The Walking Dead season 9 episode 8 recap: Evolution

Gabriel is changing Negan’s bedpan while Negan tells him how he was reading about scent the other day. By the time Gabriel arrives, the scent molecules are in the air so something that was in Negan’s butt is now in Gabriel’s nose. Gabriel shuts him down, not wanting to put up with the treatment anymore. Negan offers a half-hearted apology, but then he realizes Gabriel is serious. Gabriel says he keeps working on Negan but keeps finding nothing. Negan asks what happened and Gabriel reveals that Rosita was hurt but he can’t go to her because he has to take care of Negan. He storms out and Negan shakes his head.

Henry eats alone, but then he gets an invitation to join a few of the other other Hilltop kids. Gage, Addie and Rodney welcome him. They remember the kid with the stick and they want to stop him from moping around. He explains he’s still getting used to all of this. They have lived there half their lives and don’t know anything else. Rodney asks if Henry has really been to Oceanside and wants to know if it’s really all women, adding that he should be a fisherman. They invite Henry to their secret hideout outside of the walls, and Gage laughs when Henry worries about sneaking out. Life’s too short for moping. Henry agrees to join them.

At Rosita’s bedside in the infirmary Siddiq apologizes to Michonne again for everything that they kept from her, but he’s on her side. She understand why people would still be angry for what happened in the past, and she refuses to mend fences the way everyone wants her to. She made choices to save everyone, even if they don’t thank her for it. Rosita wakes up and she’s panicked to learn the search party is already out there. She says the search party has no idea what they’re dealing with.

That night, the storm moves in. With it comes a very dense fog that obscures the trail. Dog leads them to a farm and Daryl sends him inside to look. He spots something so they look under the hay and find a terrified Eugene. He’s beyond terrified. He explains what happened and that the herd has already been there twice looking for him. They’re not a normal herd. Aaron asks what he means. Eugene bursts into tears when he says that they were whispering to each other. Dog barks. The herd is back.

Jesus can’t believe it’s the same herd. Daryl suggests that they backtrack to the horses. There’s no way they can catch up.