Can Eugene change and ‘measure up’ in The Walking Dead season 8?

Eugene’s betrayal shocked many fans of the Walking Dead. What will happen in season 8? Can Eugene change? Can he “measure up”, as Sasha predicted?

Fans of The Walking Dead had always known that Eugene Porter was a coward. However, many were surprised and left in disbelief when he quickly turned against Rick and swore loyalty to Negan. Can he get back on Rick’s side in season 8, and “measure up” as Sasha said?

There was a solid basis to support the theory that Eugene’s sudden conversion was fake: had Eugene not fooled everyone in Rick’s group with his “scientist” story? Surely, he must have been laying out the foundations for some cunning, long-game kind of plan to kill Negan.

This theory, however, probably overestimated Eugene’s moral qualities and his emotional attachment to Rick’s group.

Unlike most members of the “family”, who are fiercely loyal, Eugene has never been shown to be driven by loyalty. After all, he began as a coward who had no qualms manipulating others to get protection for himself in the zombie apocalypse.

Much later, Eugene clearly spelled out his motto when speaking to Abraham in season 6, episode 14:

"“As in any RPG, tabletop, electronic or otherwise, the key to survival is allowing oneself to be shaped by the assigned environment. In doing so, a broad range of capabilities are acquired, allowing one to flip the script and use said capabilities to shape said environment for maximum longevity. […] I’m in the process of said stage two. I’ve changed, adapted. I’m a survivor.”"

This philosophy could be summed up as “adapt to your environment to survive, and then, try to change your environment”. In this context, Eugene’s conversion makes perfect sense. Once stuck with the Saviors, he realized that his options had changed and that Negan could offer him protection, which had always been his primary concern.

How strong is Eugene’s connection to Rick’s group?

Overall, Eugene as a character has often shown to lack empathy and the ability to connect with people emotionally. His strange use of language, as entertaining as it is for the audience, is one example of this. His creepy habit of watching other people having sex is another. Eugene is a weird, eccentric character, whose behavior seems to border on the pathological.

Eugene may occasionally have shown bravery, as well as some attachment to characters like Rosita, or, towards the end, Sasha. However, his very cold rebuff to Abraham in season 6, episode 14, was a clear example of his emotional detachment:

"“Your services are no longer required. The truth, plain and honest: you’ve outlived your usefulness to me.”"

When he and Abraham later reconciled, Eugene offered no apology for his callousness. He even asked Abraham to apologize to him for questioning his skills as a survivor.

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Was Eugene’s expression of remorse to Sasha genuine?

Indeed, one of Eugene’s main characteristics, only second to his self-confessed cowardice, is his pride. The Saviors offered him protection, but also the kind of recognition that Rick’s group never had. Eugene certainly seemed to enjoy his new position and the respect he had gained. In spite of his half-hearted apology to Sasha, during which he did show a small measure of shame, he still seemed pretty convinced that he had made the right choice – the “correct select”.

Did he even see his attitude as a betrayal? Probably not. His attempt to act as some sort of mediator during the season 7 finale may have been his way of implementing stage 2 of his philosophy, “flipping the script”, by trying to unite the two groups. With the all-out war coming, though, there is now little hope left for that strategy, and he will probably have to pick a side.

Will Eugene remain loyal to the Saviors?

It would seem rather disingenuous from the writers to suddenly pull out the old trick of saying: “Surprise! Eugene had been pretending all along!” However, it is very probable that Eugene’s loyalties will be tested in the future – if only because there is too much potential there for the writers to leave it unexploited.

Of course, there is always the possibility of Eugene going through a moral crisis. Any fictional character can evolve, as long as the writers are committed to selling this evolution to the viewers. Given that his survival strategy is to adapt, though, it seems more likely that he will be led to switch sides again by a change in circumstances.

Indeed, Eugene’s newly-found sense of security with the Saviors may already be history.

His tense exchange with Negan about the cause of Sasha’s death suggested that Negan’s trust in him was already damaged. Eugene characteristically came up with a very plausible explanation: lack of air inside the coffin. This time, though, his lie did not sound very convincing.

Next: All named character deaths from season 7

Negan made no attempt to hide his skepticism about Eugene’s explanation. Eugene’s obvious discomfort suggested that he was aware of the danger in that moment. Eugene now has few choices: trying to prove his loyalty to Negan by bringing a valuable contribution to the Savior’s war effort, or beginning to think up a way out of a potentially dangerous situation.