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In the episode, Carol takes her adopted son Henry (Matt Lintz, taking over the role from his younger brother, Macsen - and both related to Madison Lintz, who played Carl’s daughter Sophia) on a trip to the Hilltop where he can study to become a blacksmith (a storyline that originally belonged to the late Carl Grimes in the Walking Dead comic books), which leads to a fatal road encounter with the remnants of the Saviors.
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Outside of Alexandria, a litany of changes as well: the Hilltop’s current status is unknown (though it’s not likely to involve Maggie, as Lauren Cohan will not appear again in season nine), but the Kingdom is thriving under the leadership of married king and queen Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Carol (Melissa McBride). (Antony Azor), her child with the supposedly late Rick Grimes and Judith has been building a secret friendship with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), still imprisoned, now clocking in at roughly eight years inside his jail cell. Within Alexandria, several other changes are afoot: Gabriel and Rosita (Christian Serratos) are now a pair, even as a newly courageous Eugene (Josh McDermitt) still harbors feelings for his old traveling companion Michonne is not only parenting a 10-year-old Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming), but also an approximately 5-year-old son in R.J. Michonne’s role is the only one specified, as she’s in charge of security, a job she takes very seriously as seen in the way she confronts Magna (Nadia Hilker), leader of the new group of survivors first introduced at the end of Rick’s swan song, “What Comes After.” (In reality, Lincoln will continue the role in a trilogy of original films for AMC.) In his wake, Alexandria still stands, ruled by a council of elected officials including Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), Aaron (Ross Marquand), Siddiq (Avi Nash) and Michonne (Danai Gurira).
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The episode acts almost as a pilot for a new Walking Dead show featuring new and old characters alike - emphasis on “old,” or at least older, based on the six years of in-universe time that have elapsed since Rick Grimes’ presumed death. 'Walking Dead' Expansion Plans Revealed: Andrew Lincoln to Lead 3 AMC Movies