The Walking Dead season 9 continued tonight with the violently-titled “Chokepoint,” which saw a thrilling showdown between Daryl and Whisperer number two Beta. Fans have been looking forward to seeing the pair come to blows for a while now and next week’s installment looks to feature something else that we’ve been waiting to see for a long time: an explanation to a mystery that’s been bugging us since the time jump happened before Christmas.
Next Sunday’s episode, the fourteenth of the season, is titled “Scars” and as you can probably guess from that moniker, this will be the episode that finally reveals just what the story is behind those X-shaped scars that Michonne and Daryl have been seen to sport. Something dark must have happened during the period we fast-forwarded through, and we’re about to find out what that is.
According to the synopsis for “Scars,” the truth comes out when an “outsider” arrives in Alexandria:
“An outsider’s arrival forces Alexandria to rehash devastating old wounds; eye-opening secrets from the past are revealed.”
Showrunner Angela Kang previously promised that we’d learn about the scars’ origins at some point in the second half of season 9. She also revealed to CinemaBlend that the scars were tied up in Michonne’s isolationist stance, as seen when she was reluctant to take in Magna and her friends and the breakdown of the union between the different communities.
“It’s definitely something that is a big part now of the backstory of Alexandria and the people there,” Kang explained. “It’s something that looms large in their minds and has obviously had an effect on them.”
Seeing as Michonne and Daryl have matching marks in the exact same spot, it seems that the X is some kind of brand. Maybe Alexandria’s previous fairly open-door policy led to some bad people getting in, which left Michonne keen to protect herself, her kids and her people from more like them? Or maybe the explanation will tie into the wider threat of the Whisperers?
Time will tell, but all will be revealed when The Walking Dead “Scars” airs on AMC next Sunday, March 17th.