In The Walking Dead recap, Rick and the other survivors attempt to escape the attack on Alexandria and not everybody makes it out alive….
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
The writers behind The Walking Dead are really starting to turn things up a notch when it comes to the season debuts and mid-seasons premieres with the latest episode titled ‘No Way Out’, which kicks off the second half of the sixth installment of the show, ultimately paying off to be one of the most satisfying hours in series history.
When last we left Rick Grimes and the majority of the survivors still living in Alexandria, they were trying to walk through a sea of the dead after the walls were breached and the zombies came pouring through like a stampede. With numbers too great to resist, Rick decided the best course of action was covering themselves in zombie goo and trying to stumble through the crowd of the dead to stay alive.
Meanwhile, Glenn and Enid saw what was happening in Alexandria from the outside, a Wolf kidnapped Denise following a fight between Carol and Morgan plus Daryl, Sasha and Abraham encountered a new villainous force that we will soon know as The Saviors — and the way things played out definitely give a clue into the eventual arrival of their leader Negan, who is guaranteed to show up before the season comes to an end in seven weeks.
With that said, let’s recap the latest episode of The Walking Dead titled ‘No Way Out’….
The Big Bang
The episode this week picks up from the post credits scene in the mid-season finale as Daryl, Sasha and Abraham run into resistance on the road back to Alexandria.
Enter The Saviors — a group led by the ominous Negan, who declare that everything the trio owns now belongs to them and after they’re done robbing and looting them, everyone will follow in one big caravan back to Alexandria.
It looks like Daryl and the others are stuck in a rather perilous situation with guns drawn, clearly outnumbered and nowhere to go. When Abraham decides to question who is Negan, his unnamed henchman declares that this isn’t time for them to known anything and for actually opening his mouth, he’s going to get a bullet for his troubles. Sasha actually steps in to save Abraham — much to his surprise — but it looks like her bravery will be rewarded by a bullet as well.
But just when it looks like Daryl, Sasha and Abraham will become the first casualties in a war to come, a giant explosion wipes out Negan’s band of motorcycle riding gunmen. From behind the truck walks Daryl, who overpowered the guard who was ordered to make him give up everything they own, and he used the rocket launcher that Abraham found to blow them all to smithereens.
In the moment, Daryl can only surmise the situation by saying that those people were a bunch of assholes, but in saving themselves, the trio likely landed directly in the middle of a big target because Negan will eventually try to find out what happened to his men and that’s when things are going to get really, really interesting.
The Green Mile
Back in Alexandria, Rick and the others are walking through town with guts and gore covering them as they try to escape the horde of the undead, who have invaded the now crumbled walls. It seems like things are going well, but Rick realizes that just traipsing through all the way to the other side of town won’t be easy and it won’t get any better if Judith starts to make noise from underneath Carl’s cloak of muck.
Thankfully, Father Gabriel mans up and decides to offer to take Judith with him back to the church where they will stay until the zombies have been cleared. Rick decides to trust the wayward preacher, giving him Judith and sending them to the church where they will be safest.
But Judith ultimately wasn’t the problem child in the group because Sam is the one who finally snaps midway through the escape route as he hears Carol’s words echoing through his head that these monsters will eventually get to him and rip him limb from limb. Sam refuses to move and no matter how much begging and pleading from his mother Jessie gets him to walk again.
Finally, the zombies notice the lone person not moving in the horde and the descend upon him and do exactly what Carol warned — they rip Sam to pieces.
A moment later as Jessie shrieks in horror, the zombies turn on her as well and she’s pulled to the ground where she’s eaten alive. In the panic, Jessie was still holding onto Carl’s hand and he can’t get away from her as the dead begin to pull her apart. Rick is sitting in stunned silence, but the threat to his boy wakes him up again and he takes his axe to chop his son free from Jessie’s hand
As it turns out, Jessie’s death grip was the least of their worries because in the fray, a gun fell to the ground and Ron picks it up — and points it directly at Rick and Carl, who he holds responsible for the death of his father and the loss of his girlfriend.
Before he can take his aim, Michonne shoves her sword through Ron’s chest but the gun goes off as he falls to the ground and the undead take one more person to dinner. It looks like the day is saved, but Rick looks over and sees that the bullet didn’t go astray — it landed directly in Carl’s eye.
Puzzle Pieces Come Together
As Rick flees with Carl in his arms, the rest of the town starts to face the new reality of the zombies invading Alexandria.
