The Walking Dead 802 recap: ‘The Damned’

The Walking Dead continues with “The Damned.” Here’s your complete recap of all of the action from season 8 episode 2, original airdate October 29, 2017.

Tonight’s episode opens with Rick and Daryl looking determined while Ezekiel and Carol wake up from the explosion. Jesus looks worried. Tara looks serious. Morgan looks determined. Aaron is stern.

Back at the Sanctuary the Saviors work on fixing their weapons. They’re trying to get their weapons together while they pack up. Mara radios and tries to reach the outpost but the response in delayed. Suddenly the attack comes to them and they are overrun with fighters from the three communities. They’re sitting ducks.

Walkers stroll along the fence at the outpost. Morgan and Jesus scout the fence and see that the double fences act like a moat. Tara says they were there before and they won, and Morgan says he wasn’t there before. Diane says he needs one clean shot and Morgan says that he will do it. He tells everyone he doesn’t need cover because he doesn’t die.

Carol and Ezekiel get up amid the dust and debris. There are Walkers everywhere. They emerge from the nearby building and she and Ezekiel fight them off. As the dust clears Jerry says to protect the King but Ezekiel says they need to protect themselves. After the battle, Carol wonders where the Savior went and she worries that he’ll inform everyone. Ezekiel says that they will be ok. They aim to follow him, with a plan to release Shiva if they need to. Carol watches him, shaking her head at his confidence.

Back at Aaron’s fight, the Saviors have a cache of weapons to use. They have to maintain their perimeter. Meanwhile Rick and Daryl sneak inside and search the building for their guns.

Morgan rattles the fence to attract the Walkers and the Saviors wonder what they’re doing as they pile on. Diane takes them out.

Tara and Jesus move inside the satellite center with Morgan at their back. They take out the Saviors and call for the rest of them to come inside. Tara sees a message on the wall about killing the women. This is a dark place. They hear noises in a room and get ready to breach the door.

Rick moves down the hall and checks his map. Daryl joins him and they break down the next door.

Aaron’s battle is going well, but several Saviors are still alive and they know that they won’t leave their perimeter. They need to push them back so they move to push them. Aaron says they have to pin them in.

Jesus and Tara keep searching as they prepare to go in the room.

Aaron’s group manages to hold off the side. Eric says he will be able to get behind them and Aaron gives him the go-ahead. He does well considering he never fights. He gets around the side as the battle continues.

Morgan’s group hesitates long enough to be shot when the Saviors realize they’re at the door. Three men fall.

Daryl and Rick climb through the elevator shaft. This is the last floor and Dwight said the weapons would be there. Daryl thinks Dwight is crap but he agrees to keep going.

Tara and Jesus find a man who says he’s not one of them. He’s peed his pants. Tara goes and finds that Morgan’s team is missing. Diane tells Tara to stay put. The man they find says he’s a worker. Jesus says he won’t shoot someone with his hands up. Tara sees the medical supplies from the Hilltop and Tara says they don’t care about anyone. Soon the man turns on them and grabs Jesus. He steps on Maggie’s vitamins. Tara says they will kill him. Jesus knows Tara will shoot him. Jesus manages to take him down, and though the man says Jesus won’t “do it” Jesus ties him up. Tara doesn’t believe he won’t kill the man.

Outside Diane calls for them. The Saviors are falling back. Jesus leads them around back. Morgan is on the floor, but he opens his eyes. He’s alive. He gets up slowly, with a wound in his arm, and he walks with new determination after the Saviors.

Aaron’s group is getting hit. Tobin was shot but says he’s ok. Slowly the dead Saviors start to turn and the Saviors realize that the Walkers will finish them off for them.

Jerry leaves a trail and then uses his big ax to take out a Walker. They find that the Walker is covered in weird stuff. Carol says the lone Savior might have made it but Ezekiel says that they are ready, too. She says this isn’t just a few Walkers they will deal with, but Ezekiel says he’s ready for them and that’s why he’s smiling. He says he is the King because he provides a light to his people. She reminds him that they might not make it, but that’s why he has to keep smiling. They find some blood and realize that they shot the Savior who ran. Carol notes he’s probably moving slow, and Ezekiel smiles at her.

Daryl breaks inside one room and searches it. In the closet he finds food and handcuffs and realizes that this is where they held someone captive.

Rick moves along the hall, illuminated by the light from the end. He scouts the rooms and finds a bedroom. In another room there is a closed door and someone jumps him from behind. They fight but they’re both hurt so it’s not pretty. Rick asks about the guns and the man says there are no guns. Rick thinks they’re in the closed room. He kills the man and tries to collect himself.

Morgan walks down the hall and sees the dead bodies. He starts remembering a conversation with Rick in the church about beating them. As he walks, he kills the Saviors with cool effectiveness.

Jesus tells Tara and Diane to keep their guns up but not to fire. When the door opens there is only one Savior there. They had heard gunfire. The man puts his gun down and tells his friends to surrender. The lone Savior tells his friends to put their weapons down, too. Tara says that even if Maggie listens to him, Rick will listen to her. Meanwhile, Morgan continues his assault until he reaches the light of day. Outside he finds Jesus and the group holding the Saviors at bay. One of the Saviors recognizes Morgan and Morgan recalls Rick’s message about killing them. Morgan wants to kill them but Jesus talks him out of it. “It’s not what we do,” Jesus says. “Then what do we do?” Morgan asks.

Rick grabs the keys from the dead man and goes inside. There, he finds a room with animals drawn all over the walls. There’s a crib. And there’s a baby girl named Gracie there. Rick looks at himself in the mirror and sees the blood on him while the baby sleeps.

Carol and Ezekiel follow the blood. She sees the trail and leads them until they come upon a road. Ezekiel runs ahead and tells Carol to save her bullets because their friends have arrived. They watch as Shiva kills the Savior.

Aaron’s group keeps fighting. They’re slowly getting picked off and Eric is on his own. Aaron moves from car to car and they advance on the Saviors. Aaron uses one of the cars to kill three of the Saviors, and when he reaches Eric he sees that he’s bleeding from a bad wound. Aaron grabs him and rushes him away.

Ezekiel addressed his people in the woods. He pets Shiva, who purrs. The radio buzzes and it turns out that the Savior was able to radio ahead to his people. They know they’re coming and Ezekiel raises his sword. Carol smiles at him this time.

Rick keeps looking and he finds another apartment. He finds a picture and as he’s looking away a man walks up with a gun. He knows Rick. It’s Morales. From way back in Atlanta. He tells Rick he called the Saviors back and they’re coming.

We see Daryl, and Aaron, and Morgan, and Jesus, and Tara, and smiling Ezekiel, and smiling Carol.

Rick looks at Morales. Morales takes the safety off the gun.

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The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC.