The Walking Dead has been surprisingly fresh this season, releasing high-quality and exciting episodes week after week, all culminating in a shocking mid-season finale.
In a slower start, Daryl (Norman Reedus), Jesus (Tom Payne) and Aaron (Ross Marquand) went looking for Eugene (Josh McDermitt). They noticed the walker herd around them was behaving strangely, but they didn’t think much more of it.
Back at The Hilltop, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) talked to Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), who was frustrated with Negan’s progress and concluded that he couldn’t be saved. In a moment of forgetfulness, Gabriel forgot to lock the cell door, unleashing Negan upon the community.
Michonne (Danai Gurira) arrived at Hilltop and had tense exchanges with Carol (Melissa McBride) and Tara (Alanna Masterson) but acknowledged they were all still a family. Carol even requested Michonne’s help, but Michonne denied it and said Alexandria needs her full attention. It’s unclear what happened to make the communities so bitter toward one another, but it likely will be revealed as season nine progresses.
Daryl, Jesus and Aaron eventually found Eugene, who was horrified. He said the walker herd had circled back to his hiding spot twice already and that they were whispering. The group seemed puzzled but quickly moved on to escape the oncoming horde. Eventually, they discovered a safe house, but the herd had caught up. Michonne and the new group arrived to help and they were able to effectively kill many of the walkers.
However, Jesus was about to deal a killing blow when the walker ducked and stabbed him in the back, killing him. Shocked, the rest of the group killed the walker and discovered that it had been a person wearing a zombie’s face like a mask. As they grappled with this new information, they realized they were surrounded by these new masked walkers, who whispered, “We have you surrounded.”
With Negan escaped and a new group of villains arriving, it’s safe to say the second half of season nine will be even better than the first half.
Here’s how fans reacted to the mid-season finale:
