Since The Walking Dead has such a giant cast and over a decade of plotting to juggle, episodes tend to focus on one or two groups of characters. While this has led to its downfall during weaker seasons, with uninteresting players getting far too much focus and the more compelling drama shelved for sometimes weeks at a time, it’s the only logical way to balance so much stuff — and this show is nothing if not a great deal of stuff. The latest episode, “Out of the Ashes”, tried to juggle too many plotlines at once and ended up suffering for it. From the available information so far, it seems like The Walking Dead season 11, episode 6, “On the Inside” will be a bit tighter and more focused. But the latest developments will doubtlessly be built upon or at least called back to, so let’s briefly round up where we stand:
- Alexandria is still on its last legs, and primarily through Aaron, “Out of the Ashes” explored how far its residents would be willing to go to protect their home. This mostly manifested as the group — comprising Aaron, Carol, and Jerry mainly — discovering a leftover Whisperer named Keith, whom Aaron brutally tortured for information.
- Keith did give away something crucial, which is that Connie survived. More on this below.
- Eugene, Yumiko, Ezekiel, and Princess finally made it inside the Commonwealth and didn’t make too many friends. With Stephanie’s help, Eugene tried to send an unauthorized message to Alexandria, but Mercer caught them in the act. Faced with potential banishment, their only ally seems to be the adman who does the propagandizing orientation videos.
- Maggie and Negan once again found themselves together, arguing over the morality of leaving people behind, despite having already had this conversation in various forms before. Eventually, the sudden arrival of Father Gabriel convinces them to wait behind for Daryl and the others, however long it takes.
The Walking Dead season 11, episode 6 release date
“On the Inside” is slated to release on September 26, 2021, at 9 pm ET, on AMC. The new episode has already premiered on AMC+ on September 19, 2021, since the streaming service is making new episodes available a week in advance.
Where to watch online
Since The Walking Dead is such a popular and longstanding show, there are many different ways to check out the latest episode. The most efficient for die-hard fans is, obviously, an AMC+ subscription, which allows you to view the episode a week before everyone else. Using AMC’s app or website, the episode can be live-streamed at the date and time above when it officially airs, and anyone else can access the episode via a litany of live TV streaming platforms such as Spectrum, Sling TV, DirecTV, Fubo TV, Philo TV, Xfinity, Apple TV, and YouTube TV.
Predictions and potential spoilers
All the available previews and such seem to suggest a more focused episode in “On the Inside” dealing primarily with just a couple of story strands. Word on the e-streets also seems to suggest much more of a horror focus. Let’s speculate:
- A new form of Walker is likely to be deployed that leans much more towards outright horror than just the mild inconvenience that the traditional variety has become. I say “Walker”, but that’s probably inaccurate; previews suggest humans that are probably closer to Walkers in appearance and behavior.
- Also judging by previews and rumors and such, these new villains will likely be encountered by Connie. You can expect “On the Inside” to detail her survival and what she has been doing since, which apparently includes navigating a veritable haunted house of new monsters. Her being hearing impaired will likely only benefit this episode, which could deploy all kinds of stylistic tricks and quirks to up the tension.
- Given the title, it seems reasonable to expect a fair amount of focus on Daryl and the Reapers, especially now he’s currently an accepted member. Pope will inevitably want to test Daryl, though, so the question is going to become how far he’s willing to go in order to maintain his cover.
