Interview: Demetria McKinney of Motherland: Fort Salem

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Demetria McKinney is known for her time on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, The Rickey Smiley Show, SyFy’s Superstition, and most recently, A House Divided. With those credits to her name, she is also an singer and songwritter and her two singles (“Happy” and “Easy) from her first album “Oficially Yours” charted at #4 at the Adult R&B Songs. Demetria is also starring on FreeForm’s Motherland: Fort Salem in which she plays as Anacostia Quartermaine who is the drill sergent of that military. I recently got the chance to speak with Demetria McKinney to talk about her role on the series in this exclusive interview!

How has life been for you within the last few years going in between music and acting?

DM: “As an artist, you want to give your full attention to whatever you’re doing. And I’ve been blessed in the sense that I’ve been working pretty consistently for the last 15 plus years so when it gets to getting into the studio, I want to make sure that I put down the music properly. If I’m playing Anacostia Quartermaine and I’m a drill sergeant and I’m yelling at soldiers all day, then I really don’t have a singing voice to sing at that moment. I’m writing down all of the lyrics to my music on my free time, but then being in Vancouver for 6 months, I can’t properly promote it. It’s been i kind of a test, but it’s like a champagne problem because on one hand, you’re winning, and you’re working, and you’re staying active in one part of your passion. And then, once I get the chance to kind of get a 10 minute break, I can really kind of concentrate on this over here. It’s been a balancing act I have to say.”

What kind of trainig did you had to endure to prepare yourself as a drill sergent? And will we see some of the characters go through PTSD since this series has a military theme to it?

DM: “My mother was in the military so the discipline and the militant nature that she possessed, I kind of honed in on that a bit. As far as the physicality as we were there a month early to do physical training, we have to learn how to use a weapon none of us had ever heard of before. We also had to go into vocal training because, the details that were given to us about our characters. I learned a lot of what I knew as a vocalist and really concentrate on the craft person the beauty of it. And then on top of that, I had to adjust changing my mind set because, this is set in an alternate-America in the present day where women are in power, and women are at war. Women are not necessarily raising the baby here as there is magic in that military too. there’s just so many differences from what I was used to in the conventional stories that we see here, and know that every day, that I really have to kind of re-route and that was a great trip. The dicipline that my mother had, was passed down to me and I use it for Anacosita!

but at the core They are still women, they were still human, they still wanted love, they still had their feelings, they still long for family, they still wanted that connective tissue to one another, they still had their history in the past. You will see everyone go through it in their own way in each episode. All of them going through all that stuff, without question there’s definitely some moments that you see them go through PTSD.”

Who designed your costume? And did you have any input on what you wanted Anacosita to look like?

DM: “It was a collaborative effor andt they definitely have a costume designer but I think that it was pretty cut and dry. It’s not your traditional whitch stories, so there was no gowns and cape, brooms and things like that. It was military style so we really wanted to capture that aesthetic. They really did a great job with that and just making sure that everything seemed correctional, practical, and functional, but still had that little bit of a twist to it when it was necessary. We wore hoods which I think is just kind of a departure from what you see in the military. But it’s kind of a cool interaction between the military, and witchcraft so they’ve really went out of their way here to make sure that we look as militant as we need to but we still have the space to have the magic.”

How did you react to when the show was pitched to you?

DM: “I thought to myself that I think I got the holy ghost (laughs). I’m very into the magic phenomenon. I love X-Men, I love Mystique, I love all of that. I also love that they have the reality of war on Motherland. Nothing could come at a better time like getting to be a part of something so innovative, and so very detached from the cliche war story. Im really honored because I actually get a chance to live in that world. It’s been a ride and it’s been a blessing.”

What kind of relationships or bonding with other characters can we expect from Anacosita?

