It feels as if we’re tearing through this second half of season nine at full momentum. “Chokepoint” puts wheels in motion for some of the impending drama that lies ahead for the communities. With Daryl, Connie, Dog, Henry, and Lydia are still on the run from the Whisperers, and the Kingdom preparing for the trade fair, things aren’t going to run smoothly for our survivors. Here are five thoughts on the episode. Warning: spoilers follow!
1. Escape and Ambush
We pick up right where “Guardians” left off. Daryl, Connie, Dog, Henry, and Lydia are fleeing from the Whisperer camp after the rescue. Getting Lydia out wasn’t part of the plan, and Daryl’s plenty aware it will provoke Alpha. Returning to the camps puts their communities in danger. So, where should they go? Connie has an idea and leads the way, despite Daryl’s protests. Even Dog chooses to follow her path, leaving a resigned Daryl no choice but to go with them. It’s another nice comedic touch that’s welcome amongst the dark undercurrents of this season.
Cutting to the Whisperer camp, all is quiet once more—eerily so. The sound design and music used whenever this new group of silent enemies is on screen is very effective, keeping viewers on edge. The gigantic Beta discovers one of their men is dying as a result of the attack. We get an interesting glimpse into the Whisperer’s beliefs as they discuss “the change”—the dying man will always be part of the group, becoming a part of the undead guard. Previously, it has been implied that the Whisperers are solitary and uncaring, but this creates a sense of community—albeit a very twisted one.
Beta will be the one to lead a small group to track the escapees down, and Lydia tells Daryl as much. Alpha wouldn’t risk the entire community for her daughter, but the attack made her leadership look weak, which means they won’t get off scot-free. They decide to hide in a building and set a trap, luring the Whisperers away from their walker guards and taking them out. While setting up, Connie and Daryl discuss what they should do with Lydia. Even though keeping her with them would undoubtedly draw trouble to the gates of Hilltop, Connie reminds Daryl that at least they have friends to care about. Lydia is totally alone.
2. The Highwaymen
Meanwhile at the Kingdom, we get an answer about that unusual symbol that popped up a couple of weeks ago. Queen Carol is busy setting things up for the next day’s fair. The Kingdom looks great filled with stalls, complete with a huge homage to Shiva. But with peace usually comes trouble in The Walking Dead, this time signalled by Jerry’s lack of armour. It turns out he and Diane were attacked and sent back to the Kingdom with (a very well-written) letter, marked with that same symbol by a group called the Highwaymen. They demand any travellers pay the toll to pass through the roads to and from the Kingdom. The day before they hope to unite the communities, this isn’t ideal timing.
Ezekiel, Carol, Jerry, and Diane know that something needs to be done. Scoping out the Highwaymen’s camp, Ezekiel worries that they’ll need to risk losing men to attack. Carol, however, has another idea. Their letter wasn’t threatening violence or demanding everything they had—judging by their grammatically correct letter, perhaps they’d be open to discussion.
Confronting the Highwaymen was both cheesy and enjoyable, with only director Liesl Tommy and her background in theatre being able to skilfully handle the theatrics of the Kingdom meeting the theatrics of Western-inspired rogues without spiralling into cringe-worthy viewing. As the Highwaymen emerge from a sea of mannequins, dressed in Cold War-era outfits (some even sporting muskets), the Kingdom makes it clear they have them surrounded. Fighting would end in a bloodbath. Instead, they offer them a job of clearing the roads for access to the fair. Tension ramps up as their leader scoffs at their proposal. But Carol can see through their performance—they simply want to survive. Instead of going in guns-blazing, she appeals to their human nature with a genuine smile: “When was the last time any of you saw a movie?”
Continued belowThe importance of art and entertainment as something that bonds humans and creates harmony has been hinted at a few times throughout season nine. Perhaps this is to emphasise the stark contrast between our heroes’ communities and the animalistic lifestyle the Whisperers have chosen to live.
