The first half of the current season is coming to an end tonight and with that end, we see that some of our favorite characters are caught in a very life or death situation at the end of the episode. With that, we got major developments with Michonne, Gabriel, and Aaron. Here is my recap and review of “The World Before.”

The episode opens with a flashback showing us how Dante infiltrated Alexandria shortly after the barn slayings. Alpha and Dante were at the border and it is noted that he recently became a Whisperer at the time. Dante also does not know Lydia and Dante was the one spray painting “Silence The Whisperers” all over Alexandria. He also left Alpha messages for her to recieve inside a tree and after that, we are shown that he acted like a survivor in trouble and that is when he was rescued by Connie and the rest. We also find out that Dante is the one pulling all of the water switches to undrinkable so that way, Gamma could poison the water. Dante is also the person that killed Cheryl in the previous episode as well. Flashforward to the current time and Dante closed Siddiq’s eyes after he killed him. He was about to put him down incase if he turns, but Rosita with Coco opens the door. They talk about Coco needing more rest and Dante tries to buy enough time for him to get back to what he was about to do. Siddiq then turned and Dante pulls out a knife and tried to attack Rosita. While this was going on, Siddiq who is now a walker, was about to devour Coco. Rosita got the upperhand and attacked him back and even stabs him. Rosita puts down walker Siddiq.

Aaron has a conversation with Gamma and she asks about her nephew. Aaron told Gamma that they named him Adam and he will not allow her to see him because her sister left him behind. Gamma purposes a trade. Adam, for information. Aaron told her that she will have to give him information first before he decides to go with the trade. Gamma takes off her mask and told Aaron that her birth name was Mary. Daryl begins to interrogate Dante and he punches him until he gets an answer. Rosita, Carol, and Gabriel are watching this happen and they all ask why he killed Siddiq. Dante said that he wanted a chance to be heard and also brings up the the heads on pikes which then caused for Rosita to kick him until he fell. Aaron arrives and tells them that Gamma told Aaron where the location of the horde is. Daryl told Aaron that they will go to Hiltop to get Adam and then they will look for Lydia. Michonne, Judith, Luke, and Scott are heading to Oceanside. While they are going there, Luke makes a whistle and Judith wanted to know what it was. Judith was also writing in her book and what she is writing is the story of the group. Luke mentioned that there is a library not too far and that they can also get history books there too. Michonne also told Judith that they have to be as quiet as possible and they decide to make a pit stop at the library. At the library, Judith finds a book about a satellite and she told Michonne that Eugene would love it. Rosita also calls Michonne over the radio. Luke goes off on his own to observe the area and he finds a sheet music book. A walker grabs him by the leg, and another grabs his shoulder. A survivor (we learn later in the episode that his name is Virgil) saves Luke by killing the behind walker and leaves the library. Luke killed the walker that grabbed his leg and told Michonne of what happened. Michonne informs everyone that Siddiq is dead and that they must go to Oceanside now.

The funeral of Siddiq takes place at Alexandria and Gabriel is the one to hold it. After Gabriel gives his euliogy, Carol and Ezekiel speak and he could not believe that Siddiq is gone. Ezekiel was convinced that Siddiq would survive forever. Ezekiel then asked Carol if she needed help with taking down Alpha’s herd and she told him that she could handle it. Ezekiel told her “good luck” as they parted ways. Rosita was by herself until she heard walkers banging on the wall. She killed two of them, but she had a hard time taking down the walker with the helmet because she is still hurt from losing Siddiq. Eugene helps her take that walker down and gives his condolences too. Gabriel is watching Dante’s arrival interview and Rosita and him get into a heated argument. On Rosita’s side, she is angry that he is not listening to her vent about her being used to taking down walkers and that she could have died. On Gabriel’s side, he has more important things to deal with at the moment and that her venting, added more uneeded stress as her feelings cannot predict the future. Rosita thinks that Dante was right about everyone at Alexandria right now that they are very weak in the inside. Aaron is with his daughter Gracie and she wanted to hear him talk about California. He told her a story of his boyfriend and where they used to travel along with the village that they were in before he went to Alexandria. I think that I want to see these two interract more. Michonne and the rest arrive at Oceanside and she asks Jules and Rachel how long has it been since they had new people there and they said since before the fire. Michonne wanted them to be on high alert. A few members of Oceanside captured Virgil and Michonne wanted to know where he is from and if he was a Whisperer. Luke told Michonne that he saved him, but Jules also told Michonne that he was trying to steal a boat. Virgil told them all that he was just trying to go home. Michonne told him that he will tell her everything. Before they could continue, walkers are approaching and they begin to take them down and Michonne is yelling Judith’s name.

