We’re fast approaching The Walking Dead’s mid-season finale, and “Stradivarius” acts as a sturdy bridge that Rick Grimes himself would be proud of, giving us plenty of information to gear us up for the action and drama which will (hopefully) follow in the next episode. With Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) himself sitting in the director’s chair, we slow down in this episode, conversations catching us up on some of the events we missed in the most recent time jump whilst nodding towards what’s yet to come. Here are five thoughts about the penultimate episode in this half of season nine. Beware: spoilers follow!
1. Whisperers
The episode opens in the direct aftermath of last week. The upcoming Whisperers storyline could allow The Walking Dead to lean back into its roots of creepy horror, and this opening glimpse of what may follow in future episodes suggests the show might do just that. Rosita is stumbling through the woods, muddy and bloody, as fast as she can to escape the giant herd she encountered with Eugene last week. She’s alone – we don’t yet know where Eugene is. All we hear is her panting and, among the groans and sighs of the walkers, there’s whispering. The camera spins and zooms and cuts and moves in a dizzying fashion, adding to the intensity. It’s a fun and effective scene to watch, and though our introduction to the Whisperers is brief, I’m looking forward to seeing where the journey leads.
2. What’s Happening at Hilltop
We get our first glimpse of life at the Hilltop following the time jump this episode, and it has expanded massively. There’s a huge area for crops, the blacksmith shop is running efficiently, and there are even pottery stalls: everything a post-apocalyptic civilisation needs to thrive. However, it appears that Hilltop might be without a willing leader. We see Jesus sitting reading letters, soon revealed to be from a safe and happy Maggie, who left with Hershel to form a mysterious new community with Georgie – the woman we briefly encountered in season eight, offering food and knowledge in exchange for music records. We learn that Jesus has been left in charge, a role he seems hesitant to delve into properly, as if waiting for Maggie’s return. He won’t even take her office. His reluctance hasn’t gone unnoticed, however, as the citizens of Hilltop have a growing list of requirements to keep things running smoothly. Eventually, he’s confronted by Tara who tells him he made more than a promise, he accepted a job: he has a responsibility to watch over his people and make sure they’re happy and needs are met (even if it is just responding to a noise complaint about a kid and a kazoo).
This raises a question about the nature of leadership in more evolved societies. Hilltop is quite clearly thriving, even under Jesus’s lenient watch, so as settlements begin to expand and thrive, do they still need a prominent leader, such as the strong-willed Maggie or natural-leader Rick? Despite Jesus’s relaxed approach to the role, he continues to be re-elected – completely unopposed – to rule the Hilltop, which suggests the citizens are happy under his rule. It will be interesting to see how this develops as the season continues and difficult decisions will undoubtedly need to be made.
3. Sneaking Out
Keen to avoid his responsibilities – or perhaps just someone who prefers being outside of Hilltop’s walls – Jesus sneaks out, only to be attacked. Knocked off his horse with an impressive pounce, Aaron shows off the strength of his new arm as the pair grapple in hand-to-hand combat, Jesus evidently teaching Aaron how to become an effective fighter. Both actors look like they’re having genuine fun in this scene, and it’s refreshing to see Jesus and Aaron have an interesting interaction, both characters having previously been relatively neglected.
At first, I thought we might discover that the pair were romantically involved, but instead they were meeting to discuss the best ways to repair fraught relationships between Hilltop, Alexandria, and the Kingdom. We discover that relationships were fractured following Rick’s “death”, particularly between Michonne and Maggie, with Michonne not even aware that Maggie has left Hilltop. It’s not yet completely clear what has caused the rift between our core groups, but it must be serious considering that Jesus and Aaron are breaking protocol by sneaking out to meet each other. Perhaps it’s the loss of a clear, central leader – or maybe something more sinister happened, as hinted at by large, mysterious scars in the shape of an “X” that both Michonne and Daryl bear on their backs. Nevertheless, Jesus is keen to maintain relationships where he can and keep lines of communication open, planning a fair at Hilltop in an effort to bring the communities together.
Continued belowAs the pair talk, they spot a flare rising in the distance, and rush to the scene. They find Rosita who reveals that she left Eugene hidden in a barn. But the mysterious walkers are closing in, and it’s too near nightfall to start searching for him. Jesus and Aaron rush Rosita back to Hilltop for medical attention and begin planning a search for Eugene at dawn.
4. One Man and His Dog
Meanwhile, Carol and Henry have met up with Daryl, who now lives alone in the woods. Perhaps the most important thing to come from this plot thread is the discovery that Daryl has “adopted” a dog which he has suitably named Dog – the ultimate post-apocalyptic companion.
