The Walking Dead: looking back at Squeeze

On February 23, 2020, the ninth episode of the tenth season of The Walking Dead aired. The episode is titled “Squeeze” and was written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and directed by Michael Satrazemis.

This episode is the mid-season premiere of season 10, and it is an episode that leaves you on the edge of your seat, wondering what the outcome will be.

In the previous episode, Daryl, Carol, Aaron, Jerry, Connie, Kelly, and Magna fell into a cave and were trapped by Alpha’s enormous herd of walkers. Alpha lured them there and watched from above as they tried to get their bearings.

The episode follows the group as they learn they must work together if they will escape this cave with their lives.

The Walking Dead season 10

Back at the Whisperers camp, Negan is mindful of everything going on. He listens as Alpha explains to Beta and Gamma that their enemy has crossed the border. Later, Negan tells Alpha that a spy must be among them, taking information back to their enemy. He suggests it might be Gamma.

This next scene is one many viewers would like to forget. Alpha tells him to undress, and when he turns around, she is fully naked except for her skin mask, telling him he is a crass man and would appreciate a crass reward for alerting her to the spy among them.

Carol follows Alpha into the cave in the last episode, and Magna confronts her for her reckless behavior. Daryl tells them this isn’t the time for this and notices that Carol’s claustrophobia is taking a toll on her in the confined space. He later confronts her for her recent behaviors and that he wants her to stop trying to get revenge on Alpha. She explains that she wants Alpha to pay for killing Henry and the others.

Alpha sends some Whisperers into the cave to ensure no one escapes. Magna comes upon one of the Whisperers, searching for a way out of the cave. The group kills several of Alpha’s people and then decides to follow those who got away as they know where the exit is.

They discover an old mine station where they find a box of dynamite. As they start digging through the ceiling, Daryl notices Carol is missing. He finds her with a stick of dynamite, where she is trying to figure out a place to light it to destroy the horde of walkers. She almost falls into the pit of walkers, but Daryl pulls her back; the dynamite falls and explodes. As the cave begins to collapse, Jerry holds up a beam to allow them to escape. Kelly and Aaron make it out, but Connie goes back to get Daryl and Carol, which Magna follows to help.

Then encounter more Whisperers, which Connie and Magna fight off, allowing Daryl and Carol to escape. Jerry can no longer hold the beam and escapes as the remaining dynamite explodes, trapping Connie and Magna.

Above ground, Kelly falls to the ground in agony as Daryl begins to dig the area they escaped from. Aaron tells him it will take weeks to reach them that way. Kelly tells them the explosion will draw walkers from miles away and any other Whisperers, and they won’t be able to save them if they are all dead. Carol blames herself, begging Daryl to say that it was her fault. He ignores her and tells everyone to head home to let everyone know they have found Alpha’s horde. He heads off to look for another way into the cave.

Some trivia from this episode includes a callback to the season one episode “TS-19,” where Carol experiences claustrophobia. This episode is the first one where Aaron kills a living person with his mace arm. Negan’s praying mantis comment foreshadows when he will decapitate Alpha in a future episode.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on Feb. 27 with the second episode of season 11B, “New Haunts.” This episode is available to stream on AMC+.

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