HOLLYWOOD—Last week audiences got their first look at Alpha (Samantha Morton), the woman who leads ‘The Whisperers’ on “The Walking Dead.” This week’s episode, ‘Bounty’ saw our protagonists come face-to-face with their newest threat. I can’t believe this, we’re finally getting a tease again at what the hell is happening at The Kingdom, but it’s not what you think. Ezekiel and Carol seem happy, but it soon became a realization to me we were getting a glimpse at the past. How so? We already know that Jesus is dead.
Fast-forward to the present, with Alpha showing Daryl and company that her army is quite massive to say the least. Enid is proving her abilities as the lead doctor on staff at The Hilltop. Tara, Daryl and Magna decided the approach best to remedy the situation. Alpha did not want to create a war, but Daryl was not ready to barter a deal. This ripple in the narrative is driving me nuts; I’m trying to piece its importance, but I don’t see it.
Daryl looked Alpha straight in her face and made it clear that he was willing to fight, but hearing the cries of a baby forced him to think twice. Carol and Ezekiel used music to lure walkers out of a theater, yet, I still have no clue why. Connie was spotted by Luke and Alden from a distance. Daryl, Tara and Magna were NOT PLEASED to discover that Lydia escaped her cell, and it was the direct result of that careless teen Henry. Enid was able to locate Henry and plead with him to return Lydia back to the campgrounds. He was unable to process Enid’s reasoning, and it worked.
Daryl returned Lydia to her mother, even though it was clear the teen did not want to go back to her mom. Alpha delivered a slap to her daughter’s face for betraying her, and all of Hilltop witnessed it. I think there is a ton of guilt knowing they were sending this teen back into the arms of a monster; not just figuratively, but literally. In return, Luke and Alden were released, but I sense Alpha has other plans in place for our heroes. This seemed to be a very slow episode if you want me to be honest.
While they looked trapped, Carol, Ezekiel, Jerry and other members of The Kingdom found a way to escape. Henry attempted to pry into Daryl’s past, but our new leader was not willing to share on his backstory. Henry is indeed an interesting character, but I sense his curiosity is going to cause major problems moving forward. The kid does not seem to realize that while things don’t seem to be the best fit in terms of morality, it is what has to be done to ensure survival.
Daryl read a letter from Henry indicating that he left the camp to go search for Lydia. I just argued that Henry was going to place the lives of others in danger and look what happened. Now Daryl and Connie are on a mission to locate the teen before something bad happens. Based on the teaser for next week’s episode, Henry will be caught by The Whisperers and it looks like Lydia might be forced to do the unthinkable thanks to her mother. Until next Sunday “Walking Dead” die-hards!