The Walking Dead
Season 11 - Episode 18 - "A New Deal"
Narration by Judith seems to be the introductory motif of this final run of episodes, and as noted for E17, she is telling a history of the series. This time its largely about those who did not survive, with clips of Merle (living and a walker), Hershel (a moment before his neck is cut by the Governor), Beth (Daryl carrying her dead body), Carl (during the 1st standoff at Terminus), Glenn (bound and gagged at Terminus), heads on pikes (The Whisperers), and Rick (in part, the moment he shot the explosives which destroyed the bridge he was standing on):
Judith: "We've come so far--lost so much. It's hard to trust when anyone can go at any time. And the people who die...and the people who go, aren't lost forever. I believe that. I have to. And remembering their voices is how we keep them alive."
Team Daryl & Maggie vs. Hornsby and his troopers: Daryl has Hornsby at knife-point, slowly pressing it into the man's throat. The standoff continues until--to everyone's surprise--Pamela walks in with Mercer, more troopers--and Carol. Pamela demands Daryl release Hornsby, but if not in word, Dixon's every expression is telling her to go fuck herself. Mercer approaches Daryl--
Mercer: "Dixon? Not here. Not like this."
Daryl: "You choosin' this piece of shit?"
Mercer: "If I was, you'd already be down."
Daryl: "Do what you fuckin' gotta do!"
Carol: "Daryl..?"
Daryl: "What have you done??"
Carol: "I made a deal for us."
Pamela is visibly ticked off that Daryl does not respect her alleged authority, but he relents, shoving Hornsby against a pipe, but he's not through with him yet, as no sooner is Hornsby registers even a slight amount of relief, his face, he screams in agony after Daryl buries his knife into Hornsby's left hand--shocking nearly everyone present--except Negan, who slightly smiles, impressed with Daryl's brutality. Daryl removes the knife from the still-screaming Hornsby, adding an uncaring,
"Don't worry. He'll live."
The Gang decide to agree to some arrangement with Pamela, which includes wiping the slate clean for deaths suffered on both sides, while Alexandria gets supplies for rebuilding. Father Gabriel & Aaron question this, but Carol explains that this all about pinning the blame on Hornsby (and the added benefit of Sebastian absolved from responsibility). Negan is not so keen on the bargain, as most of his new group were murdered (triggering an ironic expression from Daryl, considering Negan's own history). Maggie signs on, no longer wanting to handle things on her own, and return to Hilltop, despite the risk of getting involved with the Commonwealth.
Later, Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, Elijah and others pack up to return to their homes; Aaron bids goodby to a tearful Gracie, as Judith watches yet another round of separation.
Daryl and Judith 1: Daryl offer's Rick's gun to the child, but she does not want it, believing things would return to the way they were (an acknowledgement that things would turn bad again) if she held on to it. She argues that the people of the Commonwealth need their help, but Daryl would rather run away, leading him to snap at her to stop (SEE NOTES).
Pamela, Mercer and Hornsby: While waiting to return back to the Commonwealth, a bound Hornsby acts like he's fetching a dog when he directs Mercer's attention to approaching walkers; Mercer gets in his face, reminding him of how Hornsby's actions led to the death of a large number of his men. Hornsby mocks Mercer, telling him they were never his men...
Hornsby tries to appeal to Pamela--assuming his arrest is just for show, but she makes it clear he was trying to play a game he was never a part of. Hornsby issues a barely veiled threat--that in the event something happens to him, there will no longer be certain
"stabilizing" forces between the Commonwealth and its alliances. Pamela listens, clearly considering how much of what he's saying rings true, but she walks off.
Back at the Commonwealth, Max is beside herself with anger at the thought Sebastian is not facing punishment, instead, Pamela is abusively grooming him to be a leader like his forefathers. Joining Eugene, she heads to the jail to visit Hornsby, hoping to appeal to his seemingly hopeless state by asking for any sort of information which might be used against the Miltons. Max hides to the side of the jail wall, letting Eugene do the talking, but Hornsby knows she is there, playing with the couple's minds every step of the way. Still, he gives them the warning that they cannot win against the Miltons.
Carol and Ezekiel: Ezekiel is running the petting zoo, and approached by Carol regarding his immediate plans. He has decided to remain at the Commonwealth, wanting to prevent another kingdom from falling--all thanks to the second chance for life he's received. He points out that she could do the same, but she's hesitant in her non-reply, and frankly, does not know how to address his decision effectively (SEE NOTES).
Pamela, Sebastian, Max and Eugene 1: The ever-demanding Pamela presses Sebastian to learn what is essentially a speech of reconciliation and ascension to a leadership position (or preparing him to take that position); Sebastian believes its BS, but Pamela reminds the pampered whiner what was done for him recently, which makes him give the speech a second look. All the while, Max (in the outer office) barely contains her disgust with Sebastian. After Pamela departs, Max thinks on her feet, encouraging Sebastian to air out his anger with an alcohol push, and it works perfectly; Sebastian trashes the Milton philosophy, the idea of The American Dream, "pulling yourself up by the bootstraps" ideology--the works...with Max recording the entire rant...
