A Certain Doom

Plot

The Whisperer War reaches its climax when Beta drives the massive horde straight to the Tower, scrambling the survivors' original survival plan. Gabriel orders several pairs to sneak speaker components past the walkers and onto a wagon pulled by horses, aiming to play music and steer the horde into the ocean. Daryl, Carol, Jerry, Magna, Luke, Kelly, Beatrice, and Jules cover themselves in walker guts to move through the horde and execute the escape.

Before leaving, Lydia tries to reconcile with Carol, but Carol tells her to forge her own path. The group moves through the horde as archers pick off Whisperers. Most of them slip away into the woods. A Whisperer attacks Carol and Beatrice; Carol wounds it fatally, but the dying Whisperer injures Beatrice, forcing Carol to abandon her to the horde.

The survivors set up Luke's sound system and loop Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House," successfully drawing the horde away from the Tower and letting those inside escape. Beta and most Whisperers stay with the horde, catching the wagon at night. They kill Hilltop soldier Oscar and smash the speakers, forcing the group to flee into the woods. With no backup plan, Daryl orders the group to hunt down Whisperers one at a time.

Lydia offers to lead the horde away using her mother's methods; Daryl refuses, but she insists. Daryl tells the others to move and says they will deal with it later.

Production

"A Certain Doom" was initially planned as the tenth season finale to air on April 12, 2020, but AMC announced on March 24, 2020 that the episode would be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Showrunner Angela Kang explained that filming was complete but post-production visual effects could not be finished on time. The airdate was confirmed in July 2020 for October 4, 2020, along with six additional tenth-season episodes that aired from February 28 to April 4, 2021.

Lauren Cohan returned as Maggie Greene, who had left the series in the ninth season after being cast for a leading role in the ABC series Whiskey Cavalier. Cohan and the showrunners had not considered her character written off, leaving potential for return depending on Cohan's availability. The episode marks the departure of Ryan Hurst as Beta, whose character is stabbed by Daryl and then devoured by walkers. The selection of Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" was made after the script was completed, which called only for some rock music.

Kang said many staff were Talking Heads fans and were drawn to the song because its lyrics matched the scene's theme. The song was expensive to license, but other options did not work as well. The episode also introduces the Commonwealth, a large community central to the last major comic arc; Kang stated they had intended the season ten finale to end with that introduction.

Reception

"A Certain Doom" received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has an approval rating of 89% with an average score of 6.80 out of 10, based on 18 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "The Whisperers are finally shushed for good in 'A Certain Doom,' a tidy climax that efficiently dispenses with old enemies while teeing up a fresh crop of antagonists." Jeffrey Lyles of Lyles Movie Files gave it an 8/10, writing that it did not feel as satisfying months after Negan killed Alpha but would likely feel like a well-earned payoff in binge format.

Ron Hogan of Den of Geek gave a 4/5, praising Greg Nicotero's direction. Kirsten Acuna of Insider gave a B+, calling it a satisfying conclusion to one of the most enjoyable seasons in years. John Doyle of The Globe and Mail wrote that it was "grim but passing-good, like our lives now." Matt Fowler of IGN gave a 7/10, praising solid thrills but noting it faltered on larger story beats.

Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave a B, calling it a fitting conclusion. Richard Rys of Vulture gave 3/5, finding it anticlimactic after the long wait. Erik Kain of Forbes praised it as a perfectly fine finale but felt it was flat compared to earlier episodes. The episode received 2.73 million viewers, down from the previous episode and the lowest of the original season ten run.