The Walking Dead 1012 – Walk With Us
The Hilltop is ablaze and Alpha’s forces march on in the opening scenes of Walk With Us. The worst case scenario that everyone dreaded before the Whisperer siege is now a reality. Defeated, the surviving members of Hilltop are scattered throughout the woods as Alpha and the Whisperers take stock of the battlefield.
In spite of the results, Alpha’s not satisfied with the outcome of the fiery assault on Hilltop. Lydia is still outside of her grasp and not even Negan’s attempts to put things in perspective have any effect on Alpha’s disposition. Beta eventually steps in and sends Negan on his way by giving him the task of herding walkers. Completely unimpressed, Negan does as he’s told and after a couple of comic attempts to corral a walker, he reverts to form. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of Lydia hobbling through the trees and gives chase.
Mary finally gets a chance to hold her nephew after pleading with Alden to let her soothe him as they walk away from Hilltop. Alden refuses but relents after some gentle nudging from Kelly. Mary and the baby connect but the serenity is soon shattered when a group of walkers stumble across them. To escape the walkers they seek refuge in an abandoned car but Mary decides to draw the walkers away before killing them. Her victory is cut short when Beta guts her but not before she partially rips off his mask. Another walker recognizes Beta but he cuts him down before he can reveal his identity.
Judith and the kids find some solace in an empty home and although they’ve been separated from Ezekiel, they are under the watchful eye of Earl Sutton. On the surface things look fine but Earl is in a bad way. Seems a walker was able to take a bite out of him and he’s quickly succumbing to the walker infection. Fully aware of his fate, Earl leaves the kids in another room and prepares to commit suicide before he turns. Judith comes into the room before Earl can complete the task and the young girl’s comforting words belie a wisdom that far exceeds her years.
The body count in Walk With Us is high with a few significant casualties among the numbers. Some expected while others come as a surprise and provide answers to some of the lingering questions from this season. The results of the Negan/Alpha showdown results in an ending that was telegraphed several episodes before this one. Although there is a twist to Alpha’s fate it’s not terribly satisfying and Carol’s line to end the episode was probably uttered by more than a few viewers as well.
