Evolution

"Evolution" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the ninth season of AMC's The Walking Dead. It is the one-hundred and twenty-third episode of the series overall. It premiered on November 25, 2018. It was written by David Leslie Johnson and directed by Michael Satrazemis.

Plot
A small rescue mission braves a dangerous herd in their hunt for a missing comrade, only to discover a surprising threat that could doom them all.

Synopsis
In the woods, Daryl, Aaron, and Jesus discover a herd middling around in the middle of a field. As they leave, an odd looking walker watches them from the herd.

In Alexandria, Gabriel helps Negan meditate in his cell. Negan compliments him on Rosita and brags that he’s heard some interesting things about her from the gossip outside his cell. Gabe ignores it and leaves. Outside, Barbara informs him that Rosita has been injured and is at Hiltop.

At Hilltop, everyone runs inside as Michonne and Siddiq arrive with Magna and her group. From the guard post, Diane makes them all surrender their weapons before entering.

Inside, Tara coldly greets Michonne and updates her on Eugene, Aaron, Daryl, and Rosita’s situations. She then informs Magna’s group that they’ll have to wait for Jesus to return before deciding on their future, but they can stay until he gets back. Connie thanks her for everyone. From the Barrington house, Michonne smiles at Carol but is ignored.

Later, Magna questions to Yumiko why Hilltop is led by a guy named Jesus but Connie assures her it’s probably just a nickname. Yumiko suggests they work on proving their worth so they can stay. Michonne then introduces the new group to Carol, who happily introduces herself through sign language, which Connie appreciates.

Carol asks Michonne about Judith and RJ and then tells her about Henry moving to Hilltop. Carol asks if she can send a delegate from Alexandria to the fair but Michonne declines. Carol pleads but Michonne remains defiant and wishes her, Henry, and Ezekiel well.

In the woods, Jesus tells Aaron that Daryl used to trade with Hilltop before he stopped coming to visit. Aaron encourages him to embrace his new leadership role when Daryl cuts them off and says he can hear the walkers nearby through the wind. As they leave, Jesus looks with suspicion at the incoming herd.

Back at Hilltop, Henry says goodbye to Carol, promising her to make her proud. Diane asks Carol if she can ride back with her to Kingdom and she agrees. At Earl's blacksmithing spot, Enid checks up on Henry and jokes with him. Earl invites him to dinner, but he refuses after seeing Enid and Alden kissing.

In Alexandria, Negan taunts Gabriel with cleaning his potty to the point where he gets mad. Gabe confesses he’s upset he has to take care of him while Rosita recovers at Hilltop. Negan expresses genuine sympathy but is shut off by an angry Gabriel who storms off.

Back in Hilltop, everyone eats at the mess hall except for a solitary Henry. A group of teens notice him and invite him to hang with them in the woods.

At the infirmary, Siddiq apologizes to Michonne for keeping secrets from her. Suddenly, Rosita wakes up in a panic and tells them she knows where Eugene is. They tell her Daryl and the others are already looking for them but get confused after she screams that the others don’t know what they’re dealing with.

At night, Daryl, Jesus, and Aaron locate Eugene hiding in a barn cellar. A terrified Eugene warns them a herd of walkers is looking for him and they need to leave immediately. “This wasn’t a normal herd... They were whispering to each other,” he tells them. They look at him like he’s crazy when suddenly dog barks, warning them of the nearby herd.

Elsewhere, Henry drinks with his new friends in a shed outside of Hilltop. Gage suggests they have some more fun and takes them to a covered hole in the ground with a walker inside. Addy leaves as they throw rope rings at it and Rodney pees on it. Henry jumps in and mercy kills the walker. Gage is pissed at Henry for being a buzzkill and leaves him there.

Back in the foggy woods, Eugene suggests to the group that the walkers are evolving. Daryl calls bullshit when Aaron notices they’re drawing closer. Jesus demands they split up but Daryl says that instead, he will guide the herd away while he and Aaron take Eugene to the horses.

In Alexandria, Negan plays with a tennis ball until he notices the door slightly moving because of the wind, confusing him. He touches the door and discovers it has been left open. He is left in thought for a moment but smiles and leaves.

In Hilltop, Tara takes Earl down to the jail where Henry sits in a cell as punishment for misbehavior. Earl threatens to send Henry back to the Kingdom, causing Henry to explain that his reckless behavior stemmed from seeing Carol break down in tears. Henry explains his community is counting on him and begs for another chance. Sympathetic due to his own past mistakes, Earl promises to talk to Jesus when he returns, stating that the minimum sentence for a drunk and disorderly is two days in the cell. However, Earl tells Henry that he will have a lot of work to catch up on when he gets out, indicating that Earl intends to keep him as his apprentice.

Back in the woods, Daryl sets off fireworks to redirect the herd, but a group of walkers ignore the noise and the rest follow their lead, leaving him shocked. Meanwhile, Aaron, Jesus and Eugene end up at a foggy cemetery. They quickly get trapped by a locked gate, forcing Jesus and Aaron to go kill the walkers, while they hear whispers around.

Suddenly, Michonne, Magna and Yumiko arrive to help them unlock the gate. Jesus tells Aaron and Eugene to get out while he finishes the walkers. Jesus starts taking out several walkers with his sword. He goes to kill the last one but as he attacks it, the walker dodges him and stabs him from behind through his chest, shocking everyone. “You are where you do not belong” the walker whispers to a shocked Jesus before throwing him on the ground.

Daryl shoots it in the head as several more Whisperers arrive and the rest of the group run in to finish them off. As Aaron goes over to Jesus's body, Daryl notices something on the back of the walker and cuts into his neck, revealing a mask. Before they can process it, mores whispers get louder and the group circles up to fight them off.

Co-Stars

 * Matt Mangum as D.J.
 * Angel Theory as Kelly
 * James Chen as Kal
 * Mandi Christine Kerr as Barbara
 * Jackson Pace as Gage
 * Kelley Mack as Adeline
 * Joe Ando Hirsh as Rodney

Deaths

 * Paul Rovia
 * 5 unnamed Whisperers

Trivia

 * First appearance of Rodney.
 * Last appearance of Paul Rovia.
 * On Foxtel, the episode is titled "Whispers".
 * The title is a reference to Eugene's belief that the walkers may be evolving due to them talking to each other.
 * Earl references his time in the Hilltop cell in "The Bridge" following his drunken attempt to kill Maggie in "A New Beginning."
 * Oceanside is mentioned by Rodney, and is implied to be active and thriving, and still mostly a woman-only community.
 * The magnitude of the unknown incident that split Rick’s Group is seen, as members have become passive aggressive and cold to each other, such as Dianne and Tara being curt to Michonne, and Carol walking away after seeing Michonne. Michonne mentions knowing that people would still be angry at her decisions and that while she could "mend some fences," she won't do it in the way people want her to.
 * This is the first midseason finale in which a female character is not killed off.
 * Although it's possible that one of the dead whisperers was a female.
 * This is the second consecutive episode this season where Cooper Andrews is credited, but does not appear.
 * This episode marks the return of Alden who had previously been absent since the episode "The Obliged”, and whose fate was unknown because of Jed’s attack on him. He is shown working as a blacksmith with Earl Sutton and in a relationship with Enid.