Season 9 (TV Series)

Season 9 of AMC's The Walking Dead consists of fifteen episodes; it premiered on October 7, 2018, and concluded on March 24, 2019. The show was renewed on January 13, 2018. Angela Kang replaced Scott Gimple as showrunner.

This season adapts material from Issues #127-156 of the Comic Series.

"A New Beginning"
A group of survivors led by Magna walk through the woods, trying to be as discreet as possible to avoid walkers. This fails when a group of horse-riding survivors, led by a much different Paul Monroe, advances on them leading a gigantic herd of over a thousand roamers to an uninhabitable area. Magna and her group hide over their horse-transported container to no avail as the horde manages to topple it. They are saved just in time by strangers.

Away from the herd, Eugene Porter comments how they've successfully managed to change the herd's trajectory away from The Kingdom ten miles down the road. They introduce themselves to the new survivors, inviting them to Alexandria to talk to their leader, Rick.

In Alexandria, Rick wakes up, goes to the bathroom, then goes back to bed and is greeted by Michonne. They both have a brief talk about their routine. When making breakfast, he is hounded by Judith who wants to have a "talk" with him about something important. Rick dodges it, saying they'll talk later at night. He goes outside and sees a much different Alexandria, now completely rebuilt, with several new houses, buildings, crops, and farms.

Outside, Michonne greets Siddiq who's working on some sort of pathway leading to the safe-zone for the upcoming fair, a community event between the communities set to happen in two months time. She comments how she expected more progress, with him saying that Rosita took half of their manpower to herd duty, also mentioning that they should be back in a day. Just as he says this, Rosita shows up, also remarking how little progress has been made.

On their way back, Michonne asks Rosita about Eugene, asking whether or not she talked to him yet, to which she replies "No." Michonne then says there isn't much time left.

At the grand hall, Rick greets the new survivors brought by Jesus. After a brief introduction, the new survivors led by Magna agree to stay. He then meets with Eugene, who reports on the munitions factory report and the herd duty. He then says Eugene has become too valuable and won't go out on herd duty anymore.

After a long day, Rick returns home and is met by Judith, who takes the opportunity to finally have the talk. Rick is already prepared and says that she's still too young. It is then revealed Judith wants to be a blacksmith under Earl Sutton at the Hilltop Colony. After some convincing, Rick agrees to think about it. Later, Rick and Michonne have a talk about how she's growing up. Michonne says to Rick, "Your girl is growing up," to which he replies, "Our girl is growing up."

Later that night, Judith goes to the basement of an unknown house and talks to a figure in the shadows. He says to Judith that he enjoys the talks, that it's good for him to keep track of time and days.

The following day, Rick and Eugene visit the mill. They both talk about Eugene and Rosita's increasingly cold relationship. He comments how he feels she doesn't truly want to stay with him and fears they might split up soon.

Elsewhere, Michonne interviews Magna about what she and her group had to do to survive. Magna tells where she and her group came from, the place they lived for a good amount of time, how it fell and how much time they spent in the wilderness.

In the Grimes' home, Judith takes Gracie to her room, hoping to sell some carved items. Gracie is impressed by Judith's carvings and asks her if she could make a unicorn carving for her. Judith obliges her in return for a custom hoodie.

Back at the mill, Rick and Eugene greet Tara who's baking bread.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the woods outside the Hilltop Colony, Ken and Marco are off in uncharted territory when they come across a pack of wild horses. Marco urges Ken that the two should head back, but Ken, eager to bring the herd back to Hilltop, heads off in a rush to try and wrangle the horses.

As he does this, Ken collides with several walkers resulting in the horse giving way underneath him and crashing. As Ken struggles to lift the dead horse that is on his leg, one of the walkers tries crawling to him, but is killed as Marco catches up to him. Marco manages to get the horse off of Ken's leg as more of the undead begin to appear. Marco then helps Ken onto his horse and the two ride off. As they do so, Ken groans out how much his leg hurts, to which Marco responds that really he needs to worry about how pissed Maggie will be after finding out they lost a horse.

Back in Alexandria, Eugene arrives home and finds a letter from Rosita saying she'll be out late and not to "wait up."

Outside their house, Judith approaches her father, saying how she did nothing the whole day and that Rick doesn't know how it feels like to see everyone around you doing something. Before Judith can continue, Rick announces that the following day they'd travel to Hilltop. Before Rick can complete the sentence Judith gives him a tight hug.

