The Walking Dead season 9, review: Negan unchained, Whisperers unmasked – and three other talking points from episode 8, 'Evolution'

Including the death of a main character and a newly-freed Negan

The Walking Dead just can’t help itself with its mid-season finales.

A whole year after we lost Carl Grimes to a walker, fans now have to contend with the death of another main character at the hands of a different foe altogether.

Designed as an entry point to what will surely be the creepiest villains yet, the death scene was perfect and – according to the actor behind the character – completely welcome due to his boredom with the role. His candid views are refreshing.

In fairness to the AMC series, which becomes more of a punching bag for TV viewers with each new episode, season nine has regained its footing in a manner many did not expect. New showrunner Angela Kang proved her worth with a number of taut episodes which paved the way for an extremely unnerving mid-season finale that will undoubtedly keep fans intrigued by the time episode nine rolls around in February – not bad for a season that saw the departure of its lead character.

Below are the five biggest talking points from “Evolution”.

Negan unchained

Father Gabriel spends this episode on Negan duty, which consists of being taunted about his Rosita woes while visiting him in his cell. Having been forced to clean up one too many of his stools, the priest displays a rare moment of anger and leaves him sat alone in Alexandria’s jail with nothing but a tennis ball for company. “It’s bad enough I have to clean up your s***. I don’t have to listen to it too,” Gabriel tells him. Just when it seems like the show might have no idea what to do with Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character, it’s revealed ol’ Gabe forgot to lock his cell door, thickening the plot suitably. Negan’s delight is shared with the viewers as he ends the episode freely prowling the streets of Alexandria.

Bad blood

You can almost taste the glee the writers are having teasing the showdown which divided the communities in the six years since Rick’s “sacrifice” – so much so that it’s easy to get the sense the ultimate explanation won’t be worth it. The biggest hint that what went down was pretty major comes when Michonne arrives at Hilltop, spots her old pal Carol from afar, and smiles – only for the Kingdom’s queen to turn and walk the other way. Later on, the pair come face to face where it’s hinted Michonne became reclusive following the birth of Rick’s baby (revealed – as predicted weeks back – to be named Rick Jr: Richonne fans, rejoice!), something which prompted her to turn down a struggling Kingdom’s request for help. Understandably, this still doesn’t sit well with Carol.

Henry

The Walking Dead bosses are really trying to make Henry happen. The adopted son of Carol arrives at Hilltop, ready for his blacksmith apprenticeship (yes, really). Carol’s been gone for approximately five minutes when he’s lured into trouble by three other teens who all weirdly remember him from six years before as “the boy with the stick.” In scenes that go nowhere, Henry is coaxed into a spot of under-age drinking outside the Hilltop’s walls before meandering his way home to be plonked in a cell like a wayward office worker post-Christmas party (if you can’t get drunk in the apocalypse, when can you?). That it all seemingly stems from glimpsing Enid and Aidan’s earlier smooch is even more ridiculous – but which of the two does he fancy? My money’s on the latter.

The end of the line for Jesus

Tom Payne, the actor behind long-haired warrior Jesus, may have since expressed he’s been bored with the role for a few seasons now, but he certainly got to go out in a big way. Having found Eugene, injured leg and all, in a barn after his brush with those whispering walkers a few episodes before, he attempts to carry him to safety with both Aaron and Daryl. In what could be the show’s creepiest scene since the early days, a herd of the undead descends and, with the characters surrounded by mist, Jesus starts taking them out one by one. He’s caught off guard when one of the walkers ducks, grabs his sword and slays him in front of his confused – and devastated – pals. It’s a shocker of a moment that heralds the arrival of the new villains.

Whisperers unveiled

After telling Aaron and Jesus that him and Rosita heard the walkers talking to one another, Eugene – ever the scientist – raises an excellent point: what if the zombies are evolving? Daryl thinks it sounds too crazy to be true, and he’s right. After immediately sending a crossbow arrow to the head of the walker that stabbed Jesus, he investigates and is disturbed to find that what he believed to be a walker is actually a human wearing a theatrically stitched-up zombie mask. Enter stage left the comic book villains fans have been awaiting for several seasons now, the leader of which will be played by Samantha Morton (Minority Report). People are gonna die.

The Walking Dead continues in the US on AMC in February with the simulcast airing in the UK at 2am. The episode is also available to watch on NOW TV ahead of its repeat on FOX at 9pm the following evening.