‘The Walking Dead’ Mid-Season Finale Recap: Episode 8×08 ‘Evolution’

Caution: Contains spoilers for the mid-season finale of season of The Walking Dead.

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Daryl Aaron and Jesus see a herd of walkers circling. They ask each other if they’ve seen them do it before. They haven’t.

They decide it’s not normal. They decide to leave, there is a storm coming. Daryl yells for Dog and they leave.

The walkers continue to mill.
The camera zooms onto one walker, who slowly turns and looks back.

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Gabriel talks to Negan and tells him to accept his fate it seems through prayer. He is trying to ease his mind. They’ve been having sessions.
Negan comments on his relationship with Rosita.

Gabriel asks him why he acts out. Negan says he knows he’s never getting out. He says he has everything he needs, including the window that acts as a TV.
He says he gets scoop from people standing out there talking, not thinking about him being there.

Negan says he overheard Rosita talking, and teases him with what she said.

Gabriel says he’ll see him next week and leaves.

Gabriel sees a group with new men, one of them looks like Abraham. They have found Rosita.

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A Kingdom member rides through the town yelling “Riders are coming”.

Michonne and the new group arrive at Hilltop.

Luke is impressed by what he sees.

Tara asks Dianne how many are coming. It’s Michonne.

Magna says to get ready, just incase. Luke says “What’s not to like about us, we’re a solid lookin group, scrappy.”

Michonne tells Dianne the people re looking for a new home. They remove their weapons. Magna whispers, “We just got these back.”

Michonne and Tara talk. She tells Michonne Eugene is also missing. They say Rosita will wake up soon.

Tara says the crew set out to search. “It’s like the gang is back together,.” She says.

Tara tells the new group they will have to earn their keep if they stay and will have to talk to Jesus.

They thank her.

Michonne sees Carol and smiles. Carol turns and walks back into the house.

The new group discuss Jesus’s name.

Carol comes out and hugs Siddiq. Carol and Michonne have an awkward hello. Carol knows a bit of sign language and meets Magna Connie and Yukimo.

Carol asks about her kids. RJ and Judith. They take about Henry’s apprenticeship. Michonne says she read Ezekiel’s letter, but she’s still against the fair. She says they’ve had too much trouble.
Carol says they both lost children, and they’ve always been a family.

Michonne says the groups are all still separate and broken. Carol says it’s a shame.

They say goodbye.

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Jesus and Aaron talk, Aaron tells Jesus he’d be a good leader.

Daryl says there’s a herd coming. He can hear it in the wind.

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Carol leaves Henry at Hilltop. She tells him to stay out of trouble. He tells her he will make her proud. She tears up and tells him he already has. She smiles and rides away.

Aaron Jesus and Daryl look at the growing herd. They have thrown an alarm clock in a field to distract them.

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Enid comes to greet Henry as he begins his apprenticeship. She’s now dating Tommy. Henry is disappointed, he’s taken a liking to her.

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Gabriel is back in the prison with Negan. He changes his bedpans. Gabriel tells Negan to shut up when he makes fun of him. “Shut your damn mouth.” He says.

Negan can tell Gabriel is upset. Negan asks what happened. Gabriel says Rosita is at Hilltop hurt, and he can’t leave because of Negan.

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A group of kids asks Henry to hang with them. They are Gauge, Addy and Rodney.

They say they are worried about him, he looks sad. They joke about Oceanside being all women. They want him to sneak out of Hilltop with them at night. He agrees to do it.

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Siddiq and Michonne sit by a sick Rosita. He apologizes for not telling her everything. Michonne says people are still angry at her. It must be something that happened during the time jump.

She talks about the choices she made.

Rosita wakes up and asks where she is. She is concerned about Eugene. They tell here is a group searching. She refuses to sit, and she goes to help. “They don’t know what they’re dealing with.” She says.

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It’s nighttime, and Daryl, Aaron, Jesus and Dog continue searching. They find a door in a shed. The dog has tracked him. They ask if he’s down there. Eugene says “affirmative.”
They pull him out. He’s dusty, shaking and scared. He says Rosita stashed him there.

He says the herd is coming back. He says it’s already come through twice and it will be back. He says they heard the walkers whispering to each other. He says they aren’t a normal herd. Dog barks, the herd is back. They have cut them off.

They try to run.

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Henry and his new friends hang out in an old building. They are drinking and joking. Henry is unsteady from the alcohol. They show him a walker they’ve trapped in a hole 6 months ago.

As a game, they see if they can get a rope around the walker. They offer the game to Henry and he gets angry and jumps into the hole. He puts the walker down.

His friends are mad at him for it. They leave him alone in the hole.

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Eugene talks to Jesus, Daryl and Aaron about the walkers. He believes they’ve evolved.

Jesus wants them to go without him and he will distract them. Daryl says no, he will go. He and Dog separate from the others.

Negan throws a ball against his cell wall. The ball rolls out. Negan looks at the door. It’s unlocked.

He opens the door and picks up the ball. He smiles and walks out.

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Tara walks down the stairs. Henry has drunkenly thrown up on her boots and on a pig. His apprentice comes and asks him why he was drinking. He is upset with him. Henry says he screwed up and says it’s because he saw his mom cry. He explains how he didn’t realize how big a deal it was to be there.

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Daryl and Dog sit and wait for the herd. They light firecrackers and Dog barks. The walkers start heading towards the sound, and then turn away.

Jesus, Aaron and Eugene get to a cemetery. The herd closes in. They try to lift Eugene over a monument. They have no more time. They draw weapons to fight.

They take a few out. They hear whispering. Michonne arrives and tries to save them.
Magna shows up to help her. They get a gate open. Jesus stays back to fight.

He takes several down before one of them stabs him and whispers “You are where you do not belong.”

Jesus is gone. Aaron leans over him and cries.

Michonne asks, “These walker, what are they?” Daryl cuts off a fleshy walker mask and reveals a man’s face underneath.

They hear more whispers, “They’re trapped.”

The camera pans over the group, all completely surrounded. The dog is also surrounded in another area.

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The Walking Dead will return in 2019. Stay tuned for everything Walking Dead until then!