Waiting Til October: Why I’m Skipping (Postponing) The Walking Dead Season Finale

Why I’m skipping (read: postponing) the season finale of The Walking Dead.

I usually try to stay away from Twitter during big television moments that are not broadcast live.  It’s not too bad here on the West Coast given the three hour time zone gap; it’s even harder when watching Doctor Who, when I have to stay away from Twitter all day.

I’ve been pumped up about The Walking Dead’s season finale more and more as we’ve gotten closer to the big day.  I had planned to stay away from Twitter today, but like most things, I couldn’t deal with the suspense and I peeked.  After all, I’m the one in the family who opens Christmas presents because I just can’t deal with the aniticipation….  So I peeked.

But something strange happened tonight.  I’ve been home most of the day with a sinus infection, and the television has been tuned in to AMC’s The Walking Dead marathon.  The commercials were pumping me up to watch, and up until 7:30pm I’d planned to watch the finale.  And then I looked at Twitter.

It looked like the writers were pushing the action to the last few minutes of the show.  (As usual)  But then the Tweets started coming in after the end of the show, and there was a colossal sense of disappointment coming from the Internet.  There were no deaths, as had been predicted.  Someone was probably going to die by Neegan’s hands, but at the end of the episode the audience still has no idea who it was.

I’m sure the writing was solid, and I’m sure the story was compelling.  TWD writers are fantastic.  I am a fan of the show, even through the ebb and flows.  I’m not skipping the finale in protest—I’m skipping it for my own sanity!  I can wait until October, in spite of the Christmas present thing.  I know I’ll enjoy the episode much more knowing that the answer is coming up next, as opposed to watching tonight and having to wait six months to get answers.

Six.  Whole.  Months.

Yes, I definitely made the right choice….didn’t I?

The Walking Dead Recap S6E14: Twice as Far

The Walking Dead S6E14: Twice as Far

Original Airdate: March 20, 2016

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

We saw some March Madness last week when Carol went batshit crazy with Paula and the Women of Neegan’s Gang.  Now we’re back and it’s time to pick up the pieces.

A garage door opens and a woman stacks a new supply of food on shelves.  The pond in Alexandria is looking idyllic and the people look even better.  From Gabriel to Morgan, people are happy.  Carol is smoking and playing with her rosary.  Everyone is armed, however, so that means everyone is still on guard.

Morgan puts the finishing touches on his new jail cell.  That’s where Rick finds him.  Rick asks why he’s building this, to which Morgan replies that having a jail will give them choices next time.

The scene replays.  Now we see Carol getting a kiss in one scene and Rosita getting dressed after a night with Spencer in another.

Daryl finds a toy soldier and reflects on it.  He’s tinkering with his bike and Carol walks up.  He asks for a cigarette and they sit on the porch together.  Carol know that Daryl lost his bike after losing it in the forest, after saving the group who had kidnapped him.  He admits he should have killed them.  Carol walks away and Daryl asks what they did to her.  “To us?  They didn’t do anything,” she says.

The scene plays again and the food storage is still full, but with different crops.  Carol still sits and smokes, with the rosary in her hand.

Denise watches as Abraham leaves the town.  She looks at a piece of paper and thinks.

Spencer offers to make his stroganoff for Rosita but she blows him off.  He wants to know what they’re doing, which is code for where are they in their relationship.  She agrees to dinner and turns to leave, but then she sees that Denise is there.  Denise tells Rosita and Daryl that there is an apothecary shop nearby and she wants to see if they have any drugs. She wants to join them on the run, and Daryl reluctantly agrees.  They leave in an old truck, and Denise gives Daryl some pointers on how to drive a stick in a beat-up old truck like the one they’re in.

The trio comes upon a fallen tree branch and they stop.  Rosita and Daryl get out to inspect and Denise stays in the car.  There are Walkers in the tree limbs, suggesting that this happened recently.  Denise wants to go on the tracks to get there but Daryl prefers the road.  They head out.

Abraham and Eugene walk in an alley discussing hair.  Eugene has lots of things to say about the nature of man and hair.  Eugene compares the keys to survival in their situation to RPGs and tabletop games.  He is now in Stage 2, meaning he has adapted and become a survivor.

Denise and Daryl catch up with Rosita, who took the track route and had a much shorter walk.  They come upon the strip mall, which is littered with trash and bodies.  There are handprints all over the door and Daryl tells Denise to stay back.

Meanwhile, Eugene picks the lock and goes inside the machine shop with Abraham.  Abraham wants to know what they’re doing, and Eugene reveals that he’s realized that they can make their own bullets using spent casings.  “He most definitely, almost certainly” can do it.  Abraham approves.  There’s a Walker inside and Eugene calls dibs.  Unfortunately, this Walker is covered in molten lead and Eugene is overwhelmed.  He gets upset when Abraham steps in, and Abraham tells him that killing Walkers is his skill set while making bullets is Eugene’s.  Eugene says that he doesn’t need Abraham’s services anymore, so Abraham leaves.  It’s hard to believe that Eugene decided that was the right moment to say such a thing.

Daryl and Rosita go into the store and are instantly hit with the stench.  Denise finds photos of a boy at the counter and she pauses to look at them.  Daryl pries open the window to the pharmacy, where they find a mother lode of medicine.  They hear a thumping but decide it’s just one Walker.  They resume their “shopping” while Denise moves toward the door, machete raised.  Inside the back room she finds a crib and lots of baby items, and a Walker with a broken foot.  “Hush” is written all over the walls and a baby’s shoe is in the sink.  Denise stumbles out and knocks over a display, and then she goes outside to wait.  She has a keychain that says “Dennis” with her.  She’s emotional and Daryl and Rosita know it, so Daryl tells her that she did well finding that place.

On the way back Daryl asks her about her twin brother Dennis.  She says he was angry, to which Daryl says it sounds like they have the same brother.  Daryl decides to take the tracks this time, so they do.  Abandoned cars line the side of the tracks. Denise spots a car and stops to look inside.  There’s a cooler in the car, along with a Walker.  Daryl and Rosita don’t think it’s worth the trouble, but of course Denise has to do her own thing.  Why, oh why, do people do that!?  The Walker comes out of the car with the cooler and falls on top of Denise, who calls off Daryl’s help and kills it herself.  She looks proud of herself when she takes care of it.  She promptly pukes.  “I threw up on my glasses,” she says.  Inside the cooler is a six pack of soda, including the one that Tara likes.  She says you have to take chances.  She says she has “training in this shit.”  She asked Daryl to come with her because he reminds her of her brother and makes her feel safe, and Rosita because Rosita is alone.  She could have told Tara that she loved her and gone with her…and as she talks she is shot from behind with an arrow.  She dies in the middle of her sentence.

Men and women emerge from the forest, with Eugene in tow, and they face off with Daryl and Rosita.  The man in charge has run into Daryl before.  His face is badly burned.

I’m beginning to think the gang shouldn’t go on runs anymore.  Every time they find a stash they get ambushed.

The other man is the man Daryl left alive after his motorcycle was stolen.  That’s why Dee has Daryl’s crossbow. Dee says that Denise wasn’t the man Dee was aiming for.  Dee wants Daryl and Rosita to let them into Alexandria.  Fortunately, Abraham is hiding out behind the barrels nearby.  Eugene says Dee should kill the man behind the barrels, and when they go to check it out, Abraham ambushes them.  Eugene bites Dee in the groin and chaos ensues, but they manage to chase away Dee’s group.  Rosita goes to Eugene, who was hit in the gunfire.  The trio grabs their companion and run off, leaving Denise on the tracks.

Without denise, there isn’t much that can be done for Eugene.  Fortunately the bullet just grazed him.  Daryl is standing guard when Abraham comes in.  Eugene wakes up and asks for Abraham’s apology for questioning his skill set.  Eugene says he’s been there a while.

Abraham goes to Sasha’s house.  She just heard about Denise and asks how Abraham is doing.  Abraham says they could have thirty years in Alexandria and it would still be too short.  Sasha asks him to come inside.

Daryl has the Dennis keychain in his hand and he pauses before covering Denise’s body with dirt.  Carol is there to help him.  He takes a drink of the liquor they found, and he keeps digging.  Carol’s eyes are vacant.  She says Daryl was right, that she knew it when he said he should have killed them.

Carol writes a letter to her man friend saying that they have so much in Alexandria and there are so many people who want what they have.  As she talks, we see that same scene play over.  She says she has to kill to keep people safe, but she can’t.  And she won’t.  Rick was going to send her away but she ended up staying.  She can’t do that anymore because she can’t kill anymore.  She asks that no one come after her. Morgan looks out at Carol’s swing and thinks about her absence.  It would seem he’s thinking about something bigger.  But what?

Looks like next week is going to be a big episode.

The Walking Dead Recap S6E11: Knots Untie

The Walking Dead S6E11: Knots Untie

Original Airdate: February 28, 2016

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

Well, after last week’s shocking ending, we start this week with a conversation between Abraham and Sasha as they return to Alexandria.  He’s talking about a camel that ate the keys.  He can’t believe Maggie is pregnant in this Brave New World.  Sasha says that maybe she’s pregnant because it’s “the way things go.”  There’s some flirtation going on between them, kind of.  Sasha tells him that she’s going to start a new post the next day, and now Eugene wants to take over patrols with Abraham.  Neither seems too pleased by the idea.

Next we find Abraham in bed with Rosita, but he’s thinking about Sasha.  She says that Eugene is going to teach her chemistry, but Abraham says that chemistry can’t be taught.  She gives him a necklace made of a piece of tail light so his neck isn’t lonely.  She asks him to join her in the shower, but he hesitates.

Maggie is out in the fields working when Glenn finds her.  She’s trying to make vertical trellises for tomatoes.  They haven’t seen any buds, but Glenn is hopeful.  They spot Abraham running into Rick’s house with Denise so they take off after him.

Jesus is perusing the art on Rick’s walls when Carl puts a gun to his head and demands to know what he’s doing there.  Rick and Michonne, still getting dressed, walk out and find Carl with Jesus, and then Abraham and Glenn rush in, guns drawn.  Next we see the gang sitting around the kitchen table.  “Let’s talk,” Rick says as Daryl comes in to join them.  Jesus says that they had one guard on two doors.  He’s been checking out their ammunition and they’re running low.  He says they’re on the same team—the side of the living.  He’s from a similar community and his job is to seek out other communities to establish trade.  They have livestock and crops.  Maggie sits forward at the idea of other communities.  Jesus smiles.  “Your world is about to get a whole lot bigger.”

