. Nice going kid. Didn’t Carol teach you to not be afraid of the “monsters”?
For crying out loud, Judith was more resilient than this kid. She hasn’t even cried once through all this. Kudos, Judith!
What’s Next?:
Tonight’s episode featured just one death and was extremely intense. It had viewers holding their breathe when walkers flooded the town and when the W man was waving a gun at Tara, Rosita, Denise, and Eugene while having a defenseless Morgan and Carol knocked out on the ground. Good thing he didn’t kill anyone…yet.
So now we have an armed Wolf member, walkers, and Sam pretty much trying to get himself and others killed. We have Maggie on one of the towers surrounded by walkers, Glenn and Enid outside the walls attempting to help, and Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham taking very long to get back to Alexandria, and a two months waiting period before we can find out what happens next.
Obviously, the entire community is in danger, but who will die next? Denise? Sam? Morgan? It’s so difficult to predict. Everyone is in trouble. No one is safe. For the next two months or so, all we can do is wait, rewatch old episodes, bite our nails, and speculate.
It has been a wonderful first half of Season 6, and it should be an amazing second half to the season. The Walking Dead will return with the second half of Season 6 on Sunday, February 14, at 9/8c.
