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Season 8, Episode 13, ‘Do Not Send Us Astray’

That ‘The Walking Dead’ has chosen to be a largely anticipatory TV show, building to a single climactic conflict at a slow-burn pace, has been agreeable to some and agonizing to others. But regardless of whether a viewer appreciates the buildup or just wants everyone to get to the darn fireworks factory, the climaxes in this model of storytelling must eventually create a catharsis so satisfying that it retroactively validates all the narrative heel dragging. A related proposition is also often true: The more irritated an audience is with the setup, the more satisfying the release. Maybe that’s what’s been happening.

This week’s episode brings several long-percolating situations to a head, making the kind of lasting, substantive changes that a show struggling to create a sense of permanence badly needs. Difficult as Carl’s death might have been, it left a bruise on Rick still present even in this episode, and the protracted nature of his pain makes it feel real. The characters will be sorting through the aftermath of this episode for weeks to come, because once again, it takes the death of a child to wake up the leathery-tough adults to all the collateral damage their war games have wrought.

After tentatively bonding with Carol and Morgan over the past few episodes, a surefire sign that the boy is doomed, Henry joins Carl in the juniors section of the afterlife this week. His death has a somewhat sounder karmic justification than the needless martyring of Grimes the younger — Henry stupidly opened the gate containing the prisoners in a poorly-thought-through effort to take revenge on his parents’ murderers. Of course the situation gets away from him, and of course he becomes a victim to the ensuing melee. But from beyond the veil, Henry looms larger to the surviving characters than ever, an undeniable symbol of the infectious rot of the soul that these inhumane times spread like plague.

Carol and Morgan have spent recent installments quietly concerned that violence has estranged Henry from his own humanity, represented here by Morgan’s disturbing hallucinations of a bleeding Gavin telling him, “You know what it is.” (We may safely presume that the spectral Gavin means this as a nebulous prophecy, and not in the hip-hop sense.) As everyone readies for a cataclysmic reckoning, Ezekiel and Carol both agree that arming Henry would be wrong, and that whatever grains of the boy’s innocence still remain must be preserved.

Morgan senses the futility of this enterprise, however. He knows what it is.

Rick knows what it is, too. He’s still stunned by his son’s sacrifice, unable to speak about Carl when Siddiq approaches him with a patient ear. It’s been so long since the show treated a character’s death with such gravity, that seeing Rick still hurting four episodes later is a welcome reprieve from the usual depravity-of-the-week showcase. The circumstances surrounding Carl and Henry’s respective demises may differ, but speaking generally, the same thing happened to both of them. They are ancillary losses, caught up in the brutal riptide of combat.

This episode couldn’t have ended anywhere but a graveyard, and sure enough, Carol and Rick gaze out over rows and rows of makeshift headstones in this week’s final moments. Alongside them stands Maggie, who can do nothing but lament “the cost,” a universal umbrella term for everything precious they’ve lost. (Shades of Tony Soprano grumbling, “How could this happen?” to an absent God as he sits by his comatose nephew.) Maggie wrestles with self-doubt even as she continues to lust for vengeance against Negan, afraid that staying the course may imperil more innocent lives and wondering how many more they can lose while still considering this war worth fighting.

Because it’s not slowing down any time soon. Having last been seen riding shotgun with a very angry Jadis, Negan is out of sight in this episode, and hardly out of mind. Simon’s ill-advised power grab among the Saviors has been built entirely around the shaky notion that everything he wants also happens to be what Negan would have wanted. Simon is a persuasive enough public speaker that this manipulation works, for the most part — though maybe it’s just that commanding handlebar mustache — but that will fall apart in undoubtedly violent fashion once Negan returns.

Simon cannot be entirely unaware of this, judging by the haste with which he accelerates the Savior counteroffensive. He knows enough to wield the power while he has it, and he won’t let go of it without leaving a few claw marks. The show’s “all out war” arc can’t last forever, and discord among the Saviors could be the resolution Rick’s coalition (and the writing staff) have been looking for.