Daryl works on the RV and Denise brings him a treat for the road.  She suggests her cooking is better than rabies, and Daryl thinks she’s doing it for helping her, but she says he reminds her of someone.  Rick tells Carl that he and Michonne just happened last night, but Carl is cool with it.  He smiles at his dad to let him know it’s okay.  Rick wants to leave Judith with Gabriel, but Carl isn’t going with him, because someone needs to stay behind to protect everyone, and he’s worried about the impression his messed up face would make.  Rick nods at his son, who has grown up so fast.

Abraham is ready to go.  The team loads into the RV and it’s time for a road trip.

Glenn keeps his hand on Maggie’s belly while she sleeps.  Abraham wants to talk about getting Maggie pregnant using a pancake analogy.  Glenn says that it was intentional, that they discussed it.  Abraham is amazed at Glenn’s cojones for being brave enough to try to make a child in this world.

As Rick drives, he reaches over and rubs Michonne’s leg.  She grabs his hand.  Daryl notices a crash scene up ahead so they stop.  Jesus says that it’s one of his people’s buses.  They track footprints to a nearby building, and Jesus says that he knows it looks suspicious but his people need help.  He doesn’t know what happened.  Rick ties him up and says that Maggie can shoot him if need be.

Inside, they find Walkers and some survivors.  It’s nothing that the gang can’t handle.  Jesus’s friends are all ok.  They get back on the bus.  Harlan, one of the friends, is a doctor.  Glenn asks if they have prenatal vitamins.  It turns out that he was an obstetrician in the past life, so since he owes Glenn a favor, they hit the jackpot.  Jesus checks on his other friends who are struggling with the accident and what happened.  Abraham listens in.

The RV gets stuck in the mud, but it just so happens that they have arrived.  The Hilltop.  It’s a whole town sitting behind a fortified wall.

As they approach the gates, the Hilltop’s guards tell them to stop and drop their weapons.  Jesus says they ran out of ammo months ago so they use spears.  Harlan and Jesus vouch for them.  Inside the gates is a hybrid modern day-cum-18^th century civilization.  Harlan takes his patient away but he welcomes Glenn and Maggie later.

Jesus explains that most of the campers were in a FEMA camp and they came with their trailers, but the Barrington House, the large mansion at the center, was a museum that housed the area’s historical treasures.  Everyone figured that it would be able to keep them running.  Gregory steps out and announces that they should get cleaned up.  Hard to keep the place clean, after all.  Rick agrees, but he tells Maggie to get cleaned up first so she can talk to him because he shouldn’t.  Clearly he sees a power struggle coming forth.

Abraham asks Daryl if he knew about Rick and Michonne.  He wonders if Daryl would ever settle down, but Daryl says it depends on things settling down elsewhere.  Abraham fingers Rosita’s necklace.

Maggie finds Gregory and they start talking.  They ask about each other’s resources, and Gregory plays his high-handed ways.  He says he knows that they don’t have much food so he offers a work-trade program.  He treats Maggie like an inferior, but she knows he doesn’t have ammunition or medicine so she stays strong.  He dismisses her with an ominous look.  Gregory is an ass.

Jesus says they want to trade but Gregory doesn’t want ammo.  Jesus acts as an intermediary.  Rick wants food, but Jesus says he will try to convince him.  A man rushes in to say “they’re back.”  Ethan approaches and says that Neegan is dead.  Ethan says he’s got a message for Gregory and he stabs him.  A fight ensues and Rick ends up covered in blood—again.  The Hilltop people see Rick’s actions and are scared.  Jesus breaks up the fight and says that things aren’t as simple as they seem.  This is very true.  Neegan was killed by Daryl, Sasha and Abraham.

Daryl makes sure Abraham is okay, and he smiles and says he is.  As he stands up, Rosita’s necklace is on the ground.

Jesus announces that Gregory will be okay.  Rick asks about Neegan.  Jesus explains that as soon as they built the town, Neegan showed up with his group, the Saviors.  He killed a sixteen year old boy to make a point.  Now the Hilltoppers give him half of everything.  Daryl offers to kill Neegan’s group for food, medicine and a cow.  Rick agrees—confrontation is their strong point.  Jesus will take the offer to Gregory.

Jesus says that Gregory will talk about it.  He wants to see Maggie, and Rick says that Deanna was right about her.  Jesus apologizes in advance for Gregory being a prick.

Upstairs, Gregory is in bed and he is ready to make a deal.  Maggie manipulates him into giving them half of everything up front. Gregory claps.  He’s impressed.

Outside, as the trucks are loaded up, Jesus says that even Neegan didn’t get everything up front.  They find the man who has been taking things to Neegan and get his support to find Neegan’s camp.  Rick tells Michonne that they’re going to fight.  She knows that.  And she knows they’ll win.

Maggie had asked for one favor from Gregory: an ultrasound.  Harlan is happy to oblige and the couple see their unborn child on the screen.  In the RV, Glenn shares the ultrasound photo with Michonne, who shows Daryl.  He passes it to Abraham, who smiles at Glenn.

The RV departs the Hilltop…but you know this happy moment won’t last.

The Walking Dead S6E9 Recap: No Way Out

The Walking Dead S6E9: No Way Out

Original Airdate: February 14, 2016

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

Is there a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to watch the return of The Walking Dead?  Is that even a question??

At the end of the midseason finale, the world was falling apart.  As usual.  Sam kept talking, Alpha Wolf was loose, and Neegan’s men had blocked Daryl’s group from returning to Alexandria.

Tonight we start out back on that road.  Neegan’s thug confiscates everyone’s weapons.  Sasha wants to know who they are, but they won’t be the ones who ask questions.  The thug wants to accompany them on their way back home so they can see where they came from.  He doesn’t believe that they don’t have more stuff with them.  Abraham wants to know who he is talking to, so the man says he will have to kill them.  He was only bluffing…or was he….but then his entire biker gang blows up.  As it turns out, Daryl had a rocket launcher behind the truck and he was able to blow them up.  Abraham bids them good riddance.

Rick and his gang are trying to get out of the neighborhood by walking through the Walkers. Ron and Carl walk behind him, followed by everyone else.  The Walkers aren’t paying them any mind.  Sam looks around in anguish.  They get to the edge of the houses and Rick says they need to get to the quarry to fetch the cars.  Jessie tells Rick that they won’t make it with Judith, so Father Gabriel offers to take her to the church until they get back.  Jessie wants Sam to go with Gabriel but Sam insists that he be allowed to stay with his mom.  Gabriel promises Rick that he will keep Judith safe. Michonne watches as he leaves with the baby.  Jessie tells Rick that she knows he’ll make it and be safe.  They march on; Carl grabs Ron’s hand and Ron allows him to take it.

Tara and Rosita watch through the window as Walkers go on.  Tara wants to go after Alpha Walker, who still has Denise.  Carol wakes up and asks for their gun so she can see what else is hiding in the house.  Morgan wakes up and asks where Alpha Wolf is, and he is crushed to hear he took Denise.

Glenn and Enid lock themselves in the church.  They search it to find weapons to use to climb over the wall.

Alpha Wolf looks down at Denise, who is having a panic attack, and remarks that this is how things turn.

Enid is trying to figure out why Glenn wouldn’t let her run.  As Glenn explains that the people who left her, her family, are the ones who made her who she is.  He lists his family, Dale, Andrea, Herschel, as his people.

Alpha Wolf says that he needs Denise to stay calm, and that he wants her to be safe.

Glenn doesn’t want Enid to run, he wants her to stay in the church.  She says that he was right, and she’s here now and she wants to help him save Maggie.  She’d just follow him anyway.

Alpha Wolf wants to help Denise change.

Enid finds a gun on the altar of the church.  They’re ready to go.

The Walkers keep walking through the streets at night.  Rick and his group are still moving, too.  They form a serpentine chain moving through the random chaos.  Sam hears Carol’s voice in his head telling him that the monsters are going to eat him.  He sees a child Walker and he stops.  Ron tries to give his brother a pep talk but he’s suddenly grabbed and eaten from behind.  Jessie screams and Carl tries to pull her away.  She is eaten as well.  Rick flashes back to his memories of Jessie.  He has to cut her arm off because she won’t let go of Carl.  Rick drops his gun in the process and Ron grabs it and aims it at Rick.  Michonne stabs him from behind.  Rick tries to get himself together, and that’s when he sees Carl’s face.  His right eye is missing.  Carl faints and Rick grabs him, and he runs off with Michonne trying to clear the path.

Tara looks out the door while Morgan contemplates life.  Eugene has a knife with him and he nods to himself.  He knows that they will be fighting their way out, he tells Rosita.  Rosita says that he can’t fight, which seems to upset him.

Alpha Wolf sees the Walkers moving toward the sound of the gunfire.  He comments that her friends must have tried to put up a fight.  They did fight, Denise reminds him.  He says he was selfish.  She tells him to go to hell, and he says they’re safer out there than within the walls.  They make a run for it, but a Walker gets in their way and slows them down.  Alpha goes back to help Denise but is bitten in the process.  Denise tells him that if he gets to the infirmary she can save his life.

Carol in alone when Morgan finds her.  He asks if she had a child, and a husband.  He says that he didn’t want to hurt anyone, and she retorts that he did it for his own purposes.  She regrets not killing him when she had the chance.  “You can’t,” he says, walking away.

Denise ties off Alpha’s arm and tells him that he might have changed, given that he went back for her.  They make a run for it and Carol shoots him from above.  Inside the infirmary Denise finds Aaron and the others.  Rick and Michonne run in with Carl still out cold.  Denise moves into action and starts working on Carl.  The Walkers are still wandering outside, seemingly oblivious.  Rick takes him axe and goes outside to go hunting.

Rick goes on a killing rampage.  With only his axe, he kills several dozen Walkers.  Michonne wants to help but Denise needs her.  As soon as she’s finished, Michonne kisses Carl’s head and joins Rick.  Spencer and Aaron go as well.  The other Alexandrians watch from inside their houses as Rick clears the path, and they run out and start helping.  Soon he’s calling for everyone to keep them out.

Gabriel watches from inside the church.  Judith starts crying so he hands her off to a parishioner and grabs his machete.  He says that their prayers are helping; God has given them the power to save it themselves.

