After the bloodshed of last week's installment of "The Walking Dead," Sunday's episode closes with the apparent death of a major character.
"Thank You" takes place at the same time as the events in "J.S.S."
Rick takes off on his own, leaving Michonne and Glenn leading a group of green Alexandrians, among them Heath, Annie, Sturgess, David, and Nicholas. In short order, the Alexandrians prove they're baggage: Sturgess panics and runs away to his doom. Annie and David both get bit, and slow the rest down, leading them into a town to hunker down at a pet store.
Glenn plots to distract the herd by burning a building down, so after some last-minute bucking up from the man he once tried to kill, a still-hesitant Nicholas directs them to an ideal location, a feed store of which he's familiar. This "Plan B" quickly goes to pot as well: walkers surround the pet shop, and Glenn and Nicholas learn the feed store has already been torched.
Gunfire from the battle at Alexandria momentarily distracts the walkers, and in short order, the pet shop folks burst out, but a limping Annie gets torn apart. Heath makes it over a fence that Michonne and David try to clear, only to find walkers literally at their feet. David is pulled down into the snarling mob, and Michonne barely breaks free, thanks to Heath's shooting walkers all around her.
Rick, bleeding from a scrap with some walkers, makes it to the perimeter fence and the RV, but eventually stops to make contact with his folks via walkie talkie.
Get All the Details from 'The Walking Dead' Premiere Go Behind the Scenes of 'The Walking Dead'Glenn and Nicholas also get trapped by a fence. The pair hop onto a dumpster, but the herd is all around them. It's then when Nicholas, freaking out again, turns to Glenn, says "Thank You," and blows his own head off, dragging them both to the pavement into the throng of walkers.
That's when it seems Glenn is torn apart -- unless, of course, the undead are actually tearing apart Nicholas. It's deliberately left unclear.
With Rick still some distance from the community, he tries to raise Glenn on the walkie and can't -- and that's when the parked mobile home is ambushed by Wolves, who shoot up the vehicle, only to have Rick get the upper hand and kill them all.
The exchange disables the vehicle, leaving the leader isolated and immobile with walkers closing in.
Meanwhile, Daryl on his bike and Abraham and Sasha in their car have made it to their waypoint, trailing a huge portion of the herd behind them -- with no idea what's going on elsewhere.
"The Walking Dead" returns next Sunday, Nov. 1 at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMC.