The Walking Dead Season 10 Finale Recap: A Certain Doom

In The Walking Dead season 10 finale, “A Certain Doom,” Beta engages the final battle of the Whisperer War.

A Mighty Weapon

As our group scrambles to prepare for Beta’s Whisperer army and the horde of undead they’ve brought along to the fight as they launch their attack, Gabriel reassures a couple of children saying that the communities of Alexandria, Hilltop, Oceanside, People of the Kingdom, and those out there searching for more help form a “mighty weapon” when united.

Elsewhere, Ezekiel comforts Eugene who is beginning to lose hope that they will be able to rendezvous with his mysterious love Stephanie as they search for additional help. Back at The Tower (the abandoned hospital complex surrounded by the horde and The Whisperers), Daryl and Carol briefly discuss how Michonne left — unaware that she found evidence Rick could still be alive — with Carol telling Daryl Michonne knew Judith and RJ would be safe with Daryl.

Gabriel and the rest of the group holed up in The Tower go over their plans to lead the horde away, which will include a few of their own going out among the undead and The Whisperers knowing not everyone will make it. There’s tension among a few members of the group for those who still don’t trust Lydia and others upset that Negan is now essentially working as their ally. Lydia speaks to Carol in private, asking her to stop avoiding her and that she isn’t upset with Carol for using Negan to kill Alpha, her mother. Carol doesn’t think it helped anything, but Lydia says that it helped her. Lydia makes it clear that she’s not looking for another mom, though, that their relationship “can be something else,” and so can Carol, who is still struggling with the weight of her recent choices and the fallout from her actions.

Tighten The Herd

Daryl, Carol, Kelly, Magna, Luke, Jerry, and the other volunteers take a few moments to get covered up in the undead’s blood and guts so they can safely blend in as they prepare to infiltrate the horde. When Negan attempts to explain why he can’t go with them because after killing Alpha The Whisperers will be looking for him, Daryl calls him out on his “bullshit” and says if he wants to be a part of this, he has to put his ass on the line like everyone else. After Daryl and Judith share a quiet goodbye, the small group makes their way outside, slowly progressing through the dense mob of walkers.

As the group moves through the crowd, Lydia uses binoculars to help archer Dianne in The Tower take out Whisperers among the horde. After a couple of Whisperers are quickly taken down and munched on by the undead, Daryl and the others continue through as Beta realizes what’s happening, ordering his Whisperers to “tighten the herd.” The new formation makes it difficult for Gabriel, Lydia, and the others to see their people, but they quickly have a new problem to deal with as a few of The Whisperers have started coming up the stairs where the group is located.

After barricading the door, everyone moves to their positions per Gabriel’s direction. Negan, who didn’t go with Daryl’s crew, takes a moment to speak with Lydia saying that she should take the opportunity to run now because they will never be trusted, even if they survive. He gives Lydia her mother’s old skin mask, suggesting she use it to make her escape as he leaves himself. Back outside, Daryl and a few of the others make it through the horde and wait for Carol and Beatrice to appear. Beatrice is stabbed in the leg by an injured Whisperer; she attempts to give Carol her backpack before she’s eaten up by the undead, but Carol doesn’t go back for it as the walkers descend on Beatrice. Carol notices moments later someone else has grabbed Beatrice’s pack and quickly realizes that it’s Lydia, wearing Alpha’s mask, who puts on the backpack and quietly follows Carol to the others.

Burning Down the House

As some of The Whisperers continue to try and break down the door to reach the group inside The Tower, Daryl and the others walk alongside a couple of their horses pulling one of their horse-drawn car-carriages with a loud speaker blasting Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House,” effectively drawing the horde towards them and away from The Tower. Inside, Gabriel informs one of the archers that the evacuations have started but they need to buy them more time. Suddenly, a grenade is tossed inside and Gabriel tackles one archer to safety as the other two are killed.

