‘The Walking Dead’ Mid-Season Premiere Recap With Spoilers: Honor

Rick Grimes says “My mercy prevailed over my wrath,” as tears stream down his face.

He suddenly has a dream of walking Judith through Alexandria to Jerry. He is old again. Everyone is excited and living well. He rode out from the Kingdom for desert. Siddiq roped him into helping in Alexandria.

Back to the original timeline, Carl and Michonne are burying something — presumable Carl. Bear McCreary’s score gently accompanies the devastating moment.

Back in the moments which saw Carl and Siddiq in the woods, Carl fights off one walker as the other bites his side. He suddenly shoots the one on top of hm before the other which marked him for death. Siddiq asks if he is okay. Carls says, “Yeah,” and walks off.

Outside of Alexandria, Carl enters through a secret sewer. Siddiq follows him. His presence will be a secret. In his bathroom, Carl takes his shirts and hat off, revealing his bite mark. He gets emotional looking t himself in the mirror before covering it up, putting his hat back on, and marching back outside.

Atop the gate, Tobin and Carl discuss Rick’s long-awaited return. Tobin hands him a note from Michonne. “I had to see it for myself,” Michonne wrote. “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye first. will be back soon. Michonne.”

Later, Carl sits in the house and writes notes to Michonne, Rick, Enid and more. He explores the sewers with Siddiq. He lights candles and sets up a cot. He sits on the porch with Judith and makes handprints on the porch with paint. They take a photo together on a Polaroid camera. He hands Siddiq cans of food and candy in the sewer. Siddiq hands the candy back and Carl enjoys some bites with him. He later plants in the Alexandria farm. Michonne pulls in in her car. Carl takes his hat off and takes in some sun.

Outside of the Sanctuary, Morgan watches the herd which crashed down on it with a sniper. He looks to their windows and sees nothing. To his left, though, Saviors have taken to the windows to start gunning down the herd. One by one, the herd falls and the way out is cleared. The Saviors start shooting at Morgan and he orders everyone to leave now.

Morgan finds a way out and hears opera music playing. He sees some walkers and spawns an idea. Using his spear, he clangs on the fence and lures them his way and leads them to a door where Saviors emerge only to be devoured.

Elsewhere, Gavin rides with an empty pick up truck and several other vehicles following. Morgan pops out of the woods, having watched them pass by, and follows. They are on their way to the Kingdom and the events have taken place prior to the Mid-Season finale.

Continued

Outside of the Kingdom, Carol puts down walkers and give the survivors instructions. Nabila is confident in her ability to take on the Saviors. Benjamin’s brother wants to go with her but she refuses his aid.

Back in Alexandria, Carl is becoming weaker. Rick sits by his side in disbelief. Michonne, too. Daryl holds Judith, the group is devastating around them as Negan causes explosions outside. Rick tries to find words. “I don’t…” Rick starts. “How?”

Carl insists it’s alright. “I wasn’t sure if you’d make it back before but just in case,” Carl said. “I wanted to make sure I was able to say goodbye.” He hands over the notes. Rick blames Negan and the Saviors. Michonne can’t find words either. “I got bit,” Carl says. Rick is in denial. Carl tells Rick about Siddiq. “It wasn’t the Saviors,” he says. “It just happened.” 

“I got bit,” he repeats.

At the Kingdom, Gavin tells Ezekiel Negan is going to kill him. “I ferried my people to freedom,” Ezekiel says. “What befalls me now matters not.” Gavin insists it matters and he liked Ezekiel. Ezekiel understood the world and the terms but now that’s all gone thanks to Rick. “I made a choice I can live with,” Ezekiel said. “Now it’s your turn to do the same.”

Outside, Morgan sees Henry sneaking toward the Kingdom. Carol sneaks up on him and is ready to work together. She is eager to save Ezekiel. Morgan wants to kill them all one by one. Carol wants to avoid killing until they have to but “if we have to take them, we take them,” she says.

Continued

Back in the sewers, Carl lays down on the cot with Michonne’s help. Siddiq offers some anti-inflammatory’s to help with Carl’s fever. They helped his mom and dad. Michonne nods to Rick, so he takes them.

“You’re a doctor?” Rick asks. He was a resident before the world fell. 

Carl says he brought him back only because “he needed us,” rather than because he was a doctor. An explosion causes dust to fall on Carl and he starts coughing. Rick shields him and gives him water. Michonne charges to Dwight. “Make it stop!” she demands. He says he can’t. Rosita joins their conversation and asks about Hilltop. It’s safe. “We need to get everybody there,” she says.