“I don’t think it ends,” muses Carol in the episode’s most telling moment. Her words can expand to cover the entire show, from the war raging around them to the endless cycle of Pyrrhic victories and crushing defeats that has given the show’s entire run an orderly shape. This episode makes the heartening suggestion that she might not be correct. Whether it’s enemy infighting or a surge of energy on the home front, something has to end all the bloodshed soon. Scanning their private cemetery as if it were a D.I.Y. Arlington, they realize that it has to. They have long since given up too much.

A Few Thoughts While We Survey the Wreckage:

• It’s perversely reassuring that no matter how grave a predicament he’s in, Gregory can always be counted on to do the most annoying thing imaginable. Even when begging for his life from a child, he somehow manages not to shed his innate unpleasantness. If the showrunners really want to boost viewership numbers, all they would have to do is aggressively advertise a coming episode as an uncut, 53-minute Gregory death scene.

• The large-scale battle scenes wouldn’t be worth a hill of beans if they didn’t competently orchestrate the chaos, and fortunately, these sequences are among the season’s best directed. A combination of frenetic cutting, “Saving Private Ryan”-style hand-held camerawork and driving drum ’n’ bass music amount to a disorienting facsimile of war’s senselessness.

• Darryl and Tara share some heated words this week, their presence together highlighting just how extraneous they’ve become to the grander workings of the show this season. Daryl’s sharpshooting provides a convenient way out when the writers have worked themselves into a tactical corner, but it still feels as if “The Walking Dead” didn’t know what to do with them.

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The Walking Dead

Rick searches for his family in a world terrorized by the walking dead. Morgan and Duane help teach Rick the new rules for survival.

Rick unknowingly causes a group of survivors to be trapped by walkers and must confront an enemy far more dangerous than the undead.

Rick goes back to Atlanta to retrieve the bag of guns and save a man's life. Lori and Shane deal with the return of someone they thought was dead.

Rick's mission to Atlanta is jeopardized when things go awry. Jim becomes unhinged in the camp.

Rick leads the group to the CDC after the attack. Jim must make a terrible life and death decision.

Rick and the group are allowed into the CDC by a strange doctor. But not all is what it seems in their newly found haven.

Rick leads the group out of Atlanta. On the highway, they are stopped by a threat unlike anything they have seen before. Someone goes missing.

Coming to the aid of another, Rick discovers a possible safe haven. Shane must go on a dangerous mission to get badly needed medical supplies.

The group desperately awaits Shane's return. Shane finds himself trapped in a school, surrounded by walkers. Daryl and Andrea search for someone.

Rick negotiates with Hershel to let the group stay on the farm while the others contend with an unusual threat. Glenn goes on a mission.

In the woods alone, Daryl finds a clue but is injured and attacked by walkers. Rick questions his choices. Glenn gets mixed signals from Maggie.

Glenn tries to keep two secrets. Andrea discovers a new skill and is forced to put it to the test. Rick learns something about someone close to him.

The group discovers a grave threat right under their noses. Rick works with Hershel to avoid a dangerous impasse. Dale confronts Shane.

The group tries to restore order in the aftermath of a terrible discovery. Hershel disappears, Rick and Glenn must follow him into town.

Trapped, Rick, Hershel and Glenn fight to survive against new foes, both dead and alive. Shane makes it his mission to bring Lori back to the farm.

Rick and Shane come into conflict over the fate of a prisoner. Andrea helps Hershel's youngest daughter face a crucial decision.

Rick sides with Shane on an important decision. Dale worries that the group is losing its humanity. Carl's actions have unintended consequences.

The group learns that someone dangerous may be on the loose. As night falls, Rick, Shane, Daryl and Glenn comb the woods to handle the situation.

Rick returns to find the farm in jeopardy. The group is split up in the ensuing chaos. With things looking grim, Rick's leadership is questioned.

