The Walking Dead: Twice as Far was another big moment for Eugene

“Twice as Far” is the season 6 episode of The Walking Dead where Denise, Rosita, and Daryl head off to steal medical supplies but (of course) find much more than that. Admittedly, when I first watched this episode, I was like “Really? Another supply run episode? Did Rick really forget how to farm? Has all of Hershel’s folk medical knowledge been abandoned?” and so on.

However, the pharmacy run is really only one element to the episode. In a way, the real story here is that these survivors have limited options when facing trouble. They can’t call the police, as there are no police to arrive, and Denise has become their de facto medical expert (despite still being somewhat of an amateur). This episode looks at other relationship details, too. There is Rosita’s barely-fledgling relationship with a guy named Spencer, but what’s more interesting is what happens between Eugene and Abraham.

The Walking Dead advances Eugene’s character

By this point in The Walking Dead, it’s impossible to say Eugene has not become a major character. In fact, “Twice as Far” shows us that (sometimes) a cowardly person can change, by being forcibly changed and/or actually seeing the error in their previous ways. Previously, Eugene regarded Abraham almost as a protective father figure and bizarrely took advantage of the man by lying about having special knowledge of the zombie apocalypse. However, now that Eugene’s lies have been debunked and he still has a home, he has decided to better himself to defend it, and himself. Basically, Eugene has fully crossed the bridge. to character redemption.

I think an interesting question emerges from this process, though: What about characters who’ve responded to the crisis by significantly degrading their own character over time? The question becomes complex because, at various moments throughout The Walking Dead, Rick’s crew haven’t necessarily been very different from dangerous cult members in their own right. Obviously, we’ve had elements of the so-called “Ricktatorship,” and in this very season, the group killed off an entire outpost of “Saviors,” which I have (in my opinion, fairly) compared to something The Governor might have done.

By this point, Eugene is probably more valiant than Shane Walsh (for example, Shane rather pathetically — though perhaps understandably — left Otis to die in a walker swarm, despite Shane’s constant posturing as being a hero). Eugene ends up proving his value to Abraham, and ultimately actually saves Abraham, Daryl, and Rosita. Of course, Denise is ultimately killed by Dwight’s group, which demonstrates that any attempt to retrieve extra supplies is potentially deadly. Eugene also reveals himself as being sensitive to accusations of cowardice, or not doing his part around Alexandria. It reminds me how, ultimately, even someone as rotten as Merle ultimately redeemed himself and, fortunately, became a much more complicated Walking Dead character.

Leaving Alexandria

Some people wondered why Carol decides to leave Alexandria near the episode’s end. Is it because she’s not finding many useful reasons to stay there? Probably not. However, it’s not as bizarre as some people seem to think. We know that she is still a human being with a conscience who simultaneously keeps records of her kills, which may take its toll over time.

At the end of the day, it was a creative choice from the writers, who saw room for the character to develop in a different way. In fact, if you’ve ever had a dream about The Walking Dead, you might have pictured weird side-adventures or asked those great “What ifs” about characters surviving instead of dying, or making other different choices. Conquest stories may seem like a dime a dozen, but there are always ways to make them work. It is still sad to see Denise disappear from the Alexandrians, however.

This episode continues the surprising downplaying of Daryl in season 6

If there’s any sign that The Walking Dead writers had some level of courage, it’s that they frequently don’t cling to fan-favorite characters every step of the way. By this point in the series, plenty of episodes are not Rick-centric, and, frankly, this entire sixth season kind of downplays Daryl Dixon a little bit. Sure, he’s there, but they don’t give him so many exaggeratedly show-stealing moments. In fact, even if there’s a moment where some fight is awakened in Daryl, we can fairly say the other characters have such moments, too — including Eugene, whose redemption arc was made plausible as we got to know his character’s motivations, strengths, and flaws better.

Obviously, given that some fans really like Daryl (and some would spend the night with him), the show hasn’t just been about Daryl brooding. Each character has some problems of their own. So, by this episode, we might better know what motivates interactions between every character, be it Morgan, Daryl, Carol, or even some of their enemies. Another benefit of this approach: If someone does not care for an individual character, they have other options.

What are your thoughts on this classic Walking Dead episode? Let us know in the comments!