Dwight advises everyone to stay here but Daryl insists they’ll die if they stay here. “After they let up, after they’re gone, that’s when we go,” Dwight insists. Rosita agrees to wait. Dwight questions the plan to bring everyone together in the Hilltop. “All of us, together,” Daryl injects, “We’ll be their worst damn nightmare.”

Continued

Outside of the Kingdom, Morgan and Carol approach Saviors who are putting out fires. Morgan says, “This is it,” and they strike them down using Morgan’s spear and the butt of Carol’s gun. Morgan puts them down, afterwards.

They take out more Saviors. One gets hit in the throat and gargles blood before Morgan jabs him in the stomach again before putting him down for good. Morgan is determined to find Henry.

Gavin orders everyone to get moving. Ezekiel sits by. “Is it gonna go bad, Ezekiel?” Gavin asks. “Is this gonna turn into something else?” Ezekiel insists Gavin is running the show here. 

In the sewer, Carl talks to Michonne. He questions er leaving when she should’ve been resting but says she looks great now. He pleads with her to stop the war. “It’s not supposed to be like this,” he said. “I know it can be better.” Michonne looks to Rick and nods.

“Sounds like they’re letting up,” Dwight says. 

Daryl approaches Rick and Carl. He hands over Judith and offers condolences to Rick. He and Carl share a glance at one another and Daryl nods to him before heading out.

At the Kingdom again, Carol and Morgan continue their mission. Morgan overhears Saviors talking amongst themselves and catches some loading a truck. Carol begs him to leave them be but he approaches and kills two of the three. Ultimately, Carol guns down the third who got a drop on Morgan. Carol colelcts their guns.

A man loads Gavin’s truck and Gavin insists they leave some room for Ezekiel. Gavin tries to explain himself to Ezekiel. He wasn’t hoping for this and doesn’t like it. Ezekiel promises it is not to late to change something already decided but Gavin says Ezekiel did just that and it got him here. He radios for other men but gets no response. 

Ezekiel again urges him to change his mind. Gunshots ring out and Gavin orders everyone to get Ezekiel inside. Morgan creeps around a corner after they all ran off.

Continued

In the future again, Rick continues to shed tears as a rainbow reflection hits his face. In the dream sequence, he greets Eugene with Judith. He offers Judith an apple and they’re grateful.

Another time, Rick and Michonne continue their burial efforts. 

Back in the sewer, Michonne tells Rick the Saviors are gone. Rick doesn’t want to make the trip because Carl won’t make it. He insists he has to stay with him. Michonne will stay with him, then. “Will you take Judith?” Rick asks Michonne. “She needs to be there.” He breaks down.

“I’ll take her,” Daryl injects. “I’ll get her there, I’ll keep her safe.” 

Carl wants to say goodbye to Judith. They have a moment together. Carl smiles at her. “You be good, okay? For Michonne. For dad.” He tells her to listen to Rick but not always. “Sometimes kids gotta show their parents the way.” He hands over his hat to her. “This was dad’s before it was mine,” he says. “Now it’s yours. Just having it, I always kept dad with me. It made me feel as strong as him. It helped me. Maybe it’ll help you, too.”

“Before mom died, she told me that I was gonna beat this world,” Carl says. “I didn’t but you will. I know you will.” Judith starts crying. Rick hands her to Daryl, along with the hat.

“These people, you saved them all,” Daryl tells Carl. “It’s all you, man.” He walks off and Tara follows. Sidduq then kneels down and thanks Carl for helping him honor his mom and for bringing him to Alexandria. He promises to honor Carl by showing his people that what he did wasn’t for nothing. Carl congratulates him on being stuck with the group before he heads out.

Continued

In the theater, Ezekiel is beaten by Gavin who insists it is too late. Ezekiel insists he was once saving Gavin’s life but he is no longer doing that. An explosion rings out from a side door. The Saviors shoot at it. Gavin orders them to stop. Carol and Morgan kick down scenery on the stage and light up the Saviors. Gavin is shot in the leg. He drops his gun. Carol dives for cover. A man tackles Morgan on stage. Ezekiel shoots a man who had her pinned down. Morgan wrestles the man on stage. He takes three punches to the face before sticking his hand into a hole in the man’s stomach and pulling his guts out.

Ezekiel and Carol are shocked, as is Morgan. Gavin gets up and hobbles out of the theater with Morgan missing shots at him. Ezekiel suggests they leave. “We don’t need to go,” Morgan said. “All of them are dead.”

In the sewers, Carl takes his last sips of water. Michonne pats him down with cloth to wipe the sweat. “I don’t want you to be sad after this, or angry,” Carl said. “You’re gonna have to be strong for my dad, for Judith, or yourself.” Rick still can’t believe what’s happening.

“I will,” Michonne tells him.

“Don’t carry this,” Carl says. “Not this part. You’re my best friend, Michonne.” 

