With chaos at the Commonwealth and a target on Eugene, Max, and all of their associates’ backs, it’s hard to imagine the stakes being raised much higher. Credit to TWD, then, for showing some restraint in waiting this long to throw its ace card and change the very nature of the zombie apocalypse itself. Sure, it’s fun watching Hornsby squirm and the survivors scramble to avoid Pam Milton’s vengeful crackdown. But it’s the new and improved Smart Walker™ — now with kung-fu grip and climbing skills! — that steals the show.
Before the fun begins, there’s another short stroll down memory lane as the young narrator that may be Judith (but probably isn’t) rambles on about becoming who we need to be and making choices. Most of the scenes that fly by involve Eugene or his pals Sarge (RIP) and Rosita, reminding us of the many weaselly decisions he’s made over the years in the name of self-preservation. Remember when he joined the Saviors? Good times. Hopefully there’s some dramatic payoff to these intros beyond nostalgia and table-setting.
To be sure, this is Eugene’s moment, but let’s be honest — the never-ending search for his inner hero is tiresome. He’s proven himself to be a capable fighter (at times) and a devoted BF (he saved Max’s life with that zombie tackle just moments ago), yet he’s still crippled by self-doubt. As the Commonwealth stormtroopers execute a “citywide sweep and capture” for all new “immigrants,” Eugene is rescued by Daryl and hidden away in the place that you’d think Milton’s lackeys would search first: The church where Eugene’s friend preaches. There, he frets over Max and all the trouble he’s caused yet again. Cue the chuckle-worthy moment as he tries to act tough with Daryl (“You’d be wise to step aside, hoss”) and uses big words (“My penchant for prevarication — that means lying,” he says, to which Daryl responds, “I figured.”). That’s Eugene in a nutshell: He’s an excuse to laugh amid all the misery and the everyman struggling to find the Daryl within.
Speaking of heroism, Mercer is on the verge of a major moment of his own. He’s leading the interrogations after the “Founder’s Day Massacre,” and the look of anguish on his face after each questioning session makes you wonder why he hasn’t fully flipped against the Milton regime yet. Rosita smirks her way through his questions and Max laughs off his insistence that she sign a fictitious statement about being depressed and off her meds. Two gut punches by the most important women in his life bring the big guy to his emotional knees. Max says their father, a military general, would be ashamed of Mercer’s actions. Even more moving is the Princess’s speech: Clad in her trademark fuzzy pink jacket, she recalls the horrors of her stepdad’s abuse and her mother’s refusal to do anything about it, punctuated by an all-caps F-bomb. She’s been seeing men as monsters long before they turned into zombies, and while she knows Mercer is a good guy, she’s gotta split from this hellhole. Sure seems like there’s a moment of self-sacrifice on the horizon as Mercer proves he’s the man that his sister and his love interest know he can be.
While all of this is going on, let’s pause to enjoy the bizarre dance between Pam and Lance. Pam seems to spend an awfully long time in the morgue, talking to her soon-to-be-undead son’s bloody corpse. When he begins to turn, she orders her troops to “take care of that.” Seems like she wants the kid put down, but no — Pam, like the Governor and so many others, just can’t let go. Cue what turns out to be a most kinky confrontation, as Hornsby, cuffed and on his knees, hears Pam’s heels clicking toward his cell. She knows Hornsby killed those poor janitors and caused the zombie-fueled riot, and as she gives him a moment of false hope, she runs her hand across his face. Pam thrusts her hand into his front pocket and there’s a closeup of her fist in his trousers, fishing around for something… oh, right, that stupid coin. Hornsby wins her guessing game, but his “prize” isn’t freedom or a new washer-dryer: he’s left with the still-warm body of his henchman, a knife, and Zombie Sebastian on a stick. “Feed my son, Lance,” says Pam as she leaves him in slack-jawed disbelief. It’s a delightfully twisted punishment, but as long as Hornsby is alive, he’s still a threat.
What seems like a typical subplot to all the Commonwealth intrigue turns out to be the most satisfying — and perhaps consequential — storyline. Aaron, Jerry, and new lovebirds Elijah and Lydia are en route to Oceanside with supplies before heading to A-town. (Note that we haven’t seen any Oceansiders at Hilltop; was the outcome of Hornsby’s coin flip there a massacre?) Pretty standard stuff, as their wagon gets stuck in the mud, Jerry bangs up his knee, and some zombies pass by. But what’s up with the one walker that looks away as the others trod ahead? Luckily there happens to be an abandoned renaissance fairgrounds nearby, complete with a full wall, access to water, and an “Elf Ears” stand that’s begging to be reopened.
While Aaron gives Lydia some poignant advice on love and loss, we see a zombie hand reach up and grab the top of the wall, and soon, there’s no doubt about the meaning of the episode’s title. Despite having secured the fairgrounds, Aaron and company learn the zombies are now inside and swarming. Lydia swats at a walker who actually grabs her weapon; thankfully, her knife sticks in its chest so we can keep track of this terrifying creature with hand-to-hand combat skills. The next clue comes as Jerry sees a doorknob turning. Then, when they think they’re safe on a rooftop, there’s that rotting hand again — with Lydia’s knife still intact, the zombie not only climbs up a ladder, but picks up a rock to presumably bash upon Jerry’s head. Aaron understandably thinks this is a rogue Whisperer, but upon tearing its face off, he sees only a bloody, chattering skull, much to his horror. No one has encountered a zombie acting like this one, and the implications are staggering. Are they mutating, like a viral strain that’s adapting to survive and developing skills like door opening and rock bludgeoning? How many more out there are like this new breed of zombie?
Not surprisingly, Eugene does the right thing and refuses to leave his woman in peril. When he turns himself in and takes the fall for Max, the troopers can’t believe what they’re seeing, and Mercer knows his sister was right about Eugene being a good guy. Rosita might not have the chance to give Eugene’s pendant to little Coco, as she’s been ambushed at her apartment by two unidentified, black-clad operatives who throw a hood over her head. So many questions are left to ponder, like what’s up with Rosita’s kidnapping, and will Jerry and Nabila turn the RenFest into Kingdom 2.0, and how long will it take to make the Elf Ears stand fully operational again? But, it’s the Smart Walker that will be living rent-free in my head for the next week.