DM: “I don’t think that she intends to getting really close to people. She intends on teaching them, she intends on protecting them through with the knowledge and preparation. There’s something about them (the soldiers/witches) that catches her, and a lot of other people that they’ve got a spark to them that they hadn’t seen in quite awhile. So I think that she unintentionally gets involved with them because, I think she also see bits and fractures of herself within each of them and you know, in an effort to really come serve what we have is a precious resource of the military. Like we need everybody here and I think that she gets close to them unintentionally and it leads to some other stuff to transpire. But that’s really really cool so you’ll see a little bit about it.”

What is your favorite episode that you have been part of that you have interracted with the cast the most?

DM: “I think it’s episode 7 because if I remember correctly, it’s one of the big turning points from my character and we start to see a little bit of the fabric that’s been kind of wrapped around her.Raelle is one of my favorite characters on the show and General Sarah Alder (played by Lynn Renee), she’s an absolute badass and she comes in and learns her mother tongue. She speak all these different languages, and she’s absolutely stunning and once you put the uniform on and they yell action, You see that side comes out of her. On top of that, I get to watch her transform into something that is completely opposite of her. Scylla, (who is played by Amalie Holm) she is just a siren and she has this magic and this death and it’s so dark, but it’s so beautiful when she plays as her. Everybody’s been amazing, but as far as my interaction with people, those be my 2 favorite to work with.”

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 12 “Walk With Us” Recap

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Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

As last week’s episode ended with The Whisperers shooting flaming arrows to Hilltop, everyone over there are caught in a very sticky situation. How will they get out of it? You will find out right now as I review the newest episode of The Walking Dead titled “Walk With Us.”

The battle from the previous episode continues as everyone is now behind the gates of Hilltop fighting off Walkers and Whisperers that tried to attack the members of the group. The ones with the shields try their hardest to hold the walkers back including the flaming ones. There is also fire everywhere at Hilltop and even some explosions happens too. The key moments that happens in this battle sequence is Carol using her arrows to take out the front walkers, Earl and Alden using a catapult, Lydia telling Mary that she will not walk with Alpha ever again, Ezekiel gathering the children and also looking for Judith as an explosion occured behind him, and Daryl using his morning star weapon to take down walkers and Whisperers. When Yumiko was about to use her bow, she sees Magna within the horde as Magna covered herself with walker blood. Carol looked at the destruction and burning of Hilltop all around.

In the morning of the aftermath of the attack, The Whisperers and Negan are walking around the outside of Hilltop and Negan seen one of the soldiers that is in severe pain and is dying. Negan kills him with his Lucille 2.0. Him and Alpha then talk and Negan thought it was a victory, but Alpha does not think so yet. Beta comes in and told Alpha that he will not stop until Lydia is home since they did not find her. Negan told Beta that he is at his service and Beta showed no interest. Negan then said “such a dick” as they seperated. Negan goes deeper in the woods and there was one walker that passes by him since he had a Whisperer mask on. More walkers are coming and Negan decided to take that walker down out of boredom. Negan also noticed that Lydia was walking and was very weak. Aaron was dragging Luke’s body and also found Negan as Negan was running. Negan tried to tell him that it would be stupid to kill him right there and Aaron draws his sword and told Negan that he will not listen to his nonsense. More walkers are coming and Negan leaves and Aaron takes down those walkers. Negan seen Lydia on her own and captures her.

Angel Theory as Kelly- The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Kelly, Alden, and Mary are walking in the woods with Adam as Adam is crying and Alden is trying to calm him down. Kelly tried to help and then Mary, but Alden refused Mary’s help until she instructed him on what to do. Alden then finally lets Mary watch over Adam and Mary got Adam to remain calm. Alden asks about Mary’s sister and Mary told him that Adam meant the world to Francis and that Francis should be there right now holding Adam and not her. Mary then senses that someone is coming and she told both Alden and Kelly to start moving. They go to an abandoned minivan as walkers were coming and they struggled to open it until Mary used her knife. She lets Alden and Kelly in with Adam and closed the door. Mary then lured the walkers away from the minivan and killed them by the lake. Then out of nowhere, Beta stabs Mary at the stomach. She tried to fight back and even ripped a part of his mask off as he told her to walk with him and she said “never.” Beta continued to stab Mary until she passes out and dies. Beta then dragged her body to a tree and Beta waited for her to turn. A Whisperer found Beta and even recognized who he is under the mask. Beta then proceeded to slash that Whisperer as he killed him. Mary then turned and Alden puts her down by shooting an arrow from a distance and Beta ran away.

