Stranger at the Door

"Stranger at the Door" is the thirteenth episode of season two of The Last Ones and the twenty-ninth episode overall. It was published for the first time on November 13th 2017.
==Plot==
Several months have passed and a lot has changed in Victoria and Midway. The latter is a thriving, growing sanctuary where survivors support each other and contribute to their collective well-being, whilst the former has its occupants living in fear of Blaine and his intimidating group. Elsewhere, Lorna discovers a new community and meets its leader.
==Synopsis==
Almost four months following the previous episode, Midway has grown substantially. The residents now live in huts as living quarters. Shiloh and Charlotte have started a platonic sexual relationship. He wakes her so she can sneak out early before anyone sees. He tells her she doesn't need to worry about people finding out about them. Charlotte reminds him there is no them and they agreed they would keep things casual. He says it's a bit insulting that she leaves. She bids him goodbye and returns to her hut, where Lydia-Jean scares her. She is irritated when she guesses she is sleeping with Shiloh and is reminded she promised her they would go hunting. Charlotte gets dressed and the two head out. Charlotte is irked and rebuffs Lydia-Jean's insistence they spare deer and rabbits.
In Victoria, Catelyn has given birth to a healthy baby after being two weeks overdue and in labour for twenty hours. Trudy and Coleman, who assisted in delivering the baby, remark that it seemed longer. Catelyn tells Zahra she was right: it's a boy. Zahra smiles. Coleman reveals Alexis is on her way over. Catelyn tells Zahra to be nice. Alexis congratulates Catelyn and asks if he has a name. Catelyn says she had a girls picked out, but hasn't decided on one for a boy. Alexis says he's a little history maker as he's the first baby to be born in Victoria. She decides to have a feast in the town later to celebrate. When Trudy asks if Blaine will be all right with that, Alexis reminds her she's in charge. After she leaves, Trudy says it was a nice gesture for Alexis to make, but Catelyn points out she didn't do it for the baby. Trudy asks what Zahra thinks, but she says nothing and walks away. Catelyn jokes that's more than she ever gets out of her.
In Noah's facility, Niko guards Lorna, who is still in a coma. Hailey approaches and says she can't sleep. She invites him to her bedroom, but he says he's on watch. She points out he's guarding a woman in a coma and even if she woke up, she wouldn't be fit to lift her own head let alone escape through a locked door. Niko says he can spare ten minutes. As they leave, Lorna moves her arm.
Later in Victoria, Luke asks Jasmin why she's so grumpy. She says she barely got any sleep as Catelyn was screaming during labour all night. Luke mentions the upcoming feast which surprises Jasmin as she claims she thought they were living in the post-apocalyptic equivalent of Nazi Germany. Luke suggests they indulge themselves while they can. Jasmin wonders whether they can rouse Bernadette, who has been keeping herself upstairs and away from the community. Jasmin admits she gets satisfaction from seeing Bernadette so defeated. She is unaware Bernadette was eavesdropping on their conversation. 
Blaine joins Jenson on watch. They discuss how cold it is. Blaine calls down to Paul and demands he fetch them both a coffee. He then screams at him to run. An amused Blaine tells Jenson that never gets old. Jenson says he begs to differ. When he remains irritable, Blaine suggests he go and get some sleep as there's a get-together later and they don't want any party-poopers. 
In Midway, Bobby becomes frustrated when Angie tasks him with solving some fractions. He says he thought the one good thing about the new world was that he would never have to do school work again. When he moans Lydia-Jean doesn't have to do things like this, Angie says she doesn't have a sister looking out for his best interests. He jokingly says she's lucky, which offends Angie. He scolds her for not being able to take a joke. Angie then leaves the hut. Javier tells her she works him too hard. She says she understands Bobby has had to become a man to survive but he is still a kid, and she would rather consume him with things he would be doing now if the world was normal rather than have him going out, stabbing people in the brain. Javier says she's a good sister. 
