Warlords

Warlords
Season 11, Episode 13
Air Date	March 20, 2022
Written By	Jim Barnes Erik Mountain
Directed By	Loren Yaconelli
U.S. Viewers	1.79 million
Episode Guide
← previous	"The Lucky Ones"
next →	"The Rotten Core"
Cast Guide
Starring Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon* Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier* Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa* Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter* Seth Gilliam as Gabriel Stokes Ross Marquand as Aaron Khary Payton as Ezekiel Sutton* Cooper Andrews as Jerry* Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan Smith
Also Starring Eleanor Matsuura as Yumiko Okumura* Nadia Hilker as Magna* Cailey Fleming as Judith Grimes* Cassady McClincy as Lydia Lauren Ridloff as Connie* Paola Lázaro as Juanita Sanchez* Michael James Shaw as Michael Mercer* Lynn Collins as Leah Shaw* Josh Hamilton as Lance Hornsby** Margot Bingham as Maxxine Mercer* Laila Robins as Pamela Milton* Michael Biehn as Ian Jason Butler Harner as Toby Carlson Medina Senghore as Annie Smith Okea Eme-Akwari as Elijah Connor Hammond as Jesse * does not appear in this episode ** flashback

"Warlords" is the thirteenth episode of the eleventh season of AMC's The Walking Dead. It is the one-hundred and sixty-sixth episode of the series overall. It premiered on March 20, 2022. It was written by Jim Barnes & Erik Mountain and directed by Loren Yaconelli.

Plot

Maggie, Lydia, and Elijah help a stranger from another community called Riverbend. They run into Aaron, who tells them about a mission he embarked on with Gabriel as emissaries for the Commonwealth.

Synopsis

Elijah and Marco guard the Hilltop gate. Lydia tells them that she's decided to join the Commonwealth. Elijah remarks that a lot of people have been leaving. A stranger soaked in blood approaches on horseback, then falls off his horse. He gives Lydia a map and says that a slaughter is taking place. He dies.

Maggie studies the stranger's map but says they lack the resources to help whoever sent the stranger. Lydia, Elijah, and Marco decide to head out on their own to help the stranger's group.

Maggie changes her mind and accompanies Lydia and Elijah on their mission while Marco stays behind.

On the road, Lydia asks Maggie why she refused to accept help from the Commonwealth. Maggie says a corporate farm developer once tried to buy out her father's farm, but her father refused their offers even when they were desperate – and they eventually got back on their feet. She says the Commonwealth hasn't been tested in years and that she doesn't want to be there when they're finally tested. They encounter several Commonwealth troopers who've turned. They kill the walkers.

Maggie's group examines the troopers and discovers that they were murdered, with their necks slashed. Aaron spots them on the road and runs over.

ONE WEEK AGO

Aaron visits Gabriel at the Commonwealth church, where he is delivering a sermon. Gabriel urges his parishioners to open up to each other.

Aaron tells Gabriel that the Commonwealth has enlisted him to help with a new immigration initiative. He asks for Gabriel's assistance reaching out to a religious group of settlers holed up in an apartment building. A young man named Jesse tells Aaron that their boss, Carlson, is ready. Jesse is the rider who will later die at Hilltop's gate. Aaron reassures Gabriel that the settlers have been deemed friendly.

Back in the present, Carlson scopes out the complex through binoculars. Aaron remarks that the building doesn't look as friendly as he'd been told but reassures Gabriel that they'll have Commonwealth troopers with them. When Aaron observes that the soldiers are setting up camp, Carlson informs them that the troopers are hanging back to avoid spooking the settlers. Gabriel and Aaron refuse to go in, but Carlson says it's not up for discussion.

Aaron announces himself at the building entrance and says they have MREs to offer. A woman steps out and collects their weapons before allowing them inside. The woman directs Aaron's group to a room down a dark hallway. Inside the room, the leader, Ian, orders them to sit. Aaron describes the Commonwealth and invites Ian's group to join them. Ian shows them a collection of skulls from raiders who came to kill his group. He shoots his gun and orders Carlson to kneel, worried they've come to eat his people. Aaron insists they aren't cannibals and offers to leave if Ian lets them go. Ian agrees, but Carlson grabs his gun and quickly shoots him and the guards in the room. He reveals that was the plan all along and tells them to keep Ian hostage while he takes care of the situation.

ONE WEEK (and one hour) AGO

Hornsby summons Carlson to his office. Hornsby explains that a convoy full of guns and cargo was en route to the three communities when it was hijacked by a religious group. Hornsby orders Carlson to lead a surgical operation to retrieve the goods. Carlson tells Hornsby that he's no longer an assassin, but Hornsby threatens to upend Carlson's life if he refuses. Carlson intimidates Hornsby, but is convinced when Lance says he wants to avenge those young troopers that were killed. He suggests Carlson take Gabriel and Aaron.

In the present, Carlson interrogates Ian and demands to know where the guns and cargo are located. Ian says he has no idea what Carlson is talking about. Carlson beats him. Gabriel punches Carlson, prompting troopers to handcuff him. Carlson shoots Ian dead, then runs outside when he hears Jesse flee on horseback. A trooper shoots Jesse in the shoulder, but Aaron smashes him in the face before he can shoot again. Carlson tries to shoot Aaron, but he's out of bullets. They get ready for a melee, but more troopers arrive and start shooting at Aaron, and he escapes into the woods. Carlson is called back inside and discovers that Gabriel has escaped and his guard is dead. He puts the guard down and asks for his armor.