We get a good glimpse of Daryl’s campsite, surrounded by pelts and makeshift traps to keep him safe. It’s a good home for a survivalist, and Daryl is more than equipped for a life in the forest, but it appears as if he has exiled himself through guilt. One wing ripped from the back of his trademark vest, he continues to search for Rick – no evidence of his body has ever been found, which leaves Daryl with a glimmer of hope that his friend might be alive. Twice now Daryl has been helpless in saving his newfound family, blaming himself for Glenn’s death at the hands of Negan, and leading Rick to a trap which would eventually result in his disappearance.
Carol has arrived at Daryl’s campsite in hope that he’ll accompany her adopted son Henry – a budding blacksmith looking for an apprenticeship – to Hilltop, claiming she’s worried Henry will put himself in danger. Both Henry and Daryl are resistant to the idea; Henry doesn’t want a babysitter, and Daryl wants to be left alone, believing the boy should learn the dangers of the world the hard way like he and Carol did. However, it becomes clear that they need each other, Daryl perhaps more so than Henry – and more than he cares to admit. The boys bond as they save each other during a night-time walker attack, as Dog finds himself tangled in some of Daryl’s walker traps. They later sit and talk, and Daryl agrees that he and Dog will go to Hilltop for a while. An ever-clever ploy from the mother hen of the series, no harm’s likely to come to either Daryl or Henry as long as Carol’s watching over them. It’s always a joy to watch Daryl and Carol interact, with the pair bouncing off one another brilliantly; two damaged souls making their way through a devastating world together, and their scenes in this episode are no different.
The trio arrive at Hilltop to discover that Rosita has been found injured and afraid, with Eugene still out in the wilderness. Daryl immediately finds a place for himself within the Hilltop community and takes off on his trusty motorcycle along with Dog, Jesus, and Aaron to try and find Eugene.
5. Stradivarius
Our final thread follows Michonne, Siddiq, and DJ as they lead the group of new arrivals toward Hilltop, believing they’d find a home there while ensuring the safety of her people. Although Michonne appears to like the newcomers, she doesn’t trust them, and with Magna’s ever defensive attitude, it’s easy to understand why. The rest of this new group, however, agree that they should continue to trust Michonne, with whatever awaits them at Hilltop being a preferable option to venturing out alone once more. The introduction of this new group to an established society is an interesting parallel to the many settlements our core group of heroes have infiltrated over the years, revealing a different perspective on what it’s like to allow people in to a safe space rather than ask – or fight – to be let in.
The group stop off at their last campsite to pick up their belongings, only to find that a huge herd must have passed through, destroying and scattering a lot of their possessions. Michonne once again confiscates any weapons they find and informs the group that she’ll be returning to Hilltop in the morning, leaving Siddiq and DJ to take the newcomers the rest of the way, raising another barrier of distrust between the groups.
Continued belowThey set up camp for the evening, which leads to Michonne being disturbed by a mysterious noise as she patrols while the rest sleep. Sneaking through the dark with her katana at the ready, she discovers Luke fiddling with something. When he refuses to drop the object, she promptly slices it in half: revealing that he was holding onto his eighteenth-century Stradivarius violin, bringing everyone running to the scene. It’s a comedic moment which then leads into sombre discussion, as Luke recounts a version of history, explaining how the humans “defeated” the Neanderthals. They didn’t fight, but came together as an answer to defeat, connected by creativity and music. The ability to create and rebuild is what separates humans from the animals, and it is why Luke holds so desperately onto music in the post-apocalyptic world. In a roundabout way, music is once again the device that brings two opposing groups together, as Luke’s destroyed Stradivarius violin leads to conversation, which then leads to a sense of unity, and softens a reluctant Michonne ever so slightly.
With a hint of stronger relations in place, the trustworthiness of Magna’s group is soon put to the test as a giant herd of walkers storms through the site. Weapons are returned to the newbies, who outwit and slingshot the walkers with impressive skill and quick-thinking. They escape unscathed and continue toward Hilltop. As they ride on, Michonne discovers that Maggie is gone – and has been for some time. Her shock is undercut as two soldiers approach them to announce that Rosita was found injured and has been taken to Hilltop. This forces Michonne’s hand, and she rides on with the group toward Hilltop. But before they set off, Connie notices something in the woods. It’s silent for a moment as everyone stops, listening. They shrug it off as being nothing and move on – but the camera continues to watch them as they ride off, suggesting they’re not alone.
This episode slowed down in order to begin weaving the necessary threads together for what will surely be an interesting and (hopefully) scary mid-season finale next week, but didn’t feel like an unnecessary drag as many episodes in earlier seasons have done. Once again, discussions fill in plot holes and characters are fleshed out. The groundwork is well-laid, which will hopefully allow us to jump straight into the action and finally come face-to-face with the Whisperers in the mid-season finale.
