Strolling Useless Fortunate Ones Recap Season 11 Episode 12

The Commonwealth’s Lance Hornsby is a person with a plan. A really devious plan. A plan that may very seemingly show lethal to others. However, above all, it’s a very, very foolish plan, and I’m right here for it.

Whereas The Strolling Useless has spent the previous few episodes displaying the various, many, ever-expanding cracks within the Commonwealth’s façade of paradise, it was solely the tail finish of final week’s “Rogue Ingredient” that hinted Deputy Governor Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) would be the closing season’s predominant antagonist. And that’s solely as a result of he broke poor Eugene’s (Josh McDermitt) coronary heart by pairing him up with a faux Stephanie to extract details about Alexandria—however as he identified, it’s data Hornsby used to ship assist and assets to rebuild Alexandria, which is objectively a more-than-fair commerce.

Nonetheless, it’s a reasonably dick transfer by Hornsby, particularly when it hurts somebody who’s (normally) one among The Strolling Useless’s extra lovable characters. In tonight’s episode, “The Fortunate Ones,” we be taught what Hornsby’s diabolical purpose is… and he doesn’t care what number of folks he has to assist to attain it.

The episode begins with Governor Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) making a tour of Alexandria, Oceanside, and even the very beginnings of Hilltop 2.0, accompanied by Hornsby, Normal Mercer (Michael James Shaw), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and a gaggle of Commontroopers. The primary cease is Alexandria, which appears to be like nice—nearly all the destruction from the Whisperer warfare, storms, and zombies has been cleaned up, the windmill is again in motion, and neat rows of crops fill the settlement. Once more, it appears to be like like Eugene’s ache was completely definitely worth the profit it introduced the colony.

Aaron (Ross Marquand), understanding how important the Commonwealth’s assist has been and can proceed to be in rebuilding Alexandria, has teamed up with Hornsby to impress Pam in hopes that the colony can be part of the Commonwealth’s uncomfortably obscure “Mutual Safety Pact.” Sadly for each him and Hornsby, Pam isn’t notably excited by buying the colony, particularly after she learns simply how usually it’s been rebuilt through the years, since that additionally signifies what number of instances it’s fallen.

The subsequent cease is Oceanside (which we haven’t seen since season 10), the place Rachel (Avianna Mynhier, similar) tells Pam she’s excited by becoming a member of, however since they’ve at all times partnered with Hilltop, Oceanside will abide by no matter Maggie (Lauren Cohan) decides. Hornsby is lower than happy on the rebuff, whereas Aaron worries it would have an effect on Alexandria’s burgeoning alliance with the Commonwealth.

The crux of “The Fortunate Ones” comes all the way down to the assembly of Pam and Maggie, who’re extra alike than Maggie would care to confess, at first. After Pamela’s convoy runs into Maggie preventing zombies en path to Hilltop, the 2 pair off for a looking journey and bond over their roles as leaders, then the governor offers her pitch for partnering with the Commonwealth. The long run Pamela desires is a community of protected communities, the place folks can journey and commerce freely, the place pre-apocalyptic society, expertise, and unity return—a life the place Maggie can drop off her son Hershel for his first day of faculty. It’s a robust argument, and one which Maggie is clearly enticed by—much more so when the governor proves herself to be not only a bureaucratic politician, however simply as succesful at zombie-killing as Maggie is.

Once they return to Hilltop, the colony’s wants versus the Commonwealth’s assistance is so stark as to be mildly ludicrous. Hilltop remains to be principally annihilated after the Whisperers’ assault, and it appears only some former inhabitants are excited by attempting to reserve it—actually lower than the platoon of Commontroopers doing the majority of the reconstruction. It’s an ostentatious show of every thing the Commonwealth has to supply, not simply to Maggie and her folks, however the viewers. Hornsby even asks Maggie, with a very straight face, “It’s okay if we hand out provides?” The Commonwealth couldn’t look extra benign and munificent if it tried (as a result of it’s already attempting very arduous). Truthfully, it’s no surprise Maggie’s right-hand lady Dianne (Kerry Cahill) decides to go away. “It’s tougher than it has ever been and it doesn’t need to be,” she tells Maggie. She’s proper.

Should you’ve lived by way of the Wolves, the Saviors, the Whisperers, and 1,000,000 or so zombies, you’d assume shifting to the protection of the Commonwealth have to be no determination in any respect. However Maggie nonetheless resists, for 2 causes. First, she’s not thrilled that the Commonwealth is an autocracy dominated by Pamela, which occurs to additionally give her the best lifetime of luxurious the post-apocalypse has to supply. When Pam counters that Maggie has equal energy over her folks, Maggie retorts she’d slightly these folks acknowledge her authority by her deeds, not ostentatious shows of wealth.

The second purpose is extra essential, if apparent. Maggie doesn’t belief the Commonwealth, and particularly not their provide of free help. Maggie’s been a deeply distrustful particular person ever since Meridian was assaulted by the Reapers, however you don’t need to be that jaded to surprise what the Commonwealth is getting out of serving to Hilltop and Alexandria. That is the world of The Strolling Useless, in any case, and so they’re clearly not doing this out of the goodness of their collective hearts.