Carol tells the group that Rick is making a stand, and she says that Denise is safe.  Eugene says that no one gets to clock out today, that this is a story that will live on, so he wants to fight.   Morgan runs into Alpha Wolf Walker.  He says he’s sorry, then he kills him.

Glenn arrives in time to see the Walkers trying to knock down the tower.  Enid rushes to help Maggie while Glenn creates a distraction.  He is quickly overpowered, and just when things look really back, the Walkers around him are gunned down in a spray of bullets.  It’s Abraham and Sasha up on the wall.  Once the Walkers are gone, Abraham asks if Glenn can get the gate for them.  He’d really appreciate it.

Glenn opens the gate and Daryl says they’ll have to lead them away.  Inside the walls, the group fights off as many Walkers as they can.  Daryl parks the truck and drains gas into the pond.  The Walkers keep coming as the group backs toward the wall. Daryl launches a grenade into the pond and it lights up.  The Walkers are drawn like moths to the flames.  They stop and turn away from Rick’s group and head toward the massive fire.  And, like the mindless zombies they are, they go right into the fire.

The great thing is seeing how the town has come together to fight as a group.  When the sun comes up, Walkers are all over the place.  All are dead.  The group gathers around the infirmary, where Denise patches Daryl up.  Michonne holds Judith as Rick sits with Carl.  He says he was wrong, that he didn’t think the people of Alexandria were capable of fighting, but now he does.  Now he sees that they can work together and rebuild the walls.  He sees Deanna’s vision now.  He says he had a feeling when it was all over, and it had been such a long time since he’s felt that way.  He wants to show Carl the new world, and he begs Carl to wake up so he can show him.  Carl’s fingers tighten around Rick’s hand.

Talk about a bloody Valentine….  See you next week!

The Walking Dead Recap S6E2: JSS

The Walking Dead S6E2: JSS

Original Airdate: October 18, 2015

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

Enid is standing in an SUV calling for her parents.  They need to move, and now.  The Walkers are coming.  They don’t move fast enough, though, and next we see Enid sitting in a bloody car while Walkers devour her parents.  Enid walks along the road, trying to steer clear of the Walkers she can hear nearby.  As she waits for them to pass, she writes JSS in the sand.  On she walks, until she comes upon a car with a Walker falling out of it.  She pulls him out and kills him, and then she takes shelter inside the car.  Again, she writes JSS on the dirty window.  Next we see a turtle walking along, and Enid eats it.  (RIP, Mr. Turtle)  She writes out JSS with its bones.  Enid comes upon a wall and a house, and eventually a gate.  It’s the front gate at Alexandria.  She pauses, contemplating whether or not she should go inside.  Eventually, she writes JSS on her hand and goes inside.

Carol is in the supply room choosing ingredients for her latest recipe.  She’s grabbing food that no one else wants because they’re running low on supplies so she’s stretching things out using recipes she made for her ex husband.  Shelly complains about the pasta and wishes she had a machine for it.  Carol says she could teach Shelly to make it herself if she promises to stop smoking; there are so many things trying to kill them that they don’t need one more thing, right?  Point, Carol.

Carol comes across Sam, who is sitting on her front steps.  She tells him that his dad used to hit him and then he got himself killed. “It happened, now it’s done.  Live with it or it eats you up.  Go home,” she tells him.  Cold. Just, cold.

Jesse calls for Ron so she can give him a haircut.  He comes downstairs and says that the haircut is a ploy to get him to talk to her.  He’s still upset about his dad, and she reminds him that the reason he can’t lift his arm over his head is his father.  She says there are things he needs to learn and wonders if he blames her for what happened.  Pete was dangerous, she says.  Ron says Rick is dangerous, but Jesse says he’s her friend.

Maggie and Deanna are in a field.  Maggie says there will be some sore citizens, but eventually they can plant the seeds she found and then they’ll have a huge garden.  They just need the wall expansion.  Reg wanted the community to grow, Maggie points out.  Everyone who is there is alive because of Deanna, so she needs to show them she’s still there.

Eugene complains to Tara that building a church in the expansion is a waste of space, and that “thumpers” shouldn’t get dibs.  Denise interrupts them from her studies.  She’s nervous being the new doctor, but her background is in psychiatry even though she was going to be a surgeon until the panic attacks started.  She wants to know why Tara wants aspirin, and Tara says she got dizzy while working on the guard tower.  Denise assures her that she can’t kill her with that symptom, but Eugene, ever helpful, says she could miss a hematoma.  He gets a double shot of evil eye from the ladies.

Carl is taking Judith on a walk.  He’s pushing her in a stroller when he spots Ron and Enid hugging each other.  Gabriel approaches and says that he knows he was the problem.  He wants to learn how to fight now.  Carl says he needs to tell everyone else that, and Gabriel agrees.  Carl tells him to come by later and they can start with the machete.  Enid looks up as Carl walks by.

Carol is in her immaculate kitchen.  She has a kitchen timer next to a baby monitor that shows Judith sleeping.  She looks outside the window and sees Shelly smoking.  Suddenly a man runs up and cuts her open, then he hacks into her skull.  Carol hurries off.  Who is this guy?  He isn’t a Walker.

Deanna and Maggie hear yelling.  She calls to Richard at the wall and suddenly he’s lit on fire with a fire bomb.  Maggie points her gun and leads Deanna away.

Carol runs to Carl, who already has a gun ready. He can see the intruders all around them.  She tells him to keep Judith safe.

Blood pools under a bike tire as people flee for their lives.  Sam pleads with his mom not to leave him to find Ron.  Someone is inside the house, though, so she goes to the closet with him to hide.

Carl hears someone at the door.  It’s Enid, who is packed to leave.  Carl commands her to stay here and help him guard the house.  She says the place is too big, with too many blind spots.  He doesn’t want her to say goodbye, so she says she won’t.  They sit back to back and wait.

Carol runs through the houses and sees men with Ws on their foreheads attacking everyone.  One of the women is stabbed so Carol kills her attacker and then stabs the woman in the neck so she doesn’t turn.  From the church steeple, Spencer takes aim at the Ws and then he sees a truck coming straight at the wall.  He shoots the driver, and the truck crashes.  The horn gets stuck and that’s the noise we hear from the road, where the rest of the gang are trying to lead the Walkers away from Alexandria.

The horn blares on.  Spencer is stuck inside the church.  Eugene and Tara are still inside with Denise.  Rosita comes in with a wounded woman.  Aaron and Rosita know they need to get back out there, so they leave Eugene and leave.

Spencer gets to the truck but the driver is a Walker already.  He’s trying to figure out how to kill him when Morgan appears and kills the Walker, then pulls him away from the horn.  Spencer tells him what’s going on inside the walls, but he’s terrified, so Morgan tells him to hide.  When Morgan goes in he sees a W hacking a body to bits.  The W has an axe and asks Morgan if he wants to die fast or slow.  Morgan tells him to leave.  As the W charges him, a hooded figure swoops in and stabs the W.  It’s Carol.  She quickly paints a W on her forehead in blood while Morgan says she didn’t have to kill him.  She needs his help getting to the armory.

Maggie and Deanna find Spencer.  Deanna knows she doesn’t know how to fight and she tells Maggie it’s better that she stays outside.  Spencer vows to protect her.  Deanna looks on in horror as she hears what’s going on inside the walls.

Denise tells Tara that the woman has a cut to her femoral artery.  She needs surgery.  Tara wants Denise to jump into action but Denise is afraid.  Eugene tells her not to be a coward.  Denise takes a breath and tells them what she needs for surgery.

A W is chasing Ron, so Carl shoots the W in the leg.  As Enid and Ron watch, the W begs for help, but he’s really trying to lure Carl closer.  When he grabs Carl, Carl kills him.  Carl tells Ron he can protect him, but Ron sees Enid in Carl’s house and shakes his head, running away.

There’s someone in Sam’s room as Jesse and Sam hide in the closet.  As soon as they hear the footsteps going back downstairs, Jesse leaves Sam and goes down to see who it was.  She crouches in the kitchen and calls out in case it’s Ron.  A very dirty woman attacks her from behind.  Jesse’s gun goes flying and Jesse falls to the ground.  The woman goes for the gun, so Jesse jumps up with a pair of scissors and attacks the woman, stabbing and screaming at her until she’s dead.  Ron walks in and sees his mom deliver the final stab with a guttural scream.

Carol and Morgan walk through the streets.  Carol pretends that Morgan is her prisoner until Morgan decides to help Gabriel out.  Carol is dressed like one of the Ws and she manages to shoot several of them.  She reaches the armory and finds Lydia in the closet.  Carol starts loading weapons into a bag and shows Lydia how to shoot a gun before she leaves.

Morgan ties up the guy he took down and he’s about to talk when Carol shoots him.  She hands them both a gun, but Morgan gives his back to Gabriel, who says he’s not good with guns either.  Carol finds Maggie, and they go off together.  Aaron shoots a few Ws, and Rosita is doing well, too. Morgan is surrounded by several Ws, and he tells them to leave.  They get closer, so he hits two of them with his stick.  They keep getting closer, and he tells them that his people have guns, and if they continue to choose this path, they will die.  The lead W says they didn’t choose this life.  He turns to run away, but he grabs a gun on the way.  Morgan closes the gate.

Carol looks down at dead Shelly.  Her Morley cigarettes are on the ground.  (Morleys are what Cancer Man smoked in The X-Files)  Carol starts to smoke one and then she sees a red letter A on her porch.  Sam had the A stamp.  She starts to weep.

Aaron walks through the streets stabbing people in the head to prevent them from turning.  He finds a dead man with a knapsack that has photos inside.  They’re photos of the town, and the wall.  They’re the same photos he used to recruit new members.

Denise tries to resuscitate Holly, who is very much dead.  Tara gives her credit for trying.  Denise tells them all to leave.  Tara tells her to get her brain.

Deanna and Maggie walk along the wall.  Spencer asks Rosita if this is what the world is like outside the walls.  She says that their group is trying to keep them safe, that this is what they do.  Maggie puts a charred Walker out of his misery.  “We’re still here,” Maggie says.  “Not all of us,” Deanna replies.

Carl looks out at the dead man outside.  He calls for Enid, who has left.  She left a note for him.  “Just Survive Somehow.”  JSS.  The alarm goes off and so Carl takes Carol’s casserole out of the oven.

A Walker approaches Morgan.  He hits him in the face and keeps going.  Morgan goes inside a house and is ambushed by a W, who realizes that Morgan doesn’t want to kill him.  “You should have,” he says.  Morgan attacks, and apologizes before killing him.  Morgan walks along the road and crosses paths with Carol, who keeps walking along.