Inside a house, Magna and the group discuss how the safe-zone is, debating whether or not they should trust them. Magna tries to remain optimistic about their new home but notes that when something is too good to be true, it usually is. She finishes off saying they'll find what Alexandria is hiding.

"Dispose of the Dead"
Michonne helps Judith prepare for the trek to Hilltop. Judith comments on how much stuff she has to pack and says it is weird having to pack more than one bag's worth of belongings now. Michonne comments saying that she does not need to take it all, and that Judith will be back one day.

Rick is visiting Negan at his cell. Negan comments saying that the worst part of his day is when his shit is taken away in a bucket, but is also his favorite because Rick is the one to do it. He tells Rick not to discipline Judith for sneaking down and talking with him. Negan tells Rick that he and Judith are "friends."

Judith gives a carving of a unicorn to Gracie. As Rick leaves Negan's jail cell, he runs into Magna who is confused about which buildings are actually houses. Rick tells her that this is the jail and that there is only one person who is residing within it. He tells Magna that she can meet him when Rick returns from Hilltop. Rick and Judith saddle up on horseback.

On the road, Rick and Judith pass by many people patrolling the area for roamers. They eventually stop for a lunch break when a few roamers begin walking out of the woods. Rick grabs his hatchet and tells Judith not to shoot unless it is needed.

Rick kills two roamers and then his body gives in, Judith having to shoot the remaining roamers as Rick nearly gets bitten from behind. A horseback rider in riot armor approaches Rick and Judith. The rider dismounts and apologizes for the area not being clear, as he had just cleared it five minutes ago. When the rider realizes that it is Rick he apologizes even more. Rick is angry and begins to beat the rider with his cane. Once he tries to protect himself in the fetal position, Rick stops. Rick asks the rider who he is and where he is from. The rider tells his name to be Brian, and he is from The Kingdom. Rick screams at Brian telling him that others would be grateful for this job and that he messed up badly. Rick says that he hopes this is his first incident. Brian tells him that it is and that it won't happen again.

Elsewhere, Ken and Marco are riding horseback on a plain field. Ken appears ill and falls off the horse, claiming he cannot go on any further. Marco then climbs off of the horse to assist Ken. As they talk, the horse gallops away and roamers begin to close in. The duo attempts to catch up with the horse, as Ken wonders what the sound of the roamers really is.

Magna and her group decide to sneak into the jail. Once there, Negan grabs onto the bars of his jail cell in a frantic frenzy. He says that they have to rescue him from these horrible people and that Rick's group are animals. Magna and her group appear shocked at what Negan has to say. He tells the group that he's being tortured by Rick and claims that he's been in jail for so long that he doesn't even remember what he did wrong in the first place. Magna instantly tells Negan that she knows he's lying, having seen what someone being tortured looks like, pointing out his appearance. Negan nonchalantly confesses that he was lying and introduces himself. He tells the group that he's been lonely lately and asks if they want to talk. Magna and her group ignore him and leave the jail immediately.

Elsewhere, Marco and Ken are struggling to get away from a herd of walkers. Ken is having trouble keeping up due to his injury. Marco, refusing to leave Ken behind, pulls him into a ditch, so the herd won't find them. As they are hiding, they hear strange voices whispering among the herd.

Rick and Judith are still making their way to Hilltop and eventually arrive. As soon as they get there, Rick is swarmed by admirers, much to his annoyance. Judith meets with Earl, and delivers a carved boar figure, which Earl remarks that looks more like a pig. Earl then introduces Judith to Henry, who is also apprenticing with Earl. Judith becomes slightly upset and walks off.

At the house, Maggie remarks that Hershel's peaceful life was made only possible because of the sacrifices Rick made in the past. Rick protests though that Maggie did just as much and deserves more of the credit.

Meanwhile, Marco is found in the woods nearby and is rescued by the guards. Taken to the infirmary, Maggie, accompanied by Rick and Judith, asks what happened to him. Enid explains that he has been out on his own for days and is likely starving and dehydrated.

Suddenly, an extremely distraught and disturbed Marco wakes up, explaining how he had to leave Ken behind and begs the group to send men out to get him. He then exclaims, "There were whispers and I was afraid." In the end, making the assumption that what he heard was actually the walkers, he claims that the walkers were speaking.

"Happiness"
Marco yells to everyone that the dead were talking and they have to find Ken. Maggie, along with Enid, manage to calm him down. Although she and the others don't believe the dead were talking, she still sends a group to find the missing survivor.