With the world growing more dangerous and Lori's pregnancy advancing, Rick searches for a safer home for the beleaguered group.

The shocking discovery of new foes further complicates matters as Rick and the group fight to save the life of one of their own.

After witnessing an accident, Andrea and Michonne meet a new community of survivors who may not be as helpful as they seem.

Michonne and Andrea figure out their new surroundings as the group at the prison is forced to deal with multiple conflicts.

Rick struggles to cope with his latest loss. Michonne remains suspicious of the Governor when he throws a party with a unique attraction.

As Andrea grows closer to the Governor, Michonne makes a decision about Woodbury. Glenn and Maggie decide to go on a run.

The Governor shows his true colors as he presses for information. A new guest starts to stir things up at the prison.

The group at the prison decides they must fight for their own as the people of Woodbury are thrown into uncharted territory.

Rick tries to rescue a member of the group. Woodbury is in disarray after a recent attack. New guests raise concerns at the prison.

As the group debates their next course of action, Rick wanders after a friend. The Governor tries to restore order in Woodbury.

Their security threatened, Rick and the group must make a choice. Andrea decides to take matters into her own hands as Woodbury is in a police state.

Realizing they are heavily outgunned against the Governor's forces, Rick decides to lead an expedition to get more weapons.

In an effort to prevent any more deaths, Rick and the Governor decide to sit down and discuss the possibility of a peace treaty.

The Governor chases a dissenter who fled Woodbury. While the Governor is gone, a traitor tries to sabotage his upcoming plans.

Rick and the group are faced with a serious problem: If they want a truce with the Governor, they will have to make a huge sacrifice.

Rick and the group have to seriously consider if the prison is worth defending as the Governor's impending attack looms.

Rick's group finds the prison has become a relatively safe base, but a close call with a stranger reminds them they can never let down their guard.

Some of the survivors are quarantined to prevent a virus from spreading. Carol takes two girls under her wing, and Tyreese makes a shocking discovery.

As the virus spreads, Hershel becomes a de facto medic, isolating some of the afflicted and sending the group to a veterinary college for supplies.

Bob's deception is revealed while the group tries to get medicine at the college; Rick and Carol discuss the consequences of Carol's confession.

In the quarantined zone at the prison, Hershel, Sasha and Glenn tend to the flu victims, who reanimate at an alarming rate.

In a flashback, the Governor stumbles upon the apartment of adult sisters Lilly and Tara, their disabled father and Lilly's daughter, Meghan.

Martinez rescues Meghan and the Governor from the pit and invites them to join his camp -- on the condition that they recognize him as the leader.

With Michonne and Hershel as their hostages, the Governor rallies his group for an attack on the prison, where all-out war ensues.

Rick and Carl set out on their own to find supplies and hole up in an abandoned house, where Carl lashes out at his weakened father.

Beth and Daryl search for survivors of the prison attack. Tyreese meets a father and son who tell him about a place of refuge called Terminus.

Michonne and Carl bond during a supply run, and Abraham pledges to get Eugene to Washington, D.C., to meet with government officials.

Beth and Daryl share an evening bonding over peach schnapps and moonshine when the tension at the camp grows too stifling.

Maggie splits off from Bob and Sasha when she finds a map to Terminus. Walkers besiege a funeral home where Daryl and Beth are hiding.

On their way to Terminus, Tyreese's group finds a house that may be a safe haven, but Mika and Lizzie's strange behavior there threatens them all.

Glenn's group tries to catch up with Maggie and the others on the way to Terminus, and a squabble demonstrates the role of rules in this new reality.

As survivors cross paths on the way to Terminus, Rick comes face-to-face with sheer brutality and is pushed to the limit.

Trapped in the train car, the terrified group waits to see what grisly fate their Terminus captors have in store for them. Gareth questions Rick.

The group meets a priest who seems to be hiding something despite his hospitality. Later, Bob makes a horrifying discovery about Terminus.