“You’re mine, too,” Michonne tells him. “You’re mine.”

Rick asks for Michonne’s help in getting him out of the sewers.

Continued

Morgan continues his chase of Gavin through a smokey Kingdom building.

Meanwhile, Alexandria burns as Rick and Michonne carry him across a field. Carl is getting weaker. Rick insists Carl will make it to their house. Michonne suggests bringing him to another building.

Morgan’s pursuit of Gavin continues. Gavin is terrified. The spear drags through dirt and leaves a trail. Gavin sees Morgan’s shadow approaching. It walks away. He is momentarily relieved before being yanked from behind. Morgan stands before him.

Rick and Michonne lay Carl down in what used to be the Alexandria church. “Thanks for getting me here,” Carl says to Rick.

“I’m sorry, I just, i didn’t want you out there,” Rick replies.

“Not for getting me here,” Carl said. “For making it so I could be who I wound up.” Rick is emotional, as is Michonne. 

“Back at the prison, when we got attacked, there was a kid, little older than me. He had a gun. He was starting to put it down and I shot him. He was giving up and I just, I shot him. I think about him, what I did to him and how easy it was to just kill him.”

Morgan beats on Gavin. Gavin calls him a “sick man.” Morgan slowly approaches. Gavin insists he didn’t have many options. Gavin suggests Morgan go back to the Hilltop. “You think you can beat Negan?” Gavin asks. “You can’t. It ain’t going back to how it was.” 

“No,” Morgan tells him.

Rick continues to sit with Carl. “No, no,” he says. “What happened, what you lost, all those things you had to, all those things you had to do, you were just a boy.”

“And you saw it,” Carl said. “What it did, how easy it got.”

Gavin questions Morgan about his search for Henry. “Killing me won’t make any of it go away,” Gavin says. “You’ll still wake up in the same s— tomorrow.” Morgan yanks him up from the ground.

Carl continues talking to Rick. “That’s why you changed. You brought those people from Woodbury in. You brought them in and we all lived together. We were enemies. You put away your gun. You did it so I could change, so I could be who I am now. What you did then, how you stopped fighting, was right. It still is. It can be like that again. You can still be like that again.” 

Ezekiel insists Morgan stop his assault on Gavin and calls ending him “the coward’s way.” Morgan struggles to spare him but does.

“I can’t be who I was,” Rick tells Carl. “It’s different now.”

“You can’t kill all of them. There’s gotta be something after. For you, for them. There’s gotta be something after.”

Carol pleads with Morgan to stop killing. She reminds him of when he told her “we can be better than them.” Morgan insists he has to kill Gavin. He doesn’t, though. Henry does. Carol can’t believe it. Morgan is shocked.

Carl’s life fades. “I know you can’t see it yet,” Carl says. “How could we? I have. You have a beard. It’s bigger. It’s grayer. Michonne’s happy. Judith is older. She’s listening to the songs I used to before. Alexandria’s bigger. There’s new houses. Crops. People working. Everybody living, helping everybody else live. You can still be who you were. That’s how it could be. It could.”

The dream sequence plays to Carl’s description.

“Carl, it was all for you,” Rick says. “Right from the start. Back in Atlanta. The farm. Everything I did, it was for you. Then at the prison it was for you and Judith. It still is. It’s gonna be. Nothing, nothing is gonna change that.”

“I want this for you, dad,” Carl says.

“I’m gonna make it real,” Rick tells him. “Carl, I promise, I’m gonna make it real.”

Continued

Henry stands before Ezekiel questioning what he has done. Ezekiel insists he only look at him. “I had to,” Henry says. Carol scolds him for following them. Morgan stands silently. 

“Henry, all will be resolved,” Ezekiel promises before embracing the boy. “All will be resolved.”

Carl’s last breaths are coming. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you,” Rick said. “A father’s job is to protect his son.”

Carl insists it’s just love.

Carl reaches to his side for a pistol. Michonne insists it should be somebody he loves. Carl knows he shouldn’t do it himself. 

“I grew up,” Carl says. “I have to do this. Me.” Rick and Michonne are broken. “I love you,” he says.

“I love you, too,” Michonen tells him.

Carl looks to Rick. “I love you dad,” he says.

“I love you, Carl,” Rick said. “I love you , son.” He kisses him on the forehead. “I’ll make it real. I will. I will.”

The next days, Rick and Michonne sit outside the church. They hear the gun go off as Carl shoots himself. They are later seen digging a grave for his body. 

In the dream sequence, Judith greets a gleeful Negan at the farm. “Morning to you, darling!” he says.

In future again, Rick sits beside and tree and cries with blood on his hand beside the object which was causing a rainbow reflection on his face.