Gabriel walks into Alexandria's church and after bookmarking a place in the bible, he finds a note saying, "Father, we are blessed to have you." Gabriel, who has mysteriously found a new collar, begins ripping pages out of the bible and then slams it shut full of angst.
On his new bike, Darryl leaves Alexandria.
Reg and Noah meet at the gazebo for an early morning meeting. Noah requests that they start to meet regularly in the mornings so that Reg can teach him how to build things. Noah wants to make sure the walls stay up, adding that he thinks they could get knocked in - even if it is years from now. Reg is impressed by this and says that Noah is thinking about the long haul. Reg pulls out his notebook, saying that he writes down everything of note and then hands the book to Noah, adding that this will be his job in the future. Reg says that there is going to be a lot to remember and that they are at the beginning of Alexandria.
Abraham stands at his bathroom sink and he seems to be having difficulty looking at his image in the mirror.
Noah hands Eugene a gun which he is resistant to take because he doesn't want to go on the field trip to find parts to fix the power grid. Eugene wants to stay behind, saying that he can install the piece they need when they bring it back. Aidan talks with his parents and kisses them briefly good bye. Maggie and Glenn kiss goodbye, after she assures him that he has this. Reg says that he is surprised that the power grid took this long to act up. Diana thanks Glenn and he hops in the van. Tara, Glenn and Noah sit in the back of the van and Aidan starts to play loud music, which makes so much sense considering that they are in a zombie apocalypse and zombies are attracted to noise. Glenn snarks about the music scaring the zombies away. The van drives off and Gabriel steps outside and nods at Diana and Reg.
Rick heads to see Jessie and discovers that her owl sculpture has been destroyed. Jessie says that things like this never happen in Alexandria, leading Rick to question if she has any enemies. Rick of course assigns himself the task of discovering who destroyed the owl. Jessie asks what he will do if he finds the culprit and Rick responds that there will be some kind of consequences.
The group has arrived at the warehouse and Aidan and Nicholas just want to walk in the front door, clearly showing their lack of experience. It's Glenn who suggests that they should have a plan and scope things out first. A zombie approaches and Noah takes it out with one shot. They load up with weapons and start a perimeter check to learn where the exists are. Eugene and Tara are teamed up and Eugene the coward says that he shouldn't be there, adding that he isn't combat ready. Tara has run out of sympathy for Eugene and tells Eugene that he has to start pulling his weight. Eugene however feels that he has pulled his weight because without him, the group would never have even thought of traveling to Washington. Tara clarifies and informs Eugene that he didn't get them to Washington and instead, the group brought him here. Tara calls Eugene a coward, a label he fully embraces. Noah is teamed up with Glenn and they laugh about how inexperienced Aidan is. They come to a fenced in area and find it filled with zombies.
The group has assembled at the entrance to the warehouse and Glenn bangs on the wall trying to attract any errant zombies which might be roaming around. Glenn takes the leadership position and they head into the warehouse. They stop walking when Glenn gets the feeling that they are not alone. They split up into teams again, with Tara and Eugene paring up and finding the part that they need. Aidan starts shooting, as a zombie approaches but since it's wearing armor, he is unable to take it out. Glenn tells Aidan to wait for the zombie to get closer. Aidan however is convinced he has it and keeps shooting, even as Glenn tells him to stop. The zombie explodes. When they come to, Aidan is impaled on the wall and Nicholas declares Aidan dead. Glenn calls out for the rest of the team and Noah makes his way over to him. Eugene calls out his location and when Glenn and Noah head over, they find an injured Tara. A walker approaches, so Glenn tells Eugene to take it. Eugene pulls out his gun but his hands are shaking so badly, he cannot take the shot, leaving Glenn and Noah to come to the rescue.
Carol heads downstairs and finds Sam hiding in the closet. Carol is quick to tell Sam to leave but it seems that Sam has his heart set on Carol's cookies. Sam then adds that he wanted to work on his owl but his house is out of power. Carol being Carol, could give two shits about this and declares that nothing Sam has said amounts to a problem. Carol starts pushing Sam towards the door as he asks her to make more cookies. Sam then asks if Carol can show him how to make the cookies and so Carol proposes a deal. Carol tells Sam that he has to steal the chocolate from Olivia, warning that if Sam gets caught and says anything, he won't like what will happen. Oooooh look at the flowers Sam, look at all the pretty flowers.