Henry approaches and asks Angie and Javier if either of them have seen Elaine. They say they haven't. Henry asks Rachel, who says she hasn't either but he should ask Dwayne as his shift ended an hour ago. 
Peter approaches Jai at the graveyard, which he has decorated with flowers. A bench and signs, which affectionately mark Sean's and Annette's graves have been added. Peter tells Jai people have been worried. Jai says he knows he wasn't himself after Sean died but he's doing better. Jai points out people have been so preoccupied in worrying about him, they've failed to notice something seems to be troubling Peter. Peter says he hasn't seen Lorna in months and says the last thing he said to her was he never wanted to see her again. He then says she's probably dead. Peter says the not knowing is the worst part. A zombie stumbles over. Jai takes it out even though Peter reminds him it's just the one. Jai says it only took a small number to kill Sean, Karen, and Ollie, and thus the zombie posed a threat, and so it was eliminated. Jai begins to drag the zombie away to a nearby ditch for burning. He tells a concerned Peter he will see him later. 
Calvin wakes Georgie from a nap. She asks if Shiro and Aimi are back from a run. He says he hasn't seen them. Calvin notices something is off with Georgie and questions her about it, but she brushes him off. When he persists, she tells him to stop fussing and abruptly leaves to get to work in the kitchen. 
On their run, Aimi sits with Donna in the truck as Shiro checks out a pharmacy. Donna is confused as it's the the fourth they have been at even though Felicia has a good stock of medicine. When Aimi plays coy, Donna wonders if somebody might be pregnant. She asks Aimi if something has happened between her and Peter as she sees the way she looks at him. Aimi angrily disputes this. Donna tells her to lighten up as she's only trying to amuse herself. She gets out the truck and heads back inside to retrieve something she forgot. Shiro tells Aimi he found nothing. Aimi asks what they should tell Georgie. Shiro says the truth, but they are both determined to not give up. 
Charlotte is seconds away from killing a deer when Lydia-Jean returns from checking out a stream, which scares the animal away. Charlotte is enraged and says she did it on purpose, but Lydia-Jean insists she didn't. Charlotte says from now on she hunts alone. Lydia-Jean jokes she is awfully up-tight for someone who is having sex on a regular basis. Charlotte irritably tells her to go home. Just then, a group of zombies approach and the two take them out. Elaine appears and kills the last one standing. 
Alexis addresses the community during the feast and announces the birth of Catelyn's baby. She says even though they need to be conservative when it comes to supplies, the occasion means they can enjoy themselves for this afternoon only. She tells everyone to tuck in. Blaine tells her he still thinks this is a mistake and worries about people getting too big for their boots. She says if the past few months have taught them anything, it's that stepping out of line gets them no where. 
In Noah's facility, Noah speaks to Anthony over the phone. He is told Beckett is threatening to stop her work because of Cheung as she finds his methods cruel, detrimental, and unorthodox. Noah claims they used to have to put up with Cheung as he was one of their largest benefactors but he can now suck a lemon for all he cares as Beckett is the priority now. Just then, Gwen enters and reveals Lorna is awake. 
Lorna is introduced to Cecilia Martinez, the doctor who saved her life and has kept her alive. She tells her what happened and said she was in a coma for four months and that they tried waking her but her body was never ready, but every time was an improvement over the last. Lorna asks where she is, but Cecilia doesn't tell her much. Noah enters and introduces himself to Lorna. When Lorna finds out two of his people brought her to the facility for medical attention, she demands to know why and says it doesn't make any sense for them to use so many resources on rescuing a stranger. Noah tells Cecilia to get something to eat as he needs to speak to Lorna alone. 
In the woods, Charlotte tells Elaine, who is out on a walk, that she almost got an arrow to the face. Elaine reveals she has something they might be interested in. 
