The Walking Dead season 11, episode 13 recap: Warlords

The newest episode of The Walking Dead, is the magnificent and chaotic season 11 episode 13 titled, “Warlords”. While Maggie decides whether or not to aid a nearby community, Aaron and Gabriel find themselves in the middle of a mission gone wrong and a familiar face finally returns before the episode concludes with a dramatic cliffhanger.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 13 recap – Lydia and Maggie

Looks like Elijah may have a crush on Lydia as she bids him goodbye, packed and ready to go to the nearest Commonwealth outpost. Elijah offers to walk her there when an unfamiliar young man, riding a horse arrives.

Shot, and bloodied, he hands her a map before succumbing to his wounds. The map reveals a location where people are in need of some dire help.

Maggie, though hesitant at first, agrees to go with Lydia and Elijah. On the car ride there, Lydia and Maggie talk about The Commonwealth where Maggie explains her decision for declining the large community’s offer.

Speaking from her own experience of when her father’s farm suffered a drought, he still declined very appealing offers to buy the farm. When the drought ended, the farm thrived once again, and they never received another offer again.

While the story is uplifting Lydia thinks its selfish that Maggie’s father made the decision to not sell the farm without talking to the family about it first. Before the debate could continue further, they stop upon finding three walker Commonwealth soldiers who had their throats slashed.

While trying to process what happened, Aaron calls out to them from down the road.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 13 recap – Secrets and New Survivors

Going back in time by a week, Aaron attends one of Father Gabriel’s sermons at a church in The Commonwealth. His sermon is quite moving and reminds Aaron about his passion for finding and saving people.

After the sermon is over Aaron approaches him, asking for his help with a mission given to him from Toby Carlson. They are to go to an apartment building where religious people are residing to hopefully bring them into The Commonwealth.

While Gabriel is weary, he reluctantly agrees. Carlson, the young man from the beginning of the episode Jesse, Aaron and Gabriel go with Commonwealth soldiers stationed at the ready.

Already Aaron and Gabriel have doubts and fail to convince Carlson to leave the group alone. The four enter the very, dimly lit apartment building and meet with the leader Ian.

The entire meeting is laced with hostility and danger as Ian refuses to trust the group. He even keeps the skulls of past unfriendly folk to prove his point.

As he’s about to kill Carlson, believing the group to be full of liars, Aaron convinces him they are speaking the truth. But in a surprise twist, Carlson wounds Ian anyway and a takeover of the apartment building begins.

Turns out the day before the mission Lance Hornsby (audibly groans) spins quite a tale (lies) that several Commonwealth soldiers were killed, and weapons stolen with a trail leading back to the apartment building. He asks for Carlson to take out the threat as he is ex-CIA and more importantly, a former assassin.

(Oh, my God, this is going to be bad). Carlson declines as he likes his new way of living until Lance tosses a minor threat.

Aaron and Father Gabriel get roped in with Lance promising they will fall into line when everything goes south. Of course, that is not what happens.

Aaron and Gabriel watch and listen to Carlson question Ian about the weapons but it seems they had nothing to do with the event. Ian is killed anyway, Gabriel tries to intervene, and Aaron nearly manages to get killed by Carlson before escaping.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 13 recap – Negan Returns

Now all of that wouldn’t be crazy enough if it wasn’t for the next, very important part. When the situation goes south Jesse tries to quietly escape on horseback when guess who arrives, Negan.

With him is a very no-nonsense Annie. When Jesse reveals what is going on, describing Gabriel and Aaron, Negan takes action.

He gives Jesse the map and tells him to go find Maggie at The Hilltop and get help. Negan and Annie proceed to kill Commonwealth soldiers and rescue Gabriel.

Trouble is Carlson and The Commonwealth soldiers have already captured several members of the small community and begin killing them as they are unable to provide the answers he seeks (that also do not exist). Inside, Negan, Annie and Gabriel listen on trying to figure out what to do with a room full of scared community members.

Annie gives the group a very reassuring speech to keep the spirits high as Aaron, Maggie, Lydia and Elijah arrive undetected ready to defend the apartment building as the episode comes to a close.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 13 review

Wow and I do mean, wow! This wound up being a far better episode than I expected!

I am still a little confused as to whether this event was Lance Hornsby’s decision or Governor Pamela Milton’s. There are times where they work together and times where she’s unaware of his actions.

She doesn’t seem ignorant of his facade but I’m not convinced that she distrusts him completely. Maybe he’s useful at The Commonwealth to her in some way that we don’t see.

It was great to watch Aaron and Gabriel team up again and a nice way for Gabriel and Negan to reunite! It’s interesting to see Negan part of a religious group and not be the leader.

We don’t know how he met and joined them but suffice it to say, it was a welcomed decision and perhaps further proof that he’s changing for the better. However, this does beg the question to how Maggie will react when she sees him again.

There is no doubt that the community will have to leave the apartment building and probably seek refuge at The Hilltop. These are probably the motions that are leading to the Maggie and Negan spin-off, Isle of the Dead, that will air sometime next year.

But what will the repercussions be when The Commonwealth finds out what happened? Will Lance take his revenge out on someone we care about?

Either way I cannot wait to see how this thrilling plotline will end next Sunday!

What did you think of The Walking Dead season 11, episode 13? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 14 airs on March 27, 2022.