Meanwhile, Judith runs into Henry who is standing up for a boy who is being beaten by two bullies. Henry accidentally hits Judith in the face and apologizes. Judith asks Henry where Eduardo lives, as she needs to deliver a letter to him from Jesus.

Elsewhere, Kal and Oscar are showcasing what seems to be some sort of alcoholic drink, and Alden tastes it, remarking that it is very good. Maggie arrives and orders them to go find Ken with a small search party.

Later during the community meal, Earl invites Judith to sit and eat with him and Henry, an invite which she denies, starting to talk about how she moved to Hilltop hoping to become his apprentice, just to find someone else already apprenticing. Earl then smiles, asking "Who said I can only have one apprentice?"

Elsewhere, Alden, Kal and Oscar ride through the countryside searching for the barn, and Alden talks about his feelings for Maggie, and the small chance he has with her. Eventually, they find a barn and discover Ken's clothes, but before they can properly search for him, they are ambushed by a group of roamers.

After eating, Rick and Maggie have a talk about the past and how everything has changed, and how the world is much more peaceful, and that things are almost better than they were before the apocalypse. Rick remarks that he still misses some of it, also saying he misses Maggie and "Even after all this time," he still misses Carol.

Later, Judith is moving her bags to the Barrington House. When asked by Henry why there are so many bags, Judith reveals that she's moving in, which makes him quite happy.

Back at Alexandria, after speaking to Eugene about Rosita, and how much she loves him, Michonne returns home and is ambushed by Magna and her group. Magna menacingly says she'll be the one answering their questions now.

Magna orders Kelly to let go of Michonne and tells Michonne to get comfortable as it may take a while answering their questions. Michonne responds with a promise that if they hurt her in any way, they will be dealt with.

Enid brings Hershel to Maggie up on the Hilltop mansion’s deck, as Rick and the two watch the sunset. Henry and Judith join them shortly after playing chess with Earl. The group all settle together as they watch the sun go down.

Meanwhile, Alden and his search party fight their way out of the barn. As they cut their way through the masses, one of the roamers slashes out at Oscar with a knife. Alden orders them all to get back in formation as few remain, hoping to finish them off and ignoring the event.

Another roamer thrusts its knife at Kal who manages to deflect it in time. Alden is oblivious to this as he takes down one of the few remaining corpses. Oscar panics and attempts to flee as one of the ghouls chases after him, stabbing him in the back before getting on top of him and stabbing him repeatedly.

Kal calls out to him as another stabs him in the neck. Alden, now the only surviving member of the search party, fights the armed roamers. During a brief confrontation with one, it informs him that the undead will not notice if one whispers, as Alden is surprised that the undead can talk.

Alden is able to kill the roamers, and is shocked to find out that they are actually disguised survivors using skin from roamers as masks and suits. He is then approached by a pack of other disguised survivors, one of them pointing a shotgun to his head saying "Don't move."

"Impending Doom"
In Alexandria, Michonne continues to tell Magna and her entire group about the events that occurred before their arrival.

Kelly asks about the guy in the basement and how things worked out after the war, Rick's leadership. Then Yumiko asks what happened to the Saviors - they are still active and are led by Daryl, and are part of the network of communities and trade network.

Paul Monroe knocks on the door, asking Michonne if everything is alright, she replies it is, and that they're just getting to know each other a little. Paul then announces that he and a group will take the horses and return the following day, and then leaves. Michonne asks with a smile if they want some coffee.

At his house, Eugene is sitting on a couch after a bad night of sleep. Rosita tells him she's sorry and he asks if it isn't his. She replies that she didn't love him and he didn't love her, and that it was stupid. It is revealed that Rosita cheated on Eugene and is pregnant with this person's baby, although Eugene agrees to raise the baby as his own child, and that no one will know.

Back at Hilltop, Rick and Judith bid each other goodbye. Rick then leaves Hilltop.

Elsewhere, Alden is confronted by a disguised survivor. He pleads it not to shoot him, and that he didn't know the "walkers" were real people. The survivor says they will ask questions, and Dante will be the one answering nicely, and asks him to keep his voice down, as it'll alert the other walkers - the real walkers.

Alden realizes he's surrounded by a group of disguised walkers. The survivor says that he entered their land, killed their kind, and now they will explore his land, learn about his people. That they will know them, and that they will fear them.

Somewhere on the road, Paul Monroe and a group of survivors meet up with a road guard and is briefed on the roamer situation. After finding out a patrolman has gone silent, they rush to his last location. Unbeknownst to them, they are being followed by a "herd" of disguised survivors.

