Stalker

"Stalker" is the tenth episode of the tenth season of AMC's The Walking Dead. It is the one-hundred and fortieth episode of the series overall. It premiered in February 2023. It was written by LaToya Morgan and directed by Daisy Mayer.

Synopsis
Beta walks through a field in the forest and enters a moldy RV where two other Whisperers open a latch, revealing a deep pathway entrance to a tunnel. He jumps down, lights a lantern and starts to move forward, deeper into the cave. Meanwhile in Alexandria, Rosita wakes up after having a nightmare where she freezes and is forced to watch as a Whisperer kills Coco and Taron. A moment later, she receives a call from the radio and leaves.

Over the gates, Gamma arrives and is immediately surrounded at spear-point by the guards. She removes her mask and explains that the Coalition group is trapped in a cave surrounded by Alpha's horde and that they may be still alive and needing help. Laura questions her intentions, pointing out the horde wasn't where she told Aaron it would be. Gamma argues that Alpha had moved it and insists that she wants to help, explaining that the baby left at Hilltop is her nephew and she is willing to show them the location of the cave to see him again. Laura seems to believe Gamma's story, but Rosita knocks her unconscious and orders for her to be put in a cell.

In the woods, Rhys secretly observes a Whisperer walking around another entrance to the cave. He prepares to attack, but retreats after Alpha walks out and starts to lead the horde. Back in Alexandria, Mary wakes up in the cell. Laura and Rosita confront her about Dante's actions, but Mary claims she wasn't involved in that. They say she has to prove she's different from the other Whisperers or be killed. When Henry insists she is hiding something and calls for a sincere confession, Mary tearfully reveals she killed her sister for Alpha, which makes Laura accept her help. Elsewhere, Henry prepares to venture out to help his mom. He sneaks out over the wall, the same way Carl and Enid once did.

Meanwhile, Alpha and some Whisperers continue to lead walkers through a river. Suddenly, a Whisperer is hit in the leg by a knife and is devoured after he screams in pain. Alpha orders her group to spread out when Rhys appears from behind and kills the remaining Whisperers before facing Alpha. They engage in a brutal fight where Alpha slices his face under the eyes, worsening his vision. Daryl thrusts a tree branch in her shoulder and yells for Magna and Connie's whereabouts. The fight draws nearby walkers' attention and Rhys is forced to take them out while dealing with his clouded vision. Alpha grabs a knife on the floor and stabs him in the leg as they flee the scene.

In the meeting hall, Mary stands before the map and tells everything she knows about the cave and its entrances. She explains that most of Alpha's forces are situated around the cave, so the borders are defenseless. When Mary's once again taken away, Laura proposes to Nora and Scott to send two rescue teams just before Rosita again doubts the authenticity of her words. She insists Mary is telling the truth because they broke her and encourages them to capture any Whisperer and pull their teeth or take their fingers if necessary in order to get them to drop the act.

Elsewhere, a weakened Alpha stumbles into an abandoned gas station where Rhys is hiding and is struggling to pull out the knife from his leg. She looks for him in the workshop inside the station for a short time, but after getting exhausted takes a seat and bangs her shotgun on the wall to attract walkers in the vicinity which will protect her and attack Rhys. Back in Alexandria, Rosita and Laura prepare for the outing. She suggests she'd better stay at home but she refuses, adding that she is acting erratic and is itching for a fight. Laura doesn't understand her point, and Rosita claims she can feel that Coco is wondering where Siddiq is and she doesn't want her daughter to be left an orphan, and potentially her son, to be left orphans.

On the streets, Judith starts a conversation with Mary by asking her name and wondering about her life before meeting the Whisperers. Mary recalls that she was born in Santa Monica and that her parents' names were John and Alice, but fails to recover more memories, blaming Alpha for brainwashing her. Judith supposes that had Mary stumbled across Rick and Michonne first, she would have turned out better, further implying that she doesn't look like a monster. Back at the gas station, three walkers are lured inside so Rhys is forced to kick off a fire extinguisher and use it as a weapon. He kills two but has to rip the knife from his leg to kill the third, thus opening his wound and losing a lot of blood.

