The Walking Dead Theory: The Family Connection

Is there more to the relationship between Governor Milton and Lance Hornsby than we realize?

I came through most of this week’s episode of The Walking Dead not expecting to find anything to theorize about, that was until the episode reached its conclusion.

Let’s go back for a second. This week’s episode focused primarily on representatives of the Commonwealth, most especially Governor Pamela Milton and her Director of Operations, Lance Hornsby, attempting to hammer out a formal alliance with the Virginia communities (Alexandria, Hilltop, and Oceanside). Due to a fair number of walkers popping up, Oceanside’s loyalty to Hilltop, and Maggie’s concern about the Commonwealth, the deal (Mostly) fell through, much to the chagrin of Mr. Hornsby, who had been the its strongest advocate.

At the end of this week’s episode, after the deal fell through, Hornsby insisted to the governor that it was still a worthwhile venture. Governor Milton expressed her skepticism about who exactly Hornsby was really pushing the deal for, but, conceded that, if he could iron out the details, she’d agree to it. However, before making that concession, Governor Milton said something to Hornsby that threw me: “You’ve been ambitious our whole lives, Lance.”

What the Hell does that mean? Initially, I pegged Hornsby for just a skilled political operative, but if he’s known the governor that long, he has to be more than that.

The Walking Dead Theory: Governor Milton and Lance Hornsby are RELATED.

How else would Milton and Hornsby have known each other their whole lives? You don’t say that to some bagman you picked up when you started your political career, do you? No. But you would say that to someone you grew up with, maybe a cousin, maybe a sibling.

Now, you might be wondering: “How could they be related? They don’t have the same names!”

Well, I thought about that, and, two ideas came to me, and both involve Governor Milton’s uncle, the same one that Connie’s investigation brought down before the outbreak even started.

What could Connie have uncovered that would tank a congressman’s career? Well, there’s lots of possibilities, but, the first one that pops out at me (And the source of my two sub-theories) is a sex scandal.

Anyone familiar with politics knows that sex scandals have toppled plenty of powerful politicians before, and derailed promising careers before they even got started, so, it’s not out of the question for such a thing to be what Connie discovered about Pamela’s uncle. I think it’s possible that Connie discovered that the uncle might have had an illegitimate child, who, whilst known to the rest of the family (Perhaps under the mother’s maiden name of Hornsby), was kept secret from the public. Presumably, this scandal put Pamela’s uncle’s integrity into question, and got him chucked out of Congress.

There is another possibility. What if Pamela’s uncle didn’t father the illegitimate Lance but instead made it look like he did, to “fall on the sword” for someone else. Now, you might be asking “Who would he do this for?” Oh, I don’t know, what about his brother, who had ambitions to become President of The United States?

That’s right, I’m suggesting that Lance Hornsby may, in fact, not be Governor Milton’s cousin, but, her brother.

If so, Hornsby’s ambitious nature, his desire for recognition, would make so much more sense. While, yes, he’s been treated well by his sister, because of his illegitimacy, he was never going to be pushed to run for office, never acknowledged, and, if he tried to run for office, would likely have been actively discouraged, because of how his potential prominence could accidentally damage his and Pamela’s father’s legacy.

I think this might be the source of his ambition, which, while unfulfilled before the outbreak, now, in a world where much of politics no longer matters, including the scandal around his origin, can finally be achieved, presumably by becoming overseer of Alexandria, Hilltop, and Oceanside.

Furthermore, it would then make perfect sense that Pamela would hold no grudge against Connie for her uncle’s downfall, because, to her, it was all part of a noble sacrifice to further her beloved father’s political ambitions.

I could be wrong, but, between the fact that I don’t think the connection between Connie and Pamela’s uncle’s downfall would be mentioned idly, and Pamela’s own words to Lance, I highly doubt that I am.

But, what do you think? Do you think Governor Milton is related to Lance Hornsby? How so? A cousin? A brother? Do you think Lance was what brought down Pamela’s uncle, and, if so, do you think her uncle sacrificed his career for his brother? Let me know! I’m curious! And, 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!