Confronted by Rick and Sasha, Father Gabriel makes a startling confession. Abraham pushes the group to continue on to D.C., but Rick wants to wait.

An injured Beth wakes up in the hospital, where she's put to work tending to patients and tries to figure out whom she can trust.

An accident stalls the group's push to Washington. After a horde of walkers attacks, a troubled Eugene confides in Tara.

On the trail of the car with the white cross, Carol and Daryl wind up in Atlanta, where they spot another vehicle with the same symbol.

Rick's group tries to determine the best course of action in Atlanta, while Beth mounts her own rescue effort. Tara comes to Eugene's defense.

Father Gabriel, Carl and Michonne scramble to fend off walkers at the church. At the hospital, Rick negotiates a hostage exchange.

The Atlanta group accompanies Noah to his hometown in Virginia, where he hopes to reunite with his family. But danger awaits.

Back on the road, the demoralized group searches desperately for food and takes refuge from a raging storm in an abandoned barn.

The group must decide whether a stranger's offering is a gift or a trap. Rick is suspicious, but Michonne decides to check out his story.

Rick and the other survivors are welcomed into the Alexandria safe zone, but they worry that the community is vulnerable to walkers.

Carol devises a plan to sneak into the armory and steal weapons. Aaron enlists Daryl as a recruiting partner. Sasha offers to serve as a lookout.

Abraham proves his worth in Alexandria during a walker attack. Deanna worries that the new arrivals may have too much power.

Rick confronts Deanna about Pete. Glenn warns Nicholas not to leave the community. Daryl and Aaron come across a disturbing sight in the woods.

When Deanna calls a meeting to determine if Rick should be exiled, the group readies their defense. Aaron and Daryl track a man wearing a red poncho.

Still struggling to assimilate in Alexandria, Rick and the group must temper their violent tendencies despite a new threat to the community.

While some members of the group work to divert the herd of walkers, those back in Alexandria deal with another kind of danger.

Glenn and Michonne race against time to lead the Alexandrians back home to safety before the herd can catch up with them, but not all goes as planned.

Morgan tells the story of how he met a fellow survivor who helped him find peace and embrace a philosophy of nonviolence.

In the aftermath of Alexandria's recent attack, morale crumbles among the inhabitants inside the gate. Aaron offers to help Maggie search for Glenn.

While luring the herd away from Alexandria, Daryl is separated from Abraham and Sasha and encounters three strangers.

Rick confronts Morgan about his refusal to kill and wonders whether they can trust the Alexandrians to protect the community.

With Alexandria's wall breached, those inside are unable to escape the invading herd and must fight to the death to defend themselves.

Daryl, Abraham and Sasha face a menacing new enemy. Back in Alexandria, Rick and the others carefully put an escape plan into action.

Daryl and Rick go on a high-flying supply run and encounter a wily stranger. And amid the chaos, romance blossoms in Alexandria.

The group ponders whether to trust a new arrival who warns them about a formidable foe. While on a journey, they face a critical decision.

Rick and Morgan butt heads as the group prepares for their biggest battle yet. Meanwhile, Carol's past comes back to haunt her.

The group's run-in with the Saviors has unexpected repercussions, leading to a trying ordeal that takes an emotional toll.

With medicine running low, Denise goes on a supply run with Daryl and Rosita. Meanwhile, Eugene tries to prove himself to Abraham.

Multiple search parties leave Alexandria when they learn that one of their own is missing. Morgan comes clean about a secret.

Rick and the others weigh their options when a high-stakes mission to Hilltop proves more complicated than they expected.

Cornered by Negan's men, Rick and the group are forced to face grisly consequences. The Saviors seize a hostage.

Two of the survivors arrive at the Kingdom, a seemingly idyllic new community headed by a leader with a flair for the dramatic.

An Alexandrian imprisoned at the Savior compound learns how Dwight became one of Negan's men -- and refuses to go down that path.

