The Walking Dead/Splinter

Splinter
Season 10, Episode 20
Airdate	March 21, 2021
Written by	Julia Ruchman & Vivian Tse
Directed by	Laura Belsey
Stream
← 10x19 One More	10x21 → Diverged
The Walking Dead — Season Ten

Splinter is the twentieth episode of the tenth season of The Walking Dead, and the one hundred fifty-first episode overall.

Starring: Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) (credit only), Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier) (credit only), Lauren Cohan (Maggie Rhee) (credit only), Christian Serratos (Rosita Espinosa) (credit only), Josh McDermitt (Eugene Porter), Seth Gilliam (Gabriel Stokes) (credit only), Ross Marquand (Aaron) (credit only), Khary Payton (Ezekiel)

and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan) (credit only)

Also Starring: Callan McAuliffe (Alden) (credit only), Eleanor Matsuura (Yumiko (voice)), Cooper Andrews (Jerry) (credit only), Nadia Hilker (Magna) (credit only), Cailey Fleming (Judith Grimes) (credit only), Cassady McClincy (Lydia) (credit only), Lauren Ridloff (Connie) (credit only), Paola Lázaro (Juanita "Princess" Sanchez), Jessejames Locorriere (Commonwealth Interrogator), Cameron Roberts (Trooper)

Co-Starring: Erik Bello (Examining Trooper)

Uncredited: Courtney Chen (Yumiko stand-in)

Plot Overview

Princess, Yumiko, Eugene, and Ezekiel, are locked away in train cars by the armed soldiers they encountered. Princess is desperate to get out, all while still in the dark about the whys of the situation.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• According to one soldier, the community they operate for have access to things valuable in the apocalypse. The measures they take are said to be standard protocol for mission-based assignments.

• After Princess finally answers the questions, the trooper states they're just to know if they'll "play ball." When she asks when she'll see he friends, he opens the door to reveal them with hoods over the heads before one is put over hers.

Characters

• Princess was physically abused by her stepfather, which has lead her to suffer some PTSD. While perhaps not a part of the abuse, her mother seemed to done nothing to stop it.

Trivia

The Show

• While not the first episode without any living deaths, there are also no killed walkers, a first in the history of the series.

• Only her third appearance in the series, the episode focus an inordinate amount of time on her, as the rest of the main/supporting characters have diminished screen time, save for Ezekiel, but most of this is as her hallucination.

Behind the Scenes

• Eleanor Matsuura was not available for filming, so Yumiko was portrayed by a stand-in on set with her face kept obscured in the teaser while Matsuura did ADR for it and the exchange in the train car.

Quotes

• Princess: I'm not crazy, if that's what you're thinking. I mean, there's the ADHD, the anxiety, the PTSD, the depression, the crushing loneliness, and the active imagination that helps me cope with all of that, but, like... maybe that's the only sane response to an insane world.