Hornsby is in prison. Sebastian is dead (and walking). And Mercer is… well, complicated right now. This leaves Pamela Milton alone at the top. And she’s not going down without a fight. But unlike a certain other villain to hold Governor title, she’s patient enough to fight the battle quietly, and on two fronts. One just happens to be very public, with the thinnest veneer of legal respectability. But it’s all she needs. And it’s more than enough to cause headaches for Eugene’s friends.
Spoiler Alert for headaches.
1. It’s the Carol episode!
Carol’s up for the voiceover recap now, which mainly focuses on her relationship with Daryl. Though that was a huge part of the reason her arc bent the way it did. Then, give or take one brief conversation with Ezekiel, we cut to her evading hired goons. Her and Daryl both for that matter. And as they escape, it becomes clear that their friendship is the core of the episode. Well that and how badass Carol actually is. Carol’s one of the best characters on the show, and one of the few that was actually an improvement from her comics counterpart. And this episode sees her tested both physically and mentally. But more on that later.
2. Law and Order
So maybe we are getting that legal drama.
As Pamela Milton gathers up the “immigrants” from Hilltop and Alexandria, she still repeats that Eugene Porter will have a fair trial. To prove this, she informs Yumiko that she will be the attorney to prosecute Eugene. That is the only way to demonstrate the court’s objectivity after all. Nevermind that all her friends are in Commonwealth holding cells (if they’re lucky) and her brother’s been terrified of Ms. Milton since day one. This will be a totally fair and honest trial.
She gets a lot of encouragement to go through with it from the folks who are in the crosshairs. Eugene has accepted this is his fate, so he’s just rolling with it. Tommy is a little more insistent that she does. He’s been keeping his head down for much longer than her, and has since come to the conclusion that literally nothing can change the Commonwealth. If nothing else, it shows how grave the stakes are.
3. Who got away
On the other side of the coin is Connie, who barely managed to escape. Judging from how quickly and quietly Ezekiel disappeared from the scene, the guys chasing our heroes are stealthy. And they’re that extra video game level of stealthy where as long as they do what they do outside a character’s direct eye line, it may as well not have even happened. This little bit with Connie helps add that tiny bit of optimism to an otherwise dire arc. Not to mention puts a human face on Milton’s thuggish tactics for Yumiko. It keeps the story from falling into complete hopelessness. Something that TWD has been accused of off and on for years.
4. Pamela Milton = Straight Up Supervillain
We’re to the point where Milton is approaching her final form. The Governor has been humiliated and has lost her entire family. Lalia Robins continues to be excellent in the role, nailing the character’s ruthlessness while still keeping the optics of respectability. Optics are important for Milton. The Commonwealth functions almost exclusively on them. And whether it’s dressing up a kangaroo court or quietly rounding up potential threats, Robins plays it with equal parts dignity and ruthlessness. And this after her son is killed. Twice. Because you may remember how the undead offspring of Gov. Milton was left in Hornsby’s cell. About that…
5. Hornsby Bites It
Carol and Daryl, after barely evading capture, decide to pay our recently imprisoned pal Lance Hornsby a visit. And long story short, it doesn’t go well for him. He attempts to betray them multiple times in the few hours he’s helping them maneuver around The Commonwealth. This gets him an arrow through the neck. That and when Daryl is seemingly either caught or killed, he immediately starts trying to turn Carol against him. Doesn’t work out for him.
I can’t help but feel like there was some wasted potential though. Hornsby makes it clear that he’s jealous of Pamela’s power, believing himself to be the reason the Commonwealth works. And while trying to plant ideas in Carol’s head, he mentions that killing Milton would create a power vacuum that someone would need to fill. Hint hint. But it’s also the most desperate we’ve seen him. Because after all, he was sharing his cell with a very recently deceased henchman walker, and a very welcomely returning Teo Rapp-Olsson walker. He’s not in the best headspace have dispatched one zombie, with another still crawling along. The Hornsby who spends this entire episode covered in blood could be capable of some wild stuff.
But then again, we’ve only got a few episodes left. And not only does the pressure needs to go on Pamela Milton, she’s taking the spotlight as the series antagonist quite well enough on her own. Hornsby may just distract from that.