In Victoria, Luke and Jasmin are shocked to see Bernadette arrive at the feast. She approaches Alexis and admits after Blaine arrived she was furious and she felt leadership had been snatched away from her unfairly, but she's come to realise it was never hers to begin with. She says Alexis and her friend were the ones who took people in when they didn't have to and Bernadette had never given her credit for that. She says she means what she says sincerely. Alexis thanks her and tells her to grab some food. Blaine and Jenson approach Alexis and they disagree on whether it was genuine. Alexis tells them they will talk in her quarters. 
Alexis insists that Bernadette is plotting against her and may have used the past few months to come up with a scheme. Blaine agrees. Jenson says she sounds paranoid and dismisses Blaine's idea that she may have recruited Luke and Jasmin, as they can't stand her. Alexis instructs Blaine to watch Bernadette like a hawk. 
Noah explains to Lorna that he and his people saved her and kept her alive for momentary gain as they believe she is a resident from Victoria, whom they want to befriend. He says her by saving her and returning her safe to her people it would put them in good standing with them immediately. Lorna lies and confirms she is from Victoria. Lorna is taken aback when Noah reveals the person he wants to befriend Victoria for: Michael. 
In the new infirmary in Midway, Shiro and Aimi tell Georgie they are not giving up on finding her medicine. She tells them the likelihood of finding any becomes more and more unlikely. They suggest expanding the search, but Georgie says she appreciates everything they've done but they're not risking their lives for her anymore. She leaves. Shiro and Aimi are still adamant that they are not giving up. They are unaware Calvin watched the exchange through the window. 
Elaine shows Charlotte and Lydia-Jean to a warehouse that supermarket chains used to use to pick up food. A large number of undead roam around outside. Elaine says she watched the place for a while and it sees empty. Charlotte says they should tell Henry and then bring a group back tomorrow. 
Alexis declares the feast a success, but Blaine shares his worry it might make the residents feel too comfortable. Reginald comes over and says there is a stranger at the door. Alexis and Blaine stare as Noah introduces himself. He says he's from a like-minded community and he's about to make their day. 
In Midway, Peter struggles to settle an upset Beatrice, who screams for Lorna. He tells her to go to sleep but she continues to scream for her mother. Peter, at the end of his tether, says he can't do this anymore and leaves. He ignores both Penny and Mark and leaves town without any explanation. 
Lorna asks Cecilia where Noah is. She figures out he has gone to see Alexis. Lorna demands she be freed, but Cecilia refuses, and states they have every intention of returning Lorna to her people. Cecilia reminds Lorna she would be in no fit state to travel anywhere anyway. Cecilia tells Lorna to rest and suggests she try and show some gratitude in future. 
Georgie approaches Jai at the ditch as he begins to burn the bodies of the undead. She tells him about the failed medicine supply run and says she has had enough and with the right food and the right amount, she can control her diabetes. Jai is skeptical and says there are numerous different factors that have to taken into consideration. He does however agree to put a diet together to try and help her. He warns her there's no guarantee it will work, but she is confident. 
On their way back to Midway, Charlotte, Lydia-Jean and Elaine pass Peter, who says he's going for a walk. Charlotte asks if he would like some company but he declines. Charlotte says she's starting to think he will never be normal with her again. Lydia-Jean says to give him time, but Charlotte points out it's been months. Elaine asks what happened between them, but Charlotte says it's a long, complicated story she doesn't want to get into. 
Noah tells Alexis and Blaine about his underground base but stops short of telling them its exact location. Noah says unlike his facility, which will be useless once it runs out of power, Victoria will remain usable, and hence, they can combine forces to create a large community and re-claim Summerlyn block by block. Alexis asks what Noah gets out of it. He says his top priority is his people. Blaine asks what's to stop them from going to his facility and taking anything there for themselves. Noah makes it clear he has come to form a friendship but he has a plan in place for his people to come and rescue him should he not return in four hours. Blaine asks if that's a threat, but Noah says it's a precaution. Alexis heads outside to see what Blaine and Jenson think. Blaine is dubious about Noah but Jenson thinks he is genuine. Alexis agrees with Jenson, much to Blaine's chagrin, who asks if that's wise. Alexis says she likes what she heard and is prepared to give Noah a shot. 
