‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9, Episode 14 ‘Scars’ Recap: A Dark Past

In what seems to be an echo of the dark and heavy episode of The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 14, “The Grove” (just look at the flowers), this week’s third penultimate episode pulls all the stops to make us feel the gravity of the zombie apocalypse. Titled “Scars,” the 14th episode of season 9 digs up the horrifying past that made Michonne (Danai Gurira) the doubtful leader that she is now.

There’s so much to unpack from “Scars.” It’s arguably the strongest episode of the ninth season so far, with Michonne and Daryl (Norman Reedus) leading the charge. There’s been a lot going on within the two’s minds ever since Rick disappeared, and it’s a question that we’ve all been asking ourselves. Tonight, however, we finally get our answer albeit horrifically and disturbingly. Nope, no one looked at the flowers this time, but it did paint a harrowing picture and a sight that even Daryl couldn’t bring himself to see.

“Scars” follows Michonne’s pregnancy days a few weeks into Rick’s absence. That’s when she meets a group of new survivors, led by Jocelyn (Rutina Wesley), Michonne’s best friend from way back. Little does Michonne know that Jocelyn’s return would turn out to be detrimental to the survivors of Alexandria. With a slight Children of the Corn vibe, Jocelyn executes her plan to make the kids of Alexandria “strong.”

Directed by Millicent Shelton, “Scars” would go on to be a historic Walking Dead episode with all the beauty and pain that comes along with it. Spoilers are abundant in this article, so tread with caution. Here’s what went down on tonight’s chapter of The Walking Dead.

Jocelyn leads a pack of cult-y kids

We never saw this coming, people—Jocelyn is a top-grade asshole. With Rick gone, Michonne wanted to continue his plan (well, actually it’s Carl’s) to open up Alexandria and have more room to save people. True enough, Jocelyn’s group arrives, much to Michonne’s surprise. It’s an epic reunion. But the small group that Jocelyn had with her wasn’t all of her people, so she asks Michonne to save the others who are trapped in an abandoned building. It turns out that Jocelyn only has kids in her group, with her right hand, Mitchell (Joey Simon), the only other adult.

Now, if I were Michonne, this would’ve raised some eyebrows. But given their history as besties back in high school, one couldn’t blame her for giving Jocelyn the benefit of the doubt.

Everyone’s happy kumbaya-ing and Jocelyn organizing a sleepover for all her kids and the children of Alexandria (including a young Judith). Come the next day, all of them are gone, the pantry’s raided, and Jocelyn left one of the Alexandrian guards with his throat slashed. Daryl and a pregnant Michonne go hunting for their kids and find themselves holed up in an old school.

Gene Page/AMC

Now, this is where shit hits the fan. With Judith and the other Alexandria kids in Jocelyn’s custody, it’s revealed that the kids with her group are actually little sleeper agents conditioned to kill everything in their path. They’re not feral, but sinister kids ripped straight from the pages of Children of the Corn.

An Episode that has too much heart that it makes us explode

There’s a tender moment between Michonne and Judith (Caily Fleming) that tugs at our heartstrings as much as the riverside conversation between Judith and Daryl did.

After Daryl brought Henry (Matt Lintz), Lydia (Cassady McClincy), and Connie (Lauren Ridloff) to Alexandria to rest up, Michonne knew that she had to ultimately turn them away because of the Whisperers’ threat. Judith did not feel right by this, and so she runs off to help their four friends get to the Kingdom. Michonne is lost as to what Judith is thinking, especially since she has not been opening up to her mom since Michonne wanted her to stay away from Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).  Michonne grills Negan about it and ultimately finds out that Judith has the same fire as her mom, only she wants it to be for their friends and not just those within Alexandria.

Michonne sets out to find her and sees Judith in a field killing off Walkers. And then, in a rare Walking Dead occurrence, their touching scene makes me cry. Judith wonders why they have stopped loving their friends from Hilltop and the Kingdom. This hits Michonne hard, because all the along, she thought that by keeping them safe and away from each other, she’s protecting her family effectively. But with what Judith sees, Michonne is failing to keep them all together just because of her past.

In the end, we see Michonne change her mind and resolve to reunite with her original family. She’s going to take Daryl, Henry, Connie, and Lydia to the Kingdom.

The Darkest the Show Has Ever Been

Remember when Carol (Melissa McBride) told Lizzie to look at the flowers seconds before shooting her in the head? “Scars” picks up from that scene and puts it on Michonne’s shoulders.

Bringing in Daryl with Lydia brought her bad flashbacks to when she took in Jocelyn. She also admits to Lydia that she has done horrific things in her past all for the protection of her family. Michonne remembers the standoff between Jocelyn and her child army. Jocelyn wanted her kids to kill Judith and the other children from Alexandria, and there’s nothing that Michonne or Daryl could do to stop it. We’re also given an explanation as to what those x-marks on Michonne and Daryl’s backs. When they were taken captive by Jocelyn and her little henchmen, one of the kids brands them with the x-mark.

Gene Page/AMC

Tension rises, and Jocelyn orders the kids to kill Judith. With no choice left, Michonne slaughters the kids, leaving one unharmed but running for his life. It’s a debilitating scene to watch Michonne slice and dice the children so that she could save Judith and the other kids. I couldn’t bring myself to look at the horrific scene.

‘The Walking Dead: Scars’ Overall Verdict

Call season 9 all the nice adjectives you want, but this is where we solidify that The Walking Dead is definitely back on its feet, and it’s on a roll. “Scars” is an example of the show’s ability to keep things interesting even during its slow periods. It’s got heart, pain, love, and regret rolled into one solid episode. Wherever the show might lead us, it looks like we’ll be taken to a place where The Walking Dead shines brighter than it ever did. “Scars” is dark, gripping, and it shakes you down to your core.

We’ve got to strap ourselves in for the last two episodes. It’s going to be another rollercoaster ride, folks.

The Walking Dead continues next Sunday, March 24th, with “The Calm Before” at 9/8c on AMC.