Day turns to night as Daryl’s group slowly continues leading the horde away from The Tower. The Whisperers finally make their way to the front of the stumbling walkers, though, and the group attempts to protect the horses while taking out a few of The Whisperers who are quickly closing in. They’re ultimately forced to retreat when one of The Whisperers takes out a tire. As Daryl, Carol, Lydia and the others still alive flee, The Whisperers destroy the speakers. Daryl tells Gabriel over a walkie that they’ve lost the wagon and walkers will be headed back their way. In a last-ditch effort to redirect the horde away from The Tower and the evacuees, Daryl says they need to go back into the horde themselves and take out The Whisperers, who are the ones drawing the undead towards their people. Lydia tells them that she can be the one to lead the walkers towards the cliff and away from the others because her mother taught her how. Luke calls it a suicide mission and Daryl isn’t keen on the idea, saying for now they need to take out the skinwalkers.

Back at The Tower, Gabriel tells those who have not yet evacuated that they need to leave, including Judith. Gabriel says he’s staying behind because he has to make sure no one cuts the rope. Judith asks Gabriel if Rosita knows what his plan is, and he asks her to tell Rosita, “Eres mi media naranja.” Judith asks, “Half orange?” and Gabriel reassures her that Rosita will know what it means. Judith goes with the other two remaining who follow her down the rope they’ve set up for a quiet escape. The Whisperers break through and Gabriel puts up a fight but is quickly pinned to the ground. Just before a Whisperer can stab him to death, the mysterious double-blade-wielding, metal-masked/hoodie-wearing fighter that Aaron and Aiden came across in the forest shows up, killing The Whisperers along with Maggie who was brought to The Tower by Aaron. Maggie reunites with Gabriel, reassuring him that the new guy is one of hers.

Nobody

In the horde, Daryl’s group begins taking out The Whisperers one by one and Beta quickly spots Lydia wearing Alpha’s mask. He moves to go after her but is stopped by Negan, who Beta attempts to kill to avenge his Alpha. Before he can, though, Daryl appears, stabbing two blades into Beta’s eyes. As Beta has flashbacks of his time with Alpha and The Whisperers’ chants of them being the end of the world and how they embrace death, Negan and Daryl watch as a smiling Beta is torn apart and taken down into a crowd of walkers. Catching a glimpse of Beta’s face for the first time before he’s killed, Negan is shocked to realize who Beta was (referring to the fact that in pre-apocalytic life Beta was a famous country singer) but Daryl calls Beta a nobody before they move on.

As night turns to day, Lydia, still wearing her mother’s skin mask, leads the horde towards the cliff. But Carol stops her, telling her to go, wanting to be the one to finish it. Carol walks to the edge of the cliff, nearly allowing the horde to push her off with them. Lydia reappears, snatching Carol’s hand and yanking her to safety where they huddle together by a nearby boulder as the undead move around them and over the cliff. Carol tells Lydia she told her to go, and Lydia responds by hugging Carol tightly and saying, “You told me to find my own way.” Carol, in tears, thanks her before Lydia tosses Alpha’s mask over the edge along with the remainder of the horde.

Afterwards, Maggie reunites with Judith and the others as the group recovers in the forest. Lydia and Carol show up and informs them that the plan worked. As Lydia hugs Negan, who says he’s sticking around for now, Daryl and Carol speak privately. Daryl asks if it’s over, and Carol says yes. He asks if she got what she wanted, and Carol replies, “No. And I won’t. Not really.” Daryl tells her she still has him, and the two embrace.

Elsewhere, we come across an injured Connie, who has been missing and presumed dead. She stumbles onto the road where she’s found by Virgil, who we last saw on Bloodsworth Island after parting ways with Michonne. Meanwhile, Eugene, Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Princess arrive at the rendezvous point. No one appears, though, and Eugene thinks Stephanie isn’t there anymore. Inspired by Ezekiel’s words earlier, Eugene says they’re not turning back and wants to keep tracking the people who are out there so they can assimilate “with like-minded folks” to make what they built even stronger. Suddenly, lights come on and the group is quickly surrounded by heavily armed people, donning white armor and demanding they drop their weapons as the episode ends and the Commonwealth arc of the story begins.

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