Carol finished refilling her water canister and Eugene tried to fix the radio. Also with them, are Magna and Yumiko. Magna explained what happened in the cave and how she and Connie escaped the cave. But she also says that she lost Connie within the horde and has not seen her since. Carol, not wanting to listen to this anymore, decided to leave right there and Yumiko told her that she owed her an apology for putting her and everyone else through everything that happened. Carol was insensitivie about it and did not apologize and Yumiko punched her right at her mouth. Magna and Yumiko then continued their conversation and she did not want Yumiko to punch Carol. She also brings up that Yumiko had a right to kick her out the last time they talked. Carol then sat on a log and a walker rised from the ground that was buried under tree leaves. That walker tried to reach to Carol, but Carol toyed with that walker at first until she put that walker down. Eugene comes to talk to her and the topic of this conversation is having nothing for show who they are even though they want something so bad. Eugene also brings up his meeting that he will have within the next week and Carol told him that he should do it since it will be worth the risk. Carol also found Lydia’s staff while she was walking through the woods.

Cailey Fleming as Judith Grimes – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Daryl, Rosita, Jerry, and the rest are walking and looking for the kids at a cabin. As they reached the cabin, there were a few walkers there and one got shot down with an arrow by Dianne. Daryl realizes that the children are not there and Jerry assured Nabila that he will make sure that they are found. The children are in another cabin and Earl is giving them all water. Judith asks Earl if they are safe and he told her that they all are. Earl goes to the other side of the cabin and is visibly weak. He rolls up his sleeve to reveal that he has a walker bite. He revealed it after he hammered a spike on the table. Judith noticed the bite and asked Earl why he lied to her. He gave his explanation and also told her to tell Alden to watch over Adam. Daryl and Jerry return to Hilltop and found Ezekiel as he was under a debris from the aftermath of the battle. He lets Daryl and Jerry know that Earl is with the children. Earl proceeded to kill himself by smashing his head into the spike. Judith found his corpse and Earl turned and grabbed Judith. Daryl, Ezekiel, and Jerry arrived and opened the door to let the children out. He asked for Judith and found her sitting down on the floor crying as she had to put Earl down. Daryl hugged her and sat right next to her.

Negan meet up with Alpha and told Alpha that he has found Lydia. We also see that Lydia is tied up in a chair in a cabin. Alpha told Negan that she wants him to be her lion. Negan told Alpha that he does not believe that Beta would be the “Alpha” and then Alpha told Negan to walk. While Alpha and Negan is walking to the cabin, Lydia is starting to make her escape. Negan brings up his history with his wife and how she died of cancer. Alpha told him that her death set her free and that being here right now with Alpha is his strength. Negan told Alpha that she is pretending and does not really think that her way is the right way. Negan also tried to talk her out of killing Lydia and asked her if she loved her. Alpha says that she still loves her, but she has to do it because she loves her. As Alpha reached for the door, Lydia also reached for the door and Lydia escaped. It is then here we realize that Lydia is in a different cabin and that Negan lured her here. Negan sliced Alpha’s throat as she turned around in which it killed her. He also kissed her as she was dying. Negan then brings Alpha’s head to Carol as Carol told him that he took long as it seems like that they are both satisfied that Alpha is dead as the episode ends.

