The Walking Dead Recap With Spoilers: Midseason 10 Premiere

The Walking Dead returned on Sunday night after a longer than usual midseason break. The episode picked up right where its predecessor left off: Carol, Daryl, Connie, Kelly, Magna, Jerry, and Aaron were trapped in a cave and surrounded by walkers. It was Alpha’s trap which Carol literally fell right into and the rest of the group, as well. The episode proved to be a potentially tragic finale as a couple of characters are now presumed dead in an off-screen farewell but, as fans know with The Walking Dead, never count someone out until you see a body (see: Glenn under the dumpster).

Spoilers follow in this recap for The Walking Dead Episode 10×09 (Squeeze).

To open the episode, the line-up of characters trapped in the cage is the centerpiece. Carol realizes it is her fault everyone is trapped but that doesn’t mean she is going to start acting more rationally as emotions get the best of her throughout the episode. Alpha taunts the survivors, standing above them to hear a scream from Carol before going back to her pack and presuming these people are going to die, but not caring to make sure of it herself.

The effort to get includes hopping across rocks Super Mario style as a means to avoid getting bit or scratched by the walkers below. Aaron and Daryl drummed up the plan and, somehow, everyone makes it across the pit to try to find a way out because up wasn’t working.

Cave Ambush

Magna is quick to point out that this is Carol’s fault. Silence might indicate that others agree. Daryl comes to her aid though, insisting there is no time to argue and shuts down the finger pointing to encourage finding a way out. 

Later, when things calm down and the dead are not around, Daryl sits with Carol and explains to her why her decisions are so bad and that he can’t trust her anymore. Earlier, he told the group Carol is having a hard time because she is claustrophobic, something she never told him (or displayed since the Center for Disease Control episode in season 1) so Carol realizes that Daryl knows her better than she may have thought. Daryl’s pleas are ultimate useless as Carol admits that she wants Alpha to suffer and beg for mercy before she dies. “We fight for our future,” Daryl tells her, sensibly. “We don’t fight for revenge.”

Suddenly, Magna is attacked by a Whisperer in the cave. It turns out, a bunch of Whisperers have been lingering for an ambush and despite having the jump on the group and knowing the layout of the caves (at least better than the Daryl’s group did), they are all defeated soundly and none of the good guys are injured. Instead, the action sequence leads to Jerry finding an arrow engraved on the wall, indicating not only that the Whisperers should know these caves, but that a way out might be that way. 

Whisperer Lovin’

Meanwhile, Negan has been hanging out with Alpha and getting some face time with the leader of the Whisperers. Daryl’s group has indicated to her that they know where the horde, which implies there is a mole in the group. Negan, after his own experiences with Dwight, suggests that it must have been Gamma. Beta is sent off to find her and Negan gains some respect but not before Alpha puts a knife between his legs and threatens to cut off his pride and joy if he is just trying to sell paranoia. 

To cap their story in the episode, Negan and Alpha puts a strong twist on the comic story. Negan is escorted away from the camp and made to believe he is about to be executed. In true to Negan style, he nevers shuts up along the way but becomes emotional when he starts justifying his actions and leadership style as opposed to Alpha’s which are not an effort to save people. Instead, she tells him to remove his clothes and when he turns around she has also removed hers. Negan is skeptic of the situation at first but ultimately hooks up with Alpha in the woods and she insists he “stop talking.”

The Not-So-Great Escape

Carol’s claustrophobia kicks in, prompting a (literally) touching moment with Connie. Connie spells “U R O K” on her hand before they make their way out through a tight space which Daryl has found to be the way out of this cave. Daryl goes first. Jerry and Aaron banter about how they’re doing in this tight tunnel, with Jerry joking about being six-foot-two and having a hard time in airplane bathrooms.

Carol is stalled by her fear of tight spaces but ultimately encouraged by Connie and Jerry to continue. When they make it through this tunnel, they find it was not a way out, but a path to a cliff inside the cave which stands high above another pit full of the dead. Kelly finds some dynamite and displays that she never watched the first season of LOST when she quickly picks up a stick and carries it to the group. Jerry advises her to take it back because of how unstable it may be but Carol has seen it.

While everyone starts to climb out of the cave through a small hole, Kelly is the first one out and has to fight off some Whisperers. Aaron joins her. Carol is missing though. She went back to plant some dynamite to try to kill the horde but slips and nearly falls of the cliff. Daryl saves her from falling off a cliff and convinces her to leave with him.

Magna and Connie stayed back to try to help her and end up fighting off walkers. The cave collapses, the dynamite explodes, and Connie and Magna were trapped inside. Outside, everyone declares they are dead. Carol knows it is her fault. Daryl is finally furious with her as she acknowledges that he was close with Connie. He has no words for her. No one does.

Everyone is sent to their respective communities to inform them of the horde’s location while Daryl goes to look for another way into the cave. 

The end.