When the Saviors pay a visit to Alexandria to seize supplies, the group looks to Rick for a way out. Father Gabriel thinks on his feet.

Gregory arrives at the Hilltop and orders Maggie and Sasha to leave. While Rick goes on a supply run, Carl sets out on a mission of his own.

An Alexandrian winds up in an isolated community and must determine whether its residents are potential friends or foes.

A stowaway from Alexandria gets a tour of the Savior compound. Spencer challenges Rick's leadership. Ano ang pagbasa. Rosita demands Eugene's help.

Negan makes himself at home in Alexandria. Rick and Aaron find a cryptic message on a supply run. Richard visits Carol and Morgan with a request.

Rick and the group weigh their options for striking back at the Saviors and try to enlist the Hilltop and the Kingdom in their fight.

Richard plots to incite war with the Saviors. While searching for a missing Alexandrian, Rick and the others encounter a strange new society.

Negan's newest prisoner gets a taste of the good life at the Sanctuary and is rewarded for his ingenuity. Dwight lands in hot water.

Rick and Michonne scavenge for guns. Rosita grows tired of waiting for the group to act. Tara weighs whether to tell Rick about Oceanside.

Carol visits the Kingdom and interrogates Morgan. Tensions come to a head when Ezekiel's crew hands off supplies to the Saviors.

Maggie prepares the people of Hilltop to go to war with the Saviors. Desperate for action, Sasha and Rosita team up on a covert mission.

Tara leads a group of Alexandrians to Oceanside. Gregory resents Maggie's growing authority. Negan implores a new prisoner to join the Saviors.

Dwight presents a plan to Daryl. Sasha flashes back to better times. Rick and the group await the Saviors' arrival in Alexandria.

Rick, Ezekiel and Maggie plot an elaborate attack on the Sanctuary. Carl encounters a mysterious stranger at a gas station.

Daryl and Rick search for a stash of guns. While Carol and Ezekiel track an escaped Savior, Tara and Jesus debate whether to show mercy on a captive.

Rick lands in a tense showdown with a former ally. An increasingly erratic Morgan spars with Jesus. Maggie weighs a traitor's fate.

Survivors of a devastating attack fight for their lives. On her own at a Savior outpost, Carol must think -- and act -- fast.

Trapped in the trailer, Negan and Gabriel open up about their pasts. Back at the Sanctuary, Negan's lieutenants argue about their next move.

Rick approaches Jadis with an offer. Carol pleads with Ezekiel to keep fighting. Rosita and a restless Michonne head to the Sanctuary.

Eugene confronts Dwight and keeps watch over an ailing Gabriel. With Morgan and Tara's buy-in, Daryl sets a rogue plan in motion.

Enid and Aaron set out on a risky mission. Maggie and Jesus's caravan encounters a roadblock. Carl takes a stand against Negan in Alexandria.

Carol ushers the Kingdom survivors to safety, then returns to face Ezekiel's captors. Carl advises his father to turn away from vengeance.

Rick and Michonne encounter a surprise at the junkyard. Maggie delivers a message from the Hilltop. Enid and Aaron's life is in Cyndie's hands.

Daryl leads the Alexandrians to the Hilltop. With resources dwindling, Maggie faces a difficult decision. Gabriel urges Dr. Carson to have faith.

Daryl makes amends to Rick. Maggie finds a crate with a mysterious note. On the road with Dwight, Simon questions Negan's plan.

With Negan nowhere to be found, Simon leads an attack against the Hilltop. Tara defends Dwight to Daryl. Morgan is haunted by visions.

A prisoner at the junkyard faces an uncertain fate. Michonne pleads with Rick to confront his grief. Carol and Morgan search for Henry.

Rick reads Carl's letter imploring him to make peace. Aaron refuses to give up on Oceanside. Rosita and Daryl take a hostage.

Allies band together in a final push against the Saviors as leaders weigh their thirst for revenge against hope for a peaceful future.