Cailey Fleming as Judith Grimes – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

I cannot remember the last time that I have given high praise to The Walking Dead three episodes straight. This one started with the continuation of the battle from the last episode and showed us the aftermath of the battle that the group lost. That battle was worth the one week wait and I am so glad that there was zero music during the battle as the focus needed to be on the battle itself. Cailey Flemming was great in this episode as she showcased how it feels to not only have your character kill someone for the first time at a young age, but to also put down a loved one or family member. I compare that to the Telltale Games series when Clementine had to do it. Also, we got three major deaths on this episode and Alpha’s was the biggest. Samantha Morton brought that character to life from the comics and she will be missed. I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan, but Samantha Morton as Alpha really brought out the terror of The Walking Dead that needed to return after a while of not having that feeling. She is a high ranking on my list for villans of the series. Also, bonus points to Beta for killing that Whisperer and Daryl going medievel with his morning star mace once again!

There is one critisim I have to make even though I love this episode. Why did Carol put the group on a high risk mission when she knew that she got Negan out of jail to kill Alpha. I think that the idea of using him as a backup incase if her plan did not work would have worked if she did not do these plans at the same time. It just did not make any sense and that punch Yumiko did to Carol was well deserved as that felt like what we as the viewer felt this whole season about Carol.

This backhalf so far has been amazing and I am interested to see what will happen for the rest of the season. Danai’s last episode as Michonne is one week away so we have to have our tissues ready for her exit and I am not ready for it.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

Interview: Cassady McClincy Breaks Down The Current State of Lydia

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Cassady McClincy as Lydia – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 7 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

One character of The Walking Dead that has been intriguing since her debut is Lydia as she has suffered too much trauma in her past before and after the apocalypse while she was with Alpha. Lydia has went from fearing Alpha in season 9, to fully going against her in season 10 as she grew to be more of herself as we seen during the current season. Lydia has gained a positive reception among the community of The Walking Dead and Cassady McClincy, who portrays as Lydia, breaks down everything about Lydia within the last few episodes in this exclusive interview!

The battle at The Hilltop on the most recent episode is some of the best battles and cinematography I have seen especially since it has also came from the source material. Can you share me some of your memories being part of that battle?

CM: “Well, I can say that it was very hot, sweaty, dirty, and a lot of fun! One of the things that I loved the most about shooting the battle scenes was that most of the cast were all together on those days, and even though it was hard work, it was just so great to all be together. Because TWD has such a huge cast and there are so many different story lines going on at once, it’s very rare to have everyone all together like that, so when it happens, it’s just really awesome.”

I have not seen the behind the scenes footage of the battle yet, but can you tell me how all of the fire was controlled if you know?

CM: “Honestly, I wasn’t there to see them set all of that up, but Greg Nicotero was directing the amazing tech/pyro team and I know a lot of planning and direction went into that. They work really hard to make it look so fantastic and realistic!”

The dynamic between Lydia and Alpha has been a great topic of discussion ever since the both of you debuted in season 9. And now we are here in season 10. I would like to know what has Samantha Morton learned the most of you and what have you learnedmost of Samantha Morton?

CM: “Ahhh it has been SUCH an honor to get to work with Sam! She’s just a beautiful person, inside and out and pours so much of herself into bringing Alpha to life in the most incredible way. I’ve learned so much from just watching her! Every subtle movement, facial expression, and even moments of silence; all are every bit Alpha and she just kills it!”

Negan had a good plan in mind when he got Lydia to safety while he was going to kill Alpha. Do you believe Lydia will forgive him?

Cassady McClincy as Lydia, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 4 – Photo Credit: Eliza Morse/AMC

CM: “Lydia feels very hurt and betrayed by Negan and she has no idea of his plan or actions. I think she has a lot of emotions to work through about everything that has happened and it will take awhile for her to face what she is feeling and what her relationship is with everyone, including Negan.”

Now that Lydia has been fully accepted into the community and no longer defined as a Whisperer, is it safe to say that Lydia does not have much to fear anymore as she did when she was with Alpha?

CM: “I wouldn’t say that Lydia is fully accepted into the community, but I do think that by fighting in the battle against the Whisperers, she was able to prove to many that she stands with them. She still has a lot of fear and mistrust to work through, but it’s a lot different than what she felt as a Whisperer. Being a Whisperer forced her to become numb and push any feelings and emotions aside to survive, so when she joined the community and saw how they lived,  it was overwhelming for her and I think it still is.”

