(Spoilers ahead)
Each week, we comb through the guts of The Walking Dead, much like a horde of hungry walkers, to bring you the episode’s best moments, surprises, and other post-apocalyptic curiosities. This week: Eugene is thirsty, Negan joins a team, and everyone is sick.
Season 10, Episode 6: “Bonds”
Best/worst Whisperer: Easily, our favorite part of this week’s episode was Negan’s constant loudmouth quipping juxtaposed with the Whisperers’ quiet nature.
Best new character: Speaking of quips, we’re still surprised at just how likable Dante has been able to become, spending this episode making cocky statements (“we’d make a bitchin’ couple,” he notes to the older woman with the stomach bug) and joking while still looking after patients while Saddiq cares for his baby daughter, Coco.
Best montage: We need more Beta/Negan training montages in this show.
Not worth the price: You might not have noticed (since all Whisperers kind of look the same in their skin suits), but when Beta turns his horde on Negan, he kills the Whisperer who previously shared food with Negan.
Worst doctor: There’s a bad stomach bug overwhelming the infirmary in Alexandria. So, naturally, Saddiq brings his baby around the ill.
Medical mystery: And speaking of the stomach bug, with everything that’s been thrown at our heroes from the Whisperers, we’re not convinced this isn’t biological warfare. We did see Gamma spilling walker guts in a creek (one presumably leading to Alexandria) last week.
Regular mystery: Still no idea what’s going on at Oceanside.
Best callsign: Eugene’s “Taterbug” might just be that bright, warm light we need during the apocalypse.
Biggest Daryl/Connie shipper: “I notice things,” Carol says as she nudges Daryl to talk about his blossoming relationship with Connie. Daryl seems reluctant to move things forward with her, but as Carol notes, “you can’t hide out with a dog forever.”
To answer Eugene’s ice cream question: Waffle cones are superior to cake cones, obviously.
Biggest risk: Eugene is immediately quick to trust the mysterious woman from Pennsylvania he makes contact with after upgrading the CB radio, but she is much more hesitant in giving her real name or anything about her location and current status in the world. Eugene seems much more willing to divulge information, which, given everything we’ve seen in the past 10 seasons about how people just can’t be trusted, seems like a less than stellar idea. Hasn’t he learned anything? But when you’re that desperate for a Rosita rebound . . .
Best line: “I’m ready for my goddamn skin suit.” —Negan, after defeating the horde of walkers that Beta unleashed onto him
Most disturbing image: Carol’s brazenness beyond Alpha’s borders. Time and time again, she’s taken huge risks that have led to bigger consequences for everyone aligned against the Whisperers. We can’t say that we didn’t see more shenanigans coming this week, but every time, we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Best kill: Negan taking down the small horde of walkers. It earned him a seat at the Whisper table and left Beta with egg on his face. That’s a two-for-one special.
Episode MVP: Daryl, for his unwavering loyalty toward his friends. By attacking Alpha, Carol has proven she’s volatile and can’t be trusted. She lied to Daryl multiple times on their journey, and while she was fairly upfront about the fact that she was looking for Alpha’s horde rather than Negan as she initially said, she did bring along the zip tie she uses to restrain the captured Whisperer, something she never told Daryl was part of the plan. As long as Alpha is alive, Carol will behave impulsively, but even so, Daryl stays by her side, trying to understand her actions and more importantly, trying to keep her alive. He’s loyal to the end—let’s just hope this doesn’t end up being the end for either of these original heroes.