Gabriel enters the cell area to question Why Dante killed Siddiq and if the stories that he told him on the interview were true. Dante told him why, but Gabriel asked him if he think that people could get a second chance. He also says that he loved Siddiq as a brother. Gabriel then stabbed Dante to death until he died. Rosita with Coco did however see Gabriel leave the cell area through the window. Virgil tried to run while everyone else is killing walkers and Judith stopped him by cutting his leg. She called for Michonne and she arrives as they captured him. Daryl, Carol, and Aaron meets up with Jerry, Connie, Kelly, and Magna. Daryl thanks Connie and she told him via a message “anything for us.” At night, they cross one of Alpha’s borders and Carol almost got caught in a bear trap. Daryl saved her and Daryl was concerned for her mental state as he told her that it felt like he was talking to a ghost ever since she got off the boat. Carol told him that she is doing the best that she can and Daryl told her that he is the one that she tells. The both hug after this as he understands why she is the way she is right now and told her that Alpha is not worth risking her life over. Gabriel is burning Dante’s corpse and Rosita watches it too by coming to his side. Virgil wakes up and told Judith to not go through his belongings. He tried to grab it back, but he fell and Judith told him that his stitches would get affected if he keeps doing that. Michonne finally speaks with Virgil and we learn that he is there for supplies and does not want to hurt anyone.He even says that mercy’s in short supplies these days and Michonne told him that it reminded her of what Rick Grimes used to say (“my mercy previails over my wrath”). Virgil does not want to tell her where he lives to protect his family, but Michonne assured him that he will get back safe and that he should not make his family suffer while he is away. Virgil told her that he lives in a naval base on an island. Virgil thinks that he can help Michonne out in exchange of him getting home in which that he has weapons big enough to take out Alpha’s horde. Michonne tells Judith this and that she has to do this mission alone. In the morning, Daryl and everyone are at the location of Alpha’s horde but there are no walkers there. Aaron and Daryl argue if what Gamma said was true or not and Daryl decides that it is time to look for Lydia. Michonne told Virgil that the offer is accepted and that the weapons will pay his debt in order for him to go home. Michonne says her goodbyes to everyone and told them and Judith to radio her every hour and every day if she wants as she is only a few days away. While Daryl and the rest are looking for Lydia, Carol sees Alpha. Alpha runs away and Carol chases her. Daryl, Jerry, Magna, Kelly, and Aaron runs to get Carol back and they killed a few walkers away. Alpha is luring them into a cave and they all followed. Daryl was by himself for a few moments inside the cave until he fell through a trap that Alpha set (I assume that everyone fell as well) and they are all trapped at the bottom of the cave to see Alpha’s mega horde which consists of thousands and thousands of walkers and there is no way out. The noises of the walkers are so loud, that you cannot even hear the ending music as the episode ends.

I like what they are building here as it reminded me of 6×08 and 6×09 as it is setting up for a huge payoff for the next episode and for the rest of the season. Gabriel and Michonne are my two favorites of this episode and I believe that they are setting up Michonne’s exit within the next few episodes. I also did not expect to see Dante die this quick at all. Carol is still hurt and suffering from the loss of Henry and Melissa McBribe is doing an excellent job of showcasing the pain and damage one person can go through for losing your own children. I also like how all of my questions about Dante was answered within the first three minutes of the episode too. The giant horde that Carol wanted to see is now infront of her so lets see how in the hell everyone will get out of this when The Walking Dead returns in a few months.

This first half of the tenth season has been great despite it’s hiccups and my favorite episodes are the fifth, second, and the first episode of the season. I am loving this season as a whole and to me, the breakout performances this season so far goes to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Seth Gilliam, Norman Reedus, Samantha Morton, Thora Birch, Ryan Hurst, Avi Nash, Khary Payton, and Ross Marquand. I like the entire cast, but these performances stood out for me.

My weekly recaps of The Walking Dead will return in three more months and next week, I will count down the top The Walking Dead comic book moments of 2019. My lists for 2017 and 2018 are below too along with my interviews I have done this season.

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