I noticed the “H+L” sign that Lydia looked at before she had her talk with Carol. Do you remember whose idea it was to make that sign there? And do you have any Melissa McBride stories you would like to share?

CM: “That was in the script, so it was most likely the idea of the writers, Julia Ruchman and Vivian Tse! They are fantastic and really “get” Lydia and are able to convey the feelings and actions of what a girl like Lydia would actually be going through. I loved it when I read it, because I felt like that is something that Lydia would have definitely done. She’s learned to read and write in the community and is also still a young teenager and it’s such teen thing to do to express themselves and young love. Melissa McBride! Words can’t even describe how much I love her and enjoy working with her! We just have a lot of fun when we get to be together, and she has the BEST taste in music! She’s so down to earth and sweet and I just feel really honored to get to spend time with her.”

Lydia’s hair in the comic book series is blonde, and on the tv series, her hair is black. When you were casted for Lydia, was there any discussions for you to dye your hair blonde for the role, or was Lydia’s hair on the show was going to be black the entire time?

CM: “It was never mentioned or discussed, at least not with me? So maybe production discussed it prior to my first day, but luckily for me, TWD is flexible when it comes to casting!”

When Lydia seen Alpha for the final time on 10×10, it was one of the most emotional scenes I have seen in some time. How did you and Samantha Morton prepare for that scene?

CM: “Sam was actually injured when we first shot that scene, so we had to reshoot it a few weeks after. It was a difficult scene to shoot with the awkward angles and dream like feel, but working with Sam is always just so amazing and once the cameras start rolling, she just “becomes” Alpha, so it’s very easy for me to be Lydia with her. Sam is a legend, and even when shooting emotional, crying scenes with her, I can’t help but to still be incredibly happy for the opportunity to be working with her.” 

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

Interview: Ashley Nicole Williams on Her Role on FreeForm’s Motherland: Fort Salem

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FreeForm’s upcoming drama series Motherland: Fort Salem is days away from making their premiere. Motherland is highly anticipated and the premise of the series involves a good blend of women who are training in the military while they are using magic. It is also set in the future and I recently got the chance to interview one of the stars of the series and she is Ashley Nicole Williams. We talk about her upbringing, how she got the chance to be on Motherland, her favorite memories in Vancoover from where the show was shot, and much more in this exclusive interview.

What was it like for you when you grew up in Dallas, TX? 

Ashley: “Dallas is definitely home. Even though I consider myself an L.A. girl now, I absolutely love Texas. So I was born and raised in Dallas. It’s not country, but it’s also like you have that Southern hospitality a little bit.”

You have been acting since you were younger and you also have brothers and a sister. How did they feel once you started to pursue a career in acting?

Ashley: “I have two older brothers and one older sister and I’ve been acting since I was 5. It’s been a long time coming for a really, really big role. But they were all just over the limit for me because, they know how hard I worked. And they’d been there throughout the journey and throughout the rejections. It was just exciting for everyone, the whole family. And of course, my parents, because they’ve been part of my journey in my whole life.”

How has your life been within the last few years while you are going back and forth between acting and modeling?

Ashley: “I modeled I’d say a little bit. But I’m also in college. I go to Baylor, I modeled before I went to Baylor and then a little bit throughout my freshman year. But it kind of got hard to do both school and modeling. So then I did school at Baylor up until my first semester of sophomore year. And then I moved to L.A and I then continued online classes. So I am going to be graduating in May on time, which is amazing. But I moved out to L.A. I lived here for a while and then we filmed in Vancouver and then I went right back to school. It was like my last week of filming overlapped with my first week of school. So I was thrown right back into it. But I’m getting the degree and getting it done and that’s really cool that I can do both.”