Alexandria has been compromised, but we have yet to see the extent of the Wolves’ attack….

The Walking Dead Season 6 Premiere Recap: First Time Again

The Walking Dead S6E1: First Time Again

Original Airdate: October 11, 2015

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

Welcome back to Alexandria, fellow Walkers.  It’s time to get Season 6 of The Walking Dead underway!

Tonight’s episode is a series of flashbacks and scenes from the present.  Flashbacks are presented in black and white while the present is in glorious color.

We begin as Rick pulls the trigger and kills Pete.  It starts in color and fades to black and white.  Next we return to the present as Rick talks his team through the game plan.  They’re gathered in a ravine where thousands of Walkers are trapped and mulling about aimlessly.  They’re doing a dry run at present, preparing for when they actually do whatever it is that they’re getting ready to do.  Confused yet?  As with most best laid plans, things go awry when the tractor trailer on a ledge goes plummeting over the side.  Yes, dozens of Walkers have been crushed, but they’re also free to get out.  This sends the team into motion as they have to forego the dress rehearsal and jump into action.  Abraham is happy to get moving, while Glenn agrees to accept help from a repentant Nicholas.  The Walkers break through another barrier of trucks and head toward the team.

Cue the opening credits.  This looks like it’s going to be one hell of an episode!

Gabriel walks up to Deanna, who is sitting beside a pool of her husband’s blood.  You were wrong, she tells him.  He nods and walks away.  Abraham carries Reg’s body out of the area and takes a drink.  Jesse consoles her boys, but she can’t stop Ron when he gets up and runs away.

Rosita is at the infirmary helping Tara into a sitting position.  She’s glad Tara is ok.  They’re interrupted by Glenn and Nicholas, who return from their fight in the woods.  Glenn covers for them, saying that they encountered Walkers.  Nicholas nods at Glenn in understanding.  Tara comments that they both look like shit, and both Glenn and Nicholas are incredibly pleased to see that she’s ok.  Maggie hurries in and rushes to Glenn’s side.  He assures her that he was merely grazed by a ricocheting bullet.  That’s when Eugene walks in.  “Holy shit,” he says when he sees Tara.  “Thank God nothing happened to your hair,” she replies, giving him a smile.  (Eugene Hair Zing #1!)  Eugene, in a classic Eugene moment, stares at her while grinning stupidly.  It unnerves poor Tara, who asks for Noah’s help to protect her from Eugene’s stalker tendencies.  The group looks away, with Nicholas looking the most regretful of them all.

Morgan fingers the map that led him to Rick.  The rabbit’s foot is beside it.  Morgan tells Rick he was right, that it wasn’t over, referring to the last time they saw each other.  Rick says he doesn’t take chances anymore, and Morgan agrees with him on that note as well.  They’ll talk more in the morning.  Daryl looks on.

Abraham slips Reg’s ring on the top of his liquor bottle and waves at Sasha as she walks by.

Back in the present, Rick barks orders at the team.  They run through a fence made of cars as Daryl leads the Walkers through the maze on his motorcycle.

Flashback:  Daryl tinkers with his bike as Rick exits the house.  He says Morgan is ok with their plan of keeping him locked up temporarily.  Daryl asks if Morgan relayed the bit about the men who had the same Ws on their foreheads as the dead Walkers they found, and Rick nods.  He’s going to tell Deanna that the town isn’t going to go on any more runs. People need to take care of themselves.

Present:  Sasha steps on the gas, pushing 70.  Abraham asks her if she’s ok to drive, and she tells him that she’s holding it together.  When he asks again, she reminds him that he got into the car with her.  Don’t mess with Sasha.  Living, she says, is being part of such a huge plan.  They arrive at the red balloons and radio to Rick, who says the parade is coming.

Flashback:  Rick unlocks the metal security door and finds Morgan practicing his stick-work.  Rick asks if he learned that before or after everything.  It was after, Morgan says.  Rick apologizes for having to lock him up, and Morgan says they have to get to know each other again.  And meet each other for the first time.

Still in the past, Eugene is at the gate when a car pulls up.  Heath and his team have been on a run for the past few weeks.  Eugene uses lots of words to say he can’t open the gate, but eventually he lets them in.  Heath asks if Deanna put Eugene on gate duty, but Eugene (again) gives him a long story about filling in for Holly, who needed a break.  Scott and Annie get out of the car and ask how many are with their group.  Eugene first says 13, then he corrects himself.  Annie apologizes, knowing that someone died.  Heath asks if anything happened while they were gone.  Eugene says they had a meeting the night before, and then he suggests that Heath speak directly with Deanna.  As Heath walks away, Eugene tells him that he “fully respects his hair game.”  (Eugene Hair Zing #2)

Rick tells Morgan the brief history of the wall and the people of Alexandria, and how they never had to deal with anything that happened.  They’ve been living behind the wall in safety and don’t know how to protect themselves.  When he refers to Reg in the past tense, Rick refers back to having to kill Pete.  They come across Gabriel and Toby digging graves.  Gabriel says he wants to help.  It’s clear that he is sincere about this, but it’s still hard to trust him.  Rick says they won’t be burying Pete inside the town’s walls.  Deanna walks up and agrees with Rick, saying that they should dump the body out on the West side where they don’t make many runs. “Let the trees have him.”  Ron overhears this plan about his father’s body.

Morgan and Rick load Pete into the trunk.  Rick says he shot Pete because he killed Reg.  Morgan reminds him that they have a cell, but Rick says it isn’t for killers.  Morgan reminds Rick again that they’re both killers.  Rick needs to remember that.

Present:  Rick and his gang run to the road.  Glenn is on the radio saying that they’ll meet at yellow.  Michonne, Rick and Morgan look at the wall of trucks they have erected.  Michonne is glad it will hold, given where they’re standing.  Morgan suddenly asks Michonne if she took one of his protein bars.  He swears he had one more peanut butter one.  She sighs.  That’s how it always is, she tells him.

Flashback:  Ron is under the bridge as Rick and Morgan pass over it.  Morgan gets out with two shovels and he tells Rick that leaving Pete isn’t who Rick is.  He starts digging, but Rick hears something.  They go walking until they come to the edge of a cliff, and in the distance thousands of Walkers are gathered in the ravine.  Suddenly Ron comes running through the woods, being chased by Walkers.  Rick tackles him and shoots a Walker while Morgan kills the others, sending them over the edge.

Present:  Daryl leads a procession of Walkers along the road.  They follow slowly behind him, determined to catch him.  He looks bored.  Sasha and Abraham pull out in front of him and the parade continues.

Flashback: Rick, Morgan and Ron look at the Walkers.  Rick asks why Ron followed them.  He says he wanted to know where his father is buried.  Morgan looks at the ravine and sees Walkers plunging into the ravine, following each other blindly.  Rick figures that this is why the town was spared.  The Walkers never made it that far.  Ron walks away, and Rick grabs him and says that he will teach him how to survive, but he won’t be okay on his own.  They walk back to the car and pass Pete’s body.  Rick grabs a shovel and starts digging, with Ron looking on.  Morgan takes the other shovel and starts helping.

Present:  Glenn and Nicholas are in place. Heath is with them.  The Walkers inside the building are making too much noise and might distract the herd, so Rick says to kill them.  Glenn tells Nicholas to open the door and let them out slowly.  Nicholas tells Heath that he and Aidan didn’t know what they were doing but they have to trust Glenn. They get ready as Rick and Daryl lead the herd their way.  Nicholas opens the door…but there is a wall there.  Someone blocked it already.

Flashback:  Heath recounts the tale of finding a camp that had been eaten.  Rick has told the group assembled about what they found, and now the pieces fall into place.  The Walkers have been pulled away from Alexandria by the sound of the Walkers in that building.  Carol says it sounds scary, but it must be done.  The exit from the ravine is going to fail, and soon.  Rick assigns roles.  Sasha and Abraham volunteer to help Daryl lead the Walkers.  Glenn tells Maggie to watch Deanna.  Rick asks for more volunteers amid concern that they shouldn’t be following Rick.  But it’s clear that they are going to do this.  Rick just needs to give the people of Alexandria a lesson in how to get shit done.

Present: Daryl and Sasha pull up to the fence.  Rick and Co. start firing their guns to make more noise.  This is it.

Flashback:  Carter demands that Rick explain everything to them, and so he does.  The plan is to lead the Walkers away from the town and round them up.  Rick will use trucks and cars to lead them where they need to go.  Eugene says they have plates at the construction site.  Carter still argues that if they fail, the Walkers will go right into Alexandria.  Deanna pleads with him.  He was a worker on the original wall.   With his help, the temporary fence will hold.

Present:  And it works.  As Daryl and Sasha make the turn, the gunfire seems to hold their attention.  Several Walkers run into the wall and are quickly trampled.  But it works.  The herd moves in the desired direction down Redding Road.

Flashback:  The townspeople work to construct the wall.  Rick works but has an eye on everyone else.  Daryl comes up and says that part of taking care of themselves involves going out to find more people.  “Your call, though,” he says.  Carol brings water to Rick.  He tells Carol to stay back and continue to get a feel for the townspeople.  While Deanna may be in charge, Rick is really the leader.

Present:  Glenn plans to draw the Walkers out.  He tells Nicholas to call Rick if there is trouble.  It’s interesting that Glenn will fight with Heath, but he still doesn’t trust Nicholas.

Flashback:  Maggie approaches Tara, who is watching Nicholas.  She knows he was the reason Noah died.  Maggie tells her what really happened in the woods between Glenn and Nicholas, and that Glenn left it up to her whether or not they should tell people.  Nicholas would be exiled.  Tara can’t believe that Nicholas is walking around free.  Maggie says that she was thinking of how Tara was on the other side on Maggie’s worst day, when her father was killed, and now Tara is incredibly important.  Things get better, she says.  They hug it out.

Present:  Glenn breaks the glass and they’re quickly overcome by the Walkers.  Nicholas rushes in and saves Glenn, and together the trio clears the area.  They have bonded.

Flashback:  Carol brings water to Morgan.  He asks if she was a cop, too, because she’s always watching over Rick and she’s ready to handle things.  She says that he’s very sweet.

Present:  Abraham notices that several Walkers are taking a “constitutional” so he jumps out and gets the herd back in line.  When he returns to the car, he’s splattered with blood and he starts to tell Sasha about how he got splattered when Reg and Pete died.  Now he’s just living, just like Sasha.