After Aaron recounts his story to Maggie's group, Maggie wonders why the Commonwealth had so many guns. She looks at Jesse's blood-soaked map to find a route to Riverbend. Aaron asks where she got the map. Maggie says it's the map that Aaron gave to Jesse, but Aaron says he never gave Jesse a map.

TWELVE HOURS AGO, DURING THE ATTACK

Jesse flees the complex to unhitch his horse. Negan emerges from the woods with a comrade named Annie and realizes Aaron and Gabriel are at the complex. Negan gives Jesse a map to Hilltop and asks him to tell Maggie that Gabriel and Aaron are in trouble. Jesse gets on his horse.

Negan and Annie sneak into the building and overhear Carlson talking to Aaron. When Carlson runs outside, Annie kills Gabriel's guard as Negan cuts Gabriel's bonds and they flee. Carlson finds the dead guard.

Carlson tells the residents of the complex that they are enemies of the Commonwealth because they stole from his community. Negan, Gabriel, and Annie take shelter in a hidden room with others from the complex. Annie tells Gabriel she doesn't know anything about stolen weapons.

Carlson interrogates two hostages on the building roof and pushes them off the edge one by one after they insist they know nothing about the stolen goods. He continues pushing more hostages off the roof with Negan's group hearing the screams of victims plummeting to their death. Carlson orders his troopers to kill anyone in the building who won't talk. Annie tells her group to stick together and reminds them that they know the building better than the troopers do.

A Commonwealth trooper lies dead in a hallway at the complex. Carlson tries to reach him via radio, but Maggie turns it off and hides the body with help from Aaron, Lydia, and Elijah. They sneak up a stairwell.

Other Cast

Co-Stars

• Kien Michael Spiller as Hershel Rhee
• Gustavo Gomez as Marco
• Michael Hanson as Jake Daniels
• Braian Rivera Jimenez as Green
• Henry Bazemore Jr. as Sgt. Crowe
• Jenique Hendrix as Hart
• Camry Rose Brault as Shipment Trooper

Uncredited

Gloria DeWeese as Kim Jennifer Green Hutcheson as Carrie Unknown as Hodges John Gettier as Alexandria Resident Kinney M. Lee as Hilltop Resident Nelson Padilla as Hilltop Resident Gia as Alexandria Resident Mario Williams as Alexandria Resident Stephanie McCarren as Alexandria Resident Ember Brown as Oceanside Resident Jenni Brown as Oceanside Resident Denise Davis as Commonwealth Resident Freddy Lynn Wilson as Commonwealth Resident Jan Malle as Commonwealth Resident Justtyn Hutcheson as Commonwealth Resident Kevin Davis as Commonwealth Resident Lilly Klein as Commonwealth Resident Terri Morales-Davis as Commonwealth Resident Adam Bresler as Riverbend Warrior Casey Shirley as Riverbend Warrior Diego Ward as Riverbend Warrior Justin Chavers as Riverbend Warrior Nichole Smith as Riverbend Warrior Tamasha Bolden as Riverbend Warrior Yves B. Claude as Riverbend Warrior Chandra Gaines as Riverbend Resident Christopher Jamieson as Riverbend Resident Dean Grimes as Riverbend Resident Jazmine Coffin as Riverbend Resident Kent De Mond as Riverbend Resident

Deaths

• Jesse
• Shipment Trooper (Zombified)
• Billy Johnson (Confirmed Fate)
• Hart
• Ian
• Hodges
• At least 19 unnamed raiders, murderers, rapists, and cannibals (Confirmed Fate)
• At least 5 unnamed Commonwealth soldiers
• At least 13 unnamed Riverbend residents

Trivia

• First appearance of Toby Carlson.
• First appearance of Crowe.
• First appearance of Annie Smith.
• Only appearance of Jesse.
• Only appearance of Hodges.
• Only appearance of Hart.
• Only appearance of Billy Johnson. (Corpse)
• Only appearance of Ian.
• Last appearance of Carrie.
• This episode marks the start of the Commonwealth Conflict.
• The title of the episode, "Warlords", refers to Toby calling Ian a "warlord" throughout the episode, as well as Toby himself acting as one after going mad with power.
• This episode was made available for streaming to subscribers of AMC Premiere on March 13, 2022.
• This episode marks Cassady McClincy's 25th appearance on the TV Series.
• The original plot summary for the episode was as follows: Months have passed and many of our heroes have settled into the concept and routine of the Commonwealth, rediscovering who they were prior to the apocalypse and envisioning who they want to be now. But life at Hilltop during this time has been stark in comparison. As food becomes harder to find and the daily grind continues to wear on them, some question if the Commonwealth might be the better option. Then one cryptic message starts a deadly chain of events into motion.
• Aaron mentions that the rebuilding of Alexandria is continuing, with the Commonwealth pouring even more resources into the effort.
• Gabriel has regained his faith in God since joining the Commonwealth.
• This episode marks the first time that a Commonwealth resident dies on-screen, as well as a Commonwealth soldier.
• This episode marks the return of Negan, who went off on his own in "No Other Way".
  • It also marks the return of Marco, who hadn't been on the show since "A Certain Doom".

Comic Parallels

TBA

Episode Highlights

TBA