I really enjoyed the opening to this weeks episode, we got to learn a small backstory of another group, this one in Baltimore. The first flashback was 23 days in, Lydia’s dad looks very wound up, the mom looks and sounds a bit delusional as she sings to Lydia. Lydia is exchanging stories with Henry in jail, Lydia says that they do what they have to do to survive and that places like this never survive. Henry says that they will agree to disagree and wearing dead faces is a bit messed up. He asks about her dad, and she says he was a stupid man.
Outside in The Hilltop Tara, Magna and company go out to try to find Luke and Aldon, they are able to track down the horses being eaten by walkers. They kill all the walkers and upon inspection the horses were slit open before walkers got to them. Since Tara sees that it’s walkers and people she wants to go back until they can formulate a plan. Not all members of Magna’s group wants to give up and go back.
Back inside, Lydia is resisting Henry’s overtures for help, she says that hunger is a gift. Henry doesn’t understand and she doesn’t want to try to explain it to him because he wouldn’t get it. Henry continues to have word vomit, he tells her that he is from a place called the Kingdom, with his family which is about a days ride away. Daryl comes flying down all sorts of pissed off, he pulls Henry up to the surface and essentially tells him he needs to pull his head out of his ass. He has family there, who knows if they are alone and will go after them, Henry is caught up that he Daryl was listening to him. Daryl and Enid were switching off and it was working until he got stupid.
Flashback again, same message has been repeating over the radio for at least a day. Frank, Lydia’s dad is ready to leave, but Lydia’s mom wants to stay. People are getting a little stir crazy and she goes up and kills him in front of everyone. That night the body comes back to life and Lydia is the closest one, Frank pushes her out of the way and the walker bites his neck. Lydia’s mom just watches as he dies.
Daryl offers Lydia medicine for her ear, while getting water she tries to attack Daryl who is able to stop it and sees all sorts of bruises on her arm. Later he finds a switch and comes back down and asks her how she got the bruises and she admits it was from her mom. This is the moment things started to take a shift. She tries to remember another memory, on how her dad died, the person that her mom killed came back as a walker at night and Lydia was the closest one. Her dad got her out of the way and the walker bit him in the neck as Lydia was being held by her mom. Henry gets Lydia out that night to look around. Henry eats a worm and points out different things the Hilltop has, Lydia is about to get a hammer and says things like this aren’t supposed to exist, when she hears a baby cry. She loses it saying she is a good person over and over and asks to be put back in her cell and wants Henry to spend the night with her and they hold hands between the bars.
Yumiko and company sneak out of the Hilltop at night to look for Luke, it’s way to dark and they can’t find a good trail. Yumiko and Magna want to go back but the others don’t. Turns out Whisperers are hiding in the bushes watching them.
Daryl goes to see Lydia in the morning and sees them together, he gives her water and medicine for her ear. Lydia seems defeated a bit, says her mom won’t come for her. Their code is if someone is captured or dies they forget about them and move on, they avoid big groups unless they have to. Lydia said she was hoping to get as much information so when she escaped she would have information so they would take her back. If her mom did find their people she can’t think of a reason they would keep them alive. They move around a lot and don’t have a set camp.
Lydia thought all about the family was true, but she knew her mom lied over and over. She knew what she was and what she did. When the walker came and people were wrecking havoc Lydia’s mom was ready to leave, saying everyone is panicking because they are idiots. Frank says that Lydia is staying with him, and she says, hell she does. Frank got hit and laid against the wall, Lydia’s mom went up to him and motioned to Lydia to be quiet. She knows her dad was murdered. She apologizes that she couldn’t help them and wasted their time.
Yumiko and Magna get back to the Hilltop and sees Tara on the perch. Yumiko wants to go talk to Tara. Yumiko says it was wrong of them to leave and wishes they realized it sooner. She tells Tara they found nothing. The other two members with Yumiko and Magna were being led back by guards from Hilltop. Tara wasn’t taking any chances and had the guards follow them. She said in the future next time you want to challenge one of my decisions come and talk to my about it. I doesn’t know if what I’m doing is right but I don’t want anyone to die.
Yumiko and Tara sees something that makes your skin crawl. Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
A bunch of Whisperers are coming in a pack to the Hilltop. One person has their walker mask off. Everyone at the Hilltop is SHOOOOOOOK at the site of them at the gate.
The one without a mask says, I am Alpha, we only want one thing from you, my daughter.
