The Walking Dead – Stradivarius

By: Kelly Kearney

After last week’s shocking ending that left Rosita and Eugene hiding from some very chatty walkers, we spend this week catching up with Tara, Jesus and Aaron as well as spending some time with BFFS Daryl and Carol in the woods. What’s Daryl been up to since Rick “died”? The answer to that question not only shows the lengths of Daryl’s loyalty, but how much he’s grown since the start of this show. Change and growth seem to be a running theme this season with the walkers evolving and new community leaders emerging, Rick’s dream of rebuilding a functioning society seems within their reach.

Carol, Daryl, Henry and Dog

Last week we saw Carol (Melissa McBride) run into Daryl (Norman Reedus) in the woods on her way to taking Henry (Matt Lintz) to Hilltop. We pick up with the two best friends as Carol wonders how long Daryl’s been camping out on the banks of the river. If his dog named “Dog” and the various walker traps surrounding the camp are any indication, it seems Daryl’s been roughing it since Rick blew up that bridge. It’s not long before Carol gets to the real reason she stopped by for a visit and her son is none too pleased with it. Carol wants Daryl to go to Hilltop and keep an eye on her idealistic son while she’s handling issues at the Kingdom. Henry doesn’t feel like he needs a babysitter, but Carol knows her son has a way of falling into trouble and probably thinks Daryl could use the change of scenery. Besides, the archer is the only person she would trust to protect Henry. Whether this is just a way for Carol to get Daryl to leave his isolation and rejoin the group is hard to say, but the woman is smart and she knows that Daryl rarely says no to her. That’s why it’s shocking when Daryl declines her request and says, “He’s gonna have to learn, like you and I did.”

While Carol’s trip to Hilltop is on temporary Dixon hold, Michonne (Danai Gurira), Siddiq (Avi Nash) and D.J. (Matt Mangum) escort Magna’s (Nadia Hilker) group to the community that they’re hoping will be their new home. On the way, Yumiko (Eleanor Mastuura) apologizes to Michonne for their leader’s attitude which she contributes to losing their friend, the paisley shirt wearing Bernie. Apparently, Bernie and his fashion sense grew on Magna and she took the loss hard. We see how hard when the group makes a pit stop at their camp and notices the entire place has been ransacked; a keen reminder of their loss and the death of their friend. Michonne sees this as the perfect opportunity to announce that she only went on this trip to make sure Magna’s story checked out. It does and now she’s heading back to Alexandria and lets Siddiq and D.J. decide if they want to continue the trip or not. Of course, Magna sees this as a dangerous turn of events and requests their weapons back now that the head of security is bailing. She gets voted down by her group because the safety Hilltop can offer is worth playing by the no weapons rule.

Jesus and Aaron’s Fight Club

Over at Hilltop we finally see that the community is thriving, even after Maggie (Lauren Cohan) bailed to go live with Georgie and her group. Left in charge is Jesus (Tom Payne), who doesn’t really take to the role as leader and has left the day to day business to Tara (Alanna Masterson). Tara, though, seems tired of doing all the work and not getting credit for it. She tries pushing Jesus to fulfill his duties since he was elected by the community members, but he’s more interested in sneaking off to meet with Aaron (Ross Marquand) for some fight training. Aaron, who is sporting a nice metal arm like the Apocalypse’s version of the Terminator, needs a little help with his zombie brawling skills and Jesus is the perfect teacher. After a few rounds of fight club, the two chat about how their rendezvous breaks the community fraternizing rules but considering Michonne doesn’t even know that Maggie left Hilltop the two men don’t appear too worried about the fall out. While discussing the community fair, the two men spot a flair bursting out from the trees and find a bloodied Rosita (Christian Serratos) who claims she left an injured Eugene (Josh McDermitt) behind in a barn. She explains that she was forced to run thanks to a herd of whispering walkers! Aaron and Jesus take Rosita back to Hilltop and send out a messenger to let Michonne know they have one of her own.

Back at the campsite, Daryl is whipping up some of his famous snake stew and Carol and Henry act grateful for the gruesome but filling meal.  After dinner Carol drags Daryl to a tree stump and cuts his hair while they quietly talk about why he’s left the communities. “We never found a body. Ever,” he says, meaning Daryl’s been looking for Rick this whole time! This man’s loyalty to his friends, whether it is Carol or Rick goes beyond all common sense but to Daryl no body means there’s still hope. After years of searching the river banks, living alone got easier and he just never left. Once the haircut is complete, and let’s be real he needed a bath more than a haircut, Carol gently pushes Daryl to move on from his fruitless search. He won’t ever find Rick’s body, especially since unbeknownst to either of them, Rick’s not dead! The scene between these two finds its brilliance and meaning in what is not said rather than what is. The way Carol handles Daryl, like a frightened animal she’s trying to rescue, speaks to their relationship and how well they know each other.  Whether you are a Carol and Daryl shipper or just find their friendship inspiring, there is little doubt that these two understand each other on a level that is indescribably perfect.