You are playing as Abigail on Motherland. Tell me more of who Abagial is and what can we expect from Abigail

Ashley: “Abigail is a very alpha-female driven queen bee intelligent. She comes from a very high power in the military families and she also comes from a long lineage of lieutenants and generals and she has a lot to prove and has a lot to live up to. Abigail is thinking “Hey, I’m the best. I trained my whole life in this way” and she needs to realize that she has to work with other people that she thinks is in her way to get to where she ultimately needs to be. Literally, when I read the script and the pilot they sent me over, I ran to my mom and told her that ‘I have to be part of this because this is so fraking cool’. I had an instant shock to it and I cannot wait for everyone to see what Abigail will do on Motherland.”

Since Demetria is playing as a Anacostia, who is the sergent, will we see both of your characters in a power struggle since she is a high ranking member of that military?

Ashley: “Abigail definitely challenges Anacostia. I think they just dropped something else right now on the Motherland page. I saw it on Facebook, but it literally shows a sneak peek of one of our little towers. It’s about Anacostia. And you can see me charging at her with the the spear. Yeah, it’s definitely Abigail. She’s like, I am about whether I came for this. I know what I’m doing. Abigail is like ‘I know what I’m doing and why are you trying to tell me what to do?’ There definitely will be a power struggle during this season.”

Can you run down some of the stunt work you and the cast have done while you were all acting our your scenes?

Ashley: “We definitely had a stunt coordinator who we trained with, and so prior to filming the pilot, we trained for three weeks. As you see in some of the trailers with whips in our hands, that becomes our first weapon, which is called the surge. So definitely we had to train and learn how to use that. It’s freaking awesome and it was also hard because sometimes you hit yourself in the face and that’s not fun. But we definitely train and we have a lot of fight scenes during the week and on the weekends, we have a little break. We also learned the choreography, fight scenes and stuff later. So we did some training. And I hope it shows because that that was some fun!”

While you were in Vancouver, did you had time to explore the area when you were not on set?

Ashley: “Yes. So I went to Squamish, which is almost an hour away from Vancouver. Basically, it’s just like all these beautiful mountains and they have a gondola there too. You see all the water, the snow, and the beautiful landscapes and stuff like that. It blew me away and I am a sucker for beautiful views.”

Photo Credit: @ashleynicolewilliams

What are some challengers and obstacles will we see Abigail go through during the season?

Ashley: “She has her inner struggles as well as her outter struggles with her mom. And her mom, of course, puts that pressure on her in a sense. She keeps letting Abigail know that she cannot fail this family. If she failed the family, she’ll be the first to know that she will feel like a failure about how has to live up to her name. And I think also, that put a lot of pressure on Abigail herself, because if she fails, she also fails in herself. And I think that is kind of a perfectionist way of how she thinks. She put so much pressure on herself to be the best and I don’t think she necessarily believes that she is the best because she has a lot of experience, which is kind of where that persona and the big ego get put out there to the field because she’s still so unsure.”

Actress Ashley Nicole Williams arrives for the 2nd Annual Freeform Summit at the Goya Studios on March 27, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo credit should read VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images)

What are some goals you would like to accomplish within the next few years?

Ashley: “I definitely hope Motherland goes like a kajillion seasons if we could. I hope we go really far and I hope the world loves it as much as we do. And I also want to venture out into the movies and things of that nature. Maybe some drama and stuff like that. I love a good drama. I love the good cry being a good person. And in the meantime,when i’m just honing in on my craft and really working at it so I can get to where I want to be ultimately.”

Julian: “That’s really good because I hope I can see you within the next few years especially on the red carpet.”

Ashley: “Oh yes, that would be awesome. Then we’ll look at each other. We’ll be like, ‘you remember a few years ago when we did our first interview for Motherland season one?” (Laughs)

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 11 “Morning Star” Recap

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Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Since the mid-season premiere, we witnessed a dark and tight-spaced cave, Beta auditioning to be Michael Myers, and “that” Negan and Alpha scene that got everyone talking. The Whisperers are beginning to bring the war to the communities and tonight’s episode, we see how the group will prepare for it. Here is my recap of “Morning Star.”

