The Walking Dead (season 9) | |
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Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 16 |
Release | |
Original network | AMC |
Original release | October 7, 2018 – March 31, 2019 |
Season chronology | |
Next → Season 10 | |
List of The Walking Dead episodes |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
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116 | 1 | 'A New Beginning' | Greg Nicotero | Angela Kang | October 7, 2018 | 6.08[26] | |
Eighteen months after Negan's defeat, the various communities are working on rebuilding society. However, the Sanctuary suffers from infertile ground and underlying support for Negan. Rick leads a trek to a Washington, D.C. museum to recover pioneering supplies; on the way back, they find the main bridge to Hilltop has been wiped out by a storm, forcing them to detour. A young man, Ken, is killed while protecting the group's horses from walkers. Gregory, ousted as Hilltop's leader, convinces Ken's father, Earl, to try to assassinate Maggie, but he fails. Rick and Michonne ask Maggie for Hilltop's help in providing for the Sanctuary, but she refuses. That evening, Maggie has Gregory publicly executed for his actions. | |||||||
117 | 2 | 'The Bridge' | Daisy von Scherler Mayer | David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick | October 14, 2018 | 4.95[27] | |
A month after Gregory's death, the communities work together to repair the bridge; several Saviors have gone missing since construction began. After some persuasion, Maggie ultimately decides to deliver food to a starving Sanctuary. A herd approaches the repair crew after Justin fails to sound an alarm, and Aaron's arm is crushed under a log. Daryl rescues Aaron, and Enid is forced to amputate Aaron's arm to keep him alive. Anne and Gabriel pursue a romantic relationship, but Anne takes note of a nearby helicopter. Rick updates an incarcerated Negan on the bridge's progress, and Negan warns him that his vision will fail. Justin is banished, and on his way back to the Sanctuary, he is abducted. | |||||||
118 | 3 | 'Warning Signs' | Dan Liu | Corey Reed | October 21, 2018 | 5.04[28] | |
After Justin is discovered dead, Arat goes missing as well, angering the Saviors and postponing the construction on the bridge. Rick asks Gabriel to follow Anne, who is revealed to have been trading people to a mysterious ally in exchange for supplies. Gabriel confronts her, forcing her to incapacitate him. Daryl and Maggie learn that Oceanside has been capturing and killing the Saviors, including Arat, as revenge for killing Oceanside's men. They walk away as Cyndie kills Arat, and they decide to ignore 'Rick's way' and confront Negan. | |||||||
119 | 4 | 'The Obliged' | Rosemary Rodriguez | Geraldine Inoa | October 28, 2018 | 5.10[29] | |
Jesus tells Rick about Maggie's intentions to assassinate Negan, and Rick tries to delay her entry into Alexandria. Anne plans to send Gabriel away to her mysterious ally, but changes her mind and abandons him instead. The Saviors steal guns and confront Carol over Oceanside's actions; a riot ensues, and the gunfire leads a walker herd to the work camp. Rick takes a horse to lead the herd away from the camp, but the horse is spooked and throws him off onto a concrete slab, impaling his torso with rebar and knocking him unconscious. | |||||||
120 | 5 | 'What Comes After' | Greg Nicotero | Story by : Scott M. Gimple & Matthew Negrete Teleplay by : Matthew Negrete | November 4, 2018 | 5.41[30] | |
Critically wounded and weak, Rick attempts to draw the herd away on horseback. Maggie goes to execute Negan, but after realizing that he is worse than dead already, she abandons the attempt. Rick leads the walkers onto the bridge and apparently sacrifices himself by blowing it up, stopping the herd. Unknown to everyone else, Rick is found alive and rescued by Anne, who contacts her allies in the helicopter. They gather the duo and fly to parts unknown. Six years later, a now pre-teen Judith rescues a new group of survivors from walkers. | |||||||
121 | 6 | 'Who Are You Now?' | Larry Teng | Eddie Guzelian | November 11, 2018 | 5.40[31] | |
After much resistance, Judith convinces Michonne to help Magna's group by escorting them to Hilltop. While setting up radio transmitting equipment, Rosita and Eugene are followed by a strangely-acting herd of walkers. Carol takes a now teenage Henry to Hilltop to apprentice as a blacksmith; they are ambushed by Jed, Regina, and several former Saviors who steal their supplies. Carol later burns the group alive and takes Henry to visit Daryl, who is now living alone in the wilderness. Negan remains a prisoner in Alexandria but has apparently adopted a less antagonistic attitude. | |||||||
