15 Greatest Episodes Of The Walking Dead
5. No Way Out (Season 6, Episode 9)
There are plenty examples of The Walking Dead being at its strongest when calming things down and dealing with thoughtful character development.
But then there's No Way Out - a dark, violent, grisly exploration of just how harsh and bleak the new world can be. Outside of this, it also manages to be one of the show's most hopeful entries, one which kicks off a palpable feeling of hopelessness and ends up being replaced by the sense that everything will be okay.
As Alexandria is overrun by a massive horde, Rick, Michonne, Carl, Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) and the Anderson Family (Alexandra Breckenridge, Austin Abrams, Major Dodson) launch a daring escape, covering themselves in walker guts in order to pass through the horde and find safety. The plan hits a serious blip when Jessie, Ron and Sam Anderson are killed, and Carl loses an eye.
As Denise (Merritt Wever) tries to save Carl, Rick heads out to attack the horde in anger, and is eventually joined by the rest of the community.
It's a powerful moment of community and offers fans the chance to see what Alexandria has become since their naive and unprepared beginnings.
No Way Out is cruel, violent and explosive (thanks to Daryl's double use of an RPG), but as close to perfect as The Walking Dead has ever been.