In the warehouse, Eugene, Noah, and Nicholas, discuss Tara's injuries. Eugene declares that Tara needs immediate medical attention. They notice that Aidan is in fact not dead and Nicholas wants to leave Aidan behind. It's Eugene who pipes up that Aidan should be saved and that this is something Tara would do. Eugene promises to keep Tara safe no matter what. Glenn instructs Nicholas to shoot a flair away from Aidan, so that he and Noah can fight their way hand to hand to Aidan.
Abraham is working outside with the crew to gather supplies to expand the wall. Abraham looks up and realises that birds are flying away from their location and immediately tenses up, realising that something is wrong. A shot breaks his spell, as zombies exit the woods. Abraham joins the group shooting at zombies. One shot goes errant, knocking Francine out of the look out post. Tobin gives the order for everyone to head to the truck, effectively abandoning Francine. Abraham does not listen to the order and charges forward, grabbing Francine and pushing her up into a tractor. Abraham finds himself surrounded by walkers and so crawls under the tractor for safety. The walkers crawl after him and once he reaches the other side, one by one Abraham kills the zombies as they approach in a straight line. The workers are in shock that Abraham is still alive.
Pete shows up at Rick's to offer him a beer for helping Jessie out. Rick declares that he is fine, adding that he doesn't drink cause he is always on duty. Pete brings up Deanna's party where Rick had a drink. Rick says that he asked around and couldn't find out anymore about the destruction of the owl. Pete however suggests that it's no big deal and in a weird segue brings up Lori. Pete declares though things look great in Alexandria, the people there have lost things as well. Pete then says that Rick should bring his kids in for a check up and Rick thanks him. Pete steps into Rick's face, saying that they should be friends because they have to be, before leaving the house. Rick gets the whole suspicious look on his face.
Eugene is talking to an unconscious Tara about the fact that he is a coward, lamenting that the group didn't listen to him. Eugene then opens the door to the hiding spot and with Tara on his shoulder, makes his way out of the factory, killing zombies along the way.
Glenn and Nicholas make their way over to Aidan and Noah stands watch. They try to pull Aidan off the wall but Aidan screams in pain. Nicholas is quick to say that this isn't going to work but Glenn assures him that they can do this. They try again to free Aidan but are unable to. Nicholas whispers in Aidan's ear that they both left behind the people they recently lost, adding that this is who they are. Nicholas then apologises and moves away. Aidan tells Glenn to leave him behind and Glenn says no, only to be dragged out of the way by Noah, leaving Aidan to become zombie food.
Now that the danger is out of the way, Abraham confronts Tobin about his willingness to leave Francine behind. When Tobin tries to justify what he did, Francine punches Tobin in the face. Good for Francine and I hope we see more of her. The crew declares that there will be more zombies because of the noise they made but Abraham argues that they should go ahead with what they are doing. Abraham issues orders regarding look outs and the crew follows his lead.
Glenn and Noah find themselves cornered and so head into a revolving door but are unable to exit because zombies are on the other side. Nicholas is also stuck in the door with them.
Back in Alexandria, Tobin tenders his resignation to Deanna, saying that if Abraham had followed his orders, Francine would be dead. Maggie observes without saying a word. Reg points out that being a hero doesn't necessarily make someone qualified to run a construction crew, so Tobin informs them that the crew is following Abraham's lead and that they are all still working. Deanna reluctantly accepts Tobin's resignation, adding that she will speak to Abraham when he gets back. Tobin offers his thanks, adding that Deanna will not regret this decision, before leaving. Maggie vouches for Abraham, saying that Abraham is more than qualified. Deanna responds that she has put another one of Maggie's people in a position of power and that Maggie vouching for them is becoming a pattern. Maggie reminds Deanna that she wanted them in Alexandria because they know what they are doing. Maggie tells Deanna that they are needed for the future that Deanna wants in Alexandria. Maggie heads downstairs to work on plans.
Sam has returned with his stolen booty. Carol and Sam make cookies and she tells him that after they are done, he is never coming back. Sam asks if Carol was always a good cook but Carol reminds Sam that they are not talking. Sam declares that they don't have to be friends but they don't have to be quiet. Carol admits that cooking distracted her when she was sad. Sam says that when he gets sad, sometimes he breaks things, causing Carol to ask about the owl. Sam admits that he broke the owl and asks Carol why she stole the guns. Carol replies that sometimes you need to protect yourself. Sam asks for a gun, saying that it's not for him. Carol asks who the gun is for but instead of answering, Sam runs away.