Beta is cutting the center of the tree to see if sap can be poured. We also see that he has done this to the other trees in that area. Negan is with Alpha and he asks if there will be more “kinky Whisperer shit” going on. Alpha rolled up her sleeve and told Negan to whip her arm with the branch. Negan was puzzled at first, but Alpha told him to do it. Negan does this and when he finishes, Alpha does the same to his arm. There are a mix of walkers from Alpha’s horde and Whisperers walking and Alpha and Beta are doing the “end of the world/we take them all” chant. We also see that Negan has a Whisperer mask now.

Eugene is talking to Stephanie over the radio and Stephanie mentions that she seen the satellite crashing down not too long ago. Stephanie also says that they must be close since she seen it. Eugene told her that they are in Virginia and asked Stephanie when they should meet. Stephanie replied by telling him that she wants to meet him too, but she will have to talk to her group about it first. Alden and Earl notices that Aaron and other members from Alexandria arrive and they both see that they brought Mary with them (their first time seeing her unmasked). Aaron told Earl and Alden who she was, and they both agree that she does not belong there regardless that her nephew is there. It is clear here that Earl does not trust her. Carol is at Daryl’s old camp site and Ezekiel visits her. They talk about the cave and Ezekiel is worried about her. He even says that they could stay there all day and talk even if they are being bit by mosquitos.

Kelly tells Luke that she does not want to leave Connie out there and Yumiko told Kelly that she thinks that they are both dead. While Kelly is not trying to hear that, Daryl and Judith arrives to Hilltop in his motorcycle. Daryl told Yumiko that they did not get far and Lydia said that they cannot go back out there because Alpha is coming.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan, Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Rosita enters the attic of Hilltop where the radio equipment is there and hears Stephanie’s voice. Rosita asks who it is and while she is doing this, Eugene climbs down the ladder and tried to respond to Stephanie. Eugene did not expect Rosita to come to him since he was told that nobody should know about this. Eugene commented on Rosita’s wounds as she said that she fought a Whisperer (she did not name him (Beta). Eugene told Rosita to leave before he says something that he will regret. Eugene apologized to Stephanie over the radio, but she did not respond. Alpha and Negan are alone again and Negan tells Alpha that she does not need to attack just yet as he believes that they will join her side. At the meeting at Hilltop, They all debate on whether if they should leave or stay to fight. Earl believes that they should fight and Lydia lets them all know that Alpha’s horde will not go around Hilltop, but through the front. Daryl told everyone to get all of the children away from Hilltop and take them to Oceanside. They do exactly that (including getting RJ out of there) and Judith wanted to stay and battle and Daryl told Judith that he will not allow her to stay. While they were on their way to Oceanside, there is a road block with a walker hanging on the tree on the side of the road block. Daryl figures out that Negan did this and that he is with Alpha now.

Daryl and the rest goes back to Hilltop to tell them about the road block and Kelly says that they cannot stay there at all. Luke wanted to call Alexandria and Hilltop for help, but Earl not only riles everyone up for war, but also lets them know that the communities cannot help them and that they would not get there in time. While Ezekiel is getting his armor, Carol enters the room. She sees that he has the lump on his neck and even told him the line that he told her when they had their first long conversation (“Never bullshit a bullshitter”). He told her about the tumor and they both kiss. Mary finally got the chance to see her nephew, but Alden interrups her and told her that she cannot see her nephew. Aaron told Alden that she would not be dangerous, but Alden told Aaron that it is not a good idea for her to be there with her nephew due to the fact that Earl raised him since her sister left him there. After Carol and Ezekiel had sex, they have a heart to heart as Ezekiel told Carol that she has lost herself and her sense of humor. Ezekiel also brings up losing his pride and asked if they would have done it if he did not think that he was going to die tonight. Carol’s humor side comes out at that moment with the way she replied to him.