Back at Hilltop, Judith is working with Earl, and makes her very first spear. At the end of the day, all dirty from his work, Judith walks back to the Barrington House and is greeted by Henry, who notes that she "smells like shit". After showering, Judith and Henry go eat together.

Maggie and Enid are walking with Hershel, and watch Judith and Henry.

Paul Monroe and his group continue to search for the missing patrolman. When they are about to go back, one of the disguised roamers stabs one of the riders in the back. Paul tries to back away with the others, but they are swarmed by "living" roamers. Eduardo is stabbed and badly wounded, and the disguised roamers then stab the other survivors to death, except for Paul, who is now surrounded by the living "walkers."

A Whisperer attacks Jesus, but the latter kicks him and shatters his kneecap, sending the assailant screaming in agony. Jesus notes that his opponents speak and feel pain and wonders what they are. Joshua introduces them as Whisperers, before telling Jesus he is where he doesn't belong. Jesus defiantly tells them he isn't going down without a fight. As he is engaged in combat, Jesus sends his horse away so it won't be devoured. He is about to run away, when he hears Eduardo yell for help. Jesus rushes to his aid, but is attacked by Joshua, whom he kills by slicing the top of his head off. A female Whisperer calls out Joshua's name, surprising Jesus. As he continues clearing out roamers, the female Whisperer attacks him, only to be stabbed in the shoulder by her own knife when Jesus deflects her strike. After killing the last of the roamers, Jesus is about to finish off the remaining Whisperer, when she begs him for her life, leaving Jesus to contemplate what to do.

Back at Hilltop, Maggie is breaking a horse when Gregory approaches her. He makes a crude joke, but is quick to apologize. When Maggie asks him what he wants, Gregory confronts Maggie about the disappearance of Alden's group who have been gone for two days. He insists they send out more parties to search for them, but Maggie declines. She informs him that they still don't know what's going on and until they know more, she won't risk anyone. Gregory is upset by this and states that she is being irresponsible and proclaims that he'll step in if he needs to and go out himself to search for Alden and his men. Maggie obliges and tells him to go ahead. She then asks if he can even ride a horse before calling him a joke, storming off.

Meanwhile, Judith and Henry are eating together outside reminiscing, when they are attacked by two boys. One of them slams a brick in the back of Henry's head and grabs Judith. As Henry runs off, the bullies call him a coward as they turn their attention to Judith. Judith assures them she doesn't need Henry and proceeds to punch one of the bullies in the face while the other grabs her from behind. As the two proceed to beat Judith, one of the bullies is suddenly struck in the back of the head by Henry with his stick. Henry then viciously beats one before turning to the other who begs for his life before being struck down by Henry. Judith looks on in shock as Henry mercilessly beats the kid with his stick repeatedly.

Jesus soon arrives at Hilltop and sends Eduardo to see Enid. Maggie looks on in disbelief at his prisoner when Henry and Judith call out to Maggie. Maggie asks what happened as Henry helps Judith to them, when a bloody Henry tells her that two boys attacked her and that he thinks he killed them.

"Found"
To be added.

"Confrontation"
To be added.

"Life and Death"
To be added.

"Opportunity"
To be added.

"Union"
To be added.

"Blood for Blood"
To be added.

"No Turning Back"
To be added.

"Betrayed"
To be added.

"United in Fear"
To be added.

"Led to Slaughter"
To be added.

"Tip of the Spear"
To be added.

Cast
Season 9 (TV Series)/Starring|Starring Season 9 (TV Series)/Also Starring|Also Starring Season 9 (TV Series)/Co-Stars|Co-Stars Season 9 (TV Series)/Uncredited|Uncredited

Deaths

 * Gregory
 * Ken (Alive and Zombified)
 * Tammy Rose (Alive and Zombified)
 * Luke (Alive and Zombified)
 * Oscar (Alive and Zombified)
 * Kal (Alive and Zombified)
 * Scott (Alive and Zombified)
 * Rachel (Alive and Zombified)
 * Amber (Alive and Zombified)
 * Dwight (Alive and Zombified)
 * Tara Chambler (Alive and Zombified)
 * Rosita Espinosa (Alive and Zombified)
 * Ezekiel (Alive and Zombified)
 * Alpha (Alive)

Trivia

 * This season is mainly based on "Volume 22: A New Beginning", "Volume 23: Whispers Into Screams", "Volume 24: Life And Death", "Volume 25: No Turning Back", and "Volume 26: Call To Arms" from the Comic Series.