Carol takes charge. Carl takes charge. Maggie takes charge. Rosita engages. And Morgan dazzles. In Season 6 episode 2, titled "JSS," the Alexandrians are in diapers, except Aaron, while Rick's group are the Avengers.
The Wolves, a group of people living as an animalistic barbaric cult, strikes the Alexandrian Safe Zone Community unexpectedly fast and hard. Yet although Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Abraham, Michonne and Sasha were all away leading a horde of walkers away from the Alexandrians, with the help of some reluctant Alexandrian volunteers, the other half of Rick's group stayed behind. Thus, the Wolves were suddenly met by those living amongst the Alexandrians who are not an easy kill, Carol, Carl, Maggie, Rosita, and Tara. And Morgan, who being among the scout team with Rick and Michonne as they led away the horde of walkers, returns unexpectedly to help with the mop up.
During the Wolves sudden assault, all experienced members of Rick's group met the assault within the Alexandrian Community, a fortified community of beautiful spacious homes with electricity and running hot water. While the Alexandrians, though thankfully not all, were either slaughtered or led away in chains as others were held in the grip of fear. Thus, leaving Aaron who appears as the only Alexandrian who readily engages, being not shy in meeting the attack.
Aaron is brave, the bravest of all the Alexandrians if any bravery exists amongst them. Which, there's a reason given his background. Going back to season 5 episode 11 of The Walking Dead, while Aaron is held under suspicion by Rick (Andrew Lincoln). As an Alexandrian recruiter, Aaron (Ross Marquand) says, "Bad people pointed guns in my face every other week. You're not bad people." For that's when Aaron divulges his pre-apocalypse life of working for an NGO (non-government organization) delivering medicine and food to the Niger River Delta, located in western-northern Africa. Then five episodes later in the season 5 finale titled, "Conquer," as both Daryl and Aaron are trapped in a car surrounded by walkers at a food distribution warehouse, it's Aaron who insists they both exit the car together. Aaron refuses Daryl's original plan for Daryl (Norman Reedus) to get out of the car first to attract the walkers, so that Aaron may escape. So Aaron is well acquainted with danger, readily assisting Rosita (Christian Serratos) as both bring in a gravely injured Holly, an Alexandrian, to the clinic before both go out to battle the Wolves.
It was a day Rick had warned about to Deanna (Tovah Feldshuh), a former congresswoman from Ohio pre-apocalypse now leader of the Alexandrians, on the first day his group entered the fortified community. A group of people gradually joined together as a unit, whom not only have been able to handle the dead, but also the living. Yes the living, beginning with the Governor of Woodbury, to the quasi-police officer Dawn Lerner who conducted draconian rule over Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, and then Gareth, leader of cannibals at Terminus, all representing the living nightmares of humanity. Living nightmares the Alexandrians were lucky to have never encountered, while Rick and his people had vanquished all mentioned from the face of the earth.
Now there's the Wolves, an organized menacing grungy sight, who've now made all the Alexandrians reel in shock, including leader Deanna. Yet lucky for her, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) was nearby. After Deanna admits to not knowing how to fight to her son Spencer and Maggie, as all three were outside a breach in the wall shortly after the attack, Maggie takes charge by saying, "Keep her safe," to Spencer. And then Maggie quickly joins the fight.
Carol (Melissa McBride) also takes charge, instinctively after witnessing Mrs. Neudermeyer, the woman wanting a pasta maker, getting cleaved by a Wolf while watching through a window. For after seeing Carl suddenly appear from being upstairs who've also saw the Wolves, Carol says, "You have to stay here and keep Judith (Carl's baby sister) safe." And then Carol quickly joins the fray, even by masquerading herself as a Wolf shortly after killing one and stealing the Wolf garb, before taking out more Wolves. Eventually, making her way to the armory to gather more guns, to also find the Alexandrian Olivia, keeper of the armory, hiding in a closet.
Then there's Carl (Chandler Riggs) who certainly doesn't mind babysitting Judith, seen earlier walking Judith in her stroller to be met by Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), as of now is the only incapable member of Rick's group who asks Carl for lessons on how to fight. For at least Eugene (Josh McDermitt) finally stepped up to the plate in previous season 5 episode 14, by overcoming his fear to rescue Tara from walkers during a supply run for solar micro-inverters. Even so knowing Carl, he was also obviously chomping at the bit to join the fight.
Yet Carl also takes charge, and later joins the fight shortly after Enid appears in the doorway. For quickly after getting over the shock of Enid (Katelyn Nacon) showing up with keys and wanting to say good-bye, Carl says, "You're not going anywhere. Sit down. You're helping me protect Judith." Later, he adds, "They got in the walls, but they're gonna die. All of them. Don't tell me good-bye." Followed by Enid, saying, "Okay."
Next, shortly after running outside, Carl sees Ron the son of Jessie being chased by a Wolf, and saves Ron's life by gunning the Wolf down with an assault rifle. Followed by beckoning Ron to come inside for safety, yet refuses. Making that twice that Ron's life was saved by Rick, and now Carl. Though hating Rick for killing his father Pete, at the least, Ron (Austin Abrams) could have helped Rick and Morgan bury his father in the 90 minute season 6 premiere.
But it's not quite over for Ron, who returns home to watch in shock while his mother Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) kills a woman Wolf. For after pretending to be knocked out after being attacked, Jessie manages to grab scissors and stabs the Wolf repeatedly, finally in the head, just as Ron arrives. All while Jessie's younger son Sam was told to take safety in a closet.
Morgan (Lennie James) miraculously arrives to silence the loud horn in the truck that had attracted the attention of the walkers. The driver of such truck used to breach the wall, shot by Deanna's son Spencer, who was also too scared to silence the horn after the trapped Wolf driver in the truck had changed into a walker. Also later, Morgan dazzles with his bo-staff by taking on five Wolves surrounding him on a street. Then finally, he re-encounters another one known as the Alpha Wolf, wonderfully played by Australian actor, writer, and director Benedict Samuel. Morgan's first encounter with the Alpha Wolf was in the season 5 finale, and prevails against the Alpha Wolf again, ending with Morgan saying, "I'm sorry," before swiftly knocking him out.
Near the end of the episode, Spencer sees Rosita, and then he asks, "What happened today, that's what it's like out there?" "Pretty much," Rosita replies, as if it's just another typical day. Then Spencer followed up by also asking, "How do you just live knowing that's the world?" To which Rosita replies, "This group, Abraham, and this place. Make sure you got something worth dying for."
And that was what the Alexandrians have been missing all along. An esprit de corps, described by Rosita, speaking of not only her love for Abraham, but also of her loyalty to others among Rick's group, and her belief in the existence of the Alexandrian community. In other words, no more leaving people behind as Tobin and the rest of the construction crew had done to Francine, only to be rescued by Abraham, while in that same episode 14 of season 5, it was revealed that both Aiden and Nicholas had done the same thing. Long live The Walking Dead.