The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 10 "The Next World"

The law of averages.

Music playing in the background Rick makes a new hole in his belt. We see a photograph of Carl (with his eye bandaged) holding Judith. A thumping sound can be heard. Michonne asks Rick for toothpaste. Carl was bouncing a tennis ball as part of his physical therapy. She tells Rick to be good out there and they slap hands. Then she asks him to get her toothpaste. Daryl asks Denise about the supplies list that she gave him. She tells him medical supplies is important and everything else is just a if you see it grab it. He asks her about a a soda (or pop as Denise calls it) and she says Tara was talking about it in her sleep and she wants to surprise her with it. Eugene opens the gate for Daryl and Rick. He hands Daryl a list of places that might have food. He tells them to look for sorghum which is a super grain that would really help their food situation. Daryl just kind of stares at him. Priceless. Rick tells Daryl today is the day they are going to find food and maybe some people. "The law of averages has gotta catch up." Daryl thinks it might be a good thing if they don't find anyone. He pleads for Rick to not put a CD in the car. Rick ignores him and blasts the music (supposedly to draw the zombies away from Alexandria but I'm sure it was mostly done to annoy Daryl).

Michonne stands guard on one of the towers. She sees someone walk into the woods carrying a shovel. Maggie finds Enid at the gazebo writing into a notebook. She asks where Enid has been. She hasn't seen her in weeks. Where does Enid go? Nowhere. She reminds her that she helped Glenn get home and Maggie get down from the tower. She tells Enid, "I'm around. Come talk to me." Rick and Daryl stop at a building that has the word sorghum painted on it.

Daryl tells Rick to cover him before he opens up a garage door (extra cautious after his adventure with Aaron and the wolf trap). Daryl opens up the back of a truck. They find a bunch of food. "The law of averages." They leave their car and drive the truck. They stop at a gas station. They try to move an overturned vending machine but it is too heavy. They tie it to the back of the truck and drive the truck forward. Rick wants to know why all the trouble for soda and candy. Daryl says it isn't any trouble. A man hits Rick from behind. He wears a bandanna over his face and says "Hi."

They point their guns at him. He says he was running from zombies. They are headed this way. The only have about 11 minutes. Rick thanks him for the information and puts his gun down. "there's more of them than us, right? We gotta stick together." replies the man. Daryl eventually puts his gun down. He asks if they have a camp. Daryl says no. Rick asks him the same question. He says no. He apologizes for running into them and says, "If this is the next world I hope it is good to you guys." Rick introduces them and asks his name. His name is Paul Rovia but his friends used to call him Jesus. Rick starts to ask him the questions but the guy runs away. Rick notices that the guy's beard was clean and trimmed. He wasn't carrying a gun. Something is up. Gun shots. Rick and Daryl run towards the sound. It is fire crackers in a a barrel. Daryl guesses that Jesus stole Rick's keys. Jesus says sorry as he drives off in their truck.

Spencer is in the forest telling a walker to come. Michonne comes up and kills the walker. He says, "You think I couldn't get it?" He asks what she is doing out here. She noticed him. He goes walking after his shift. She is the only one that notices. She asks him about the shovel and he says he is just going to keep walking. She tells him that Deanna told her she had to figure out what she wanted out of life. Right now she just wants to know why Spencer is walking around the woods with a shovel.

Carl and Enid walk in the woods. Enid find a piece of paper on the ground. She can't read the writing. She says that by leaving the note whoever wrote it left a message. "We are not alone." Carl responds that he knows they are not alone they saw it and people died (I'm assuming he is talking about the wolf attack on Alexandria). She asks why he is coming out here. "We're kids. It's what they do." "We're not kids."

Daryl and Rick run down the road. They find the vending machine. Daryl breaks into the vending machine and pulls out the food. He mentions that the soda was a special request from Denise. Rick mentions that Denise turned out to be good. There are good people out there and they should bring them in. Neither one of them wants to bring Jesus back to Alexandria. They keep running after Jesus.