Flashback:  Rick approaches Deanna on the worksite and tells her he’s sorry about Reg.  Reg was a good man.  She asks what else they need.  She wants Rick to tell her.  He says that the town needs weapons, and they need to know how to use them.  Case in point, a group of Walkers approaches the site and Carter panics.  Rick tells his people to stand down so the townsfolk can give it a shot.  They panic, and Morgan jumps into action.  Rick’s team moves in and takes the Walkers down quickly.  Morgan reminds Rick that he doesn’t take chances anymore.  This just serves to emphasize Rick’s point to Deanna.

Flashback:  Eugene walks in and overhears Carter talking to a group of people in the storage room.  Spencer is there and Carter says they need to take out Rick before more of them die.  He’s not talking about talking to Deanna.  He’s talking about killing Rick.  At that moment, lovable Eugene drops a jar and the noise alerts the group to his presence.  Carter approaches Eugene, gun drawn, and Eugene falls back against the wall.  Carter knows that Eugene heard them, so now he has to die.  In a monumental coincidence, Rick, Daryl and Morgan enter the room.  They want to know what’s going on.  Carter says he’s taking the town back from Rick.  The others say they were only listening to him, but they don’t agree with him.  Rick says Carter should have had a lookout.   Rick easily takes Carter’s gun away and says that he isn’t giving up the town.  He offers Carter the choice of making things work, which seems to baffle Carter.

Present:  The Walkers continue their march.  Glenn and Co. meet up with Rick and Co. in the woods.  Carter sees the Walkers march on, and he shakes Rick’s hand now that he sees that it worked.  They’re all a team now, but the work isn’t done yet.  Carter offers to watch the front of the line, but he quickly gets nabbed by a Walker and is bitten, so his cries lead the herd off track.  Rick tells Toby’s group to fire their guns to get them back in line.

Flashback:  Morgan polishes his wood stick and Rick walks out on the porch with Judith.  He is borrowing Rick’s porch because his house doesn’t have one.  Rick tosses him the key and tells him that he’d like Morgan to stay with them.  Michonne listens in with a smile.  Rick offers Judith to Morgan, who gladly accepts the baby girl.  He tells Rick that seeing him back down from killing Carter is the man Morgan knows he is.  Rick admits he wanted to kill him to make things easier, so he doesn’t screw up anything in the future.  But he knew he didn’t have to kill him.  However, Carter doesn’t get how things are now, and he will die anyway.

Present:  Rick kills the Walker who killed Carter, and he tries to keep Carter quiet.  There’s nothing they can do for him, so Rick tries to keep him quiet, but all he can do is stab Carter in the back of the neck.  The gunfire is working, and Rick reports that Carter is dead.  He asks Morgan to return to the others to let them know.  Morgan knows they didn’t have a choice, but you can see the pain in his eyes.  The Walkers march on.

Flashback:  Rick finds Jesse in the storage area.  He’s looking for flares and she hands them over.  Ron has told her what happened out in the woods and she tells Rick that he can’t talk to Ron.  Ron isn’t listening.  She has already talked to Rosita, who is going to teach them how to fight.  She wants to fight, but he can’t teach them.

Present:  Michonne and Rick survey the herd.

Flashback:  The day before the big plan goes into action, Abraham asks Sasha if she’s doing this because she wants to die.  “No,” she replies.

Present:  Daryl and Sasha continue to lead the group.

Flashback:  Rick says that the service station needs to be cleared before the next day.  Glenn pulls Nicholas aside and tells him that he will personally train him, but not now, not yet.  Nicholas thanks him.

Present:  Glenn and Co. move through the woods together as a team.

The Walkers move on.  A horn sounds in the distance.  It breaks the back half of the herd away toward Alexandria.  Rick and Co. take off to make it stop.  Someone has ambushed their plan.

As the screen fades to black, we hear the horn blaring.  Who the hell is honking the horn??

Season 6 is off and running, folks!  What did you think?

The Walking Dead Season Finale S5E16: Conquer

The Walking Dead S5E16: Conquer

Original Airdate: March 29, 2015

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

It’s the last episode of Season 5, fellow Walkers!  Who will live, and who will die tonight?

Morgan wakes up in the back of a burned out car in the woods.  He smiles when he sees the rabbit’s foot dangling from the rear-view mirror.  He makes breakfast.  Suddenly a man pops out of the woods with a gun pointed at Morgan and he sits on a rock.  Morgan asks what the W on the man’s forehead is for.  The man says that the original settlement of native people wore wolf heads until they defeated the invaders.  Morgan laughs and says that all will return to normal.  The W man laughs and says it’s nice to talk.  His group invades camps and takes over other groups.  He misses movies.  He tells Morgan to put his coffee cup down because he wants it, and he wants Morgan, too, but Morgan won’t be alive.  Morgan smiles at him and says that he won’t allow the man to take him away.  He won’t allow it.  Suddenly another man jumps out of the bushes and Morgan takes him out with a stick.  Morgan tells them to go, but they keep coming at him so he takes them out with a stick.  The gun, evidently, was empty.  Morgan puts the men in the back of the car and honks the horn.  He grabs the rabbit’s foot and takes off.

Yay, Morgan is back!!

Daryl flies down the road on his motorcycle.  Aaron follows behind him.  They stop off the road and head into the woods.

Rick wakes up.  His face has been tended to and he’s in a room on a mattress on the ground.  Michonne asks why he’s laughing.  He says that it’s like the train car, that after the whole situation he is still there.  Michonne explains that Deanna wanted him to be there.  Rosita cleaned him up, and Carl visited.  She asks him what he’s doing.  He stays silent.  She says that they have Pete in another house.  Rick says that he had to act quickly, and that he didn’t tell her about the gun because she wanted to be there.  “Well, we’re here,” he says.  Glenn and Carol arrive with Abraham.  They want to know where he got the gun.  Carol says it was stupid and wants to know why he did it.  Glenn says that Deanna is having a meeting about his fate.  Carol tells Rick to tell them a story about taking the gun to make sure Jesse was ok.  Carol says they’re children and they like stories.  Rick has a plan to take out the group if things go south at the meeting.  Glenn wants to know if Rick wanted to be there, and he confesses that he didn’t.  He tells them to leave so he can sleep.

Maggie goes to meet with Deanna to find out what is going on at the meeting.  She says that Rick was invited in with everyone else.  Deanna says that Rick had a gun and he pointed it at them, and even though Michonne stopped him, they don’t know what he would have done.  Deanna says that she will do what’s necessary.  Maggie leaves, and Reg goes after her and tells her that the cavemen were a tribe and they came together when they stopped casting people out.  He’s going to talk to Deanna and explain that to her.

Sasha patrols the wall and carries bodies away from the fence.  She has a huge grave for the bodies and she’s keeping house.  She stumbles into the grave and ends up lying down with the corpses, closing her eyes.

Daryl says that someone came through the path earlier.  Daryl wants to know about the people who had been sent away from Alexandria before.  Davidson was their leader, two men and a woman.  He brought them in and eventually had to cast them out with a day’s worth of food.  Aaron can’t make that mistake again.

Carol wakes Rick up and tells him that it’s good what happened.  She thinks that he did a good job of making a scene.  She hands him a gun and says that she didn’t tell Glenn and Michonne about the extra guns.  When Rick says he doesn’t want to lie anymore, and he doesn’t want to take the place, she shakes her head at him.  “Sunshine, you don’t get both.”

Carol has gotten really dark lately, hasn’t she?

Daryl and Aaron watch a man in a red coat as he walks through a field.

Rick goes outside and walks past three men who greet him.  He passes Deanna’s house and gives her a look.

Glenn is sitting on the porch when Maggie arrives.  Nicholas is watching them from around the corner.  She tells Glenn that she talked to Deanna and she’s going to talk to people to get them to see the truth.  Glenn tells her that he loves her, and she reassures him that they will work everything out.  Glenn looks up to see Nicholas scaling the wall.

Gabriel is off for a walk outside the walls.  He has God to protect him and he doesn’t need a gun.

Rick returns to his house and sees Carl.  Carl wants to know if this is home, and Rick says it is, but he doesn’t want Carl there because he might have to kill someone.  Carl says he has to make these people hear what Rick has to say.  He has to make them listen.

Aaron and Daryl scout the town and don’t find the man in red.  They find a group of Walkers in a fence.  Aaron says they’re fifty miles from home and there are bad people out.  Daryl says that’s all the more reason to find the good ones.  Aaron agrees but says they will need help and they’ll need food to feed the newcomers.  They kill the Walkers in the fenced-in area and approach the warehouse.  Aaron pries an Alaska license plate from a truck and says that the man in got away, but finding the cans was a good thing.  Suddenly the trucks open up and they’re full of Walkers with Ws carved into their foreheads.  Daryl and Aaron are quickly surrounded by Walkers, and they flee to a nearby car, where they are engulfed by Walkers.

Who put the Walkers in the truck!?

Daryl and Aaron are stuck in the car.  Aaron finds a note: “Trap.  Bad people are coming.  Stay away.”  Aw, crap.

There’s a knock at the door and Pete answers it.  It’s Carol.  She says that he needs to check on Tara, and he tells her to get out.  Carol pulls out a knife and says she could kill him and she could tell people he tried to hurt her.  Everyone would believe it.  “Come at me,” she taunts.  He holds his ground.  She says he has a chance.  He’s here, his wife is ok.  “You’re a small, weak nothing.”  She says that he might not have to die.  She hands him a dish of food and she tells him that she wants her dish back clean when he’s done.  She leaves, and he drops the dish and yells that it isn’t his house.

Glenn follows Nicholas into the woods.  As he’s looking around, he’s shot in the shoulder.  Nicholas runs out and looks around to see that no one followed him.

Rick goes to Jesse’s house.  He sees her black eye and she assures him that he didn’t do it.  Jesse says that people shouldn’t see them talking, but she does tell him that he was right.  Across the way, Pete watches furiously from his prison house.

