| “ | The black horse of Famine, it rides after us all. I knew this war was coming. And in every war there is sacrifice.
―Pope to Leah.[src]
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” |
The Battle for Meridian is a major battle that took place during the eleventh season of AMC's The Walking Dead.
Battle[]
The early stages of the battle began with Maggie Rhee, Negan Smith, and Elijah leading a horde towards Meridian. Upon seeing the horde get close to the location, Pope sends Wells to redirect the herd away.
Wells leads the horde away from Meridian and radios the Reapers that he's doing fine. Walkers suddenly appear from all directions, and Negan stabs him. Injured and surprised by the attack, they overtake him. He screams as walkers devour him.
Later, Leah Shaw insists on helping Wells, but Pope says he's already dead. Leah realizes Pope dispatched Wells as bait to confirm his hunch that Maggie is controlling the horde. Leah reminds Pope that Wells was part of their family, but Pope says it was Wells' fate to die.
Pope asks Daryl Dixon for intel about Maggie. Daryl says that Maggie is a good shot and advises Pope to look for her in the trees. Carver radios Pope to report that the horde has returned. Pope looks out at the horde and declares that it will never reach their gate. Explosions start to go off as the horde trips mines that have been planted around the perimeter.
The horde continues to trip the mines outside Meridian. Leah laments all the people they've lost, but Pope reasons that every war has its sacrifices. Daryl looks through binoculars and sees Maggie's group wearing skin masks.
Maggie and Gabriel Stokes separate from the horde, and sneak up to a sentry post guarded by Powell. Daryl joins Powell at his post and offers him a cigarette. He intentionally drops the matches and stabs Powell when he reaches down to pick them up. He shows Maggie and Gabriel where to sneak inside. Daryl breaks the lock on the door of the food shed.
While leading the horde toward the wall, an explosion goes off and sends shrapnel into Elijah's leg, hurting him. Negan helps him up and they continue moving into the community.
Daryl rejoins Pope, Leah, and Austin, being informed that the horde is beginning to scatter. Daryl points out that the dead are actually advancing which angers Pope who orders Leah to secure the Hwacha.
Maggie and Gabriel finally sneak into Meridian and continue on with their next step. Gabriel is told to wait for her signal before he sneaks off to a building. He runs into a room and goes straight for the secret compartment, finding the rifle.
Daryl, Leah, and Ancheta gather on a rooftop. Ancheta reveals the hwacha – a multiple rocket launcher that he designed. Daryl quietly asks Leah if she still believes in Pope. Leah admits that it's hard to watch Pope hurt the people that she cares about. Daryl reveals that the enemies they're fighting are in fact his friends. He begs Leah not to kill them. Leah reels as she processes his revelation. Pope joins them on the roof.
Maggie hotwires a truck and races toward the front gate. She jumps out of the truck, allowing it to careen straight into the gate. Walkers pour in through the breach.
Pope orders Ancheta to launch the hwacha. Leah says the hwacha will end up killing their own people, but Pope reasons that it's their time to die. Ancheta lights the fuse. Daryl unsheathes his knives to attack Pope. Leah stabs Pope in the neck. Daryl hurls a knife into Ancheta and puts out the fuse.
Maggie fights a Reaper in the courtyard. From a nearby window, Gabriel starts picking off Reapers with a rifle. Pope crawls on the ground. Leah stabs him once more, killing him. Daryl reaches out his hand to escape with Leah, but she instead radios everyone that Daryl killed Pope and is with the enemy. She tells Daryl that she would do anything to protect her family. Daryl escapes moments before Carver and Boone arrive. Leah instructs them to close the gate and kill everything inside the walls.
Maggie, Daryl, and Negan fight Reapers and walkers in the courtyard. Leah radios the Reapers with orders to pull back. After the courtyard is cleared of Reapers, she launches rockets at Maggie's group below.
Hellfire rains down on the horde, Maggie, who had broken off from Negan, is attacked by Fisher. She is overpower but one of the rockets hits Fisher, blowing him up. Maggie quickly gets up and hides inside of a building, meeting up with Negan and Elijah.
Carver searches for the three as they hide inside of the infirmary's secret compartment.
In another piece of the building, Austin takes aim at Gabriel but is stopped by Daryl. A knife and fist fight ensures resulting in Austin's death. Daryl hides just as Leah enters the room and discovers her comrade's body. He quietly escapes the room.
Gabriel encounters Mancea and draws his sword. Mancea predicts that Gabriel will not kill him, since he did not kill him at the graveyard. Gabriel is surprised to learn that Mancea had known of his presence at the graveyard. Mancea asks if Gabriel listens to God anymore and urges Gabriel to renew his faith. Gabriel hears a noise behind the door then stabs Mancea in the gut.
Carver chases Maggie down a hall. Negan and Elijah ambush him. Carver injures Elijah and knocks Maggie to the ground. Negan smacks Carver with a heavy bell. Maggie gets ready to deal a fatal blow to Carver. Daryl intervenes and insists they use Carver as leverage, despite Elijah's vow to avenge his sister. Daryl radios Leah and proposes they talk.
Daryl, Maggie, Negan, and Elijah meet with Leah and the remaining Reapers. Daryl offers to release Carver if the Reapers leave Meridian, but vows to kill them if they return. Leah rejects his offer and reveals that a sniper will gun them down if they don't release Carver. Daryl reluctantly lets Carver go. Gabriel shoots Carver in the leg and informs Leah via walkie that he killed her sniper. Leah accepts Daryl's terms and starts to leave with two Reapers. After Elijah tells her their people need to be avenged, Maggie shoots them in the back and kills the remaining Reapers. Leah flees and escapes, ending the battle.
Participants[]
The Reapers[] |
The Coalition[] |
Result[]
- The Reapers are dissolved following the demises of almost every member.
- Leah Shaw, the only surviving member of the Reapers, is forced to survive on her own.
- Negan Smith leaves the group.
- The Coalition takes over Meridian and takes the supplies back to Alexandria.
- Meridian itself is abandoned once and for all.
Casualties[]
The Reapers[]
Appearances[]
Season 11[]
Trivia[]
- The battle marked the conclusion of the Reaper Conflict.