Carl and Enid sit in the woods. They read and eat snacks. They hear a rustling sound. Enid says they should go. Carl holds his gun. It is Michonne and Spencer. Carl sits back down. Enid tells Carl she doesn't want to come out there anymore. He packs up his things and says okay. As they walk back they see a zombie. Carl pulls his gun. Enid complains but he says he won't leave it since Michonne is out there. Carl gets its attention. Carl tells Enid to go home. She says they should kill it. As they argue the zombie grabs Enid. Enid asks, "What's wrong with you?" after he stops her from killing the zombie.He tells her she wouldn't understand. He tells her to go home. The zombie appears to be Deanna.

Rick and Daryl follow tire tracks down the road. They find Jesus and the truck. They sneak into the woods and slowly make their way towards the truck. Rick grabs Jesus from behind, "Hold still and maybe we won't hurt you." Jesus uses some major moves and he pushes Rick away He attacks Daryl. They push him to the ground. They point their guns at him. A zombie starts to come out of the woods. He asks if they even have any bullets. They both point their guns at the zombie and kill it. They tie Jesus up and leave him a can of soda. Rick tells him he didn't tie him too tight so he will eventually be able to escape. They drive off and Daryl flips Jesus off and says, "So long, you prick!"

Rick says it all worked out. "Still worked out. Today is still the day." They eat the vending machine snacks. They here a pounding on the roof. They stop short and Jesus falls of the roof. Daryl gets out of the car and starts chasing him. Rick drives around trying to corral him. We see zombies tied to some cars. The zombies break their ties and Rick starts killing them. Jesus jumps in the truck and Daryl follows after him. They fight as a zombie comes up behind Daryl. Jesus points the gun at Daryl and tells him to duck. Daryl ducks and Jesus shoots the zombie. Daryl thanks him but then tells him it is his truck. They knock the car from park into gear and they jump out as it rolls away. The truck falls into the lake. "The law of averages. It's bullshit, man." Daryl wants to leave but Rick wants to help Jesus. Jesus helped Daryl and never pointed a weapon at him. Daryl agrees to put him in a tree.

Spencer asks Michonne why she is still with him. She ways she promised his mom to watch him. He says he has something to do before he can have a life in Alexandria. Michonne tells him to let her help him. They hear a zombie sound. Michonne calls out Carl? We see Carl leading a zombie Deanna through the woods. Spencer says, "I thought I saw her that night." Zombie Deanna comes towards them. Spencer takes his knife and walks towards her. Michonne holds her from behind. Spencer cries and takes his knife and pushes it into the back of her skull. "So that's why I was out here."

Spencer covers Deanna's grave. Michonne carves the letter D on a tree. Spencer tells her that Deanna left him a note that said he still knows his way. I says he never knew his way. Michonne asks, "You still love your family? Then you know you're way. It's home." He says his family is gone. Michonne tells him she has been chasing him all day through the woods. "You've still got family. You've still got a home." They walk back home together. Daryl sits in the back of the car with Jesus. Rick says Denise needs to look Jesus over. Rick says Daryl would not have left him. Daryl says he would have left him up the tree. Rick says he would have helped Jesus because Daryl and the others told him to believe in Alexandria.

Carl holds Judith in his arms and tells her about the stars. Michonne asks him if he had a good day. He says he guesses so. She saw what he did with Deanna. "You should have left her or killed her." Carl responds, "I wasn't going to leave her out there like that. . . I couldn't kill her because  . . . it should be someone who loved her, someone who's family. I'd do it for you. I would." They hug.




Rick and Daryl arrive back at Alexandria. There is a sign on the gate that reads: "Alexandria Safe Zone. Mercy for the lost. Vengeance for the plunderers." Jesus is till passed out in the back. Daryl reminds Rick that at the quarry he told Daryl they shouldn't be looking for people. Rick tells him he was wrong. They carry Jesus to the infirmary. Daryl tells him that thing didn't work out because of Jesus. They put Jesus in the cell with a glass of water and a note. Rick says it was stupid of them to go out there. Daryl responds, "We going out again tomorrow?" Rick, "Yup." Rick lies down on the couch. Michonne comes over and sits next to him on the couch. She shows Rick the baby monitor. Judith is crawling in her sleep. He tells her Daryl is watching over some guy. It was a crazy day. But he doesn't want to talk about it. She doesn't want to talk about her day either. He pulls something out of his pocket. It is a roll of mints. She asks if it instead of the toothpaste. He says he left it at the bottom of a lake. They hold hands and look at each other. They lean in and kiss. Yes! Finally! They need to officially be the family they have become. The kiss becomes more. They smile at each other. We see them lying in bed together naked. Someone tells Rick to wake up. He and Michonne pull out their weapons. It is Jesus. He says, "We should talk."