Maggie bluntly asks Hornsby the identical query, and he instantly dodges it by mentioning how unhealthy off Hilltop is. When she calls him on it, he replies one thing obscure about creating a greater world for everyone (resulting in the aforementioned “Hershel goes to varsity” pitch)… which isn’t actually a solution both, however the dialog will get interrupted by a zombie assault. The Hilltoppers use their hand-to-hand weapons, struggling as ordinary, however then the Commontroopers march over with their assault rifles and mow down the zombies immediately. It’s simply one other oh-so-obvious signal of all the advantages becoming a member of the Commonwealth would convey.

However Maggie’s nonetheless not going to signal away Hilltop’s potential freedom for an unknown value, no matter how a lot assist it may convey. “All the things prices one thing,” she says, echoing a line Pam says earlier within the episode. The governor principally shrugs and prepares to move residence, however Hornsby runs after her, claiming he can persuade Maggie ultimately. Pam wryly however completely accuses him of attempting to convey Hilltop and the opposite two colonies into the fold in order that he could be appointed to run them. Sure, Hornby desires energy.

That is completely hilarious to me. It’s simply… nonsense. Say he does get management of Hilltop, Alexandria, and Oceanside. How a lot “energy” does this give him? What may he presumably do with all of the “mighty” assets of those three busted settlements who presently have nearly no assets besides those the Commonwealth is presently giving them? What does that degree of authority within the zombie apocalypse even imply, apart from the flexibility to throw lavish, decadent dinner events? As a result of that’s just about all Pam’s acquired happening for her.

And Hornsby is working so arduous for this! He has a secret particular ops group within the Commonwealth, whose solely identified achievement is seducing Eugene. As Mercer says to Daryl, Daryl didn’t put on his Commontrooper armor to go to the colonies due to the optics. Hornsby is attempting to finesse the hell out of a scenario that doesn’t appear to warrant any of it. He’s attempting to play three-dimensional chess when nobody else even owns a full set of checkers. I’m fairly constructive he’s straight or not directly behind the Commonwealth’s fomenting revolution, when each different villain in The Strolling Useless would simply shoot Pam and seize the governor’s workplace. My dude, you have got the flexibility to repair Alexandria’s windmill; it couldn’t matter much less what Daryl’s sporting.

Truthfully, Hornby’s scheming is so overelaborate he could have a deeper purpose in thoughts, as a result of he additionally will get a delightfully unnerving scene to finish the episode. After assembly with the governor, who tells him she’ll solely settle for the three colonies as a package deal deal (for some purpose), Hornsby marches straight into the woods, fires his gun within the air to draw zombies, after which methodically picks them off with headshots. It’s not the weirdest method to blow off some steam within the zombie apocalypse—truthfully, a number of characters have tried to exorcize their demons by decimating the undead—however Hornsby managed to make it extra-creepy. When Aaron involves examine in, Hornsby lies, says Pamela nonetheless desires to associate with Alexandria, and so they’ll be bringing even extra folks in, all whereas a zombie shuffles towards him. “We’re going to remake the world,” he says, a manic gleam in his eyes, proper earlier than he whips round and shoots the zombie, point-blank, within the face, in order that the episode’s closing picture is of Hornsby pointing his gun straight into the digital camera.

It’s a pure supervillain second, and after 10-and-a-third seasons of varied lunatics because the unhealthy guys, I couldn’t be happier that The Strolling Useless is ending the sequence with a really totally different type of battle led by a really distinctive sort of lunatic. I’m positive Hornsby will ultimately do one thing so reprehensible the present stops being enjoyable once more, however till then, he has my vote.

Assorted Musings:

• I’ve little or no to say concerning the Eugene and Max (Margo Bingham) scenario, apart from 1) Josh McDermitt killed it this episode, and a pair of) it’s extraordinarily bizarre. Max randomly sees Eugene within the Commonwealth, with one other lady calling herself Stephanie, and doesn’t say something? And after Eugene fairly fairly will get upset on the revelation that the “actual” Stephanie additionally wasn’t actual, she desires him to apologize for being impolite to her? Minimize him some slack! I’ll find it irresistible if Hornsby is behind this, too.
• Ezekiel (Khary Payton) learns he’s been moved to the entrance of the surgical procedure ready listing. Eugene is conflicted about being moved to the entrance of the surgical procedure ready listing. Eugene has the surgical procedure anyway. The tip.
• The zombie that managed to sneak into Alexandria and the zombies that attacked Hilltop appear a bit handy, didn’t they?
• I like that Pam knew Deanna (the at all times great Tovah Feldshuh), the ex-Congresswoman who led Alexandria approach again earlier than she was killed in season six. It’s a pleasant callback.
• Hornsby tells Maggie how his dad gave him a golden coin that Hornsby later found was simply gold-plated and principally worthless. Delicate, TWD. Actual delicate.
• Weren’t Rick, Ezekiel, and even Maggie herself the autocrats of their respective colonies? They had been (principally) benign, however ultimately they nonetheless made nearly all the selections. Focus on. Present your work.
• Max asks Eugene the arduous query about his e-book: “Was a sepulcher concerned? Eugene: “In fact there was.”
• Effectively, no less than Pam is aware of her son fucking sucks.

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