The episode starts with a USSR satellite cruising through space and possibly toward earth.
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Cut to earth: Training Day. An army is prepping at the shore. Ezekiel and Jerry open up a ship to free a trio of walkers. In an organized effort, archers fire arrows at them. Shields open up from the front of the army, allowing Cyndie and others to rush up and collect the arrows. Aaron is calling out commands. He halts the group and calls for spears. The walkers approach and the spears take them down. The last pack of walkers is charged at by Michonne, Yumiko, and Luke.
There is one more group of walkers and it is bigger than the rest. Michonne ad Aaron call out orders. Daryl and Ezekiel get some of the first kills. Judith splits a pair of shields for a kill. They finish off the group.
Later on, the grupu prepares some materials at the Oceanside settlement. Luke and Jules have some chemistry while moving some ropes until she admits that she is flirting with him and likewise. Meanwhile, Michonne and Daryl are proud of the training, claiming Tara would be, as well.
Elsewhere, Judith and RJ play with some shells that RJ found. It turns out, he found a Whisperer mask.
The Walking Dead‘s opening credits play.
Continued
Later, Michonne and Aaron radio to the other communities to be on alert regarding the mask showing up. Aaron wants to take action and be more careful but Michonne wants to avoid a panic.
Michonne and Aaron ride out together. They are concerned about the Whisperers but also possibly greater threats. Everyone has split off into pairs. Aaron really wants to dig into the mask that washed up, so he charges toward a group of the dead on a bridge. He gets himself caught by one which requires Michonne’s help. She is frustrated with him. “I lost Rick on a…” she stops herself. “If it was them, you could’ve died. It wasn’t them, and you coulld’ve died.” Aaron expresses that the Whisperers situation isn’t normal.
“My whole life, I’ve always been the nice guy,” Aaron said. “The thing is Eric is dead. Jesus is dead. I’m getting sick of being nice.”
Michonne explains to Aaron that the Whisperers have a nuclear weapon and they don’t. “I hate this, too,” she says. Michonne radios to everyone to circle back but Yumiko tells her there is something she should see. In some woods, they explore an old camp site before being lead to some skeletons and bodies. Aaron finds skin hanging from a stick and declares one of the Whisperers has been here.
Contiued
At Oceanside, Michonne explains that people can’t be afraid because of how fear will impact the community. “We are the good guys and I know who Rick and Carl were,” she says. “And Eric and Jesus, too. We have to choose to be the good guys, even when it’s hard. The minute that we start to question that, we lose sight of it, that’s when the answer to that question starts to change. That’s scarier than any skin mask.”
Michonne sees Judith telling RJ the story about Rick blowing the bridge to save his friends. “He died and went to heaven,” she tells RJ about “the brave man” in her story. “He lives inside our hearts and makes us great, too.”
Michonne greets them and RJ asks why the brave man died. She explains that you will do anything for people you love. Suddenly, Michonne hears a rumble from the sky and sees what looks like a meteor shower crashing down.
Bird Wisdom
The next chapter is called Bird Wisdom.
On the other end of Aaron and Michonne’s radio call is Gabriel.
Elsewhere in Alexandria, Rosita is boxing. Eugene is taking care of the baby. He’s watching a little too closely when she is breast feeding. When the baby cries, Rosita plays music which stops it immediately. Eugene has been keeping charts of the baby’s growth for at least three months.
Later, Siddiq, Eugene, and Gabriel gather in the living room with Rosita. The conversation leads to her suggesting the radio be taken out of her house but Gabriel zoned out of the conversation.
Meanwhile, Lydia is in school trying to learn to read but getting frustrated. Gabriel, Laura, and others enter the class to inform them of the Whisperer mask that’s been found but they ask Lydia to leave. She goes outside to practice fighting, greeted by Negan who is farming. He is being watched and told to get back to work. They have being outcasts here in common, prompting Negan to say, “You need to watch you back, kid.”
Continued
Later, Siddiq puts Rosita’s baby to bed but starts having PTSD-like flashbacks of his encounter with Alpha which lead to the pike scenarios. A spider is on the counter, reminding him of the terrifying experience. A doctor comes in — it’s Dante. He came to check on him and let’s him know the infirmary and meds are well stocked. “We’re like gods in the apocalypse,” he says of the two of them, being doctors. He jokes about how Siddiq is looking at him.