The van is still surrounded and Daryl laughs to himself.  He says he came out because he felt closed up back in Alexandria and now he’s stuck in a car.  Aaron says he was trying to fit in.  Aaron had been watching Daryl and how he led the group to safety.   That’s how he knew that the group needed to come with him.  Daryl says he’s going to make a break for it and lead them away from the van.  He lights a cigarette.  Aaron says that they will fight together.  They have to.  They’re about to go when one of the Walkers is stabbed.  Aaron and Daryl jump out to find Morgan outside.  Once they’re safely on the other side of the gate, Aaron tells Morgan that they have a compound and he’d be welcome there.  They need to leave because that was a trap and the others will no doubt be on the way. Daryl asks why he saved them and Morgan says all life is precious.  Morgan says he’s on his way somewhere but he’s lost.  He hands Daryl a map—and it’s the one from the church.  Daryl sees Abraham’s message to Rick and stares at Morgan in awe.

Gabriel walks down the road, whistling.  He finds a Walker and says he’s ready….  Gabriel holds out his hands as the Walker approaches.  He decapitates the Walker with the noose around its neck and smashes its head.  He then kills the Walker on the ground nearby.  He breaks down into tears and cries on the ground.

Abraham arrives at the infirmary and Rosita says that Eugene is asleep at Tara’s bedside.  He creeps to the bed and she knocks over a pan to wake up Eugene, who looks at Abraham and says “good afternoon.”  Eugene looks at Tara and says that she saved his life.  She also got him thinking about how Eugene’s lie spurred Abraham into action and put his talent into motion.  That’s what saved them.  He thanks Abraham for saving them.  Abraham apologizes for almost killing him.  “Yes, there’s that.”

Spencer welcomes Gabriel back and asks him if he can talk to him later.  He needs to talk about Aidan’s death.  He needs to rush off to the meeting, and he asks Gabriel to close the gate.  Gabriel nods and shuts it carelessly, leaving it open.

In the woods, Nicholas kills a Walker and then Glenn jumps him.  They fight, and then two Walkers rush up and it looks like they are on top of Glenn.

Michonne asks Rick if he’s ready for the meeting.  He tells her that he, Carol and Daryl have guns from the armory.  They lied to her because they didn’t know how she’d take it.  Michonne says she hit him for his own good, not theirs.  She says they don’t need weapons there, and that they can find a way there, and if they don’t, she’s still with them.  She knows that something is about to happen, but Rick shouldn’t make something happen.  She leaves Rick and he grabs a knife and his gun and hears voices in his head about how nightmares end.  Rick looks out the window to see that the gate has been left open.  He hurries outside and sees that there is fresh blood on the gate, with a trail of blood leading inside.

Rick runs along the wall.

Gabriel walks into the church and finds Sasha inside.  She says she doesn’t know what to do.  She doesn’t know what’s in her head and she asks for his help.  “No,” he says.

The townspeople gather at the meeting.  Deanna wants to start even though Maggie points out that Rick and Glenn aren’t there.  Deanna wants to talk about how he has a gun he stole and pointed at people.  Carol says she’s sure they can work this all out.

Nicholas is wandering in the woods.

Rick is out running between the houses.

Sasha says that she wants to die.  Gabriel says she doesn’t deserve to live after what she did.  He says that Bob was mutilated because of her sins.  Tyreese died because of his sins.  She screams and lunges at him.

Rick finds Walkers in the streets.

Michonne tells the group that they will learn to be like Rick if they’re lucky.

Sasha and Gabriel fight.  The gun goes off.

Glenn tackles Nicholas and knocks him out.

Carol says that people like her are alive because of people like Rick and that although it was scary last night, they need him.

Rick kills the Walker with his bare hands.

Abraham gets up and says that Rick knows everything about the shit that’s out there, and then some.  Deanna’s people don’t know anything.

The men who attacked Morgan bring the man in the red coat to the gates of their trap.  They slit his throat and then watch as the Walkers line up at the fence.

Maggie tells the group about her father and how he respected Rick.  Rick knows what he has to do.  They’re all family now, and Rick was the one who started it.  She tells the group that they will want to be a part of it, too.  Deanna says that she would like to share something in the spirit of transparency.  She says that Gabriel told her that the new group was dangerous and a day later the shit hits the fan.  Jesse says that Gabriel isn’t there, and she asks if Deanna taped it.  She says that Rick isn’t there either.

The two men use music to lure the Walkers back into the van.

Rick drops a Walker at Deanna’s feet.  The group stares at him.

Glenn decides not to kill Nicholas.

Maggie finds Sasha with a gun pointed at Gabriel.  He says his people died because of him.

Rick says that there were no guards at the gate.  Spencer says he asked Gabriel to close it.  Deanna sends him off to watch it.  He tells everyone that the Dead and the Living will always try to get in because they’re inside.  Rick says he isn’t going to kill anyone to save their lives.  The people inside the walls need to change.  They aren’t ready, and they have to be. Luck will run out.  Pete runs in and screams that he isn’t one of them.  He has a knife, and he slices Reg’s throat open.  Abraham tackles him.  Reg dies in Deanna’s arms.  She looks at Rick and says “do it.”  Rick shoots Pete without hesitation.

Of course, Rick looks up to see Morgan standing there with Daryl and Aaron.  Morgan stares at Rick as Rick stares at Morgan in shock.

Michonne sheaths her sword.

The man in the red coat is now a Walker, and he’s wandering inside the trap.  On the van is a message: “Wolves no fear.”

And that’s it, ladies and gentlemen.  Tune in this summer for full Walking Dead coverage from San Diego Comic Con!  See you in October!

The Walking Dead Recap S5E15: Try

The Walking Dead S5E15: Try

Original Airdate: March 21, 2015

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

We’re down to the last two episodes of Season 5.  Can you believe that?  It’s almost like we’re back at Season 1, what with Rick’s freshly-shorn baby face….

A Walker comes through the woods and steps on a photo.  In a dark room, Deanna, Reg and Spencer play Aidan’s “run mix.”  They’re in shock.  The music is hard, pounding.  Perfect for running.  Or frustrated people.

Carol is busy cooking.  Her kitchen is immaculate.  Judith can be seen napping on the baby monitor.  Carol writes out a note, but then Sam taps on the window.

Sasha is out hunting Walkers.

Reg sobs, Deanna hugs a pillow, and Spencer turns off the music.  There’s a knock at the door.  Deanna sees the casserole dish that Carol left with a note: “We’re truly sorry for your loss.”  She leaves the dish outside and takes the note.  She burns it and drops it onto a plate.  This, of course, doesn’t bode well for Rick’s group.

A Walker approached the fence.  Sasha takes it out.

In a field, Daryl takes out another Walker.  Aaron says that more walkers are around than before.  Daryl points at a light in the distance.  Someone is out there in a cabin in the woods.  Aaron and Daryl stare at it.  (Is it Morgan?!)

Deana rewinds the tape where Nicolas tells the story of Aidan’s death.  He says that Aidan was trying to save the group but Glenn distracted him.  Deanna asks about Tara, and Nicolas was going to save her but the group was going to leave her behind.

Glenn tells the real story to Rick.  “I watched him die,” Glenn says.

Deanna asks Nicolas why they came back together.  Spencer interrupts them and she says that they shouldn’t do this right now, but Deanna says that she has to do it.  Nicolas doesn’t think Deanna understands what he’s saying; he thinks that Rick’s group is evil and needs to leave.  Deanna watches the recording on her laptop.  She says she sees more than people realize.

Glenn tells Rick that he was trying to save Noah but he couldn’t.  These people don’t know how to survive.  Rick tells Glenn that they don’t have to live by their rules, but Glenn says that they are all one and the same now.  Noah believed in that place.  They have to make it work.

Carol watches Sam from a distance.  Carol tells Rick that she sent Deanna a casserole.  She tells Rick that Sam told her that Jesse put a bolt on the inside of his closet and she sends him inside when things go bad.  Last month Sam found his mother unconscious while Pete sat on the porch.  Rick asks why Carol cares, and she gives him a look.

Rick sees a boat in the pond with a balloon tied to it.  (Where did they find helium?)  He’s about to shoot it when Pete comes up.  He’s drunk and stumbling.  “Keep walking,” Rick growls.  Pete is confused at first, but he complies.  Rick is intimidating!

Michonne wakes up.  She’s in a bed, but she’s fully dressed in case she needs to make a quick move.  She contemplates her sheriff’s uniform when Rosita knocks on her door. Tara is stable, but Sasha spent the night in the tower. The women go out into the woods to find her.  (Michonne isn’t in her uniform)  It’s their first time outside since their arrival and Michonne feels the difference already.  She points out that Noah is dead and she feels like she was asleep inside the walls.  Rosita points out that she didn’t bring her sword.

Deanna stares at the graves.  Rick walks up and apologizes for what happened.  She’s not holding up well.  Rick says they have a problem with Pete.  Deanna says that she’d hoped it would get better.  She knew about the abuse, but he’s a talented surgeon.  Rick says they can separate them, and if he refuses they will kill him.  Rick says that exiling him won’t work, because he’ll come back.  She says that this language is not to be tolerated inside.  She says if it came down to it, she’d send him away, too.

Michonne and Rosita find Walkers with wounds in the back of their heads.  “She’s hunting them,” Michonne observes.

Enid calls out when she hears Carl approach.  She wants him to leave, but he says that two people just died and they shouldn’t be out on their own.  He asks what she does out there, and she runs off.  He chases her, smiling for the first time in a long time.  Eventually they come across Walkers in the woods.  Enid starts a kitchen timer and throws it.  When it goes off, the Walker is distracted.  They run off.

Glenn finds Nicolas cleaning the van.  He tells him that the four people’s deaths are on him, as is Noah’s death.  He says he was lucky to find this place when the walls went up, but he’s not fit for going outside.  In fact, it won’t happen anymore.  Nicolas thinks it’s a threat, but Glenn says he’s saving him.

Enid says they’re supposed to be outside, that they shouldn’t forget what it’s like.  Carl admits that he dreams about it.  Carl asks if Ron knows that she comes out there, but she says he wouldn’t understand.  Carl wants to know why he scares her.  He just does.  He compliments her knife, which belonged to her mom.  He wants to know what happened to her, but before she can answer, they hear Walkers so they climb into a hollowed out tree.  “It’s their worlds.  We’re just living in it,” she breathes.  He moves to touch her hand, and she notes that he’s afraid of her, too.  One of the Walkers bears a W on his forehead.

Nicolas goes out to the woods and finds the gun that Rick had hidden before they arrived in Alexandria.  So.  He’s the one who took it.

