The Walking Dead season 11, episode 23 recap: Family
The penultimate episode of The Walking Dead has aired, leaving a gripping, tearful cliffhanger. Season 11 episode 23, beautifully titled “Family” has a majority of the group reunited and ready to take down Governor Milton.
Meanwhile, Eugene is hiding and waiting for Mercer’s next move as Aaron’s group finds themselves struggling to escape the ever-growing walker horde.
The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 23 recap – Mercer’s Involvement
Eugene has escaped thanks to Mercer and a handful of soldiers loyal to him. However, it will be a matter of time before Pamela begins asking questions.
Eugene is ordered to stay indoors and away from sight while Mercer, Yumiko, and Max leave. However, it doesn’t take long for a Commonwealth soldier to come knocking on the door.
He is able to subdue the soldier but knows that he can’t stay hidden any longer. It truly doesn’t take long for Pamela to suspect Mercer for Eugene’s escape.
His poker face can only keep him safe for so long. As the townsfolk continue to get rowdier outside, asking for Eugene’s release, Mercer begins questioning those closest to Eugene.
Unfortunately, Pamela tasks Commonwealth soldier Vickers to keep an eye on Mercer. As he manages to play the part, including questioning Yumiko, he receives a radio call from Princess.
She tells him how she and her friends are coming back via train. He instructs her to use a certain tunnel before he gets called away to deal with the incoming walker horde.
As the large walker horde approaches, a mandatory lockdown goes into effect. Pamela’s plan is to have the horde get close enough to The Commonwealth so that everyone will be forced inside.
This would hopefully calm the masses and end the riots. The walker horde has gotten larger, and Mercer sees for himself that some of the walkers are acting unusual.
This includes ones that were able to climb onto a truck with Commonwealth soldiers inside. He calls everyone back so they could come up with a better plan.
Naturally, this is the ideal time for Vickers to arrest him for treason. Those loyal to Mercer are told to stand down.
Mercer doesn’t resist and warns Vickers about the walkers.
The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 23 recap – Lydia gets bit
Aaron, Lydia, Jerry, Elijiah, Luke and Jules continue to move within the growing walker horde that is being led to The Commonwealth. As they try to move away from the walker horde, more keep coming.
Eventually they spot a RV and whisper to each other to move towards it. Aaron, Jerry and Lydia make it inside however Luke and Jules do not.
They get continually pushed with the walkers. To make matters worse, as Lydia tries to grab onto Elijiah, she gets bit on her arm below her elbow.
The pain is too much, and she screams, causing Aaron and Jerry to grab her and hide inside the RV as several walkers move toward it. Panicked for Elijiah, Aaron calms Lydia down knowing they only have one option.
Jerry is able to cut off her arm above the bite in the hopes she won’t turn. Lydia comes to, exhausted but worried for Elijah.
Jerry makes the dangerous decision to venture into the walker horde to try and find him. However, given Lydia’s state, she needs to get to a doctor which may prove more difficult than planned.
The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 23 recap – Overrun
Now that Outpost 22 is essentially no more, the remainder of the group plans to go back to The Commonwealth and take out Pamela. This means a lot of families and children will be left behind at Alexandria.
This includes Negan’s pregnant wife Annie, Maggie’s son Hershel and Michonne and Rick’s son RJ. Judith however convinces Daryl and Carol to take her with them.
Even though Negan makes the wise decision to suggest that just he and Maggie should go back to spare their friends, she disagrees. The group gets together and rides the train back while keeping in contact with Mercer.
What they don’t know is that a growing walker horde is getting closer to The Commonwealth. As they arrive to the train station, Tyler Davis and a few others enter the empty room, oblivious to the fact that all the doors have been locked with chains.
A gun fight ensues, as Tyler and a few perish, while the rest of the group gets separated about the station. Rosita is thankfully able to unlock at least one set of doors with Gabriel covering her.
But everything comes to a tragic halt when Pamela decides to shoot and accidentally hits Judith as she pushes Daryl out of the way. After shooting a fire extinguisher the group escapes, reuniting with Eugene, Max and Yumiko outside.
What they don’t know is what’s coming their way. The walker horde has reached at least one closed entrance.
As soldiers report how dire the situations is from one of the towers, one notices a walker beginning to climb. He reports this before he is brutally attacked himself, accidentally hitting a button that opens the entrance.
Now walkers have indeed breeched The Commonwealth. When Pamela learns of this from Vickers, she refuses to allow any of the citizens to be saved, only the estates.
As the group enters the streets, with Daryl carrying a barely conscious Judith, they spot Commonwealth soldiers. The soldiers are there to block off streets.
The group becomes trapped with walkers coming from nearly every direction. The episode ends with Luke and Jules reuniting with everyone, as they try to push and hold back walkers so that Daryl can get Judith to safety.
The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 23 review
Ok, there is a lot to take in. The first thing that always comes to mind for me is the fact that everyone is still relatively separated.
We have Aaron and Lydia trapped in the RV, Jerry trying to find Elijah, Mercer’s whereabouts, and now Daryl taking Judith away from the horde to find help. Not to mention we have all the families and children at Alexandria.
From the moment I watched everyone saying their goodbyes to their families at Alexandria, I already knew this was going to be the last time Maggie and Negan see Annie and Hershel this season. I don’t know how the two wind up in New York; however, I’m beginning to suspect that everyone from Alexandria either gets kidnapped or is forced to flee, with New York being the only lead.
Daryl on the other hand, I’m not sure how he gets separated from everyone and sent to France. It was great to see everyone come together at the end.
It felt like a lot of them were pulled in different directions due to the state of the communities, personal missions and the way of life at The Commonwealth. It does remind viewers that no matter what, they will come together and share the same goal.
No one is valued more than the others; they all fight together for each other. But where does this leave us for the final episode of the series?
Will the series finale be one giant cliffhanger or one giant misdirection? Will Rick Grimes finally make his appearance?
Let us know what you think will happen!
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What did you think of The Walking Dead season 11, episode 23? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The series finale of The Walking Dead season 11, episode 24 airs November 20 on AMC.