The Walking Dead Theory: The Commonwealth Empire

I’ve been sitting on this theory for a week, and since we didn’t get any updates on Eugene and company in this week’s episode of The Walking Dead, I figure it’s high time I address this.

The Commonwealth’s Lance Hornsby seems to have an ulterior motive, but is it his or the Commonwealth’s? Find out in my latest The Walking Dead Theory!

At the end of last week’s episode, we saw Eugene punch the preppy douche and son of the Commonwealth’s governor, Sebastian Milton. He was already on walker detail for using their radio to call Alexandria, then he found himself officially in prison, with almost no hope of getting out.

While sitting in his cell, Eugene was approached by the Commonwealth’s Director of Operations, Lance Hornsby. Knowing Eugene had to now abide by the community’s rules and that he was resigned to his fate until Eugene asked if there was any way Hornsby could help him.

At Eugene’s question, Lance replied, “The price has gone up,” before asking him the location of Eugene’s home. The slimy bureaucrat had finally shown what he really wanted, the reason why he’d been so accommodating all this time. As he observed Eugene in his cell, you could hear Hornsby say, “You could have asked for anything.”

He implied that by saving the governor’s son, Eugene could have asked the governor for a favor. And that Eugene and Stephanie’s situation was arranged.

The Walking Dead Theory

Eugene was set up because the Commonwealth ALWAYS wanted to find Alexandria.

Considering Hornsby’s comments when he first saw Eugene in his cell, we assume that he was set up. We have to figure out how and what the plan was.

It seems like Eugene was supposed to save Sebastian and be granted a request in return. Hornsby arranged for Eugene and Stephanie to be in the same area Sebastian and Kayla were having their date (He was the one who told the pair where to go) and likely holding Mercer off, so Eugene could swoop in and make the save.

I think the key to this whole scheme was Sebastian. Being so high up in the Commonwealth’s bureaucracy, Hornsby would probably know Sebastian and his miserable attitude better than most. Therefore, he would know how he’d react to being saved, i.e., being the biggest, most ungrateful, snobby jerk imaginable, and practically guaranteeing his savior would retaliate somehow.

This is where I think the Commonwealth comes in. Considering that, in a place with as much bureaucracy as the Commonwealth, I highly doubt the governor and the rest of the government wouldn’t know about making contact with another community over the radio.

Upon learning about Stephanie making contact, I think that the Commonwealth realized that whoever it was she contacted, if they had radio transmitting capabilities, were themselves fairly advanced. Therefore, this community would potentially have resources and people the Commonwealth could find valuable.

If my theory is correct, Governor Milton assigned Lance Hornsby to find some means of getting Eugene, Ezekiel, or Princess into some kind of predicament.  This would make them accountable to the Commonwealth and do exactly as Hornsby has now done: Use that obligation to force them to give up the location of Alexandria.

Why would they want to know where Alexandria is? As evidenced by the assignment Eugene, Stephanie, Ezekiel, and Princess were given, the Commonwealth has ambitions to expand and reclaim more and more of the area surrounding them, and repopulate it with their citizens. Expansion requires resources, materials, supplies, people, things that the Commonwealth may not want to force their citizens to sacrifice but are things they’re more than happy to demand from someone else.

Does this mean the Commonwealth seeks to annex Alexandria? No, I don’t think they’ll be that direct, not at first, but I do believe that they will try to subtly obligate Alexandria to them. They will initially come off as benevolent, giving them much-needed food, but slowly becoming more and more demanding until, finally, they can do away with the facade and take over.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until February to find out whether the scheme is merely that of one shady bureaucrat or the insidious imperialism of a much larger enemy.

But, what do you think? Do you think this interest in Alexandria is strictly a power play by Lance Hornsby, or do you think this was all arranged by the Commonwealth? Do you think the Commonwealth wants to exploit or even take over Alexandria? I’m curious to hear! If you enjoyed this and want to learn how to stay alive in a zombie apocalypse, why not pick up a copy of my book, The Rules: A Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse! You can also get it at Amazon here, on iTunes here!