Sasha takes out several Walkers.  Michonne and Rosita find her and she says she’s sick of playing offense.  She starts shooting as a huge herd approaches, and while she shoots them, Michonne has a flashback to the woman she was.  We see her in her hood with her pets and her sword.  Rosita goes into action with her knife, and then Sasha’s gun jams.  She falls to the ground and drops her knife, but Michonne shoots the Walker.  Sasha says she had it under control.  She doesn’t need their help.  Sasha wants them to leave.  Michonne can’t help her.  Sasha breaks down and says that she told Noah he wouldn’t make it.  She walks off and Rosita follows, but Michonne looks at the gun in her hand.

Daryl and Aaron wait til the next day to explore the field and the house.  They find more Walkers who have been chopped into pieces.  They’re fresh, too.  Aaron follows behind Daryl, gun drawn, as they search.  They come upon a woman who has been tied to a tree and flayed alive by Walkers.  There’s a W on her forehead as well.  She’s newly dead, too, because she is in the process of turning.  Daryl puts her out of her misery.

Rick finds Jesse smoking in her garage.  Rick gets to the point and says that he knows Pete is hitting her and that it has to stop.  She says it will and blames things in the past.  It was going on before and he stopped.  He’ll do it again.  She doesn’t think Rick can help, because throwing him in jail will make things worse.  Jesse wants to know why Rick cares.  He has everything he needs now, why is he bothering.  She says she’s married and she can take care of it.  They all have to take care of themselves.

Rick leaves and watches the town with a new focus.  He sees the elderly couple on their porch, and a woman reading, and a boy with a balloon.  He turns and goes back to Jesse’s house and tells her that Sam asked for a gun to protect her.  Rick says that it’s the same out there as it is in there: if you don’t fight, you die, and he doesn’t want that to happen.  He can keep her and her boys safe.  All she has to do is say yes.  Jesse asks him if he’d do this for anyone else, and he says no.  “Leave us,” she says.  Pete walks in and asks what Rick is doing there.  He tells Rick to leave and Jesse intervenes.  “Excuse me?” he slurs.  “You need to leave,” she tells him.  He can’t believe this.  He rushes Rick and the men fight.  Jesse screams.

Sasha watches as people inside the walls start running.  Inside, Rick and Pete have taken the fight to the street and everyone in town is watching.  Someone calls for Deanna.  Pete is on top of Rick and Jesse tries to pry him off, but he punches her.  Sam runs to Carol.  Rick gets on top and Carl tries to grab his dad, but that only distracts Rick long enough for Pete to land another punch.    Deanna arrives and tells them to stop.  Rick gets up and points a gun at them all.  Sasha is in her tower shooting the Walkers at the wall.  Rick tells them all that their way of doing things is wrong.  Deanna says that is very clear to her.  Rick says that he isn’t going to stand by and let it happen.

Michonne steps up and knocks him out.

Well, that was intense.  What can possibly happen next?

The Walking Dead Recap S5E14: Spend

The Walking Dead S5E14: Spend

Original Airdate: March 15, 2015

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

Tonight’s episode starts out with Gabriel and a Bible.  He’s in his priest’s uniform again, but he’s agitated.  Gabriel walks into the church while the town is quiet.  He goes to the makeshift pulpit and sees that someone brought him a bowl of strawberries.  His Bible is ripped so he prepares to fix it, and then he stops.  He tears a page from the Bible, and then he tears another and another until he finally rips a whole section out, then he slams the book closed and fights his tears.

Daryl is back on a motorcycle, and he rides out the gate, followed by a car.

Reggie apologizes to Noah for being late to their early morning meeting.  The power is out.  Noah wants to start meeting in the mornings so that Reggie can teach him.  He doesn’t want to just be an architect; he wants to make sure the walls stay up.  He’s afraid that they’ll fall in someday.  Noah wants to learn how to keep houses functioning, and how to build buildings.  Reggie pulls out a notebook that he uses to document things that are noteworthy.  He pulls out a few pages, and then he hands it to Noah and says he should start doing the same, because there will be a new start and it should be recorded.  That, and he needs to write down all that Reggie will teach him.

Abraham looks at his reflection in the mirror.  He’s pensive this morning.

Noah hands Eugene a gun, but Eugene doesn’t want to take it.  He tells him that the items he needs are the same everywhere, and he’ll install them and get the power grid operational again.  Noah makes him take the gun.  Evidently he’s not exempt from this little trip.  Aidan says goodbye to his parents, who clearly love him despite his cockiness.  Maggie gives Glenn a goodbye kiss.  Deanna thanks Glenn for everything he’s doing to keep her son in line.   Tara wants to know the story with the girl that Noah was talking to.  Just then, Aidan starts the van and a techno beat fills the cab.  Even Glenn has to laugh.

Rick finds Jesse cleaning up her sculpture in the garage.  Evidently someone destroyed her owl.  Rick promises to keep an eye out for her.  He tells her about the “broken window theory” that keeps society in check.

The team arrives at the warehouse.  Glenn proposes that they scout the perimeter just in case.  A Walker approaches and Noah efficiently shoots it.  Nicholas scoffs, but Aidan agrees with Glenn.  Eugene and Tara walk around the building and Eugene says that he got them to Alexandria, that without him and “his vision” they never would have gone there.  Tara calls him a coward, which he agrees with.

Glenn praises Noah’s aim.  They come across a huge herd of Walkers in the front of the building, so the front exit is not an option.

The group reconvenes and enters the warehouse.  Glenn and Aidan lead the way.  They can hear Walkers in the distance, and Glenn surmises that they’re being blocked by something.  They find the Walkers behind a chain-link fence.  Other than that, the warehouse is full of supplies.  Eugene and Tara find what they’re looking for.  Aidan is off on his own when an armor-wearing Walker approaches.  Aidan shoots at him until he falls down, but he fails to notice the grenades on its suit.  Glenn shouts out a warning but it too late.  The place blows up.

Glenn gets to his feet.  He finds Aidan impaled on the shelf.  Noah finds Glenn, and Eugene cries out for them.  He’s with Tara, but she’s horribly wounded.  A Walker approaches Eugene but he’s too afraid to shoot it.  He gets an assist from Noah and Glenn, and then they rush off to help Tara before the escaping Walkers can get to them.

Carol finds Sam rifling through the pantry looking for cookies.  His power is out and someone destroyed his owl statue, so he came to Carol’s.  He’s proud that he hasn’t told anyone about the guns.  Carol shakes him and says that none of these are actual problems.  She doesn’t want to make cookies for him, so he asks if she’ll teach him how to do it himself.    This catches her off guard, so she tells him to steal the chocolate from Olivia as a start.  What is her game?

Eugene says that Tara is losing a lot of blood.  They need to get her back to Alexandria.  That’s when they hear the cries, and it turns out that Aidan is alive.  He’s impaled, but he’s alive.  Eugene tells the three men to go save him, because that’s what Tara would do.  They leave, and Eugene stays to protect her.

Abraham and some townsfolk go out to get supplies to make the walls stronger.  There is a whole construction site for their use.  Abraham is struggling with his demons and he takes a moment to collect himself before helping out.  One of the townsfolk runs back, trailed by dozens of Walkers.  In the melee, Francine, who had been up in a forklift as a lookout, falls from her perch when someone lets go of the lever.  She falls into the herd, and everyone is about to abandon her when Abraham rushes in to save her.  They’re surrounded, so he puts her in the cab of one of the big machines and then faces the Walkers.  “Mother dick,” he says.

Abraham leads the Walkers under the tractor and shoots them, then he grabs a hammer and starts swinging.  Francine helps shoot Walkers as well.  The townsfolk are amazed that Abraham is still alive, and one of them hurries to help even though his other neighbors don’t.

Rick gets a visit from the good doctor, who brings beer as a thank you for helping Jesse earlier.  Pete’s already drunk and teases Rick for always being on duty, though he saw Rick drinking at the party.  Pete’s not upset about the owl, and he transitions from the owl to Rick losing his wife.  Pete says that they have lost things as well, even if Rick’s group doesn’t see that.  Then he tells Rick to bring the kids in for a check-up.  And then he wants to be friends with Rick.  And then…Pete has left the building.  Rick watches him leave.  He’s suspicious.

Eugene tells the unconscious Tara that he told them what he was, but no one listened.  The lights go out, so Eugene picks her up and runs.

Glenn and company reach Aidan and try to pry him from the bars.  He screams.  He’s impaled in two spots and it’s impossible to free him.  Nicholas says something in Aidan’s ear before running off, then Aidan grabs Glenn and tells him that there were people there before, but then they did it.  It was a very important message, but it was jumbled given Aidan’s blood loss.  He tells Glenn to go, and then Aidan is eaten by Walkers.  It’s an incredibly prolonged death scene, where we see Aidan’s agony as his innards are liberated from his stomach cavity.

Abraham has beef with the guy who was going to leave them behind.  He punches him, as does Francine.  Abraham takes over the job site, and the people jump to attention.

Nicholas runs for the front door, but we already know that the front door isn’t an option.  Glenn and Noah are close behind but Glenn is out of ammo, so they barricade themselves in the revolving door.  Walkers surround them on both sides.

Deanna and Reggie listen to the defunct job site leader who says that Abraham’s actions saved Francine, and that he’s a better leader than he is.  Maggie looks on with a hint of pride in her eyes.  Deanna listens and decides that she’ll approach Abraham about being in charge.  The man knows she won’t regret it.  Deanna reflects that she has put another one of Rick’s group in a position of power, and Maggie says that’s why she brought them there.

Sam returns with the two chocolate bars.  She says that she won’t do this for him again.  He wants to know if she was always a good cook, but she says they aren’t talking.  He says they don’t have to be friends, but it doesn’t have to be quiet.  Carol reveals that cooking helped her forget bad things.  Sam says that he breaks things when he’s sad.  Carol asks if he broke his owl, and he did.  He asks why she stole the guns, and she says it was to protect herself.  Sam wants a gun, which makes Carol stop when she sees the haunted look on his face.  She wants to know who the gun is for, but he runs off before he tells her.

Glenn and company are stuck.  Miraculously, Eugene pulls up and distracts them with the music from the van.  Glenn tells Nicholas that he’s going to break the glass.  Nicholas has his own plans and runs from the revolving door, allowing Noah to be grabbed by the Walkers on the other side.  “Don’t let go!” Noah screams, but Glenn can’t hold on.  Noah is thrust against the door and he stares at Glenn as he’s eaten alive.

