WARNING: The following article includes spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 6, "Bonds," which aired Sunday on AMC.
The sixth episode of the tenth season of The Walking Dead opens with Carol waking up when it's still dark. She gets ready for the day, preps a bag including weapons, and turns to leave. She briefly pauses and returns to her dresser. She opens the top drawer and looks at her gun. Then she closes the drawer with the gun still in it and leaves.
Daryl is hanging out on his porch in the early morning, when he sees Carol heading out. He follows her and asks her where she’s going. She claims she’s going to search for Negan and he offers to join her. Her smile indicates that she isn’t thrilled to have his company but she doesn’t want to tell him no.
They work their way through the woods when Carol finds a spot overlooking a valley. She sets down her bag and looks the area over with binoculars. Daryl’s confused. Are they taking a break? Carol tells him this is their spot for the day. Daryl realizes that Carol isn’t really looking for Negan. And although she tries to keep the ruse going, she finally tells him what her goal actually is: to find the Whisperers’ horde -- and destroy it.
Based on the small groups of walkers that continuously threaten Alexandria and Hilltop, Carol’s narrowed down the general vicinity in which Alpha and her group are likely hiding. Daryl appreciates her thinking but wants to know why she lied to him initially. Carol apologizes. She just didn’t want him to worry. Daryl decides to stick around for her stake out.
Meanwhile, back at Alexandria, there’s a stomach bug going around. Rosita is one of the people who’s sick so Siddiq is taking care of baby Coco, leaving the other doctor, Dante, in charge of caring for the patients at the clinic. Neither seems especially concerned. Like any minor illness, they just have to wait it out.
Rosita, despite her 102 degree fever, isn’t worried either. She uses the radio to reach out to Eugene at Hilltop. Eugene's just gotten the new and improved radio -- which he’s souped up with Russian satellite parts -- running there. Rosita’s happy to finally talk to her friend after he fled to Hilltop upon the realization that she just wanted to be friends. Rosita promises to call back later in the day and they sign off.
In the woods, Carol and Daryl are passing the time with a rousing game of knock-the-can-over-with-an-acorn. Carol asks Daryl about his visit to Hilltop and Connie in particular. The insinuation is clear but Daryl informs her that it’s not like that. Carol is skeptical. It certainly seems like there’s a spark between the pair but Daryl insists otherwise. Carol doesn’t understand why Daryl wouldn’t be interested in being with a good person like Connie. He doesn’t have to be alone.
Daryl doesn’t explain. Instead, he changes the subject by asking if Carol has food, and stares at her as she rummages through her bag. Could The Walking Dead be teasing a potential Daryl-Carol romance after all this time? Or at least Daryl having feelings for Carol?
We don’t get to find out because, just as the pair start eating, a herd of walkers that includes a Whisperer stumble into the valley below. Carol looks triumphant -- she’s finally found what she’s been looking for.
At Alexandria, Siddiq stops by Rosita’s house to get Coco a change of clothes only to find Rosita stranded on the couch. She’s taken a turn for the worse. Her radio call with Eugene isn’t going to happen. Siddiq takes her to the clinic where he finds the walls lined with sick residents. Siddiq is upset. The illness is spreading faster than they expected. Siddiq angrily instructs Dante to start crushing herbs.
In the woods, Carol and Daryl watch as the mass of walkers continues to expand. Carol points out that when the sun goes down they’ll have a hard time seeing where they go unless they get closer. Daryl realizes Carol wants to cross the border. Carol convinces Daryl to track the herd with her. As they make their way closer, they agree on some ground rules to ensure that the Whisperers won’t discover they crossed the border. Carol sums it up: they'll just watch and learn.
After the sun goes down, they observe the walkers from behind nearby trees. Carol accidentally snaps a branch and the walkers head in the direction of the noise. Daryl tries to hide from them but they're headed straight for him and he can hear the Whisperers. He doesn’t want to give his presence away by killing any walkers, so he grabs one, guts it and smears himself with the blood. The walkers stumble right past him.
At the clinic in Alexandria, Siddiq is attending to a patient who comments that he looks gloomy. The patient's outlook is sunnier though. Even though she's sick and things look grim, she notes that, with the world the way it is, drifting off in bed would be a luxury.
Later, Siddiq watches over Rosita who’s resting in her bedroom. Coco starts to fuss, so he picks her up and rocks her. In the process he falls asleep. When he opens his eyes, he’s on top of the windmill at night with the baby in his arms.
In the woods, after the danger of the walkers has passed, Daryl meets Carol at their designated spot. However, Carol’s not alone. She’s taken a Whisperer hostage. Daryl’s suspicious that Carol planned this in advance. Carol insists she hadn’t but Daryl seems uncertain. Either way, Carol points out it doesn’t matter. It’s done. They may as well take advantage of it.
The Walking Dead stars Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton, Cooper Andrews, Avi Nash, and Samantha Morton. It airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.