The Walking Dead Episode 11: Morning Star

Christina Horton

4 years ago

TWD Episode 11

War has arrived at Hilltop.

The Whisperers have struck and the horde is upon our heroes.

Who will die and who will survive? That has yet to be answered but let’s see how we got to this point.

In what is Norman Reedus’s strongest performance this season, we see many sides of Daryl Dixon.

Leader Dixon

The minute he pulled into Hilltop on his bike with Lydia you knew he meant business.

”My mother is coming” was one of the first things Lydia says upon arrival.

Daryl immediately calls everyone together and makes the decision that they will take the kids to Oceanside and the others will meet them there.

Papa Dixon

Daryl’s interaction with all the kids in this episode was amazing.

Seeing RJ not only wearing his father’s hat but Daryl’s wing vest was wonderful.

I think this shows that he sees Daryl has a parent in the absence of his own.

The talk with Judith was heartbreaking and eye-opening all at the same time.

We saw a young girl who was frightened but trying to be strong. When she didn’t seem to care about seeing her friends dead on the tree, I think it worried Daryl like myself.

She seems to be heading in the same direction Carl did and becoming numb to the killing.

I think that’s why Daryl made sure to tell her to go with Ezekiel no matter what happens to him. He doesn’t want that for her.

I love how happy he was when she gave him his vest. It even made her smile when he put it on and asked how he looked.

Friend Dixon

I loved seeing Ezekiel and Daryl come to terms with each other. They both want the same thing and are going to do whatever it takes to obtain it.

The scene with Carol in the graveyard was a much-needed one. When she says ”please don’t hate me” and he responds with ”I am never going to hate you” and then walks away shows he still cares a lot about her but hasn’t forgiven her yet.

Also, the similarity between Daryl looking at the graves before the fight and Rick doing so in Alexandria before taking on The Saviors in episode 8-1: Mercy, shows that Daryl is growing into a leader like his best friend was.

BTS, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

General Dixon

He led Hilltop into battle like a true leader. With Aaron by his side, they stood their ground.

Daryl wasn’t the only one though finding himself.

So were…

Carol and Ezekiel

I really hope that she and Ezekiel stay by each other’s side as long as they can. Both of them are so much happier together.

I loved when Ezekiel asked her to come back and when she didn’t answer he sat next to her and said with that smile only he says ”ok I will sit here with you, and we will get eaten by mosquitos together”. She didn’t completely smile but almost.

Later when she goes to his room and they spend the night together was another awesome scene. We got to see inside each of them.

Carol and Lydia

I felt so bad for Lydia when they first showed her as Carol approached and she was looking at the heart Henry made of their names.

When Carol says ”you should hate me” and Lydia says ” it’s hard when you seem to hate yourself so much” really hit a nerve. I think it’s what Carol had to hear.

The year’s of knowledge Lydia has at her young age is amazing. She then goes on to say people don’t tell the truth anymore.

”I’m sorry your kid died and you hate the world. Sorry, your mother is a monster. So they stay away and let you feel lonely”.

She put into words something we just innately ignore because then we don’t have to feel bad.

I like this little bonding between these two. It was another step forward for Carol and Lydia. It was also a way to heal a little for both as well.

Rosita and Eugene

I liked the dynamic in this episode between these two. They really showed how far they’ve become as friends and how much Eugene has grown.

Rosita found out about Stephanie and Eugene got angry with her my heart slumped.

In classic Eugene and Rosita fashion they fixed it their way. When Rosita tells him he can kiss her and though he almost does, but he doesn’t. I think this made Rosita realize he found someone for himself. She was generally happy for him.

Though he did sneak a kiss on the cheek and before going to war did score himself a date with Stephanie in a week. Good for Eugene.

Aaron and Gracie

Loved seeing more scenes of these two together. Hope we get a lot more.

Aaron has really stepped up and became a leader. The way he commanded the forces was amazing.

Judith

I feel as Judith is walking the same road as her brother. She is growing cold to killing and that’s not good.

I think she is also acting out because she hasn’t heard from her mom.

We hear her calling ”daito” on the radio with no answer and she looks destroyed. She isn’t taking this separation well. This is going to make Michonne leaving in two episodes even harder.