The Next World

"The Next World" is the tenth episode of Season 6 of AMC's The Walking Dead. It aired on February 21, 2016 at 9/8c on AMC, and on February 22, 2016 at 9pm on Fox.

Plot Synopsis
As Rick gets dressed to go on a supply run, Michonne asks him to bring back toothpaste. They chat with Carl, who now wears a bandage over his eye but seems otherwise recovered from the gunshot.

Over the two months since the herd broke into Alexandria, the town has been expanded with a new wall built, and residents can be seen dismantling the old wall. Daryl tracks down Denise to review her list of requested supplies and asks why she wants orange soda. Denise explains her plan to surprise Tara, who's leaving with Heath on a two-week supply run.

Eugene opens the gate as Rick and Daryl leave for the supply run. He gives them a map to agricultural supply stores and instructions to track down sorghum, a "criminally underrated grain" that could help replenish their low food supply.

In the car, Rick predicts they will finally find food and new people that day. Daryl notes that they haven't encountered anyone in weeks.

Back in Alexandria, Michonne stands guard at the top of the wall and sees Spencer walk into the woods with a shovel. She follows him.

Maggie finds Enid alone and encourages her to pitch in and help get Alexandria back on track. She tells Enid that she's around if she wants to talk.

Rick and Daryl spot a sorghum barn and find a truck inside. They open the truck and discover a large store of supplies. Rick proposes they drive the truck and come back for their car later.

En route to Alexandria, Rick and Daryl stop at a gas station to scavenge. Daryl finds a tipped over vending machine, and they chain it to the truck to flip it over. Just then, a masked man races over and crashes into Rick, prompting Rick and Daryl to pull their guns on him.

The assailant introduces himself as Paul Rovia -- though his friends call him Jesus -- and tells Rick and Daryl that he was just running from walkers. Rick asks him how many walkers he's killed -- the test for new members of the group -- but Daryl cuts him off. Eventually, they decide to let Jesus go on his way.

While Daryl and Rick talk about Jesus and whether to follow him, they're surprised by the sound of gunshots behind the gas station. They investigate and discover firecrackers in a trash can. Realizing it was a trick, they run back just in time to see Jesus driving off with the truck, dragging the vending machine behind it.

Meanwhile, in the woods, Spencer tries to draw a walker out of the nearby brush. As the walker emerges, Michonne appears and kills it, then asks why Spencer is in the woods. Spencer explains that he takes walks after his shifts and starts to head off alone again. Michonne insists on going with him, explaining that his mother Deanna told her to figure out what she wants in life, but for now, she just wants to figure out why he's wandering around in the woods with a shovel.

In another part of the woods, Carl and Enid walk, and Enid wonders aloud why they keep coming out there. "Because we're kids, that's what they do," says Carl. "We're not kids," Enid mutters in response.

Back on the road, Rick and Daryl sprint after the truck and find the vending machine discarded in the middle of the road. Daryl shatters the display case and stuffs orange sodas for Denise and some snacks into his bag. Then they keep running.

As Carl and Enid read in the woods, they hear a noise. Enid hides and Carl draws his gun, but they relax once Carl realizes it's just Spencer and Michonne. After a beat, Enid announces that she doesn't want to come out to the woods anymore. "Okay," Carl says flatly, and gathers his belongings.

As they head back through the woods, Carl and Enid see a walker in the distance. Over Enid's protests, Carl tries to draw it toward him, and stops her from killing it. "You wouldn't understand," he says, telling her to go home.

Meanwhile, Rick and Daryl catch up with Jesus and hold him at gunpoint. Rick ties Jesus up, assuring him the knots are loose enough to eventually wriggle free. Then Rick and Daryl drive off in the truck.

As they drive across a field, Rick and Daryl hear a sudden noise and realize that Jesus is on the roof of the truck. Rick screeches to a halt, sending Jesus tumbling to the ground. On foot, Daryl chases after Jesus while Rick kills nearby walkers. Jesus and Daryl wind up struggling inside the truck and Jesus accidentally knocks it into neutral, causing the truck to roll into a pond and sink. Daryl begrudgingly agrees not to abandon Jesus, who was knocked unconscious, after Rick points out that Jesus saved Daryl from a walker.

Michonne and Spencer catch a glimpse of Carl as he races away, leaving a walker behind. Spencer unsheathes his knife as Michonne recognizes the walker: It's Deanna. Michonne restrains Deanna as Spencer tearfully stabs her through the head. He explains this is the reason he's been walking in the woods.

Afterward, Spencer digs a grave and mourns the loss of his entire family. Michonne assures him that he still has a family with his friends in Alexandria.

Later, Daryl guards an unconscious Jesus in the back seat as Rick drives them back to Alexandria.

At home, Michonne chastises Carl for risking his life by leading Deanna around. Carl explains that he had to: Spencer needed to be the one to kill her. "It should be someone who loved her," he says. "I'd do it for you." Michonne hugs him.

As they arrive in Alexandria, Daryl tells Rick that he was right when he once suggested they stop bringing new people into the community. Rick disagrees: he thinks Daryl was right in the first place.

Rick and Daryl bring Jesus to the infirmary so Denise can check him out. Later, in the townhouse basement, Daryl and Rick leave water and a note next to Jesus's still unconscious body.

Back at home, Rick wearily flops onto his couch, where Michonne joins him. He tells her Daryl is guarding a man that they brought in. He hands her mints from the vending machine in lieu of the toothpaste she wanted. As they laugh together, their fingers interlock and they kiss.

Rick and Michonne lie naked in bed after making love. Jesus walks into the room and tells Rick to wake up. As Rick and Michonne leap up and grab their weapons, Jesus says, "We should talk.”

Co-Stars

 * Mandi Christine Kerr as Barbara (does not appear in this episode)

Uncredited

 * Chloe & Sophia Garcia-Frizzi as Judith Grimes
 * Sebastian Lobo as "Alexandria Resident"

Deaths

 * Deanna Monroe (Zombified)

Trivia

 * First appearance of Paul Rovia.
 * Last appearance of Deanna Monroe. (Zombified)
 * The comic book Carl reads in the woods is Invincible, a comic book by Robert Kirkman.
 * The title "The Next World" comes from when Paul Rovia aka Jesus was talking to Rick and Daryl.
 * There is a time jump between "No Way Out" and "The Next World" of 2 months.
 * This is the second episode of Season 6 not to feature a living character's death.
 * Unlike his comic book counterpart Paul does not possess the surname 'Monroe' - according to Tom Payne, he stated it was to clear confusion between him and the Monroe family.
 * After the events of "No Way Out", Jessie, Sam, Ron, and 4 unseen Alexandrians names were added to the memorial wall. However, Betsy's name was not added, despite the fact that she had committed suicide a day prior.
 * This episode used some songs:
 * “More Than A Feeling” - Boston
 * “Action Packed” - Ronnie Dawson
 * “If My Heart Was A Car” - Old 97’s

Goofs/Errors

 * Deanna's body should be more damaged if the walkers were able to get to her. It is also unclear how she was able to reanimate, leave Alexandria and wander around the town considering the massacre of the dead in the last episode and the usual timescale of reanimation. Also, despite the fact that it's been two months, her body does not seem that much decayed.
 * When Carl and Enid walk through the woods together, the scene ends. But it shows Enid to suddenly stop walking just before the cut.