MOVIE NEWS – Maggie and Daryl battle the Reapers in the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead season 11, as Alexandria recovers from the storm…

The second part of the final season of The Walking Dead super-production begins with a literal bang. The ninth episode, “No Other Way”, concludes the story of Meridian with an explosive showdown between the murderous Reapers and Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) infiltrators. Alexandrians are also struggling to survive as floodwaters, zombies and fire threaten the entire settlement. The mid-season premiere included several fantastic twists and turns that reimagined the series. A shocking final scene sets up an intriguing new conflict between the dear friends.

Below is a very detailed look at the twisty latest episode of The Walking Dead, so if you haven’t seen it yet, watch it first – or be prepared for spoilers!

There is no other way… it has to be this way

“No Other Way” begins with Leah (Lynn Collins) raining explosive arrows down on the Meridian’s courtyard. Maggie flees to the infirmary, where she runs into Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the injured Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari). They seek refuge from Carver (Alex Meraz) in a hidden room.

In Alexandria, Judith (Cailey Flemming) and Gracie (Anabelle Holloway) are trapped in a flooded basement when walkers break in. Up at the house, Dianne (Kerry Cahill) informs Lydia (Cassady McClincy) and Rosita (Christian Serratos) that the girls are missing. Outside, in the raging wind and rain, Jerry (Cooper Andrews) and Aaron (Ross Marquand) escape from a windmill fire. They reunite with Carol’s (Melissa McBride) group. She fights the fire while Magna (Nadia Hilker) and Connie (Lauren Ridloff) try to find another breach in the wall. They hear Gracie’s emergency whistle.

That morning in Meridian, Daryl kills a Reaper from the school window, targeting Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam). He stabs him in the chest and narrowly misses a searching Leah. The girls stand on a table in the basement as the water fills with walkers. Aaron arrives and breaks in through the window. He jumps into the water and thrashes the undead. Aaron lifts Gracie and Judith to the window, but they can’t get out. The stairwell collapses as more walkers rush in.

In the Meridian chapel, Gabriel meets Father Mancea (Dikran Tulaine). He curses the Reapers’ priest for condoning their murder. Mancea tells Gabriel that he cannot hear God. Mancea lays down his gun and asks for Gabriel’s hand. Gabriel stabs him in the chest. We then see Carver chasing Maggie. She leads him into a trap. Carver skillfully fights her, Negan, and Elijah, who wants her dead for killing his sister. Negan throws sand in her face. But Daryl arrives before he can be killed. He calls Leah on the radio. Carver’s their ticket out.

Rosita also heard Gracie’s whistle. She asks Lydia to go to the basement. Aaron climbed a ceiling pipe to escape the walkers. He breaks, and his legs dangle, but Lydia sees him. She ties a rope to the pipe, and he climbs out. They rush to help put out the windmill fire.

Daryl leads the bound Carver into the yard, the others behind him. He hands Maggie a gun. Leah meets the last two reapers. Daryl wants them to drop their weapons and leave. Leah has a sniper on the roof. She orders him to shoot Maggie. A smug Carver taunts Elijah.

The sniper’s bullet hits Carver in the leg. Gabriel kills the sniper and targets Leah’s group. Leah asks if their deal still stands. Maggie refuses to let Carver go. When the Reapers turn to walk away, Maggie kills the last two men and shoots the fleeing Leah in the shoulder. Daryl watches in shock and goes after Leah. Maggie takes Elijah’s scythe. She stabs Carver in the chest. Daryl finds Leah hiding but lets her go.

Daryl sweeps past Maggie as they load Meridian’s supplies onto a wagon. He goes to the church to pick up the injured Alden (Callan McAuliffe). Negan watches him go. Maggie opens the church door to find the transformed Alden crawling on the ground. Sobbing, she takes care of her friend. Negan walks to Maggie as she buries Alden. He won’t let her kill him. Maggie grabs his knife. Negan “gets his own way”. He turns and walks away in the opposite direction.

Maggie rejoins Daryl, Gabriel and Elijah on the road. She tells them that Negan is gone. The following day they return to a battered Alexandria. Jerry wonders, “where is everyone else?”. There are tearful encounters with friends, children and lovers. Daryl is overjoyed to see Connie alive. Lydia is disappointed that Negan didn’t come back. Their hearts ache over the loss of Alden. Suddenly Jerry sounds the alarm.

Commonwealth soldiers approach the Alexandria gate. Eugene (Josh McDermitt) rushes to the front to diffuse the tension. The soldiers have brought food, fuel and building materials. Eugene introduces Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) as a representative of the Commonwealth. He offers Alexandria his help and the opportunity to join them.

Six months later

The plot jumps one step forward in time: six months, to be precise. Maggie and Elijah are standing on the Hilltop wall. Commonwealth soldiers are gathering in front of them. The leader demands that they “open it”. Maggie replies, “It doesn’t have to be this way”. The soldier removes his mask and helmet. It’s Daryl who simply snarls, “Yeah…it does.”

The Walking Dead uses another significant time jump to change the narrative. It doesn’t measure up to the six years after Rick disappeared, but it certainly delivered a huge twist. Daryl working for the Commonwealth seems unfathomable. He’s probably still angry with Maggie for her actions at Meridian. Though it’s hard to believe he ever seriously threatened her. Regardless, some Alexandrians have adopted the Commonwealth. All of this creates new conflicts between old allies and a colony that may not be what it seems…

The final season of The Walking Dead will consist of twenty-four episodes. After the cliffhanger above, we’re really looking forward to seeing what episode 10 brings, which will be available to stream on AMC+ after the US premiere (every Sunday night).

Source: ReadySteadyCut, NewsPlus