 

Final Thoughts
- I found this episode to be a nice respite from the intensity of the last few episodes. Season 6 has been really intense. I have loved this season. Each season gets better and better but after they left us hanging on Glenn's fate, the wolf attack, and the zombie horde it was nice to have a little break. I also feel that this episode is the next few episodes and possible season 7.
- This episode takes place a couple of months after the previous episode.
- I liked the road trip aspect of this episode. I love Rick and Daryl's relationship and it's been awhile since these two have spent some time together. It was nice to them together. They have one of those relationships where verbal communication isn't necessary. The moment they both shot the zombie to prove to Jesus that they had ammunition is proof. That was a great Rick and Daryl moment. It was funny and it showed that they are men you don't want to mess with The actors referred to this episode as their Butch and Sundance episode.
- Why doesn't Enid want to go outside of Alexandria anymore? Has she accepted Alexandria as her home and its residents her family? Did Glenn's words reach her?
- Sorghum!
- I love what Carl did for Spencer. He understood that Spencer needed to be the one to kill Deanna. He killed his own mother. Now he and Spencer have something in common. Hopefully we will see some Spencer and Carl scenes in the near future.
- Best line from this episode both come from Daryl. "What the hell is pop?"
- The new sign outside of Alexandria shows a new Alexandria. They are still open to new people but more cautious than ever. And they will hurt you if you even think about messing with them. It is a stronger more badass Alexandria.
- Who tied those zombies to thatt ruck in the field. Was is Jesus?

- Finally Michonne and Rick are a couple. They have basically been a family since the prison fell and they were alone with Carl. This relationship has been simmering for years and finally boiled over. And boy is it hot. Side note: I liked how they were both armed and ready when they sensed a threat even though they were naked. They are ready for a fight at any moment. That is how you survive the zombiepocalypse. 
- How did Jesus get a drop on Daryl? He was tied up and Daryl was armed.
- Who is Jesus? In the comics there is a character called Paul Monroe that goes by Jesus. Is this the TV version of this character?

Friend or Foe? Is he part of Negan's gang or another group out there?

The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 9 "No Way Out"

 We do it together.

 

Daryl drives down a road with Sasha and Abraham. A motorcycle gang blocks their path. The leader tells them to step out of the truck or they will kill them. The trio cautiously step out of the truck. The man orders them to hand over their weapons. Everything they own now belongs to Negan. He says, "And if you can get your hands on a tanker, you're people our person wants to know." He walks over to Daryl and Daryl hands him his gun. Then Sasha hands over her weapon, Abraham glares and then gives him his gun. The man tells Abraham, "If you have to eat shit, best not to nibble. Bite, chew, swallow, repeat." Sasha asks who they are. He won't say. He tells them they are going to follow them back to their home (Alexandria). But first he wants all of their stuff. Daryl says they gave him everything. He replies, "There's more. There's always more." He forces Daryl to show one of the men to the back of the truck. Abraham asks "Who's Negan?" The man points his gun at Abraham and tells him he will kill him for asking questions. He cocks his gun but Sasha tells him to wait. He pulls out a second gun and then puts them down. He says he won't kill them. Then he says he will. And all of the motorcycles explode. Daryl comes out from behind the truck carrying the grenade launcher. He calls the gang a bunch of assholes. Abraham tells the charred bodies to "nibble on that." Then the three get into the truck.

Back at Alexandria, Rick and his group make their way through the zombie hoard towards the armory. Rick announces a new plan. Flares from a few guns are not enough for the amount of walkers. They need to get their cars from the quarry so they can lead the zombies out. Gabriel offers to take Judith and keep her safe in the church until the others lead the walkers away. Gabriel says he can do this, he has to do this, he will do this. Carl hands Judith over to Gabriel. Jessie wants Sam to go with Gabriel but he says he can keep going.  Carl grabs Ron's hand and they continue on.

