Chokepoint (The Walking Dead)
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Episode 13
- Eddie Guzelian
- David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
| "Chokepoint" | |
|---|---|
| The Walking Dead episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 9 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Liesl Tommy |
| Written by |
|
| Cinematography by | Duane Manwiller |
| Editing by |
|
| Original air date | March 10, 2019 |
| Running time | 41 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Chokepoint" is the thirteenth episode of the ninth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 10, 2019. The episode was written by Eddie Guzelian and David Leslie-Johnson McGoldrick, and directed by Liesl Tommy.
In the episode, Daryl's (Norman Reedus) daring rescue mission forces Alpha to unleash a group of her own, led by Beta (Ryan Hurst), to retrieve her daughter Lydia (Cassady McClincy), even if the price is paid in blood. Meanwhile, The Kingdom's plans to reunite the communities are put in jeopardy.
The episode received mostly positive reviews, particularly the fight scene between Daryl and Beta.
As Daryl and Connie have fled with Henry and Lydia from a group of Whisperers, Alpha's second-in-command, Beta, watches another Whisperer die from the walker attack earlier in the night. He vows to bring Lydia back, or failing there, to turn her whole group into walkers.
As the Kingdom prepares for their fair, one of their scout groups, led by Jerry, has been ambushed and robbed by a group called The Highwaymen. Jerry relates this to Carol and Ezekiel. When Carol learns of this, she suggests that because The Highwaymen did not kill Jerry's group, they may be open to negotiation. Meanwhile, Tara worries that Daryl's group hasn't arrived either, and she leads an expedition to locate them, accompanied by Yumiko, Magna, Kelly, Tammy, and Earl, fighting walkers along the way.
In the morning, Daryl's group is led by Connie to an incomplete high-rise that her group had taken shelter in before, where she shows Daryl that they could isolate the Whisperers by laying an ambush on the upper floors. They argue whether or not to bring Lydia back to home with them, with Connie writing on a piece of paper that she and Daryl have friends, whereas Lydia has none.
Ezekiel, Carol, and other Kingdom members go to the Highwaymen's headquarters, and lure the group into a trap so that the Kingdom group can overpower them. Ezekiel tries to convince the Highwaymen to help them keep the roads clear for the other communities traveling to the fair, offering them access to the Kingdom in return. While the Highwaymen initially refuse, they agree after Carol convinces them that they would have an opportunity to see a movie if they help. The Highwaymen then return the gear they stole and later help Tara's group make their way to the Kingdom.
Unsure about Lydia's trustworthiness, Daryl locks her in a closet with Dog while they prepare for Beta's group to arrive. When the group arrives, Beta and his allies are forced to abandon the walkers on the ground floor, giving Daryl and Connie the ability to kill them. Lydia, fearing for Henry's safety, breaks out of the closet, in time for Dog to attack a Whisperer that was about to kill Henry, though Henry still ends up injuring his leg. Daryl then has a brutal one-on-one fight with Beta, which ends with Daryl pushing him into an open elevator shaft. With the Whisperers subdued, the group work to lure the walkers out of the ground floor so that they can escape, unaware that Beta is still alive at the bottom of the elevator shaft.
Production
Discussing the fight scene between Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Beta (Ryan Hurst), episode director Liesl Tommy explained: "I worked really hard with Monte [Simons] and Josh [Lamboy], our stunt guys, to make a fight that felt worthy of these two actors. So you just want that fight to be as visceral and brutal and, at the same time, feel like these are two men who may not be physically matched, but they match in intensity."[1]
