The Walking Dead Season 9 episode 15 airs Sunday night, and it just might be the biggest one of the year. The infamous "pike scene" from the comics is about to get its TV adaptation, and we'll tell you everything you need to know about the victims. Major deaths are happening, and the experts at The Spoiling Dead Fans have your SPOILER report.
As expected, the entirety of episode 15 focuses on the highly anticipated trade fair at the Kingdom. Inside its walls attendees are enjoying carnival games and an animated movie, but tensions continue to build outside. Several groups are sent on patrol to safeguard others from the Whisperers. Intrigue mounts when one group discovers an overturned Hilltop wagon. Clearly their new zombie-like adversaries aren't here to play nice.
The action builds to an altercation with Alpha at the Whisperer camp. She tells Carol, Daryl, Michonne and Yumiko that communities with walls are a joke and implies that barriers are no match for her massive herd of walkers. Alpha says if they cross into Whisperer territory again she will destroy "everything you've built in this world." But that's not all. Before leaving, the leader teases that she has left a "final warning" between the border of the two communities. That warning features 10 characters' reanimated heads on pikes.
Before getting to the list, however, let's describe the infiltration. While community members are on patrol, Alpha sneaks into the fair by scalping a Hilltop woman and introducing herself to others as Debra from Alexandria. She even makes it past Ezekiel's watchful eye.
Here are the 10 pike death characters to be featured in episode 15 in the order they are revealed.
1) Ozzy: Leader of the Highwaymen
2) Alek: Ozzy's second in command
3) DJ: An ex Savior who has assimilated into the community
4) Frankie: One of Negan's former wives who was friendly with Eugene
5) Tammy Rose: She's played a big role throughout Season 9 as Earl's wife and the adopted mother of the Whisperer baby.
6) Addy: One of the teens that was friendly with Henry
7) Rodney: Another teen friendly with Henry and Addy (pictured above)
8) Tara
9) Enid
10) Henry
Many characters, including Carol, are especially distraught. Daryl tries to stop her from looking at Henry's reanimated head. The episode ends with a memorial service for the victims, where Siddiq offers a passionate speech about unity. But, there is some drama to be had with him. According to his story, he is captured by the Whisperers along with the others and is told to kill the eventual pike victims. When he refuses, he is knocked out and tied to a tree. We don't know if he's telling the truth, which adds an interesting wrinkle to the narrative.
Fans of The Walking Dead have been waiting for the pike scene throughout Season 9, and it appears its TV version won't disappoint. While it's true that most of the victims aren't major characters, the loss of the three listed above will prove to be significant. The events will likely have the biggest impact on Carol, but, with no known successor to Tara, the entire Hilltop stands to be in disarray. Will Daryl take the reigns of control despite his failed rule of the Sanctuary? Maybe next week's finale answers that question for us.
The Walking Dead airs March 24 on AMC.
What are your thoughts on the pike deaths in The Walking Dead? Do these latest Season 9 spoilers deliver on the hype? Tell us in the comments section!