122 | 7 | 'Stradivarius' | Michael Cudlitz | Vivian Tse | November 18, 2018 | 4.79[32] | |
Michonne leads Magna's group towards the Hilltop but refuses to travel all the way, fearing a confrontation with Maggie. She learns from Siddiq that Maggie recently left the Hilltop in order to help Georgie build another community, leaving Jesus and Tara in charge. Michonne brings Magna's group to their former camp, allowing Luke to recover some of the musical instruments he had been scavenging. While Jesus and Aaron are discussing how to bring Hilltop and Alexandria closer together, they see a flare shot by an injured Rosita, who informs them of Eugene's whereabouts. After escorting Carol and Henry to Hilltop in order for Henry to apprentice as a blacksmith, Daryl takes Jesus and Aaron along with him to search for Eugene. | |||||||
123 | 8 | 'Evolution' | Michael E. Satrazemis | David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick | November 25, 2018 | 5.09[33] | |
After Gabriel accidentally leaves his cell unlocked, Negan escapes from confinement. Henry begins his apprenticeship with Earl, but sneaks outside Hilltop and gets drunk, leading to his being temporarily imprisoned. Magna's group is ultimately accepted into Hilltop but are told by Tara that they must 'earn their keep'. Daryl, Jesus, and Aaron find Eugene, who reveals that he heard walkers whispering to each other, suggesting that they are evolving. The whispering herd pursues the group and corners them in a cemetery. Michonne, Magna, and Yumiko arrive to help, but Jesus is killed after a 'walker' stabs him through the chest. After fending off the herd, the group discovers that the whispering walkers are indeed people wearing walker skins. The Whisperers suddenly surround the group. | |||||||
124 | 9 | 'Adaptation' | Greg Nicotero | Corey Reed | February 10, 2019 | 5.16[34] | |
Michonne's group manages to escape the cemetery, and they capture a young Whisperer, Lydia, on their way back to Hilltop. Michonne and Daryl attempt to get answers from the girl without much luck, though she admits that her mother is still alive and that her people live among the walkers. Rosita tells Siddiq that she is pregnant with his baby. Tara agrees to let Magna's group stay at Hilltop, while Michonne plans to return to Alexandria to warn her people of the new threat. After escaping Alexandria, Negan returns to the Sanctuary only to find it abandoned, and he thus returns to the comfort of his cell in Alexandria willingly. Luke and Alden are lured into a trap and captured by the Whisperers. | |||||||
125 | 10 | 'Omega' | David Boyd | Channing Powell | February 17, 2019 | 4.54[35] | |
As Henry and Lydia grow closer, she reveals events of her past following the onset of the outbreak. Henry is released from his cell by Daryl when he feels the boy is revealing too much to Lydia. After aggressively interrogating Lydia, Daryl takes a softer approach with her after realizing she is the victim of abuse at the hands of her mother. Despite the risks, Magna's group searches for Luke against Tara's orders; they abandon the search after realizing it is no longer safe. The next day, a group of Whisperers arrives at the Hilltop led by Lydia's mother, Alpha, who demands her daughter be returned. | |||||||
126 | 11 | 'Bounty' | Meera Menon | Matthew Negrete | February 24, 2019 | 4.39[36] | |
In a flashback, Tara and Jesus give Ezekiel the community charter. In the present, Alpha successfully negotiates with Daryl for an exchange of hostages: Alden and Luke for Lydia. Daryl watches with indignation at how Alpha treats her daughter. Ezekiel, Carol, Jerry, and other Kingdommers enter a movie theater in order to obtain a film projector bulb for a cinema they want to set up for the community fair. Later, Henry leaves the Hilltop, suggesting he is going out to look for Lydia; Daryl sets off with Connie in pursuit. | |||||||
127 | 12 | 'Guardians' | Michael E. Satrazemis | LaToya Morgan | March 3, 2019 | 4.71[37] | |
Henry manages to find Lydia but is captured by Beta, Alpha's right-hand Whisperer. In Alexandria, Michonne discusses with the council the possible union of the communities at the fair. Michonne talks with Negan about his escape; he tries to convince her he has changed, but she distrusts him, something that puts her at odds with Judith. Alpha and Beta try to convince Lydia to kill Henry, but she does not want to do so. Daryl and Connie appear, disguised as Whisperers, and they escape with Henry and Lydia. | |||||||
128 | 13 | 'Chokepoint' | Liesl Tommy | Eddie Guzelian & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick | March 10, 2019 | 4.83[38] | |
