Gene Page/AMC
The Walking Dead has been no stranger to conflict this recent season during the All Out War storyline, but the back half of the season brings with it new alliances, new betrayals, and a lot fewer heap-sters. Tonight’s episode brought us to the battle of Hilltop, where the group finally reconnected after the loss of Carl Grimes to face off against the Saviors (with or without Negan) leading the fight.
The Walking Dead Episode 13 Viewing Details
Date: Sunday, March 25, 2018
Time: 9:00 P.M. EST
Episode Title: “Do Not Send Us Astray”
TV Channel: AMC
Hard Times At The Hilltop
Gene Page/AMC
Maggie’s morality is in for a test once a group of Saviors, with the exception of Negan whom we last saw captured at gunpoint by Jadis, the lone survivor of the heap-ster community after a Simon led massacre wiped out her entire group… which she then casually guided her recently undead friends into a compost grinder. Disgusting, but she gets props for creativity. With Negan separated from his group, the de facto “Negan-in-Charge” role falls to Simon, hell bent on eliminating the Hilltop community all together, now consisting of all remaining survivors from both Alexandria and the Kingdom, in an attempt to put this whole chapter behind them and find new communities for the Saviors to take over. Keep in mind, Maggie still has 38 Saviors being held hostage at the Hilltop… and she’s not afraid to use them to shift the odds in her favor.
As Daryl rides through the gates of Hilltop guns blazing, the Savior cars follow only to get slammed by a bus slowing their roll. This doesn’t stop the Saviors from unloading shot after shot, not to mention infected walker blood covered arrows into the community. Hoping to either kill or infect the people at Hilltop, even the captive Saviors want to fight their former comrades.
Return of The King
Gene Page/AMC
It’s been a while since we’ve checked in on our recovering King Ezekiel since he took a heavy loss as well as a bullet during his last encounter with the Saviors as well as escaping captivity. He’s also dealing with a personal battle, watching over the young boy Henry, recently turned killer, who’s way too eager to help join the fight. Remember, this is the kid who murdered the least threatening Savior leader Gavin with a stick through the neck in an attempt to avenge the death of his older brother, yet he brutally murdered the wrong man. Sorry kiddo! Can someone give this kid a hug instead of a weapon?
Oh wait, this isn’t that kind of show, silly me. No worries, Henry found an automatic rifle just sitting on the table that basically had his name written on it. After he strolls over to the Savior captive corral demanding to know who was responsible for killing his brother, the community gets woken up by a familiar sound. An infected Savior happens to stir just when Henry opens the gate ready to shoot them all. Naturally, the Kid Rock wannabe looking Jared who did in fact kill his brother, makes a bee line for the open gate with some of the other hostages.
Return of Rick Grimes
Gene Page/AMC
Enter Rick Grimes. The man with the hatchet storms Hilltop while the remaining saviors flee to their vans. Maggie is not thrilled O.G. Negan wasn’t on site, but after Rick told her he was a tad busy last episode in what can only be described as the equivalent of a post apocalyptic WWE Smackdown installment with Negan, she felt better knowing he was off licking his wounds. While the group works on refortifying the Hilltop and tending to the wounded, there’s a lot of tension in the air, per usual.
Dwight shot Tara with an arrow (he’s on our side, right?) and poor Tobin, everybody’s favorite Home Depot model/construction worker, was on the receiving end of a nasty stab in the stomach by a knife laced with walker guts. Hours into the night, we watch as Tobin not only turns into a walker, but bites the female doctor (a profession which basically guarantees your death on this show) in the trailer right about the same time another member of the Hilltop who took an arrow in the leg (yep, also dipped in undead ooze) turns right in the hallway of Barrington House, the main building inside Hilltop, right where everyone is clustered together soundly sleeping.
Flashbacks to the flu outbreak in the prison, anyone?
While Rick and company take out the dead now running rampant both inside and out of the community, Carol puts down Tobin while Rick deduces after seeing Negan’s bat covered in infected guts… this was definitely no accident. Tara definitely thinks she’s a goner after hearing this.
We Need To Talk About Morgan
Gene Page/AMC
Morgan Jones, the man who does not die, is back aboard the crazy train! Dude has been going strong since introduced in the very first episode of the series, having one of the most intense and propelling character arcs throughout the entirety of The Walking Dead. It certainly doesn’t hurt that actor Lennie James is a national treasure – so good in fact show runner Scott Gimple is bringing him over to the companion series Fear The Walking Dead. That begs the question how Morgan’s current mental state will propel him to abandon the people he cares about and fights beside in search of something so dire his only option will be to start over somewhere less reminiscent of so much loss and death.
Throughout the episode we saw Morgan hold his own on the battlefield, but his scenes in seclusion showed a far more violent battle raging in his mind. Confronted with the bloody hallucination of the Savior liaison to the Kingdom, Gavin, whom was recently murdered by the young boy Henry looking for revenge against the men responsible for killing his brother. The means used to kill Gavin, a stick being plunged through his throat, was a method of fighting Morgan had trained both Henry and his brother in. The “ghost of Gavin” kept telling Morgan that HE was the one who should have done it, not the boy. No doubt Morgan is filled with guilt not only for the wrong man being killed, but also for teaching Henry how to execute a kill the same method he uses. Also, not much stops Morgan from killing someone once he decides to CLEAR, so in his mind, Gavin should have died at his hands.
After taking a break from believing all life is precious… here’s a reminder from an original scene plus an extended cut of the same scene from Season 3 (and yes, the prediction of Carl dying is extremely eerie).
Original Scene:
Extended Scene:
In an episode packed with emotion, death, and loyalty, I have high hopes for the second half of the season. With so many people stepping up, undoubtedly mean many more will fall.