Ross Marquand as Aaron, ,Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter, Dan Fogler as Luke – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

While Eugene was checking for the power, Rosita arrives (Side note, everyone is appearing out of nowhere in this episode for some reason). She was worried on how close Beta would have gotten to kill her and talked about Stephanie. Rosita then asked Eugene if he wanted to kiss her. Eugene leaned over and almost did, but he pulled back. They both come to realize that they do not want to give what The Whisperers want and that is, them in fear. Eugene however, kissed her on her cheek. Lydia looks at the heart sign of “H+L” that she made and Carol has a conversation with her about Alpha and about Carol hating herself and about people not telling the truth anymore. Lydia also feels very loney and depressed too. Everyone else is making electric barricades and Yumiko apologized to Kelly for what she said earlier and they hug. Then, a swarm of rats are running from the bushes and that signaled that the horde is coming. Eugene is singing “The Wild Wind Blows” by Iron Maiden while a montage of everyone getting ready for war is shown. Stephanie replies by singing the rest of the song. Stephanie and Eugene also talk about Rosita and Eugene calls Rosita his BFF. Then out of nowhere, Stephanie told Eugene that they are in West Virginia and to arrive at the train yard within the next week. Ezekiel and Daryl talk for a brief moment and Ezekiel reveals to Daryl that he has cancer and Daryl told him that despite them not talking that much, he understands what they are going through. They both made a pact in which if one of them goes down, the other gets the children. Judith talks about Rick Grimes and what would he have done if he was still around. She also fixes the right wing on Daryl’s vest and Daryl loves it. Daryl told Judith if he gets lost, for her and RJ to go to Ezekiel and she promises that she will.

Carol looks at the portaits of the Greene family and Daryl is looking down on Glenn’s grave. Daryl also told Carol that he will never hate her as they patched things up. At night, Daryl picks up the morning star chain weapon and everyone is positioned for battle as Aaron leads the militia. The horde and Whisperers arrive and the walkers begin to break through the electric fence. Aaron ordered the group to be split in two for both sides of the inner fence as the walkers are beginning to walk towards the thick barbed wire. The arrows from everyone else behind the shield are being shot at walkers and everyone else in the front begins to take down walkers. This continued for a few more minutes until Beta begins launching the sap bombs at the militia. One person of the militia was burned to death as they all figured out that it was flammable. Alpha gets the fire ready and Negan told her that he thought that she was going top make them join them. Alpha replies that they will literally join them as walkers and Negan thought that it was “bad ass.” Alpha readies the flaming arrows for everyone to launch and Negan even joined this. The walkers break through the thick barbed wire and Daryl told everyone to retreat since there are way too many. As they were retreating, the fire arrows that were launched from The Whisperers’ side made it to the entrance of Hilltop and everything in the front was set on fire. The episode ends as Daryl and everyone else has nowhere to go but fight the horde as the fire is behind them.

This episode reminded me of the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones where the buildup is for 80% of the episode and the other 20% of the episode is a small taste of the battle which means the episode after this one will be the full scale battle. With that aside, this is an excellent episode and there were many callbacks to earlier seasons such as the road block caused by Negan, that line Ezekiel said to Carol in early season 7 is now being said by Carol to Ezekiel, and how Daryl stared at the graves before war just like Rick did. My favorite interractions on this episode were Ezekiel and Carol as they both come to terms that they are more of themselves and not just people who are queen and king at The Kingdom. Their conversations were down to earth and I love it. Also, bonus points for Daryl and Carol not hating eachother and I am sure that the “Caryl” fans will love that too.

Carol’s scene with Lydia is some of the best dialouge of the entire season as it felt more like watching a mom and daughter have a heart to heart. Now for the start of the battle, that last 10 minutes was extremely planned well and it gave us a taste of the chaos of The Whisperer War. I also thought that it was smart for Beta to use the tree sap bombs first before everyone else launching the fire arrows. That was a slight not to not only the comic series as The Hilltop was burned top the ground by fire arrows, but to also a trick used during World War 1. I am however a bit puzzled to why the meeting location of The Commonwealth is changed from the comics as in the comics, it was in Ohio and now on the television series, it is in West Virginia. There were many scenes from the comic that were adapted, and remixed for this episode that I enjoyed and I cannot wait for the next episode!

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