AMC’s The Walking Dead
10×15: “The Tower”
Directed by Laura Belsey
Written by Kevin Deiboldt & Julia Ruchman

* For a recap & review of 10×14, “Look at the Flowers” – click here
* For a recap & review of “A Certain Doom,” click here.
Ezekiel and the others have met Juanita (Paola Lázaro) and her assault rifle. Things are fairly tense, but Ezekiel does pretty well with his charm, talking to the woman about her neighbourhood. Juanita hasn’t seen people in a very long time, “over a year,” and she’s wondering if she may be hallucinating. She soon figures the trio are probably real. She introduces herself, clearly not a fan of her given name so she likes to be called Princess. She offers to share the things she’s pillaged, even offering to take them for a swim nearby. But she also runs the gang’s horses off when she opens fire on zombies and frightens the animals. Princess hands over the gun for the time being then starts heading to a garage with her new friends.

We get a glimpse of Beta leading a horde of walkers into Alexandria.
Thankfully, Judith, Gabriel, Luke, and all the others have cleared out to a safe location. It puts them all in close, uncomfortable quarters, yet it’s better than being out there with all those zombies. Even Negan’s there making food. Then there’s Daryl in the woods with only his crossbow, a little gear, and a walkie. He’s calling out to Michonne, obviously with no answer. The Whisperers and a massive horde are gathered in the streets of Alexandria with no idea Alden and Aaron are still there watching from the wings. Probably isn’t good for anybody that Beta’s hearing voices. The big man leads the horde towards Oceanside, though Alden and Aaron are keeping a watchful eye on them.
We continually witness Judith become more like her father and mother, learning what it is to navigate a difficult world full of moral complexity. She tells Lydia she’s sorry for what happened to Alpha, despite everything. Lydia unintentionally upsets the little girl by saying not everybody gets to have a mom like Michonne. This sends Judith off into the forest by herself. She’s found slaying zombies by Uncle Daryl. She doesn’t want to stay inside, and wants to learn how he does things to make herself useful to keep their people safe. Once again: more like Rick and Michonne, day by day.
Daryl teaches Judith to look for things that “don‘t feel right” and to pay attention to her surroundings. They soon notice several walkers, and among them is a Whisperer. Daryl tags the Whisperer with an arrow, but she runs. They track her to a ditch where she lies bleeding out from her wound. She tells Daryl her people are headed for the ocean. She says Beta’s “lost it” after Alpha was killed. Bit of a shocking moment for Judith to watch Uncle Daryl kill the woman with an arrow to the head. There are many more hard lessons in morality ahead for little Ms. Grimes unfortunately. A bit later Judith confesses to Daryl she spoke to Michonne recently, that her mom’s gone to help people. Right now, Daryl is the only constant in her life. But he assures many people are looking after her, though. Not just him.

Princess leads Ezekiel, Eugene, and Yumiko towards their destination. She moves carefully across one spot of land like it’s a minefield. They eventually come upon a horse head confirming there are, indeed, mines. Princess casually lets the group know the field is only “a small one.” They’re suddenly stuck in the midst of potential death at every step with Princess having to retrace her steps. A tossed canteen starts to give her a better idea of where at least ONE mine is located. She then gradually finds a path. Except once they get across they realise Princess has been leading them on a “scenic route” instead of going straight to their destination. The woman’s been alone so long, she’s all but dying for some company in this post-zombie apocalypse. Eugene especially gets it. Although when they reach the garage they see the “wheels” promised are actually bikes. Better than nothing, I guess. And Yumiko invites Princess to go with them when they leave.

Fun to see Carol and Kelly on the road. Carol apologises for everything that happened, worried the worst has happened to Connie. Kelly believes Connie’s still alive out there somewhere surviving. She likewise accepts the notion she may just be trying to hold onto someone and unwilling to admit Connie’s gone. It’s amazing to hear Kelly talk about her perspective on life. Kelly talks about hearing of Carol from “the old days” and says she has a superpower, that it’s part of her nature to try helping others.

“You got a whole lot of family”

Will Beta follow that cat back to where everyone’s hiding at the tower?
Alden and Aaron continue to lurk near the horde, tracking their every move. They notice the horde’s changing direction and they wind up caught by a bunch of Whisperers. Out in the woods, Daryl receives a barely audible call from Gabriel clearly in distress. The tower— a hospital’s ER— is about to be overrun by Beta and his horde.

An intense episode that leaves us with one hell of a finale coming up.
Brace yourselves. Anything could happen in this unpredictable season. We’ve seen unhinged villains before on The Walking Dead. There’s something even scarier about someone like Beta coming unglued psychologically right now. All those walkers are much more dangerous than even someone like the Governor or Negan with their guns and weapons. A couple bites could change everything.
“A Certain Doom” is next. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, post-production on the finale can’t finished yet. The last episode of Season 10 will air as a standalone episode later this year.