The Walking Dead’s most recent episode of its ninth season, titled “The Calm Before,” is one that is sure to shock both fans and critics and despite low ratings, the show is still capable of gripping an audience. 
The episode focuses on the communities of Alexandria, The Kingdom, Hilltop, and Oceanside uniting together for at the fair event that was being hinted at since this season’s time jump. 
The group agree to shelter Lydia, who left her group of zombie-impersonators known as the Whisperers to be a part of the communities, knowing that her mother, Alpha, will most likely retaliate. 

During the fair, Alpha disguises herself as a member of Alexandria to blend in with the townsfolk and talk to Lydia, but she is unsuccessful in trying to change her daughter’s mind about returning to the Whisperers. 

Alpha then takes Daryl and other survivors hostage and explains to Daryl that she has marked her and the Whisperers’ territory and if any of the communities cross into her territory, she will unleash a massive zombie horde on the communities.

The group are then shown the horror that the Whisperers are capable of when they find the territorial boundary. 

A majority of The Walking Dead’s ninth season has lacked a lot of the charisma and fascinating plot lines that made the show the cash cow that it is today. 

The season has mainly presented a huge amount of “filler” episodes that only exist to make up time to steady the pace of the main plot. 

This episode, however, which is also the one before the mid-season finale, is one that fans have wanted for a long time. It contains hard suspense, good acting, and a tragic twist that concludes the episode. 

Alex McLevy, who writes for The A.V. Club, wrote about the episode with, 
“…This episode captured that bleak but vital spirit of the series once more, highlighting the best and worst of its tactics in a way that showcased what can still make it, lo these nine seasons in, feel like the thrilling and strange show, unlike anything else on TV.”

With that being said, rating charts show that this episode is the series’ lowest rated episode to date. 

It seems that interest in the show has waned ever since season five but has still retained status as one of the leading shows on cable TV. 

According to CinemaBlend.com, the episode brought in a total of 4.1 million viewers, which is a step down from last weeks 4.5 million. 

Though the ratings are low, they are still considered successful compared to other shows that still air. 
The season finale airs next week, Sunday.