Death becomes her. And him. And them over there, too. Death came for everyone.
That's because the Wolves came for Alexandria on tonight's The Walking Dead—and Alexandria was not prepared. Like, at all.
While Rick and his selected group of fighters were off luring walkers away from the settlement, it was supposed to be just another day on the homestead. There was Carol collecting supplies from the food pantry and scolding random neighbor Shelly about smoking. Elsewhere, Carl was alive and well and offering to teach Father Gabriel to defend himself. We watched Deanna and Maggie planning a garden in the new expansion, and met Alexandria's new doctor, Denise. (Hi, Merritt Wever!) And then there was Carol watching Shelly take a freaking machete to the head. Wait—what?
That's right, those heartless Wolves Lauren Cohan warned us about finally struck, and it was a legitimate blood bath. There wasn't a single Alexandrian extra who didn't take an axe or machete to their appendages. The level of overkill to the attack was startling, as we saw many a Wolf hacking Alexandrian bodies apart long after their poor victim had expired. This was the first time we've seen such a demented bloodlust in a human foe on the series. Previously, the living villains our heroes have faced had either sought control (the Governor) or food (ick, Gareth and the Terminus creeps). Here, it seems the only goal is death and destruction, and that's a horrifying thing to face because it can not be reasoned with.
It was a brutal episode that separated those in Alexandria who are willing to fight to protect what's theirs (Jessie and Aaron) from those who aren't anywhere near being ready (Deanna and Spencer). It also reminded us that Carol (Melissa McBride) has become the ultimate bad ass. She quickly spun into action the minute she saw ol' Shelly get hacked to death on her front lawn, disguising herself as a Wolf she took out so she could walk freely among them and start taking them out, one by one. Seriously, Carol has become a one-woman army and it is awesome. She may not know how to talk to a kid without scaring the daylight of them anymore, but she'll keep that kid alive.
In the end, though, Carol's brute force wasn't enough to scare the remaining Wolves off. No, that's where Morgan (Lennie James) came into play. Arriving back at Alexandria just after the attack began, he was able to get that damn truck horn turned off while Spencer (Austin Nichols) just stared at the walker in the way. (So that's what we heard at the end of last week!) He manages to rescue Gabriel—who of course needed rescuing because Gabriel is THE WORST—without killing the Wolf. Of course, Carol shows up and puts one between the guy's eyes, but Morgan is committed to not taking any more lives. He even succeeds in scaring off five Wolves with just his awesome staff skills. Of course, this is The Walking Dead and one's ideals are kept to for very long. Sorry, final Wolf hiding out in Morgan's house! This was not your lucky day.
The Wolves may have retreated, but this was no victory for Alexandria. They suffered unconscionable loss, the Wolves are almost guaranteed to strike again—and soon—and there's the little problem of the massive horde of walkers on the way. Like we said: Nothing will ever be the same.
Spare Parts:
- How depressing was that cold open showing Carl's crush Enid before she arrived at Alexandria? She watched her parents get eaten alive and she ate a turtle raw. Horrific. Gross.
- How long until Jessie's son Ron bites it? Who turns down protection from Carl RIGHT AFTER HE SAVED HIS LIFE just because his girl is in Carl's house? Idiot.
- Doctor Denise and Eugene are going to hook up. You heard it here first.
- "People don't belong here anymore." These Wolves are terrifying.
- "Just survive somehow." So that's what Enid was writing all over the place. How long until Carl goes to search for her?
What did you think of the Wolves? Too brutal or just what you'd hoped? Sound off in the comments below!
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.