It’s been a long, strange journey since that iconic moment when Rick Grimes woke up in a hospital bed in The Walking Dead series premiere, and, like its titular zombies, AMC’s apocalypse drama is still puttering along, stumbling around, shedding its rotted body parts all over the lawn. OK, so maybe this analogy only goes so far. But on Sunday, October 6, the series returned for its tenth season with the same ol’ undead shenanigans we know and love— albeit without some beloved cast members who met a grisly end at the hands of the Whisperers last season. Here’s what went down on the premiere, “Lines We Cross.”
Hello, Old Friend
Ever since the Pike Incident, the survivors have kept the peace by staying out of the Whisperers’ territory — and kept busy training for battle with the endless supply of zombies who keep washing up on the shores of Oceanside. With shields spears, and archers, the group has learned to fight medieval-style, and they’re getting pretty good! Plus, sparks are flying between Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Connie (Lauren Ridoff); could this be the season when Daryl finally hooks up with someone? Alas, it’s all fun and games until Judith (Cailey Fleming) finds a severed zombie face in her bucket of seashells, a grisly discovery which suggests that the Whisperers are back and active in the area. Michonne (Danai Gurira) tells her co-leaders not to panic, but everyone is, clearly, panicking.
PTSD and Paternity Leave
Back at Hilltop, Rosita (Christian Serratos) has given birth to Siddiq’s (Avi Nash) love child and appears to be living in a semi-platonic quadrangle with Siddiq, Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), and Eugene (Josh McDermott), all of whom are helping to parent her baby, Full House-style, while she gets back in fighting shape. Siddiq was the sole survivor of last season’s heads-on-pikes incident and keeps suffering flashbacks to that gruesome night.
Fortunately, there’s a new doctor named Dante in town who can hold things down while Siddiq recovers. Not-so-fortunately, Dante appears to be a giant d-bag with a God complex, which means he’s almost definitely going to get himself or someone else killed any minute now.
Fire in the Sky
The catalyzing event of this episode is the sudden crash-landing of a Russian satellite near Oceanside — in Whisperer territory. But the survivors can’t concern themselves with Alpha’s borders; the crashed spacecraft explodes on impact, causing a forest fire that has to be stopped before it spreads. After a long night of battling a) the fire, b) the walkers and c) some walkers who stumbled into the flames and are now both undead and on fire, the group finally perseveres. Someone even suggests that the Whisperers might give them a pass on trespassing under the extreme and unusual circumstances.
But in a final, chilling moment, Carol (Melissa McBride) looks down into the valley and sees Alpha (Samantha Morton) gazing back at her. And while no words are exchanged, Alpha sure doesn’t look like she’s in a forgiving mood.
The Walking Dead airs on AMC Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
