‘The Walking Dead’: 5 Shocking Moments from ‘The Damned’

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the Season 8, Episode 2 of The Walking Dead, entitled “The Damned.” Proceed with caution.

“The Damned” was one of the most violent in the show’s history, as Rick’s group continued their mission to take out the Saviors in a series of coordinated attacks as part of their “All Out War.”

This bloody episode of The Walking Dead had many close-up kills on both sides. There were a series of headshots: two Saviors were taken out by bullets to the brain, followed by another two with arrows. That was just the start, as Rick’s militia stormed the satellite outpost and shot it’s inhabitants at point blank range. But not all of Rick’s group was unscathed. Which leads to.

Morgan Gets Shot

Morgan and two others were shot by a group of Saviors during a firefight. It appeared all three died, but Morgan lived, thanks to luck and his body armor. He got up with a deadly focus in his eyes, becoming a killing machine. Earlier in the episode, he uttered, “I don’t die.” Will his luck eventually run out?

Jesus’ Mercy

Tara and Jesus encountered a Savior named Dean hiding in a closet. Dean had pissed himself plead for his life, claiming to only be a worker. Tara wanted to shoot Dean, but Jesus told her to spare his life. Dean charged, taking Jesus hostage. Tara was going to prepared to take the shot, but Jesus turned the tables and still refused to kill Dean.

Later, he allowed a group of Saviors to surrender and live, again against Tara’s wishes. Among the captured was the long-haired Jared, who killed the Kingdom’s Benjamin back in Season 7. Morgan wanted to kill Jared, but Jesus stopped him.

Slimy Dead

Ezekiel and his group stumbled across a walker while trailing a fleeing Savior. Jerry easily dispatched the zombie with his giant axe. They noticed that this walker was different — he was rotted away by some slimy goo. What’s the origin of this weird substance and what does it mean? A new threat?

Baby Gracie

Rick and Daryl were on a mission to find the Savior arsenal when they decided to split up. Rick ran into a Savior and asked him to divulge where the guns were. The Savior wouldn’t relent and fought with Rick until his death (he was impaled on a shelf hook). Rick thought he had found the arsenal, but instead he found a nursery with a baby inside. A mirror on the wall forced Rick to literally see what he had become.

This episode was a morality tale about killing. Whereas Jesus showed remorse, Rick hadn’t, until he confronted the truly innocent — a child (not much younger that his daughter, Judith). Perhaps Ezekiel said it best: “I am not glad for his death. Or anyone’s.”

A Blast From the Past

After leaving the nursery, Rick entered another room and recognized a photo on the wall. It was a familiar face, belonging to one of the original Atlanta survivors.

Enter Morales, now a Savior and brandishing a gun at his former friend and a walkie talkie in the other. Will he turn Rick over to the Saviors? Stayed tuned to The Walking Dead.