Sometime later that day, Scott is informed by echo-post about a hundred-walker herd incoming. He wants to double-check the message, but receives no response. He wonders why the Whisperers would send forces to the gates and Laura explains they try to not let them use the traitor's information. While people are being drafted for the scout team, Laura changes the plan last minute and orders for Scott to lead the mission while she and Rosita will stay back with a skeleton crew while he and others head out on the recon mission. They all agree.

That night, Beta crawls out from Cheryl's grave and unsheathes his double blades before walking stealthily through the community. He slaughters several survivors in their homes and then sits down to meditate as he waits for his victims to reanimate. On the road, Gabriel and his scout team find the soldiers from Echo Post murdered and realize the Whisperers forced them to give false information about the herd so they would leave Alexandria and weaken the inner defense. Back in Alexandria, all the residents killed by Beta turn into walkers and roam the streets.

While Rosita and the other soldiers deal with the undead, Beta enters the basement and opens the cell as Mary claims that Alpha lied about Alexandria. He ignores her and tells her to go with him without hesitation, ensuring her death will be painless. She moves forward and states she's not afraid of him as Laura appears from behind and threatens Beta with an axe, telling Mary to get help. Outside, Judith tells Mary to come inside her house for safety. In the cell, Laura jumps on Beta to prevent him from leaving but he overpowers her and slams her back against the cell door twice, killing her.

Beta comes out on the street and enters the Grimes' residence to investigate. He tries to enter the children's room, only to get shot in the chest by Judith. Mary tells her and R.J. to run to another room as she checks on Beta. When she tries to follow them, Beta grabs her foot and knocks her down. He then checks his bulletproof vest before Rosita draws his attention. They battle with their weapons until Beta slashes both of her arms and gets her on the ground. Before he can kill her, Mary tells him to stop or she'll kill herself, saying she knows Alpha wants her alive. Shortly after, Beta escorts Mary back to the camp when they are ambushed by the Alexandrians, forcing him to flee into the woods. She falls to her knees and tries to convince Scott she hasn't betrayed them. He hesitates but ultimately believes her.

Back at the gas station, Alpha and Rhys lie injured and bleeding out. She takes off her mask and starts a speech about light and darkness, stating that she's grateful for everyone who's made her strong. Daryl tells her she drove Lydia away because she didn't love her. Alpha gets angry and tries to approach him, but faints due to the exhaustion. She briefly awakes and sees Lydia standing over her. Alpha wonders if she's real and starts to sing a lullaby while placing her daughter's hands on the knife above her heart, saying she's ready to lead the Whisperers after her death. Lydia tearfully declines to kill her mother and says she blames her for not letting her live a normal life like she always wanted.

The following morning, Alpha wakes up alone and sees the words "Your way is not the only way" carved into a workbench with her knife. She stares at the inscription in frustration, before starting to laugh evilly. In Alexandria, Scott reports to Rosita that Beta infiltrated Alexandria through Cheryl's grave which connected to a tunnel system when Aaron arrives to tell them not everyone escaped from the cave. Shortly after, Rosita leaves Coco and Taron under Nora's care as she prepares to leave towards Hilltop to be checked by the doctor alongside a group. Mary also hops in the wagon to see her nephew, and she and Rosita introduce themselves and shake hands.

Elsewhere in the forest, Lydia tends to Rhys' wounds when he wakes up. She says she stayed with him all day long while deciding what to do. When he asks about Alpha, Lydia responds she couldn't kill her mother. He is disapointed but ultimately understands why she couldn't do it. Just then Henry finds them much to Rhys' pleasure and Lydia's joy. Henry and Lydia kiss and he asks her to come back with them. Back at the gas station, Alpha is surrounded and has her wounds tended to by some Whisperers. She stands up and promises to get revenge on the communities with their horde while pronouncing the Whisperers' anthem, officially declaring the war.