Nicholas, Noah and Glenn are still trapped in the revolving door trying to find a way out. Eugene pulls up in the van with the music blaring and honking the horn, encouraging the zombies to come and get him. The zombies on the outside are drawn away and begin to follow the van. Glenn tells Nicholas and Noah to hold the door steady so he can break the glass for them to escape. After hitting the glass twice, Nicholas begins to freak out about the plan not working and so twists the door to his advantage so he can escape. The door on Glenn's side opens wide enough for the zombies to drag Noah outside. Glenn watches as Noah is eaten alive.
Nicholas has caught up with Eugene, who immediately gets out of the van. Nicholas tries to order Eugene back into the van but Eugene refuses to comply until he finds out what is going on. Nicholas tells Eugene that he can get back in the van and return to Alexandria, or stay here and wait for his friends. Eugene starts to grab his gun but is tossed aside by Nicholas who hops in the van. Glenn arrives and pulls Nicholas out of the van and punches him out. Eugene asks about Noah and Glenn walks away without answering.
Carol shows up at the Anderson house and the door is answered by Pete. Carol asks if Sam is okay and Pete asks why he wouldn't be. Carol then asks to talk to Jessie but Pete says it's not a good time, before closing the door in her face.
Glenn drives back to Alexandria, as in the back, Eugene watches over Tara and holds a gun at an unconscious Nicholas. A notebook lays agape with the words, "in the beginning written."
Gabriel shows up at Deanna's and says that Satan disguises himself as the angel of light, adding that Satan is inside these walls. Gabriel declares that Deanna made a mistake letting in the others because Rick's group are not good people and have done unspeakable things.
Carol enters Rick's home and informs him that Pete is hitting Jessie and possibly Sam.
Deanna says that to make it on the outside, Rick's group had to do things but their survival is what makes them assets. Gabriel however is not convinced and argues that Rick's group cannot be trusted because they are dangerous. Gabriel promises that a day will come with the group will put their lives above the Alexandrians and destroy everything the Alexandrians have.
Outside the walls, Abraham calls a halt to the days work.
Rick inquires how Carol knows what is going on with the Anderson family and Carol says that she just knows.
Deanna questions why Gabriel is just coming to her now, not knowing that Maggie is on the stairs listening in. Gabriel rambles on again about the angel of light disguising itself. Deanna thanks Gabriel, adding that she has a lot to think about before opening the door. Gabriel says that he wishes he had come earlier, and adds that he hopes it's not too late.
Outside, there is a scream for help.
Carol tells Rick that there's only one way things can go with Pete and that Rick is going to have to kill him.
The tagline for this show be only one Black man can live. It became very obvious that once again, The Walking Dead had acquired too many cast members and that a culling would clearly be necessary. Following The Walking Dead pattern they killed off all of the Black men until now, only Gabriel remains. Furthermore, Gabriel is clearly wearing the red shirt (yes, awesome Star Trek analogy time) because Maggie heard every single word he said to Deanna. Gabriel is a dead man walking. I wasn't particularly attached Noah and so I didn't feel his loss in the sense of missing a good character but I felt it in the absolute disposability Black men have on The Walking Dead. It's beyond a trope at this point and I for one, am ready to declare this outright racist.
I really liked seeing Glenn away from the full group and in control. He has come so far from the former pizza delivery guy that he was at the beginning of season one. Glenn is tough, smart, thoughtful and has clear leadership skills. Watching this again made me wonder why the hell Rick is the leader? Though this outing was bloody what with Tara's injury, and Aidan and Noah's death, I see it as an expansion on Glenn's character.
OMG I FREAKING LOVE CAROL SO HARD I HAVE TO WRITE IN CAPS. When she was warning Sam not to come back, was I the only one who was thinking of flowers? Carol doesn't want to get close to Sam because of what happened with the sisters. She clearly didn't want to have to deal with another fragile child which would need protecting. I think Carol also Sam as soft - which is the way she views all of the Alexandrians. When she realised Sam and Jessie were potentially being abused it reminded her of her own past and also made her realise that Sam wasn't completely green and had had a hard life. The only thing I didn't like was Carol telling Rick that he had to kill Pete. I would have much preferred Carol finding a reason to take Pete out. I don't like her turning to Rick in the least.
This episode was also huge for Eugene. Clearly the man has embraced his cowardly nature and re-written history to put himself in a better light. I like that Tara called him on this and didn't let him get away with it. I like that Eugene finally found his courage when he realised that Tara's life was on the line. These two have been through a lot together, with Tara acting as Eugene's confidant. It made sense that Eugene would push himself on her behalf.
I think more than anything Abraham has really felt like a fish out of water at Alexandria. Take control of the construction group gave him a sense of authority and ownership. Abraham clearly needs a reason to keep on going and being the foreman will do that for him.