Angie and Javier hear Beatrice crying and rush to her. Javier comforts her. Charlotte tells them she just past Peter and he was heading for a walk. Angie decides to go after him and tells Javier to stay with Beatrice as she's fond of him. Charlotte remarks to Javier that Angie is as well. Javier asks Bobby if he thinks Angie likes him, and he says he does. Bobby suggests Javier tell her if he feels the same way, but he's hesitant to lose her as a friend. Bobby says Angie is too loyal to turn her back on someone she cares about. Javier admits he doesn't know how he feels, but Bobby disputes that. 
Henry tells Elaine he was worried, but she says there was no need as she always comes back safe from her walks. She tells him their food shortage problem is about to be over. 
As Noah prepares to leave Victoria, he tells them about Lorna and admits he was prepared to use her as leverage in case they turned on him. Alexis surprises him by informing him Lorna was never a member of her community and she fills him in on her attack of the complex those months before. She demands if he's serious about them working together, he is to bring Lorna to her alive, so she can kill her. 
Charlotte tells Shiloh the good news about the warehouse, but he is off with her. She asks if he's being short with her because of this morning and he asks why she cares if they only have sex for the sake of it. Charlotte irritably makes it clear it's not right for him to make out she's led him on as it was his idea in the first place to keep things casual between them. Shiloh says he's changed his mind. Charlotte insists it doesn't make her a bad person because she hasn't. She storms off. 
Calvin confronts Georgie and demands to know what she's keeping from him. He says he knows Aimi and Shiro gave her bad news earlier. He swears they are over if she lies to him. She tells him about her diabetes. Calvin is frustrated Georgie didn't tell him and is hurt when she says she was worried he would leave her, as he wonders if she really thinks he's the sort of guy who would do that. Georgie says the past few months they've spent together have been amazing and she just wanted to push her illness to the back of her head and enjoy life. Calvin says he's going to do whatever he can to support her. He then says he loves her for the first time. She says it back. 
Angie finds Peter in the middle of the woods. He insists he has never run off and left Beatrice alone before. He shares his regret about his last words to Lorna and says she is probably dead in a ditch somewhere. He says he's never going to see her again. Angie comforts him. 
Blaine tells Alexis that Noah was shocked about her demand and asks if she thinks he will comply. She says he will if he wants their alliance to work out, and she believes he does. He asks if she really thinks they will be able to re-claim the city. She says she does. 
Cecilia welcomes Noah home and asks how it went. He says fine but there was no sign of Michael as he only got to meet Alexis and her guards. Noah then stuns Cecilia by telling her the truth about Lorna. He says they have to hand her over. Cecilia says that's barbaric. Noah agrees, but says they have no choice in the matter as they want Alexis to believe the fable of their communities working together so it will be easy to extract Michael. Cecilia says she saved Lorna's life and used their resources to keep her alive all this time only for them to hand her over to certain death. She insists they not do it as it's not who they are, but Noah makes it clear their hands are tied and it's already done. 
==Deaths==
*Numerous counts of zombies.
==Trivia==
*First appearance of Catelyn's baby.
*First appearance of Niko.
*First appearance of Hailey.
*First appearance of Gwen.
*First appearance of Cecilia Martinez.
*First mention of Beckett.
*First mention of Cheung. 
*First appearance of the Food Warehouse.
*This episode marks the twenty-fifth appearance of Georgie.
*The title of this episode is taken from Reginald's line to Alexis and Blaine about a stranger (Noah) being at the front gate.
*This episode takes place almost four months after the previous episode, the longest length of time between two consecutive episodes to date.
*This episode is one of three of season two to not feature any living character deaths, the others being In Sickness and In Health... and Welcome to Midway. 
*Jenson's first name is revealed to be James in this episode. 
*Lydia-Jean mentions the 1942 Walt Disney movie Bambi when citing a reason as to why Charlotte should spare deer.