Later, Dog goes missing and Daryl, along with Henry, find the pup caught in a trap and surrounded by Walkers. Daryl orders Henry to get back but when he’s almost eaten by some hangry zombies Henry jumps in with his staff and saves his mother’s friend. This is the kid that needs a chaperone? Carol, who are you kidding? This was clearly a set up to get Daryl out of the woods and bond with your son! From the bushes and with her bow drawn, Carol watches as her son saves the man who all those years ago risked his life to save her daughter Sophia.

The Violin Take Down

With their campsite destroyed and walkers wandering the woods, Michonne and the newbies decide to hide out in a building for the night. After story time, Michonne goes into warrior mode when she hears a noise coming from another room. The swordswoman finds Luke (Dan Fogler) with his back tuned and holding something she assumes is a weapon. Before he can explain, Michonne swings her sword and smashes a violin Luke was holding. That priceless instrument was the one thing he was searching for in the campsite debris. The Stradivarius was a reminder of Luke’s old life and something he carried with him throughout their travels. Now, it’s a broken heap of lost dreams on the floor thanks to Michonne’s samurai skills. She realizes her mistake when Luke says he always saw music as the one thing that can bring humans together. When she asks him if he still believes that, even after she broke his Stradivarius, he assures her that he still does. Perhaps Michonne judged these newbies too harshly? They might be decent fighters, but their bonds with each other and their dreams of a better way of life are very reminiscent of early day Rick and company.

With Rosita in Hilltop’s infirmary, Jesus updates Tara on where he’s been running off to in lieu of leading the community. He admits to keeping in touch with the communities, regardless of the laws that have been put into place, hoping he can convince Alexandria to join the King’s fair. Tara agrees those are all good things, but Jesus is Hilltop’s leader and he’s needed there, not playing fight club in the woods with Aaron. She reminds him that there are people who are counting on him, whether he wants to be in charge or not, and when she leaves in the morning to find Eugene it is Jesus that decides to stay put!

Meanwhile, Daryl’s getting a lesson in friendship from Henry back at camp. Apparently, Carol misses and worries about Daryl and even though the Queen knows where to find him, Henry lets Daryl know she shouldn’t have to care about him. Worry is probably the right call because not only has Daryl isolated himself, but he’s also sporting that same X scar we saw previously on Michonne’s back! Nothing is explained about the scar, but it makes you wonder what happened in the last six years. Henry also lets Daryl know that his mother told him she trusts Daryl more than anyone else because he’s always had her back. Whether it’s guilt or Henry’s honesty, Daryl is taken aback and asks if the boy really wants a babysitter. Henry, who probably sees the bigger picture, thinks this is less about his safety and more about keeping Daryl safe for his mother. The boy vaguely answers that this isn’t just about him and that peaks Daryl’s interest.

The following morning brings big changes for both Michonne and Daryl. Siddiq all but begs Michonne to come to Hilltop and mentions that it’s safe now that Maggie left the community. He doesn’t go into details since the group is surrounded by walkers and an epic fight ensues. The newbies along with Michonne, D.J. and Siddiq take the herd out with their swords and slingshots but once Bernie and his brightly colored shirt is spotted Michonne has a change of heart. She sees the pain in Magna’s face when she’s forced with the decision to put walker Bernie down. Michonne does Magna a favor and takes out Bernie for her but still refuses to go to Hilltop thanks to a promise she made to Judith. That changes when a hilltop resident (C. Thomas Howell) rides up with news that Hilltop has Rosita, forcing Michonne to break her promise and hightail it to the community.

Likewise, Daryl changes his mind about Henry when he wakes up in the morning to tell Carol they’ll be leaving for Hilltop shortly. Carol, with a smirk that says, “MY PLAN WORKED,” is pleased that both her best friend and son will be safe and looked after.

When they arrive at Hilltop, Henry is gaga over Enid and hopes the young doctor will remember him now that he’s all grown up. Carol tries easing his worries by calling him adorable, but Henry doesn’t want to be adorable unless Enid finds that attractive.

As Henry gets settled in at Hilltop, Aaron updates Daryl on Eugene and asks the archer/tracker to join in the search. The episode ends with the group gearing up for “Operation Rescue the Rat Tail” and even Jesus, who was ordered by Tara to stay in Hilltop and do his job, gets the okay to join the search. Tara knows forcing Jesus to lead is a lost cause, so she agrees to stay behind and fill in while he runs off to play mullet savior with Aaron and Daryl.

What happened between Maggie and Michonne during these last six years? Why would the warrior promise to stay away from Hilltop? Why did Maggie leave with Hershel to go live with Georgie? Why do both Michonne and Daryl have X scars on their backs? Find out the answers to these questions and more, next week, on the mid-season finale of “The Walking Dead.”