The Walking Dead review, Episode 1107: “Promises Broken”

Relationships are tested, an unlikely partnership is forged, and promises are both made and broken in the latest episode of The Walking Dead. In this episode, we see Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) teach Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari) a survival tactic he’s all too familiar with from his time as a Whisperer. Back at the Commonwealth, Eugene’s group is put to work clearing buildings. And in Meridian, Daryl continues to learn more about the Reapers.

Here’s your SPOILER warning!

Negan, Maggie, and Elijah

Let’s begin with what’s going on with Negan, Maggie, Gabriel and Elijah, starting with the much-talked-about relationship between Maggie and Negan. Of course we all know how much Maggie wants Negan dead, ever since he killed her husband Glenn (Steven Yeun) and reigned terror over our group. But now, under the threat of the Reapers, the two find themselves forced together against a common enemy.

For me, the most interesting part of this episode was the interactions between Maggie and Negan. As much as Negan is trying to get on Maggie’s good side, he can’t help but make some flippant comments that almost squash his chances. For example, at one point he reminisces on his past mistakes and admits that if he were to do it all again, he’d kill everyone. Of all the things he could’ve said, this was probably the absolute worst choice.

Still, the two strike a deal. They agree that after Negan helps Maggie take down the Reapers, they are even. After everything that’s happened in the past, I don’t know how they can be even, but they shake hands on it regardless.

However they feel about each other, Maggie wants to reclaim Meridian from the Reapers, so she’s willing to take some advice from Negan. That advice comes in the form of him teaching her and Elijah how to wear a Whisperer mask. It’s pretty entertaining to watch Maggie struggle to come to grips with wearing a zombie mask, and even more hilarious watching Negan’s reaction.

By the end, we see our small group gather a huge herd of walkers and head towards Meridian. As they’re making their way towards the Reaper base, Elijah spots his zombified sister walking beside him. It’s a super emotional scene for him, but thankfully Maggie is there to hold his hand.

Back in the Commonwealth

As you may recall from “Out of the Ashes,” our group — Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Princess (Paola Lázaro), Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and now Stephanie (Chelle Ramos) — found themselves in a spot of bother after getting caught trying to use the Commonwealth radio to contact Alexandria. Their punishment involves cleaning out desolate homes for future development. Upon joining the Commonwealth, they promised to abide by the rules and almost instantly broke that promise, hence the episode title. The group is ever under the watching eye of Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton).

When Eugene and Stephanie are sent off to clear another area, they come across a person who appears to be Sebastian (Teo Rapp-Olsson). A newcomer to the show, Sebastian is a big presence in the comics, being the antagonist who (Warning: Comic spoiler) ultimately killed Rick Grimes. While his name is not mentioned in this episode, it’s a safe bet to assume he is Sebastian, especially considering how rude and entitled he is.

It begins when Eugene and Stephanie spot some walkers making their way towards Sebastian and his girlfriend, so our duo take it upon themselves to help out. However, despite their assistance, Sebastian is unsatisfied. Perhaps he’s so unused to being around walkers that he doesn’t realize Eugene and Stephanie saved his and his girlfriend’s life. Instead of thanking them, he berates Eugene. As a result, Eugene punches him in the nose, which is rather amusing.

But while Eugene punching Sebastian is good for a laugh, things get more serious when Mercer (Michael James Shaw) comes to inspect the situation. We learn that Sebastian is indeed Pamela Milton’s son, so Eugene is going to be in a heap of trouble. He’s thrown in jail, but Lance — already showing himself to be the puppetmaster of the community — is keen to strike a deal with him. He wants Eugene to give him all the information possible about Alexandria in exchange for freedom.

Meanwhile, Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), who was not involved in the crime, demands an audience with Governor Pamela Milton in order to see if she can free her friends. She also talks with her newly-found brother Tomi (Ian Anthony Dale), wondering why he prefers to work in a bakery when he used to be a doctor. We get the feeling that he’s hiding something, but we don’t know what. This is emphasized when Lance Hornsby and a couple of guards suddenly march him away for no reason. What has he done?

Finally, it was good to see Ezekiel get some attention in this episode.

Daryl and Leah

This episode also checks in with Daryl as he hangs out with Leah (Lynn Collins) and they go on a short scouting adventure, looking for the survivors they failed to find in the previous episode. From a character development point of view, this feels a lot like a bonding exercise that helps them get to know each other better after the events of the season 10 episode “Find Me.”

I think this was my favorite appearance from Pope (Ritchie Coster). He didn’t have much screen time, but the little he did have was incredibly intense and intimidating, showing his annoyance at the group for continuously failing to locate Maggie and the others. If I didn’t fear Pope before, now I definitely do.

Anyway, Daryl and Leah come across a mysterious man in the woods who begs for their assistance helping him treat his pregnant wife. Leah radios Pope to get his opinion on the matter; he simply orders them to “kill him.” But they ignore his orders and follow the man to his home. He wasn’t lying, his pregnant wife was dying. Ultimately, they decide to let the man and his child escape, while the lady allows them to kill her in order to put her out of her misery.

Verdict

Similar to “Out of the Ashes,” this is another episode that jumps all over the place and that can be pretty difficult to digest at times. I really liked Lance Hornsby’s role. He gives off the classic omniscient vibe, and you never quite know what he’s planning. In fact, he very much reminds me of Petyr Baelish from Game of Thrones.

An attack on the Reapers seems likely next week. With some of our group wearing Whisperer masks, they’re sure to catch Pope off guard. My biggest fear is that Maggie, Negan and Elijah still won’t be enough to take everyone down.

Overall, I’d say this was a solid episode with a lot of interesting things to discuss. Will Eugene spill the information he knows? What will become of Maggie and Negan? Hopefully, we find out in next week’s episode, because that’s the last one we’ll see until the show returns in 2022!

Grade: B

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