Daryl, Connie, Henry, and Lydia take shelter in a building from Beta's pursuit, using the structure to lay ambush to the Whisperers; Daryl pushes Beta down an elevator shaft, though the fall does not kill him. After entering their territory to retrieve the projector bulb, The Kingdom encounters a group called the Highwaymen that have stolen their gear; Ezekiel and Carol negotiate with the group to help patrol the roads prior to the Kingdom's fair. As the Hilltop group arrives at the Kingdom for the fair with the Highwaymen escort, Daryl vows to bring Lydia, Henry, and Connie away from Hilltop to hide from Alpha. | |||||||
129 | 14 | 'Scars' | Millicent Shelton | Corey Reed & Vivian Tse | March 17, 2019 | 4.57[39] | |
In a flashback, an old friend of Michonne, Jocelyn, is rescued by Alexandria, along with several children she watches over. The next morning, they find Jocelyn and her group gone, along with the children of Alexandria. Michonne and Daryl track them down, but are lured into a trap; Michonne is forced to kill Jocelyn and her children, and once back at Alexandria, declares that the community will no longer take in strangers. In the present, Daryl's group seeks a short respite at Alexandria before continuing on to Kingdom. Judith reveals she remembers what happened with Jocelyn, and that she does not understand why Michonne does not want to help her friends. Michonne finally has a change of heart, and sets off with Judith to give Daryl's group an escort to Kingdom, unaware the Whisperers are following them. | |||||||
130 | 15 | 'The Calm Before' | Laura Belsey | Geraldine Inoa & Channing Powell | March 24, 2019 | 4.15[40] | |
The communities gather at the Kingdom for the trade fair; together, the leaders sign the charter and vow to band together against the Whisperers. Alpha infiltrates the fair disguised as a murdered Hilltop resident; after an encounter with Lydia, she disowns her daughter. Alpha later shows Daryl a massive horde of walkers that she threatens to unleash upon the communities if they cross into Whisperer territory again. At the border, the decapitated heads of Ozzy, Alek, DJ, Frankie, Tammy-Rose, Rodney, Addy, Enid, Tara, and Henry are found. As Daryl and Lydia visit the border, snow begins to fall. | |||||||
131 | 16 | 'The Storm' | Greg Nicotero | Angela Kang & Matthew Negrete | March 31, 2019 | 5.02[41] | |
Sometime after their devastating loss, the Kingdom finally falls and has to be abandoned in favor of the Hilltop. The communities come together to help perform the move as a massive and dangerous blizzard hits which forces the Kingdommers to trek through Whisperer territory despite the danger. Everyone makes it safely, but Carol and Ezekiel, having fallen apart since Henry's death, divorce and Carol moves back to Alexandria with Daryl and Lydia. At Alexandria, the residents struggle to survive the blizzard. After Judith runs off to rescue Daryl's dog, Negan risks his own life to save her, injuring his leg in the process. He earns the respect of Michonne due to this. Unbeknownst to anyone, a woman calls out over the radio and questions if anyone's out there. |
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No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 'A New Beginning' | October 7, 2018 | 2.5 | 6.08[26] | 1.5 | 3.26 | 4.0 | 9.36[78] |
2 | 'The Bridge' | October 14, 2018 | 2.0 | 4.95[27] | 1.5 | 3.42 | 3.5 | 8.38[79] |
3 | 'Warning Signs' | October 21, 2018 | 1.9 | 5.04[28] | 1.1 | 2.39 | 3.0 | 7.44[80][a] |
4 | 'The Obliged' | October 28, 2018 | 2.0 | 5.10[29] | 1.1 | 2.42 | 3.0 | 7.51[81][a] |
5 | 'What Comes After' | November 4, 2018 | 2.1 | 5.41[30] | 1.2 | 2.63 | 3.2 | 8.04[82][a] |
6 | 'Who Are You Now?' | November 11, 2018 | 2.0 | 5.40[31] | 1.2 | 2.62 | 3.2 | 8.02[83][a] |
7 | 'Stradivarius' | November 18, 2018 | 1.8 | 4.79[32] | 1.1 | 2.44 | 2.9 | 7.24[84][a] |
8 | 'Evolution' | November 25, 2018 | 2.0 | 5.09[33] | 1.3 | 2.79 | 3.3 | 7.88[85][a] |
9 | 'Adaptation' | February 10, 2019 | 2.0 | 5.16[34] | 0.8 | 1.95 | 2.8 | 7.11[86][a] |
10 | 'Omega' | February 17, 2019 | 1.7 | 4.54[35] | 1.2 | 2.81 | 2.9 | 7.36[87] |
11 | 'Bounty' | February 24, 2019 | 1.7 | 4.39[36] | 1.2 | 2.84 | 2.9 | 7.24[88] |
12 | 'Guardians' | March 3, 2019 | 1.7 | 4.71[37] | 1.2 | 2.89 | 2.9 | 7.61[89] |
13 | 'Chokepoint' | March 10, 2019 | 1.8 | 4.83[38] | 1.0 | 2.51 | 2.8 | 7.35[90] |
14 | 'Scars' | March 17, 2019 | 1.7 | 4.57[39] | 1.2 | 2.91 | 2.9 | 7.49[91] |
15 | 'The Calm Before' | March 24, 2019 | 1.5 | 4.15[40] | 1.0 | 2.59 | 2.5 | 6.75[92] |
16 | 'The Storm' | March 31, 2019 | 1.9 | 5.02[41] | 1.0 | 2.44 | 2.9 | 7.47[93] |