Walking Dead: We enter the Commonwealth but is that a good thing?
By Renee Hansen
The Walking Dead’s episode “Out of the Ashes” took us inside the community of the Commonwealth. We learned that the community is 50,000 strong, which is impressive. The available modern amenities are shocking since Alexandria can’t even find food to feed its residents. And, that decoy Stephanie, did she set Eugene up?
As we watched the welcome video with Eugene, Ezekiel, Yumkio and Princess, all I could think of was a Stepford community. It was too perfect and too staged. And Lance (Josh Hamilton), what a spot-on comic book portrayal, but he reminds me of an unethical used car salesman.
We learn that this community was set up as a few blocks soon after the outbreak by the current Governor Pamela Milton and her late husband. It sounds like another community we know. There is a train station, bakeries, yoga, ice cream trucks and law offices. Stephanie even uses money to pay for the ice cream for her and Eugene. There are laws, rules, government, security, health care and many other things we haven’t seen in a long time on this series.
The Walking Dead can the Commonwealth be trusted?
Most viewers were fully aware that the Stephanie we first met wasn’t who she said she was. Then AMC labeled Chelle Ramos’ character as “Decoy Stephanie,” letting those who didn’t know in on what was going on. The question everyone wants to know is, did this Stephanie betray Eugene to Mercer? Or was Mercer just keeping his eye on Eugene, knowing he would eventually reach out to the community he knows they have come from?
Yumiko reunites with her brother Tomi (Ian Anthony Dale), who is working as a baker but is trained as a surgeon. He has hidden this fact from the community and wants to keep it that way. This wasn’t as impactful a reunion as viewers thought it might be, so we will see where this goes.
So far, the Commonwealth has given no reason for anyone to trust them. Stephanie told them of her meeting with Eugene, which led to their capture. They lied with this decoy Stephanie and possibly set them up by allowing Eugene to radio Alexandria so the Commonwealth could find out their location.
We don’t know if their intentions in finding Alexandria are for good or not. It makes no sense as to what advantage a small community like Alexandria would be for the Commonwealth. I guess we will wait and see what is to come.
dark. Next. The Walking Dead: Did Aaron go too far? Or was Carol wrong?
The Walking Dead returns to AMC on September 26 with the episode “On the Inside.” This episode is available to stream now on AMC+.