HOLLYWOOD—I’ve started to get the hang of the new narrative that has taken place since the most recent time jump on “The Walking Dead.” I was utterly concerned how the writers would transition the show minus Rick Grimes, our commander-in-chief, but I like what I’m seeing at the current moment. This week’s episode, ‘Stradivarius’ picked up with a dazed Rosita stumbling through the forest in her attempt to escape the walkers chasing after her before passing out.

Carol, Henry and Daryl trekked near the fractured bridge, just as Michonne transported Magna and her crew in hopes of the Hilltop accepting the new arrivals. Sayid did his best to poke inside Michonne’s brain, but she was not willing to confirm his suspicions. I was eager to learn what the hell was transpiring at the Hilltop considering viewers are well aware that Lauren Cohan’s time on the series has also come to an end at the time being. Tara is looking like a fierce leader at the base, but it looks like Jesus is now leading things at the Hilltop.

Daryl kept mum on what he has been up to, which led Carol to ask Daryl to watch over Henry who is a bit impulsive to say the least. Magna, Kelly, Connie and Luke stumbled upon their camp, but Michonne was not willing to allow them to take their weapons. Yeah, Michonne is really becoming a character to say the least. Why? She is not even trekking the rest of the journey to the Hilltop, which left Magna enraged. Why is this concerning? We know this group will encounter some walkers on their journey.

Jesus was busy training Aaron in secret to prepare him for ongoing battles. Gotta say I loved seeing Aaron with his bionic arm. Looks like both Jesus and Aaron are keeping secrets, and wowza, both said something that made perfect sense: why haven’t all the groups collectively come together as one? Aaron and Jesus rescued Rosita who was almost a sitting duck with walkers closing in on her location. It became clear that Daryl was on the search to locate Rick (of course he’ll never find a body) because the guy is not dead!

With darkness setting in, Michonne entered a barn where she came across Luke rummaging through some stuff and went on the attack, only to destroy a musical instrument. Back at Daryl’s camp, Henry was stalking the fierce one hoping to gain insight, just as Daryl’s pet dog was on the verge of becoming walker food. Daryl is lucky that Henry didn’t follow his orders, just as Carol spied from a distance. That was indeed close one to say the least America.

Michonne was surprised to learn from Sayid that Maggie is no longer at the Hilltop, but before they could get into those details, walkers invaded their safety net. After a few moments of hesitation, Michonne gave Magna and her crew their weapons to fend off the enemies. Who knew a sling shot could be such a dangerous weapon? Looks like Daryl might have some competition. After much badgering, Michonne decided to venture to the Hilltop; I think the news about Maggie led to that decision.

Oh, this is going to be interesting to say the least, because Carol, Henry and Daryl arrived at the Hilltop, which means Michonne’s arrival will set the stage for an interesting dynamic to say the least. So much for Daryl sticking around, because he decided to help Aaron and Jesus look for Eugene, just as the episode culminated. Man, I would totally be lying if I didn’t admit I was slightly disappointed by the end of this episode because I wanted just a bit more. However, I can see where things are going and I like what I’m seeing. Until next week “Walking Dead” die-hards!