The ambition of The Commonwealth’s leaders to extend their sphere of influence, drawing the communities of Oceanside and Hilltop into their orbit, drives the drama of episode twelve. Threaded through their persuasive diplomacy are the continuing doubts about The Commonwealth’s true intentions. They are able to offer isolated and struggling settlements the enticements of security, technology and bountiful resources. This makes an alliance with Governor Pamela Milton something that’s difficult to refuse.
As friends and associates make their peace with The Commonwealth, Maggie’s refusal to surrender Hilltop’s autonomy leaves her increasingly out of step. And as the flash-forward in No Other Way makes clear, it’s a decision that will soon have profound consequences.
The political intrigue of The Lucky Ones itself makes for some fascinating viewing. Yet the episode is full of powerful emotional exchanges too. Eugene is still blindsided by the deception that tricked him into believing he was in an honest and intimate partnership with Stephanie. Josh McDermitt always excels in these moments of Eugene’s self-doubt. It’s impossible not to empathise with Eugene’s struggles to express his anguished inner turmoil, painfully unsure of what to think of Max’s attempts to make amends.
There are several other well-rendered, heartfelt conversations. Ezekiel struggles to come to terms with the morality of the surgery queue-jumping that Carol has engineered for him courtesy of the good offices of Hornsby, even as his friends express their delight. Daryl encourages Pamela to recognise how important it was for his homeless group to be given sanctuary at Alexandria by its then-leader Deanna Monroe – although it is odd to not hear Daryl acknowledge the significance of Rick Grimes, given the depth of his personal loyalty to his friend and mentor.
With that one caveat, writer Vivian Tse’s script is consistently on-point and full of pleasing character touches. Despite the fact that she is empire-building, it seems fitting that Governor Milton finds the demands of the heart-and-minds tour tiresome, even as Hornsby urges her to play nice. Maggie’s alarm at seeing the firepower of The Commonwealth platoon wipe out a walker swarm, and her distaste at Daryl accepting Mercer’s military commands, help to build the tension ahead of her refusal to sign up with Milton.
Director Tawnia McKiernan takes full advantage of the episode’s wide geographic sweep and its brief but intense combat set-pieces to keep things moving in what’s a thoroughly entertaining episode. While Maggie’s doubts about the efficacy of The Commonwealth might be well-founded, with depleted numbers and fast-dwindling reserves, Hilltop would appear to have the far weaker hand. Having lost so much in the battle to recover supplies from The Reapers, Maggie has retained her resilience but ended up with fewer allies than ever.
New episodes of THE WALKING DEAD – SEASON 11 premiere Mondays in the UK on DISNEY+/STAR
Read our previous reviews of THE WALKING DEAD below:
Season 11, Episode 1, ACHERON: PART I
Season 11, Episode 2, ACHERON: PART II
Season 11, Episode 4, RENDITION
Season 11, Episode 5, OUT OF THE ASHES
Season 11, Episode 6, ON THE INSIDE
Season 11, Episode 7, PROMISES BROKEN
Season 11, Episode 8, FOR BLOOD
Season 11, Episode 9, NO OTHER WAY
