The Walking Dead – The Storm

By: Kelly Kearney

After losing their loved ones to Alpha’s horrific pike border, the communities do their best to put their lives back together. As a winter blizzard approaches, the Kingdom’s infrastructure suffers forcing the King to abandon his home and seek refuge for his people in Hilltop. With a cavalcade led by Daryl, Michonne and a few Alexandrians the survivors are forced make a choice between crossing Alpha’s border on route to Hilltop or freezing and starving to death if they don’t.

The Kingdom Has Fallen

In a narration that bookends both the start and end of “The Storm” episode, Ezekiel (Khary Payton) is talking to someone on the radio about the fate of the Kingdom. After Alpha’s (Samantha Morton) massacre the community tried to save their crumbling home, but the cold weather got he best of their plumbing and made the Kingdom unlivable. No clean water, no supplies and no food forced The King to make a tough decision he fought hard to avoid. The Kingdom is gone and his people need a place to call home, something that he promised to provide as their leader. Michonne (Danai Gurira), Daryl (Norman Reedus) and a few others from Alexandria help the Kingdom gather their belongings and set out on the road to a new life at Hilltop. With Maggie (Lauren Cohan) gone and Tara (Alanna Masterson) and Jesus (Tom Payne) both dead there is no one to lead Hilltop and Jerry (Cooper Andrews) jokes that maybe they can change its name to Kingtop in order to reflect their new merging communities. It’s a sad moment to watch King Ezekiel and Queen Carol (Melissa McBride) close the gates on their home for the last time, but with loss comes change and these two are going though more than just a change in location.

On the road the weather goes from brisk to downright brutal and Jerry warns Ezekiel to find shelter before they all succumb to the elements. There are children and elderly traveling with them and the King fears they would not survive if the group got caught in a storm. As the two talk Ezekiel notices Carol walking behind him with Daryl. Since the loss of Henry (Matt Lintz) it seems Carol has been distant and Ezekiel blames Daryl for the change. In his eyes it’s Daryl’s fault Henry died. Carol, on the other hand, blames Lydia (Cassady McClincy) and can’t look at her without thinking of Henry’s head on Alpha’s pike. Daryl, who has stepped up as Lydia’s protector and father figure, insists that “She’s a good kid. Henry wanted her here.” Carol explains her husband’s chilly disposition by saying he blames Daryl because he doesn’t have the heart to blame her. When Daryl asks her what she sees when she looks at him Carol grabs his arm and assures him she only sees him. It is a sweet moment that doesn’t go unnoticed by Ezekiel who’s glaring at the both of them. If looks could kill Ezekiel would’ve turned Daryl into a walker!

As the weather intensifies the group realizes the closest outpost is too far away to safely make the trip. Michonne decides it’s best to take shelter at the nearest safe place, which happens to be the Sanctuary. It’s the first time many have been back to the Sanctuary and thanks to Negan’s recent field trip to his old stomping ground the place is walker free and safe for the night.

Negan and the Love Triangle

Back at Alexandria the weather has forced community members to huddle together to stay warm in two homes heated by solar panels and a fireplace. Father Gabe (Seth Gilliam) mentions to Siddiq (Avi Nash) that Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is still in his underground cell and has no chance of surviving the cold unless he stays with them. It’s a risk that nobody is sure they want to take. However, Gabe as the head of council insists it’s the right thing to do. It isn’t long before the reverend regrets that decision because Negan and his colorful commentary are a lot to put up with. Shackled to a bed the sarcastic prisoner mocks Gabe and his four’s a crowd baby situation. He even accuses Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Siddiq of playing doctor behind the good reverend’s back. To say Negan is a enjoys shaking things up is an understatement and his current victims are growing tired of his comments.

While Negan’s making Gabe miserable in Alexandria we see Michonne in the Sanctuary brainstorming about the weather. She pulls Ezekiel aside to tell him they can’t stay for long. The weather is only getting worse and if they’re snowed in it could be weeks before the roads outside are passable. With no food and water that means certain death, but so does fighting the elements and crossing a frozen river through Whisperer territory. Ezekiel doesn’t want to test Alpha’s border and risk more lives, but Carol pipes in to remind him, “Those are her borders. We never agreed to them.” The fact the Queen and King do not see eye to eye is a major turning point for the couple. The loss of Henry has taken its toll on their marriage and it doesn’t help that Carol finds out Ezekiel asked Daryl to leave the group. He pulled Daryl aside and asked for a fresh start with Carol, one that does not include Daryl’s presence! When Carol asks him if this is true he responds by asking her if she wants him to leave with Lydia. Carol obviously doesn’t want Daryl going anywhere and he admits he really doesn’t want to go anyway. The two friends sit side by side on the Sanctuary steps, keeping warm with a bottle of whiskey when Carol’s admits she’s losing herself again. She doesn’t know what she wants, but knows she can’t continue on like she has. It’s not fair to Ezekiel and it’s time she lives her truth, whatever that is.

After refueling and warming up the group heads out from the Sanctuary towards Alpha’s territory. Now the snow is ankle deep and the wind is brutal, which slows everything down, including the walkers. The travelers run into a few frozen zombies that shatter like glass when hit with a sword or arrow. The hungry dead can’t attack, or so they think.

