‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Walk With Us’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Hope. That’s a word that is oddly synonymous with The Walking Dead. Because the good people of Alexandra have never backed down from a fight, regardless of the evil they face or the odds that are stacked against them. And they always meet their incredible challenges with their heads held high and they always find a way to exude the best parts of humanity as they endure incredible hardships, and all of those elements are what give the audience genuine hope. Because their actions remind us, that unity and genuine good can indeed overcome anything. But for the first time ever on the series, hope has been hard to come by, thanks to Alpha and her twisted Whisperers.
 
Because their underhanded actions and disregard for humanity have brought forth some serious heartache. And despite trying to hold tight to their ideals and their optimism, Alpha has found ways to break these fine people, to the point where they sink to her level. But last night’s episode of the series took the darkness hanging over this series to a whole new level. For ‘Walk With Us’ saw the Whisperers make an incredible push to end this war in swift and brutal fashion and well, for the most part, this is a tale that robbed the audience of any hope they had left, and the first major blow that stunned both the audience and our characters, came about in the opening moments of this tale.
 
For despite the best efforts of everyone at Hilltop, this once idyllic and proud community was brought to its knees and its end thanks to Alpha’s assault and this was, a devastating sequence of events to watch. Because the people of this this beautiful little oasis in a sea of the dead, have endured some incredibly tough times and found ways to press on regardless of the odds. But on this night, fire brought it to the ground and the dead handled the rest and it was simply heartbreaking to see the shattered faces of the people who worked to keep Hilltop going and called it home, as it burned all around them and really, this sequence set the tone for this tale and the hardships experienced here, were the bare beginnings of a tough story filled with loss and utterly bleak moments.
 
Much of those elements were explored by way of two key segments and the first one of note, involved Mary and a bold decision she made while she, Alden and Kelly and Adam were on the road. For the dead were following them every single step of the way, and rather than let her nephew come into harm’s way, she secured him and her other two road buddies within an abandoned minivan so she could handle the dead one on one. And while she was successful in her endeavor and saved the day, she ran into a bitter and angry Beta, and he took the time to end her life in slow and painful fashion. But not before she was able to damage his mask and reveal part of his face, to the point where he was recognized by another Whisperer. But what matters more here, is that Mary’s long and winding road to redemption was cut short by Beta’s fury and while it’s a shame that her end came about in such brutal fashion, at least she left this story as a true heroine since little Adam will live on.   

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​As for the rest of the bleakness, well that involved young Judith Grimes. Who was reeling from the fact that she had to kill her first human since she put down a Whisperer at the Battle of Hilltop and while she and the other children took a moment to rest at a safehouse with Earl, trouble was brewing in silence. For a walker had sunk its teeth into Earl during the escape from Hilltop and that meant he was forced to make a difficult and heartbreaking decision. Because Earl knew he couldn’t put the kids at risk, so he put Judith in charge of this tiny group before making an attempt to damage his brain, so he wouldn’t return from death. But alas, his aim was off and once again, Judith was forced to make a difficult kill, one that would hammer home just how difficult a world she is going to grow up in. 
 
Yet, while all of these losses and ugly moments made it seem as though the sky was falling and the show was about to go into supremely dark territory, that’s when the story outright surprised us. Because there was some hope to be found after all in this particular tale. For some quick thinking on Daryl and Jerry’s part, led to Judith and the other children being reunited with their families, and it was equally as poignant and powerful to see Daryl comfort his niece in exactly the manner she needed. Plus, Eugene is still making plans for a future since he’s heading off to meet his radio sweetheart and to top it all off, Magna returned to civilization and revealed that she and Connie escaped by walking with the dead, and while this wasn’t a perfectly happy moment, since Connie is likely still out there in the horde, it was nice to see people still fighting against the odds.
 
But truly the centerpiece of this particular tale, was its ending, since it offered up a stunning twist in the war effort and it just so happened to involve Negan. Because he saw an opportunity to solidify his standing as Alpha’s true confidant by bringing her Lydia. And despite an odd interaction with Aaron, where he claimed to be on Alexandria’s side, it truly seemed as though he had finally turned his back on that community and a normal life in general. But when presented with the opportunity to get Alpha away from her flock and in an isolated place, Negan finally redeemed himself for his many crimes as the leader of the Saviors, by stopping Alpha right in her tracks with a swift flick of his knife. And it also turns out that Negan escaping and infiltrating the Whisperers was part of a grand plan to bring us to this moment, one orchestrated by Carol and thanks to Negan’s dedication to deception, this bloody war may have ended before it spirals out of hand.
 
Because the Whisperers will be listless and without direction now that their fearless leader’s head is lying at Carol’s feet and this really was one hell of a twist. Because it really did seem as though the war was going to continue along in bloody and brutal fashion but now, there’s a chance for peace after all. For now, Negan or someone from Alexandria can offer an olive branch to the Whisperer remnant and show them a better way and the life that Mary was ready to embrace. But while this twist offers some relief from the heartbreak and an inkling of hope once again, a smooth end to the war does depends on one particular wild card; Beta. Because if he is unable to let go of what Alpha taught him, and accept a normal life once again, well he may cause trouble since he is just as unrestrained as his late master. But regardless of what the future holds, this was one incredible episode for certain. For it truly took our breath away with some incredible moments and it will be interesting to see where things go from here now that Alpha is dead. Until next time.

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