Carol and Morgan both awaken to find out that the Wolf kidnapped Denise as a hostage and walked out of the house. Tara wants to go after them, but Rosita reminds her that going outside without any kind of strategy much less any real weapons is just like signing your own death sentence. The uneasy tension between Carol and Morgan is palpable but both are more concerned about what can be done next rather than what they hold against each other right now.
Outside, the Wolf is attempting to coax Denise to go with him as he promises to protect her on the escape out of town. She tries to reason with him but there’s no reasoning — he’s determined to climb the walls and escape out the other side.
The two of the flee but Denise gets caught up by a walker and rather than leave her behind, the Wolf turns and saves her, which ultimately gets him bit by another zombie that’s joining the horde coming towards them. Denise tells the Wolf to get them back to the infirmary and she will save his life. He agrees and the two of them begin the run back through town.
Did Morgan’s words finally sink into his head? Is the Wolf starting to become man again?
We’ll never know because just as the two of them are closing in on the infirmary, shots ring out and the Wolf falls dead. Above them, Denise sees Carol wielding a gun and telling her to run inside as quickly as she can. Carol could kill the Wolf before thanks to Morgan, but she always gets her man.
Denise makes it back to the infirmary, where she’s greeted by Aaron, Heath and the others who are hold up in there, trying to survive the onslaught of zombies pouring into town. A second later, Rick and Michonne arrive with Carl in tow — he’s been shot and he needs help immediately.
The Last Stand
Denise preps Carl for surgery while Rick just looks on in horror. He’s seen everybody he cares about killed already — his wife, his best friend and dozens of others and now he might be losing his son as well. Rick has finally had enough. No more running.
It’s time to fight back.
So Rick opens the front door and runs out into the street with his axe in hand and starts chopping away at zombie after zombie after zombie. One by one, he’s going to mow them all down until he wins or he’s dead.
Michonne helps Denise get sutures into Carl’s eye and then she runs out into the street to join Rick with the battle against the undead. Before long, Aaron, Heath and the others run out to help as they realize that it’s either fight today or die tomorrow.
Carol, Morgan and dozens of other Alexandrians run into the street, weapons drawn as they battle against the zombie horde. Even Father Gabriel, who has been too afraid to even fathom this kind of action, hands Judith over to one of his parishioners before declaring that God has saved Alexandria because he’s giving them the strength and the courage to fight back. Father Gabriel joins the others with a machete in his hand and the belief that they can win the day.
Meanwhile, outside of town Glenn has convinced Enid to help him and after finding a hidden gun in another church, they run back to town to save Maggie, who is still trapped on top of one of the watch towers as the zombies begin to merge on her location and make the ground shake.
Glenn distracts the zombies with gunfire, trying to pull them towards him and away from Maggie. Enid climbs the tower and gets to Maggie just as the zombies begin to overwhelm him. It looks like for the second time this season, Glenn may not make it out alive but just when it seems like the numbers are too great, rapid fire shots ring out and the zombies surrounding him explode like Peeps in a microwave.
In the distance, Glenn, Maggie and Enid spot Abraham and Sasha standing on top of the wall, firing out with machine guns to save their friends. The cavalry has officially arrived.
Lake of Fire
The final battle this week sees Rick and the other Alexandrians battle back on foot while Daryl concocts the battle plan to draw the zombies away from town. He pours the tanker full of gasoline that they took and then drove back to Alexandria into a nearby lake before firing off the second rocket launcher grenade into the water.
A huge explosion rings out into the night air and the zombies all turn from their human prey and instead begin converging on the loud noise and the bright lights. Of course they are ultimately walking into a fiery death but let’s not forget these are mindless, reanimated corpses and not thinking, reasoning humans.
The zombies all walk directly into the pit of fire and the day is saved.
Alexandria has been spared.
Back at the infirmary, Rick sits with Carl while Denise plays triage doctor to the people who survived and need medical care.
By his son’s bed side, Rick confesses that what he witnessed tonight proves that Deanna’s plans could work. When push came to shove and it was a matter of life or death, the people inside Alexandria fought for what was theirs and they banded together as a community to save each other and save their town. Maybe Alexandria is a viable option.
The walls can be rebuilt. Crops can be grown. People can be saved.
And the best news of all is when Rick feels Carl’s hand gripping his own — his son is alive and well. He may be less one good eye, but he’s alive and that’s all that matters to Rick right now.
Rick has lost so many and on this day, he wasn’t going to lose one more.
The Walking Dead returns next Sunday night at 9pm ET on AMC and you can take a look at a scene below.