Tara and Rosita argue about going out to rescue Denise. Rosita wants to make sure Carol and Morgan are okay and then make a plan. Morgan lies on the floor. Carol wants Rosita's gun so she can make a sweep of the brownstone. Morgan asks where the wolf is. Carol says that the wolf took Tara.

Glenn and Enid make it into a church. They look for bullets and ammo. Enid looks at a scripture written above the doorway James 2:26 "Faith without works is dead." "When I wanted to run. You said that's how you lose people even after they're gone. What the hell does that mean?" Glenn, "People you love they made you who you are.  They're still part of you. If you stop being you, that last bit of them that's still around inside, who you are, is gone." Enid asks, "Who are those people to you?" Glen replies, "My parents, a man named Dale, Maggie's father Hershel. A woman named Andrea. A man named Tyreese." He asks her, "Who are they to you?" Enid replies, "My parents." Glenn, "Then they're still here, 'cause you're still here." Glenn wants Enid to stay back at the church but she protests. He tells her, "I didn't want you to give up on this place, on these people, to be afraid." She tells him he was right and she is here now to help. They need to get Maggie off the platform. Enid volunteers to climb up and help Maggie while Glenn creates a distraction to lure the walkers away.  "We do it together." Glenn agrees. Enid finds a gun hidden in a box.

The wolf tells Denise that they will make a run for it when there is an opening. He tells her he needs her. "I liked what you said before. That I wasn't born this way. You're right I changed. And now I want to help you change. You have a gift, Denise. You will see that some day. Or maybe you won't."

Nighttime in Alexandria. Rick is still leading his group towards the quarry. Sam stares at the zombies and remembers the threat that Carol made (the monsters will come and eat him alive). He sees a zombie child walk down the street. Sam just stands frozen. Everyone tries to egg him on. He says he wants to and then zombies start eating him. Jessie cries and still holds his hand. Jessie starts to scream, drawing attention to the group. Carl tells her they have to go. Zombies start to eat Jessie. Rick cries and we see flashbacks of Jessie. Carl calls to Rick. Jessie is still holding Carl's hand. Rick cuts off Jessie's hand. Carl falls back and drops his gun. Ron stands there pointing a gun at Rick. He says, "You" Michonne runs her katana through Ron. The gun goes off. Carl has been shot through the eye (thanks a lot Ron, I always knew that you being a douche would end up hurting somebody). Rick picks up Carl while Michonne slays zombies and they make their way through the crowd.

Eugene, "Sooner or later we're fighting our way out." Rosita says he won't be. The wolf tells Denise that the zombies are going towards the gunfire. Someone tried to put up a fight. She says that they did put up a fight. And that's why his friends are dead. He tells her when they find a gap they will climb up the guard tower and over the wall. "It is safer out there than in here." He pushes her towards the tower and goes back to kill a zombie that almost killed her. He gets bitten.  She tells him she will save his life if he takes her to the infirmary. Carol cautiously walks thought the brownstone. She looks out the window at the zombies covering the streets. She sits down with her head in her hand. She stands when she hears Morgan come up. He says, "You had a child right? A husband? I didn't want to hurt you. I just had to stop you." Carol, "You saved him for you, not us. If it was for us you would've . . . I should've killed you. I should've." Morgan,  "You can't." Denise and the wolf are in a house. She grabs his belt and ties a tourniquet on his arm. She says he came back for her because he changed. As they run towards the infirmary Carol shoots the wolf and tells Denise to go. Denise makes it into the infirmary where Spencer, Aaron, and Heath are hiding. They see Rick carrying Carl. She gives orders to the others for supplies. She opens the door and Carl, Rick and Michonne enter. Rick says, "Please save him. Please." Rick looks out the window at the zombies, grabs his hatchet and walks out the door.

