‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Stalker’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

When one thinks of war, some quick and unpleasant images come to mind. Because that word immediately makes people think of an ugly fight, one where buildings burn, and people suffer and those are accurate images for certain. But while those images are important in the respect that they help to remind that us war is hell and should be avoided at all costs; sometimes conflict is inevitable. And oddly enough, The Walking Dead has offered up the perfect environment to examine war and what brings it to fruition. Take for example, seasons 6-8, where the show gave new life to the comic book storylines; ‘Something to Fear’ and ‘All Out War’ by diving into the causes of revolutionary war.
 
For the good people of the Alexandria Alliance were done with constantly living in fear and being intimidated by the Saviors, and that prompted everyone to finally rise up and fight back in costly fashion. Which should have motivated everyone in the Alliance to avoid future conflicts, and while there were inklings of that, the whole story arc with the Whisperers has brought these proud communities close to war once again, allowing for the series to explore exactly what brings two strong forces to combat. And as it turns out, one key element that allows for all-out combat to be unleashed is escalation, the kind that leaves both sides with no other choice but to fight for their very survival, and it just so happens that escalation served as the focal point for last night’s episode of the series.
 
Because both sides made some bold moves for certain in ‘Stalker’, the kind that will bring Alexandria and Hilltop and the Whisperers to bloody war and well, where does one begin in an episode as intense as this one? With the actions of our resident badass of course, a Mister Daryl Dixon. Because in the midst of his search to find another way into the cave to rescue Magna and Connie, he stumbled upon a grand opportunity to end this whole mess right now. For Alpha was beginning to move the herd, and was overseeing the transfer of corpses personally, and that allowed for Daryl to do the seemingly impossible and strike at Alpha when the time was right. A fight that ended in sloppy fashion unfortunately, since the dead made the whole battle dangerous to continue, but not before Alpha and Daryl inflicted some ugly and impactful wounds upon one another.
 
But Alpha wasn’t done with Daryl just yet, she wanted his life for wounding her and that led to a tense showdown in a rotting service station, one where this angry duo were forced to fight through their injuries to survive an onslaught of the living dead. But what was truly fascinating about this tense segment, is that it revealed a key weakness for Alpha; her daughter. Because not only did Lydia swing by to save Daryl from his wounds, she rejected her mother’s desire to see her lead the pack and Daryl pointed out before said arrival that Alpha is a mother who never once showed her daughter love, and both of these acts wounded Alpha far worse than Daryl’s blade, and the retribution that will come from this attack and more so her daughter’s betrayal, will undoubtedly be swift and vicious.

---

​However, Alpha shouldn’t be so certain that her next move will fill the Alexandrians with fear. Because an escalation on Beta’s part may have galvanized them and how he pulled that off was terrifying to say the least. For it turns out that the Whisperers used intel from Dante to build a vast network of tunnels, ones that ended beneath what used to be Dante’s grave. And Beta used these tunnels to sneak into the town in the hopes of using stealth and distraction to capture Gamma and bring her back to the tribe, and he definitely did some serious damage on his way to snag her. For a great many innocents perished in the distraction portion of this plan, and their resurrected corpses kept everyone busy long enough to get him to the jail. Yet the carnage didn’t end there.
 
Because Laura lost her life rescuing Gamma and once Beta was done with her, he tore through the Grimes homestead to get his hands, on Gamma, and despite the bullets that slammed into his armor, and the cuts and bruises he sustained; he would not go down or acquiesce. At least, not until his prize offered up her life in exchange for others. But despite his violent and tireless efforts, Beta was unable to secure his prisoner, for honesty and heroism won the day and truly the aftermath of this ugly night is one that Alexandria will never forget. For now, they know to not let their guard down, and now they know to expect the unexpected and above all else, they’re likely hungry for a little payback when it comes to their fallen neighbors, and both of these escalation measures will do nothing more than bring these two communities within inches of war.
 
However, while this was an intense tale for certain, we would be remiss to not take a moment and discuss some of the fascinating psychological elements that were on display here as well, specifically how thorough Alpha is in brainwashing her flock. For Gamma, who returned to her given name of Mary in this chapter, revealed to Judith that much of her life outside of the basics is a blur to her, thanks to Alpha’s constant reinforcement that the old world must be left behind. And in reality, it was horrifying to know that good memories have been lost to Mary and so many of the Whisperers, and it almost seems impossible that someone would want to give that up. But Mary’s mention of how she was desperate for someone to lead her and guide her in the early days of the Apocalypse, reinforces the fact that Alpha preys upon the weak and keeps them isolated from the rest of humanity to keep that sense of community out of their minds.
 
Because being around people that are kind and gentle does wonders for our psyche and that’s why it was wonderful to hear Lydia tell her mother that her way isn’t the right one, and that other choices exist, especially ones involving a healthy community. Because it offers hope for her flock once the war comes to an end. But all of that aside, this really was one incredible episode when all is said and done. Because it didn’t waste a single moment of screen time, and it brought us nothing but intense, edge of your seat moments, the kind that may or may not have motivated this reviewer to shout at the screen. If anything, this is truly a return to form for the series and if this episode is any indicator of what the rest of season ten is going to look like, then are going to be in for some terrifying moments as this war gets underway. Until next time.

---