3. Road Block
Tara is leading a group from the Hilltop to the Kingdom ahead of the fair, accompanied by Magna, Yumiko, Kelly, Earl, Tammy, and the Whisperer baby, as well as some of the teens Henry befriended upon his arrival at Hilltop. Coming across a small felled tree in the middle of a road, they decide to axe through it rather than try and move it. Of course, no journey that comes to a standstill is complete without a walker attack in the post-apocalyptic world. The travellers find themselves surrounded, having to fight their way out. Encountering the Whisperers has already changed their mindset when fending off walkers—they shout to each other to watch out for weapons and seem slightly more cautious than usual.
The poor baby who was left as walker-bait in “Bounty” is once again attracting unwanted attention. Instead of being abandoned, Tammy carefully hides the baby in a crate and shuts it—hopefully walkers haven’t figured out how to open boxes yet—before rushing to help Earl fight off the undead.
Just as the group seems to become overwhelmed, the Highwaymen come riding in on their horses, cutting down the walkers. They must have accepted Carol’s offer and accompany the Hilltop group—everyone safely intact—to the Hilltop. They arrive to find Daryl, Connie, and Henry aren’t there, which leads to Carol asking where her best friend and son are. Oh boy, is Henry going to be in trouble when his mom finds out what he’s been up to…
4. Young Romance
Speaking of Henry, he and Lydia are preparing for the Whisperer ambush. Lydia can’t quite understand why Henry is helping her, perhaps reflecting the frustrated outcries from the audience. Henry’s infatuation with her does seem to have sprung from nowhere, becoming a lovelorn puppy-dog overnight. But it is easy to forget that Henry has been incredibly sheltered from a very young age. This is his first real adventure outside of the community walls. While some The Walking Dead readers are frustrated this arc isn’t being carried out by Carl, as per the comic series, I think Henry’s naivety—as eyerollingly annoying as it is—is much more believable at this stage in the show. Season nine Carl would have been too distrusting and worldly-wise to impulsively dash off after a girl he just met and put Hilltop in danger.
It’s easy to see why Lydia would be falling for Henry too. It’s startlingly clear that no one has cared for Lydia since the beginning of the outbreak—even if Alpha does love her daughter, it’s not in a healthy way. Discovering a working society and being shown kindness after years of abuse would undoubtedly mess with a young person’s head. The pair discuss running away together into the wider world, reflecting the breezy daydreaming of young romance, a kiss interrupted by Daryl telling them to get back to work. The situation wouldn’t seem out of place in a romantic drama, where disenfranchised teenage lovers want to run away into the sunset and start their own lives. But romance films don’t tend to carry the risk of being eaten by a walker or brutally murdered by a mother who wears a suit of human skin, so perhaps it’s the added threat that makes their seemingly rushed romance so unsatisfying.
5. Daryl vs Beta
I don’t think I’d be exaggerating to say that Daryl’s showdown with Beta is the best use of hand-to-hand combat the show has ever seen. After luring the Whisperers away from their walker heard, Henry, Connie, Lydia, and Dog take down the side-characters, while Daryl and Beta prepare for their big showdown.
Ryan Hurst is a great addition to the cast, his huge, towering figure filling the screen in each frame. Punching through walls and using doors as a shield, he’s an imposing figure. He shouldn’t be easy to take down, and as Daryl proves, he isn’t. The brawl is very realistic, with both of them using their survivalist skills to find ways to ramp up the action and take down their foe. Punches aren’t thrown perfectly, and swings don’t always hit. There was a real sense of peril as Daryl took on this larger than life character—he shouldn’t have won and Daryl knows he needs to use more than his fists to survive. Instead, he relies on his wits to knock the huge brute down an elevator shaft and escapes (relatively) unscathed. But like any good horror villain, Beta rises up at the end, still alive and even more pissed-off.
It’s clear The Walking Dead is laying the groundwork for the season’s climax in this episode, but it had a great time doing it. Between the bright optimism of the fair, the comedic diffusion of the Highwaymen threat, the terror of the Whisperers, and the phenomenal fight scene, it was an entertaining episode which continues to guide us full speed ahead towards the inevitable devastation of the season finale.