Making Amends

As the group tackles the evils of wintery weather, Lydia is tackling her own demons and concludes that everyone would be best if she was gone. She takes off when nobody is looking and Carol spies her kneeling in the snow, attempting to commit suicide by walker. She’s offering an ice trapped zombie her bare arm as a snack. Lydia realizes she’s being watched and heads back to the group. Minutes later, while Daryl is busy checking the safety of the ice-covered river, Lydia runs away again and Carol offers to go after her. When she finds Lydia the guilt-ridden girl begs Carol to kill her. Losing Henry to her mother is too much for Lydia to live with. It’s only fitting that Henry’s mother get her revenge by taking Alpha’s daughter’s life. She tells Carol that Henry saw the good in her, but she isn’t good. She is weak just like her mother always said she was. She grabs the pointed end of Carol’s spear/walking stick and places it against her chest, begging for the Queen to end her life. Instead, Carol pushes her out of the way, kills a walker that is inches from attacking the girl and reaches for Lydia’s hand saying, “You’re not weak.” Maybe Carol saw the same abused and confused girl in Lydia that she saw in herself – the same thing Daryl sees when he looks at her. Surviving abuse is the tie that binds Carol to Daryl and now they both see that familiar beast in Lydia. Hand in hand, Carol leads her back to the group just as Daryl escorts the others across the icy river.

After battling a few defrosted and very hungry walkers (not all are frozen ice pops) Daryl leads the entire group across the river and through Alpha’s border. Finally, their journey ends in Hilltop with the group feeling weary but safe. Their relief is quickly snuffed out when their Queen breaks up with their King! Carol tells Ezekiel that she is going to Alexandria with Daryl, Michonne and Lydia and then tries to give him back his wedding ring, but her husband refuses to take it. He tells her he will always love her, but he understands why she has to leave. The couple says their goodbye as Carol thanks him for the fairytale, even if it was short lived. It was a dream that was bound to come to an end, but it was nice while it lasted.

As the Kingtoppers settle in, Alexandria is having problems of their own. After a blocked flue leads to an almost deadly explosion, Eugene (Josh McDermitt) thinks it’s best to relocate to another location in Alexandria. Judith (Cailey Fleming), Dog, Rosita, Negan, Gabe, Eugene and Siddiq walk in a single file line as they are pummeled with snow and wind. It’s a total white out and somehow Judith loses her grip on Dog’s leash which sends the canine running and his pint-sized keeper after him. Negan freaks because Judith is the only friend he has and takes off after the little girl promising to bring her back. The weather is treacherous and makes the search all but impossible. In his search Negan gets knocked down by a flying piece of debris that leaves him with a large gaping wound on his leg. He screams for Judith as his bloody body crawls through the snow until he hears Dog barking. He musters up all of his energy and takes off in the direction of Dog’s barking. Finally, he locates Judith and Dog and throws the child over his shoulder, grabs her furry friend’s leash and starts on his path to redemption.

Alexandria and Team Family

With the storm dying down Carol, Daryl, Michonne and a few others finally make their way to Alexandria where they’re greeted to a snowball fight courtesy of Judith and R.J. (Antony Azor). After almost dying in the winter deluge, the snowball fight is a good way to blow off steam and it’s the first time we’ve seen the characters smiling since Alpha came on to the scene. Once everyone is settled Michonne pays Negan a visit in the infirmary where Siddiq is patching up his leg. She thanks him for saving Judith and the two have a somewhat friendly chat about what it means to be a leader and the choices they’re forced to make. Negan is impressed with Michonne ignoring Alpha’s border and reminds her that there will be consequences he hopes she’s ready to pay. Speaking from experience, Alpha will have to prove her power by punishing them for breaking her rules. Michonne and the others may think she is evil for what she’s done and probably will do, but he reminds her that people never think they’re wrong especially when they’re protecting their own.

Speaking of Alpha, she and her masked weirdos have been a no show the entire episode. It makes sense for her group to migrate like birds during the winter months. There is no way they could survive outside in the cold. When we see her she’s talking to Beta (Ryan Hurst) in the woods and there is no sign of the wintery weather our survivors are currently facing. She asks her second in command to make sure she’s ready for their fight ahead. Then, she rolls up her sleeve and presents her bare arm for Beta to viciously slash with a switch! All weird S&M Whisperer kinks aside, there is no telling how Alpha will respond to The Kingdom crossing her borders. Her threat to unleash her herd if they did was not an empty one.

As we cut away from the Whisperers’ bizarre war foreplay, we end the episode like it began with Ezekiel talking to Judith on the radio. The former King is updating the girl on the newly merged Kingtop and confiding in her about his guilt over failing his people. Always the hopeful one, Judith tells the King that maybe one day he can return to the Kingdom but for now it lives inside him and all the others who found peace inside its walls. The little girl signs off to go tackle some homework and Ezekiel leaves the room but forgets to tun off the radio. In the final moments of the episode we hear the radio crackling from static…and then we hear it. A voice emerging from the static, “Hello? Is there anyone out there?” With no one manning the radio the voice goes unheard, but it belongs to someone and who that someone is…is anyone’s guess.