Eugene stops when Nicholas runs up to the van.  He says they’re leaving, but Eugene refuses to get out.  Nicholas pulls him out and tries to start the van, and Glenn arrives and pulls him out and punches him several times.  Eugene asks about Noah, but Glenn shakes his head and says that they need to get Nicholas in the van.

Carol knocks on Pete and Jesse’s door.  Pete answers and is acting very suspiciously.  Jesse is in the background, telling him “don’t.”  Carol knows what’s happening.

Glenn drives the van while Eugene rides shotgun and keeps his attention on the back of the van, on injured Tara and unconscious Nicholas.  He has his gun drawn.

Deanna answers her door.  It’s Gabriel.  He comes inside and tells Deanna that Satan disguises himself as angels of light.  He tells Deanna that Rick’s group is evil, and that they’ve done bad things to get where they are.  Deanna says that they’re survivors, and that they had to do things to survive.  Gabriel doesn’t relent, and though she tries to get him out, he keeps talking about Satan.  Maggie has come upstairs and hears the whole conversation.  Deanna closes the door, looking lost in thought.

Carol goes to Rick’s house and tells him that Pete is hitting Jesse.  Rick wants to know how she knows, but Sam didn’t have to tell her.  She can see it.  She says that there’s only one way this can go down—Rick has to kill him.  Okay…

Clearly, Gabriel is losing his mind.  If only Deanna knew what Gabriel did to his parishioners.

Well, we have two weeks left, which is plenty of time for things to go south in Alexandria….

 

The Walking Dead Recap S5E13: Forget

The Walking Dead S5E13: Forget

Original Airdate: March 8, 2015

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

Sasha lies awake staring at pictures on the walls.  She’ sleeping on the floor, but she can’t sleep.  The next morning she goes into town and Olivia allows her to take a gun to go outside of the fence.  Olivia has a request: a boar’s leg, for prosciutto.  She loves curing meats.  Sasha looks stunned at her request.  As it turns out, Sasha’s intention is to do some target practice.  She uses the aforementioned pictures as targets, but she keeps hearing noises all around her.  She continues to shoot, but the noises get louder.  Her aim is impeccable, but she was only imagining the noises.  Clearly she’s staying sharp in case things go south.  “Come and get me,” she says to the empty forest.

Two Walkers are dead on the ground.  Rick, Carol and Daryl are scouting the house outside of Alexandria, planning to stash some guns at the house in case things go awry.  Carol can leave the window open so they can grab some.  Rick says that the town is lucky that they came along to protect them.  Right now things are good because the town doesn’t suspect them of doing any planning, but they are.  So they have to be careful about their secret meetings.  A Walker approaches and Carol, dressed in a pretty flower sweater, shoots it.  Daryl notices a W carved into the dead Walker’s forehead.  He isn’t amused.

Michonne tries on her new police jacket.  She has made some alterations, including a lace-up back.  She still has her sword, though. Rick walks in and says that he doesn’t know why they are so quick to give authority to strangers.  Michonne believes that Deanna is smart and has a plan, for the future and for now.

Daryl is still out in the woods when he comes across Aaron in the woods.  He claims to be hunting rabbits, and he’s surprised that Daryl knows the difference between humans and Walkers.

Deanna explains that Rick and Michonne need to play the role and keep the peace.  Her people will believe in it.  She says that one day there will be a government in Alexandria some day, with industry and commerce.  They need a police force, and she wants Maggie to help with planning.  Rick pulls Deanna outside and says that they need to patrol the walls to make sure people stay out.  Sasha walks up and volunteers to be a look-out.  Deanna admits that there aren’t any look-outs.  This is unacceptable.  Deanna says she’ll put Spencer up top first, then Sasha can take over.  She wants something in return, though.  She wants them to go to her party later that evening.

Carol is getting recipe tips from neighbors when Rick comes up and they agree that they will try to take some weapons that night.  They can’t use Daryl because he stands out like a sore thumb.  Carol smiles.  She’ll do it.  The best thing about Alexandria is the ability to stay invisible again.

Daryl and Aaron encounter a horse in a meadow.  Aaron has been trying to catch him for months.  His name is Buttons.  Daryl takes a rope and tells Aaron that his group has wrangled a horse before.  He approaches quietly but the horse has attracted Walkers.  Buttons takes off running while Aaron and Daryl take them out.

Carol and Olivia talk cookies.  Carol shares her special recipe while Olivia tells her that the storage room is hers.  Two men enter to do a project for Deanna.  One man, Tobin, asks Carol if she has ever used a gun before.  She plays coy with him as he offers to teach her a few things.  She manages to open the latch to the window without anyone noticing.

Aaron and Daryl have a heart to heart about being outsiders.  He and Eric have heard plenty of hateful things just because they’re gay.  He tells Daryl to let the people get to know him so that they’ll build trust.  Daryl doesn’t want to go to the party.  He’s not afraid of anything.

Deanna welcomes Rick, Carl and Judith.  Deanna envies Judith, who will grow up in their brave new world in Alexandria.  Abraham and Rosita look on at the party.  Abraham doesn’t like the scene, but Rosita points out that there is plenty of beer.  He’s in.  Deanna introduces Rick to her husband Reggie (the architect).  Reg has been watching the interviews and thinks Rick is remarkable.  Everyone in the group had so many nice things to say about him.  Rick is equally impressed with the wall Reg designed, but Reg plays it off.  It’s just a wall.  Rick has him beat.  Deanna diplomatically calls it a tie between them.  Reg tells Rick to get a drink, but Rick finds it hard to relax.  He eventually relents and grabs a drink.  Jesse arrives with her family.

Daryl and Aaron are still looking for Buttons when they are ambushed by Walkers.  Daryl pulls them away from Aaron while Aaron takes a shot at one (which, incidentally, leaves blood splattered all over the camera lens).  Meanwhile, Buttons lets out a cry.  The Walkers have got him.

Geez…first the dogs and now a horse!?  A horse named Buttons!?

Daryl and Aaron kill the Walkers that killed Buttons.  Buttons is still alive, so Aaron puts him out of his misery.  He’s stunned at killing the horse.  “He always ran,” he says.  Daryl says he didn’t run because this time we were trying to help him.

Glenn and Maggie find Noah at the party.  Noah doesn’t like scene and wants to bail, but Maggie says he’s there with family.

Aaron finds Daryl on the way to the party.  Aaron is ditching to care for Eric.  Daryl was going to try to go to the party (he even got dressed) but Aaron persuades him to come over for dinner.  He makes a mean spaghetti.

Jesse introduces Rick to her husband Pete.  Pete wants to thank Rick for taking over the constable position.  He offers to take a look at Rick next week, and then awkwardly explains that he’s a doctor.  Pete goes to refill their drinks while Jesse makes small talk with Rick.  She admires the view and comments that things are normal in their little world.  She says a lot of bull shit went away with their old lives.  Things are different now.  They all lost things and now they have something back, which is better than nothing.  Rick sees Carl interacting with Jesse’s boys and smiles.  Jesse’s youngest son complains that the cookies are gone, so Rick bends down and says that he knows the cookie maker, who can make more.  Sam puts a stamp on Rick’s hand—a big letter A—and declares him an official resident.

Sasha arrives and greets Spencer, Deanna’s son.  He tries to make her more comfortable by offering to stick with her through the party, but instead he makes things awkward.  Apparently Mrs. Niedemeyer wants a pasta maker in case Sasha ever sees one while she’s out on a run.  She leaves quickly as he watches with a strange expression on his face.

Aaron and Eric smile at each other while Daryl inhales (and slurps) his spaghetti.  They wipe their mouths with napkins while Daryl uses his sleeve.  Eric mentions the pasta maker for Mrs. Niedemeyer, which elicits a very strange look from Daryl as Eric continues that they have tons of dry pasta.  Eric gets a look from Aaron, who thought there was something already done.  Aaron shows Daryl the garage full of motorcycle parts and says he needs a bike.  He had asked Deanna not to give Daryl a job so that Daryl could be the other recruiter.  Aaron doesn’t want to risk Eric, and he admires that Daryl knows the difference between a good person and a bad person.  Daryl agrees.

Abraham pokes fun at Michonne, who is outside on the porch gazing at a plastic cocktail sword.  “You live by it, you die by it, you poke potato puffs by it,” he laughs.  He’s hoping they don’t have to use weapons any more, but he prays they don’t fall out of practice, either.  She asks him how much he’s had to drink.  He laughs and says he’s a big guy who had enough beer.  Things have worked out well for him.  Michonne says she put on the dress.  “Try again,” he says.

Carol goes into the storage locker and starts to load guns into a bag.  Little Sam followed her hoping that she was going to make cookies for him.  She offers to make him a batch of cookies if he doesn’t tell anyone.  He says he has to tell his mom because he tells his mom everything.  Carol backs him toward a wall and says that if he tells, he will wake up outside of the wall tied to a tree and the Walkers will eat him alive while he feels everything.  Or, he can not tell anyone and he’ll get cookies.  Holy crap.  Carol is scary.

Jesse is holding Judith.  It’s been a while since she held a baby.  Rick says that Judith and Carl are why he’s still going.  He says that Jesse is right, that “here isn’t that bad.”  Jesse hands the baby back to Rick and their close proximity give them both pause.

Deanna goes to Sasha and invites her to join in the conversation.  She looks around and listens to the residents talking about their trifling issues.  She flashes to images of Bob and Tyreese as they lie dead.  One of the residents offers to make Sasha her favorite food.  She’s doing it for all of the newcomers.  She is worried about being able to get the recipes just right.  “That’s what you’re worried about!?” Sasha shouts.

The next day Deanna meets Sasha at the gate.  Deanna has a gun.  She says she’s trying to figure out what it is, exactly.  Sasha says that none of this is real.  Deanna takes offense, saying that while she’s been through a lot, “that’s bull shit.”  She hands her a box of ammo and Sasha leaves.

Daryl, Carol and Rick are back at the house.  Daryl questions whether or not they need the extra guns.  He points out that Rick wanted him to try, and so he’s going to try.

Michonne puts some nails in the wall above the mantle.  She hangs up her sword and then stares at it in reflection.

Rick, Carol and Daryl return to the town and go off in separate directions.  Jesse and Pete greet Rick as they pass, but Rick notices the way Pete scoots her along.  He puts his hand on his gun.  Once they’re one, Rick goes to the wall and hears the Walker on the other side.  He puts his hand on the wall and sees the red A on his hand.  He stands there and reflects.

With three episodes to go, what will happen now that the group seems to be “nesting” in the strange town of Alexandria?