Production
The episode features the first appearance of Virgil, played by Kevin Carroll. [1] His casting was first announced in July 2019. [2] This episode was directed by John Dahl, marking the first episode he had directed for the series. [3]
| "The World Before" | |
|---|---|
| The Walking Dead episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 10 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | John Dahl |
| Written by | Julia Ruchman |
| Original air date | November 24, 2019 |
| Running time | 54 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The World Before" is the eighth episode and first-part finale of the tenth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead , which aired on AMC on November 24, 2019. The episode was written by Julia Ruchman and directed by John Dahl.
In a flashback several months after the blizzard, Alpha chooses and assigns Dante, due to his loyalty and because Lydia doesn't know him, to infiltrate Alexandria as her spy and sabotage the community from the inside for the impending war between them. It is revealed that Dante is the one who painted the "Silence the Whispers" graffiti, sabotaged the water supply, and suffocated Cheryl to death. In the present, Rosita goes to visit Siddiq, but finds Dante who attacks her. Rosita is able to stab Dante in the shoulder with a knife and is forced to put down a reanimated Siddiq, before beating Dante unconscious.
At the border, Gamma reveals information to Aaron about the current position of the horde in exchange for seeing her nephew. She also reveals her real name is Mary. Aaron returns to Alexandria, where Daryl, Carol, Gabriel, and Rosita interrogate Dante. They later hold an Islamic funeral for Siddiq, led by Gabriel who delivers a eulogy. Rosita is distraught over Siddiq's death and releases her anger by killing walkers on the outskirts of the community; she is helped by Eugene.
Meanwhile, Michonne, Judith, and Luke travel to Oceanside. Along the way, they visit a library for books and music. While looking at music sheets, Luke is attacked by walkers from among the bookshelves. He is rescued by an unknown person who then runs away. When they arrive at Oceanside, a man named Virgil is captured and Michonne threatens him with death if he doesn't explain himself. Luke recognizes him as the one who saved him in the library. Before he can explain, the group is attacked by walkers.
That evening in Alexandria, Gabriel visits an imprisoned Dante and ends up stabbing him to death. As night falls, Daryl, Carol, and Aaron set out and meet with Jerry, Magna, Connie, and Kelly to locate the horde. At Oceanside, Virgil explains he was just looking for supplies and wants to get back to his family. They live on a fortified naval base, but it is hard to find. Michonne agrees to help Virgil find his family in exchange for weapons from the base to destroy Alpha's horde.
In the morning, Michonne leaves Judith a walkie-talkie for them to communicate and they say their goodbyes. Michonne and Virgil then sail away on a boat toward the island. Judith and Luke later return to Alexandria. Meanwhile in the forest, the group finds the location where the walker horde used to be is empty and instead decide to go look for Lydia. Carol spots Alpha and chases her. The whole group follows her which leads them directly into a cave, where they are trapped and surrounded by Alpha's gargantuan horde of walkers.
The episode features the first appearance of Virgil, played by Kevin Carroll. [1] His casting was first announced in July 2019. [2] This episode was directed by John Dahl, marking the first episode he had directed for the series. [3]
"The World Before" received generally positive reviews, with particular praise towards the character development of Gabriel. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has an approval rating of 90% with an average score of 6.94 out of 10, based on 20 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "A somewhat anticlimatic [sic] and uneven effort, 'The World Before' still manages to leave the door open for a engaging slate of plot threads in the second half of TWD's 10th season." [4]
Brian Lowry writing for CNN praised the episode and wrote: "Through the first half of the 10th season, the series has regained a degree of momentum, thanks to the way the writers have showcased key characters". [5] Erik Kain of Forbes praised the development of Rosita and Gabriel and wrote: "Gabriel vs Dante and Rosita vs Dante scenes were both spectacular, but the whole "find the herd" plot and everything Whisperer related-including the weirdly anticlimactic cliffhanger-are just meh". [6] Writing for TV Fanatic, Paul Dailly said in his review, "In some respects, it worked. In others, it felt like the producers forgot about a lot of storylines that should have gotten resolved, or at the very least, gotten some more steam to keep fans pondering as they await the next batch of episodes". [7]
"The World Before" received a total viewership of 3.21 million, with a 1.0 rating in adults aged 18–49. It was the highest-rated cable program of the night, however, it marked a slight decrease in viewership from the previous week. [8]
Daryl Dixon is a fictional character from AMC's horror drama series The Walking Dead, and the protagonist of its last three seasons, replacing Rick Grimes. The character was created for the television series by writers Frank Darabont, Charles H. Eglee and Jack LoGiudice specifically for Norman Reedus, and does not have a counterpart in the comics on which the series is based. The character was introduced in the first season as a southerner, expert tracker, living in the shadow of his older brother, Merle. Despite his bad temper and volatility, he is tolerated by the core group of survivors due to his skills in hunting animals and fearless efficiency in killing walkers.
Michonne Grimes is a fictional character from The Walking Dead. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the television series of the same name, in which she is portrayed by Danai Gurira. Armed with a katana and harboring a mysterious past, Michonne is introduced clothed under a hood and pulling the shackles of two reanimated corpses for protection and camouflage. The two walkers are subsequently revealed to be her zombified boyfriend and his best friend. In both the comic and TV series, she has a prominent role in the conflict between the town of Woodbury led by The Governor, and the Prison group.
Judith Grimes is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, where she is portrayed by Cailey Fleming and previously by several child actresses when the character was a newborn.
Rosita Espinosa is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and is portrayed by Christian Serratos in the American television series of the same name. She accompanies Eugene Porter and Abraham Ford on a mission to Washington, D.C. In the comic book series, she joins Rick Grimes' group after they leave the prison and go to DC. Eventually Eugene is revealed to have lied but they continue on to Washington anyway, since he was still convinced the city would offer greater chance of survival, and they eventually find the Alexandria Safe-Zone.
Aaron is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and television series of the same name. He is portrayed by Ross Marquand in the television series.
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"Say Yes" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 5, 2017. The episode was written by Matthew Negrete and directed by Greg Nicotero.
Siddiq is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, where he was portrayed by Avi Nash.
Connie is a fictional character in the comic book series The Walking Dead and on the television series of the same name, where she is portrayed by Lauren Ridloff. In both universes, Connie is part of a small group of roaming survivors who are led by Magna. She is the first deaf character in the Walking Dead universe, and the actress who plays her on the television series, Lauren Ridloff, is also deaf.
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The tenth season of The Walking Dead, an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC, premiered on October 6, 2019, and concluded on April 4, 2021, consisting of 22 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont, the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The executive producers are Kirkman, David Alpert, Scott M. Gimple, Angela Kang, Greg Nicotero, Joseph Incaprera, Denise Huth, and Gale Anne Hurd, with Kang as showrunner for the second consecutive season. The tenth season received generally positive reviews. It was nominated for multiple awards, including a fifth consecutive nomination for Best Horror Television Series, at the 46th Saturn Awards.
"Silence the Whisperers" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 27, 2019.
Dante is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, where he is portrayed by Juan Javier Cardenas.
"What We Become" is the thirteenth episode of the tenth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 22, 2020. The episode was written by Vivian Tse and directed by Sharat Raju.
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