Rosita, Father Gabriel, Daryl and Judith: At the Commonwealth's church, a lone Father Gabriel stands in recites from
Deuteronomy 31, Verses 5 - 6:
" And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Gabriel adds its his last sermon, but Rosita and Coco enter the church, with Rosita confidently telling him its not his final sermon. Having endured a crisis of faith in recent times, he's become rather contemplative regarding his
place, now that he's returning to Alexandria.
Gabriel: "You know, I didn't think I'd get back to this. To Him (looks to the cross)
. But I did. The people that sit in these pews--they gave that to me."
Rosita: "You gave them something, too, you know. And what you gave will be here long after you're gone."
Gabriel: "Yeah.."
Negan and Annie: At the Commonwealth hospital, Dr. Kleiner performs an ultrasound on Annie, and while the baby looks well, Annie's amniotic fluid is a bit high, but the doctor assures the couple that everything will be okay--assuming Annie will be around to be monitored / deliver at the Commonwealth.
Reading Negan's mind, Annie says the Commonwealth is not for them--the have people out there, and she does not want to risk their lives by bringing them to what she sees as enemy territory. Negan halfheartedly agrees, something his father once told him has been weighing on his mind:
"Your life is not your own once you have kids. It's never the same."
Elsewhere, a group of workers joke about the forthcoming lottery, but are taken by surprise by Calhoun and Shira, who shoot the workers to death, careful to only aim for center mass...
Pamela, Sebastian, Max, Eugene, et al. 2: Founder's Day has arrived, and all the stops have been pulled out for the town to celebrate. After a wrestling show, and Pamela's lottery selection, Eugene uses the PA system to broadcast the tape of Sebastian damning the Commonwealth, which angers most of the residents, triggering a near riot. Mercer jumps to Pamela's defense, while having to stop his men from shooting the crowds. Sebastian knows who was behind this betrayal, and spotting Max, flies into a raging pursuit of her.
Before Pamela is escorted from the scene, she demands to know why Mercer is leaving, barking that his job is to protect
her. He replies his job is to
protect the Commonwealth (SEE NOTES). The danger escalates as the murderer workers--now walkers--have made their way to the crowds to start their first meal.
In his cell, Hornsby calmly contemplates his situation, knowing his plans are in effect. Looking from his window, Calhoun and Shira signal to him that their mission was accomplished, and with that, a very satisfied Hornsby finally bites into the candied apple....
With walkers on the loose and citizens panicking, Daryl tries to guide Judith to safety until they are momentarily separated in the crowds--just as a walker bears down on the girl. Killed by Daryl--with Rick's gun. Always wanting to help, Judith decides she should use Rick's gun, with Daryl stating they will work together.
Sebastian is beyond livid, pushing past crowds, determined to kill Max. Spotting the now terrified woman, Sebastian grabs her, and spotting an approaching walker, pushes her into the creature's grip. Screaming out, Max gets Eugene's attention, and its not long before he pushes the walker away from Max..and sends it falling on Sebastian, who screams out for help--yet citizens refuse to lift a finger, watching him struggle. Sebastian makes a feeble attempt to free himself, but the walker finally bites into his neck, severing his carotid artery, sending blood gushing. Sebastian convulses, just as a horrified Judith arrives to shoot the walker dead.
Sebastian follows the walker into death, while the PA systems still plays his condemnation of the Commonwealth:
Sebastian: "The Commonwealth is built on buying into bullshit."
NOTES: One has to feel sympathy for Daryl; he sort of snapped at Judith for her insistence on arguing in favor of a hopeful outcome, even going so far as reject her father's gun, which Daryl must have believed was a rejection of a part (albeit small) of Rick's legacy. At the church, Daryl--despite feeling he does not know what he's doing as a parental figure--was hitting all of the right marks with a child who clearly looks up to him.
Carol not being able to convince Ezekiel to leave the Commonwealth could be a motivating factor for her own departure by the series' end. Of course we now know she will
not be a part of the Daryl series, so her fate could point in any direction, but one has to wonder if Ezekiel has signed his own death warrant by remaining at the Commonwealth...
One thing I'm hoping does not not happen is Carol losing another "child"--this time Lydia, as the entire "no apologies needed" / "have not forgotten Henry" and Lydia's apparent blossoming relationship with Elijah is sold like Lydia has made great strides away from the shadow of Alpha.
Mercer made it clear his first priority is to the people, and perhaps the
idea of the Commonwealth, not to Pamela. Unless she wises up about the value of his position, I see their relationship tanking quickly.
Sebastian dies. Perhaps not the biggest surprise in terms of final episode(s) death predictions, as he was a sniveling ass who--in the character development sense--only had one direction to take, and it was not one of redemption. Some may believe Pamela will seek revenge (the teaser implies this), or become easily manipulated by Hornsby, who is certainly positioning himself to overthrow what's left of the Milton regime.
Eugene and Max fled the scene of Sebastian's death. Its a strong possibility Pamela will consider Eugene the prime target of her rage, since she sees part of the chaos--leading Sebastian to leave the safety of her side--was the result of the recording...
GRADE: A+.
