RECAP: The Walking Dead 6×05 – Now

The actual episode opens with Deanna surveying her broken domain, overhearing Michonne tell Maggie that Glenn is probs deads. This is interrupted by Rick running home with a horde on his behind. Mirroring the end of last week’s episode, so that’s nice.

ROLL CREDITS

Half the horde is at the walls so the Alexandrians have to prepare for shit to get real. Rick manfully explains the situation, just in case you weren’t clear. He proclaims that everyone still outside the walls will be fine, and their best response now is to act like the UK during the Blitz, an idea that will not be dealt with basically at all. Aaron defends Rick’s plan, especially since it happened in sort of an unplanned way. He also admits that he was the reason the wolves found Alexandria and attacked. No one is thrilled to hear this. Deanna bails because this is not the war she signed up for.

The wolves bodies are piled up and Jessie begins to dig a grave but Rick tells her not to because baddies don’t get burial rights. The quartermaster of Alexandria continues to ration but the overweight white extras feel entitled to more food so they push past her to grab more. Deanna’s son, Spencer, calls them on their bullshit, they call him on his one mistake, and he points out the obvious role he played in their defense against the wolves. The suburbs are just the worst, right? They put the food back.

The Alexandrians are doing a Vietnam memorial with their wall. It includes Nicholas and Glenn, which makes Aaron feel sad and notice that Maggie is preparing for… something. It’s going out to look for Glen, this should not come as a shock. He surmises her plan as she preps for it, and points out that it is dumb to do this alone. He offers to help her, in part by showing her a safer way to get past the walkers.

Deanna frantically plans a layout of her hopes for Alexandria and finishes it with a cypher. It’s kind of super dumb. She then finds her son, Spencer, drunk in the kitchen. When he prevented the looting he felt entitled to some whiskey. Their subsequent conversation is also super dumb.

Pete’s kid, Ron, and Carl talk about Enid amidst all of their teenage angst. Carl wants to go find her, and Ron plays Carl pretty perfectly by threatening to tell Rick about his excursion which is way smarter than an actual threat regardless of how wimpy it really is. It’s technically the right thing to do, just done is a very dumb way.

New doctor, Denise, finally doctors a patient into not dying thanks to books. We like books, right?! Tara comes in for a conversation that ends in a solution because of course it does.

Jessie finds a pretty fresh walker in a house, likely an Alexandrian from the battle, and she ends it. The other Alexandrians are horrified because they’re the worst. She speechifies that they should not be the worst. Good luck with that.

Aaron shows Maggie the sewer system and insists on continuing to accompany her. They try to move a busted ladder and wind up releasing some very waterlogged walkers. The show loves surprising us with walkers who have clearly been waiting/stuck for a long time without fresh brains. It’s becoming a bit tired, but remains the sort of thing you never see in zombie movies, so I’m cool with it.

Ron meets with Rick on the wall to tell him that Enid is gone and Carl tried to leave too. It’s actually a very nice shot, with the idyllic houses in the background amidst the moans of the horde. Ron wants to learn how to shoot because his timing is terrible. Rick agrees.

Denise shows up to kiss Tara because if they’re all going to die then why not? It’s actually a sweet moment. Just awkward enough to feel real.

At the exit of the tunnels Maggie reveals to Aaron that she’s pregnant and thus can’t risk heading outside to look for Glen. I’ve suspected this for a bit, nice to have it finally revealed, wonder when she’ll tell the others? The reveal is a pretty human moment, especially given how organic their relationship was from its inception.

Jessie tries to get her non-Ron son to come downstairs, guess he’s not cool with that after the attacks. Is it wrong that I’m bored by this? I find it boring. Sorry. Deanna is out at night and is set upon by a wolf-walker which she stabs repeatedly with a broken bottle. The repeated stabbing is necessary because she focuses on the chest region instead of the head region we all know is the necessary region to stab. This is all done to highlight just how useless she and her people are. She hands over leadership to Rick.

Maggie tries to erase Glen’s name from the wall. Aaron points out that his name works for a boy or a girl.

Rosita watching on the wall compliments Spencer for helping with the wolves.

Rick confronts Jessie about his personal misgivings and then they make out. Didn’t he murder he husband like two days ago? This seems like a bad idea.

Deanna hits the fence because she has plans? The end.

Overall I thought this was a pretty lame episode. Felt like a setup to a larger payoff, but one too vague as to care about in any meaningful way as far as this particular piece is concerned. I feel like this entire recap could be “Maggie is pregnant and other conversations happened.” And you’re basically be caught up. If you think I’m wrong, let’s hash it out in the comments!