Negan is in his jail cell where Gabriel talks to him. He lectures Gabriel about how he was previously public enemy #1 and now he’s just the guy who picks vegetables and takes out the trash. “The boogie man just stuck his gnarly skin colored mask about from behind that door and people are puttin’ their shittin’ pants back on,” he says. “You ask me, you gotta make them feel secure, even if it’s just for show.”
Gabriel asks if he should lie. “No, not lie,” Negan tells him. “At most, I’m talking about a little strategic omission.”
Outside, Gabriel and others see the same eruption in thee sky. Eugene races to the radio to call for Oceanside. “Something of grave importance is about to happen,” he calls out.
Sea Dogs
Back at the time of Aaron’s call, the Oceanside community pulls their nets from the ocean. Kelly is having a bit of trouble here but Connie reassures her, “It’ll be okay. We’re gonna keep practicing, make sure you’re ready.” She goes on to tell Kelly that she doesn’t have a disability but instead a super power. Dog runs over, followed by a wave from Daryl. Kelly gives a look to Connie that there might be something there.
On a dock, Ezekiel and Daryl look out at the ocean. They have a conversation about Ezekiel’s time in a zoo. He was only scared of birds back then. Connie comes up and delivers Dog to Daryl with a note saying, “Think you lost something.” She goes on to tell Daryl that he signs with a southern accent.
A boat comes up to the dock with Carol on it. Ezekiel greets her, enthusiastically. She quickly moves on to talk to Daryl, who has an American Sign Language brochure in his pocket. They hug and head off.
Later, Daryl and Carol talk about what she was doing. Daryl thinks she is looking for Alpha. Carol claims to be happy that the past is behind them despite Daryl informing her of the mask they found. They go off for a ride on a motorcycle together and go on to hunt some walkers.
New Mexico
Another chapter starts with Daryl missing a shot at a deer.
They follow the deer and it stumbled into Whisperer territory before collapsing. Daryl rules that it is across a border and they shouldn’t pursue it. Carol hates that. “There’s no reason to start shit if we don’t gotta,” he claims. He encourages Carol to come home but she claims to be a “sea dog” now.
“Best friend, what are you, 10?” she asks him. “Should we have matching bracelets now?” She teases him about his favorite color and then jokes about “a matching collar for dog.”
“Daryl, you ever wonder if this is all there is?” she asks. “Just, run into people, kill each other until whoever’s left says, ‘Enough.’” Daryl explains that they just fight and survive and Carol notes that’s what is what like for them before all this.
“I dig what Maggie’s doing with Georgie,” Daryl says. Carol wants him to come out on the boat with her. When he rejects it, she tells him they should head out west on his bike. “New Mexico,” he suggests. “No more fighting, just get on the bike and go, see who’s left.” The whole time, he has been tying her a bracelet.
They see the eruption in the sky.
Lies We Cross
Night has fallen and there is a fire burning somewhere. The group rushes to it from Oceanside as a means to put it out. They discover the remains of the satellite and start combating the fire. Some use water, others dig a means to prevent the fire from spreading. Walkers are closing in. Aaron calls out orders for a controlled burn at the edge of their digging. to prevent the fire from spreading. The morning comes and they are all still fighting the fire. Ezekiel is working feverishly with the fall of Kingdom in mind. Jerry encourages him to calm down.
The group runs out of water almost simultaneously, just as walkers start to close in. Cyndie calls for help and everyone arms themselves. With their backs to the fire, the group prepares for a fight.
Embers
The group takes their formations ad starts trying to fight off the herd. Help arrives in the form of Siddiq, Eugene, Laura and others. Carol uses the spilling blood of a walker to put out a fire. Daryl tosses an axe to cut a tree down and have it fall to some walkers. Him, Michonne, and other battle with their classic weapons.
Later, the fire has been put out and everyone is recovering. Eugene wants 20 minutes to examine the satellite. He believes there a valuable pieces of technology in it. Luke discourages him because of radiation but Eugene insists they are already surrounded by radiation which turns them into walkers when they die.
Carol and Daryl walk to the cliff where Alpha showed him the horde of Whisperers and walkers. Carol still wants to run away tomorrow. Daryl still wants her to stay. Before leaving, she spots Alpha on another cliff. They exchange a stare.