Rick walks out to the crowd and starts killing zombies with his hatchet. Michonne wants to go out to help Rick but Denise needs her a minute longer while she sutures Carl's wound. Heath says they have to help him. Michonne kisses Carl on the forehead and then runs out the door. Heath, Spencer and Aaron join her. As the others join Rick he yells, "We can beat them." They naturally form into the circle formation. We see Olivia and Eric. They also walk out and start killing zombies. Gabriel looks out the window of his church. He hands Judith to a woman inside the church. He grabs his machete. Tobin asks what he is doing. Gabriel says, "We've been praying that God will save our town.  . . God will save Alexandria because God has given us the courage to save it ourselves." Carol tells the other that Rick is making a stand and it is time for them to join them. She tells them that Denise is safe. Eugene says he will go too. "No one gets to clock out today. And hell, this is a story people are gonna tell." They join the others in the fight. Morgan knocks over a zombie and it is the wolf. He says I am sorry and finally kills the wolf. Glenn and Enid make it to Maggie. He tells Enid to get Maggie then he starts distracting the zombies by shooting them. Maggie calls out to him. Enid makes it to Maggie. Glenn is surrounded by zombies. Maggie grabs her gun and starts shooting but she is out of bullets. It looks for a moment like Glenn is not long for this world and then bullets start flying. It is Abraham and Sasha. They made it back and are using their rifles to gun down zombies from one of the towers.

Abraham and Sasha help Maggie and Enid down from the tower. Glenn gets in the truck. Daryl asks what happened. Glenn doesn't know. Daryl says they will have to lead the zombies away. Daryl lets the fuel out of the truck as the others kill the zombies. The Alexandrians keep getting pushed back by the zombies. They are almost to the wall. Abraham drives the truck out of town and Daryl shoots a grenade to the fuel. The fire draws the zombies attention and they start to walk towards it.  Rick calls for everyone to move forward and attack. Alexandria is in flames. Daryl watches the zombies catch on fire. They all join in killing zombies. We see quick shots of everyone killing zombies. The next morning the streets are littered with dead zombies. Our group stands outside the infirmary. Inside the infirmary Denise patches of Daryl. Rick talks to Carl. "I was wrong. I thought after living behind these walls for so long that . .  maybe they couldn't learn. But today I saw what they could do. What we could do, if we work together. We'll rebuild the walls, Expand the walls. There will be more. There's gotta be more. Everything Deanna was talking about is possible. It's all possible. I see that now. When I was out there with them, when it was over, when I knew we had this place again, I had this feeling it took me a while to remember what it was. Because I haven't felt it since I woke up in that hospital. I want to show you the new world, Carl. I want to make it a reality for you. Please, Carl. Let me show you." Pan down to Carl's hand. He closes his fingers around Rick's hand. Rick looks over at Carl.

Final Thoughts
- The theme of this episode seemed to be we can do this together. We can take Alexandria back if we join as one. They all need each other and they are all responsible for keeping Alexandria safe and in existence. See Glenn's speech to Enid and Gabriel's speech to the Alexandrians in the church. Like Rick said, everything Deanna had planned for this community is possible.
- I did not expect for Daryl to blow up Negan's gang. Just when I thought he couldn't get more bad ass the writers throw in a gem like that. How will Negan retaliate? Whatever it is it will be bad for our gang.
- I wasn't surprised that Jessie and her sons died or that Carl got shot. That happens in the comic with just a small difference. Ron doesn't shoot Carl. In the comic Carl and the other boys are really young.
- The scripture that Enid looks at is James 2:26 "Faith without works is dead." That reinforces what Glenn has been telling her all along. That if you want to make this new world succeed you have to work at. It won't survive on its own. But it is worth the effort. For those you have in your life now and for those that were part of your life and made you the person you are today.
- Will Glenn and Maggie become Enid's adopted parents?
- It looks like the wolf did help Denise realize she has a gift. She didn't hesitate to bandage up the wolf's arm. She was in command the minute she stepped into the infirmary. First, by asking about her patients and then giving everyone orders when Rick brought Carl in. No doubt left about her abilities as a doctor. Thank you, wolf. Too bad you were cray cray.
- I was glad to see Father Gabriel finally man up and help protect Alexandria. He did well with keeping Judith safe and then he got Tobin and some others to fight for their home.
- I was glad to see that Glenn survived the night. But are all of his near misses foreshadowing his imminent death? Or are they a bait and switch by the producers to keep us worried about Glenn when in fact it will be Maggie that dies?  SPOILER ALERT: In the comics Glenn is killed by Negan. Negan won't appear until the finale of this season. Will Glenn die at the end of the season 6 or the beginning of season 7? Will Glenn die at all? They could decide to keep Glenn and kill off another character.