The Walking Dead Recap With Spoilers: Open Your Eyes

The episode starts with Siddiq experiencing horrific flashbacks to his night with the Whisperers. He tends to some of the sick patients in Alexandria before heading out to check on Rosita and others. He gets water from their well and accidentally lets it keep running while he is distracted. People drinking the water keep getting sick. While looking at patients, he imagines Alpha wearing her outfit from the fair in the window.

At night, Siddiq does some research with books and takes notes but he is exhausted. He imagines himself waking up to a hand on his chest which eventually reaches up to cover his mouth.

The Walking Dead’s opening credits play.

Continued

In the cell, Daryl calls for Lydia to get out while Carol escorts their Whisperer hostage into it. Carol questions her later and Lydia knows the man and thinks she’ll know where the Whisperers are. Gabriel knows about the prisoner and he is furious about them risking the safety of Alexandria with this hostage. He wants to be present for their questioning and wants Siddiq to treat him. 

At his house, Daryl sets the “lucky” double acorn down and spends some time with dog. His scars are exposed. 

Outside, Lydia spends some time with Carol who is offering to help her. Lydia doubts the man will betray Alpha. She thinks they are better off showing the guy that a place like Alexandria can survive and such an idea is dangerous to the Whisperers because it can spread. 

Continued

In the cell, Dante and Siddiq tend to the Whisperer prisoner. The man recognizes Siddiq, prompting Gabriel to suggest Dante take over from here. He has a flashback to AJ getting his head cut off with a machete by Alpha. 

Elsewhere, Aaron meets with Gamma on a bridge. He is eating fresh bread. She questions how they are always ripe with supplies like bread. He walks to the border to offer some. She turns it down but sees the drawing by Gracie in his bag. Gamma is surprised to hear that they have children. Gamma explains that “children hold you back.” She also claims to be “an only child,” omitting her sister having been killed.

Back in the cell, Carol sits down with the Whisperer man and says, “Let’s get started,” before uncovering some food supplies for him, offering honey, jam, strawberry, and apple. She also mentions that they can have salted fish for lunch. He questions what she wants and passes when she wants to have a conversation so she just hands him the bread. He slowly starts to eat it before loving the taste and diving in fully. When she is happy with his response, he spits it all out in her face.

Continued

Meanwhile, Siddiq is tending to Rosita who is still bedridden. She’s been thinking about Eugene — she is concerned that he might be upset with her missing their scheduled talk but Siddiq promises he bounces back before complimenting his knowledge of baby care. They talk about parenting and they both are struggling with the idea off raising a kid in this world. She coughs and he gives her more off the water before leaving.

In the cell, Carol’s interrogation continues and she begins to inflict pain on him by put her fingers in his shoulder wound. After a derogatory comment from the man, she puts her old wedding ring on and uses it to beat him. “You’re all weak,” he declares, prompting Daryl to pull out a knife. He promises to take his fingers, ears, and teeth. The man says they lie to themselves and they fight for sandwiches, ignoring the truth. “I would never betray Alpha,” he says. “She rescued mme, she protects me, she loves me, she loves us all. She sacrificed her own daughter for us.” 

Carol identifies Carol’s lie.

Continued

Carol wants to show the man that Lydia is alive. Daryl doesn’t want to get Lydia involved. Carol wants to let her make up her own mind.

Siddiq continues tending to the woman who identifies him as lying about her health. “You look worse than I do,” she tells him. “I made my peace but, for others, you need to have your head on straight.”

Aaron continues his talk with Gamma. He tells her about Gracie and her writing. Gamma explains that, “As kids we’d always try to take the long way home around the lake,” realizing that she accidentally acknowledged a sibling.

Aaron explains that he had a brother. “He loved cars,” he says. “Only thing he loved more than cars is people and they loved him. I think about him everyday.” He calls her out for “digging for intel” and thinks he should be doing the same. When he tries to level with her she storms off in a nervous huff reciting a phrase.

The man in the cell is reciting the same phrase. His health is declining and he spits up blood onto Dante before dying. Carol and Lydia enter the room but Daryl tries to shield the view and has them leave. Siddiq realizes that Dante gave him hemlock and killed the man. Dante says he didn’t think hemlock would be in the jar “because you packed it” to Siddiq. 

Continued

In the woods, a walker find Gamma and attacks. Alpha is standing nearby waiting. She questions her about “the man with the metal arm” and Gamma tells her his name and that he has a daughter. Alpha wonders if she asked about her sister’s child but Gamma swears she didn’t. Alpha tells her to remove her mask. Gama readies herself for a lashing with a stick on her arm as Alpha tells her to “remain strong,” concluding, “I believe in you.” She goes on to tell Gamma that Aaron is tempting her with lies and she need not be seduced. 

Gabriel and Daryl debate what to do about the man. Daryl prevents him from reanimating and Gabriel offers to help him clean up the mess. 

Outside of Alexandria, Carol rides a horse with Lydia.

Meanwhile, Siddiq finds that the older woman has passed away. Dante is digging her grave. Upset, Siddiq walks away and has terrible flashbacks again. He is losing control of himself, remembering the night with the Whisperers. He runs out to the pond and jumps in. He remembers being told to open his eyes and watching Enid and others die. Rosita jumps into the water to pull him out. 

Continued

Rosita questions Siddiq about what’s really going on in his mind. He says “it’s like I’m still there” about the night with the Whisperers. He remembers their screams and the smell and blood. “People are dying,” he tells her. She assures him that he is doing everything he can. He says it all bothers him so much because of Enid and how much he misses her and thinks he failed her. He feels guilt over surviving. Rosita demands he pull through and fight it for her and Coco and everyone else. 

While talking through the whole thing with the sickness, Siddiq realizes that the water is what is making people sick. After switching the lever on the water lines, he flips out.

Continued

At night, Gamma and Aaron meet again. Gamma insists he doesn’t want anything from her or she will burn it. When he crosses the border to pick it up, she puts a knife to his neck and starts questioning him. Her first question is about how many people they have. Suddenly, Carol emerges and Gamma sees Lydia, panicking and scampering off. Carol then tells Lydia that Alpha told the Whisperers that she killed her. Lydia is upset with Carol’s use of her so she hits her with a pole and leaves. 

Elsewhere, Gamma is having a breakdown in the woods. 

Back in Alexandria, Siddiq gazes out the window. Dante pays him a visit. He starts by trying to take the blame for everything and explains that it isn’t how everything works. “This place, it’s special,” he tells him. “Takes everyone here to build, grow, fight, raise rugrats, and heal people. Everyone carries equal weight. So, when something happens, it’s all of our fault, yeah? If one of us is suffering, we’re here to help.”

He’s been getting closer to Siddiq and declares that Siddiq is his friend and that everything is going to be okay. He starts making a noise which triggers Siddiq to have flashbacks to the night with the Whisperers. A man making the same noise is telling him to open his eyes. Dante says the same thing, prompting Siddiq’s realization. They fight in the room but Dante gets the best of him and chokes him out. “Close you eyes,” Dante tells him just as Siddiq dies.