The Walking Dead review: Episode 1119, “Variant”

Between the war against the Commonwealth and the introduction of variant walkers, The Walking Dead definitely feels like it’s approaching the end of the road, especially with these emotional introductions narrated by Judith. With only a few episodes remaining, there’s a lot to tie up. The pacing of this episodes is definitely increased.

Here’s your SPOILER warning for the newest episode of The Walking Dead. Now let’s take a bite.

The Commonwealth

I was surprised by how much of this episode was actually set within the Commonwealth. Given the title, “Variant,” I figured that the majority of it would focus on the other storyline.

It all picks up exactly where the previous installment, “A New Deal” left off. We see Daryl helping Eugene escape after Sebastian’s death. Eugene is facing the consequences of his actions. He’s gone into hiding under the protection of our group. And Pamela Milton has everyone looking for him.

Pamela sets Mercer on a mission to find Eugene, and while he’s on this quest, he interviews several characters, including Rosita. I really enjoyed his interactions with Rosita. You can tell that there’s a mutual respect between them. He knows that Rosita is keeping things from him, but there’s nothing he can do about it.

Eugene is at the center of everything that goes on inside the Commonwealth. He’s in hiding inside the church. Funnily enough, he’s not keen on saving himself (like the old Eugene would have), but wants to make sure Max is safe. He can’t allow himself to save his own back without helping Max. It’s nice to see this new, caring side to Eugene. He’s come a far ways from the guy who lied about knowing the cure for the zombie virus.

One of my favourite scenes in the entire episode comes when Eugene hilariously confronts Daryl, threatening to fight him if he doesn’t let him leave. I never thought we’d get a scene like this and I’m delighted it happened. The nonchalance in Daryl’s expression is hands-down the funniest part of the season so far.

Elsewhere, we get some more lovely scenes with Princess, who reveals a really disturbing backstory which goes a long way towards developing her character; she had a tough childhood. I like how stubborn she is, trying to convince Mercer that Eugene is a good guy. It makes me wonder how this will affect their relationship moving forward. In the comics, Mercer is the love interest of Princess.

We also learn that Ezekiel is still determined to remain at the Commonwealth, the place where he believes that he can make a difference.

In these final episodes, the show is deviating heavily from the comics. I mean, Sebastian is now dead — on the page, he only dies after killing the one and only Rick Grimes, whereas in the show he’s eaten by zombies after speaking out against the Commonwealth. I was originally irked at the decision to kill off Sebastian so soon (I still am, to an extent), but I do like how it’s affected Pamela. I really enjoyed the scenes when she’s talking to his corpse, admitting her mistakes, and later when she locks zombie Sebastian in Lance’s cell and forces Lance to feed the bodies of his fallen henchmen to him. I can’t believe Lance is still alive! Pamela even flips a coin to decide his fate and he gets lucky; this is a nice callback to Lance’s coin flip in Oceanside, which we still don’t know the outcome of, annoyingly.

Ultimately, Eugene makes the tough decision to turn himself in, if only to save Max’s life. It’s a selfless act and one that could quite possibly get him killed. I liked his final moments with Rosita before he leaves. The two have been through so much together. Seeing them hug was a definite tear-jerker. When Eugene reveals himself to Mercer, he says he acted alone, essentially letting Max off the hook.

I’m both excited and scared to see the consequences of Eugene’s crimes. His chances of survival don’t look good. Given that his character isn’t confirmed for any spinoff shows, I genuinely fear for his life.

We’re left on a Commonwealth cliffhanger. Before she leaves, Rosita is attacked by two men. She puts up a pretty badass fight, but sadly it isn’t enough. I imagine these guys are working for Lance. But what could Lance want from Rosita? Your guess is as good as mine.

Variant walkers

The “Variant” side of this episode sees Aaron, Lydia, Jerry and Elijah travel to Oceanside. Unfortunately, we yet again don’t actually go there. It really is the most ignored community in the show. If they wanted us to care about the people who live there, give us some time with them.

This time focuses on character dynamics. It’s nice to watch Elijah and Lydia interact. Lydia definitely seems lonely without Henry, although she is hesitant to be with Elijah because she doesn’t want to betray Henry. I also enjoyed Aaron’s conversation with Lydia where he talks about his past with Eric, who died in season 8. These emotional character moments help make this final stretch feel important.

Our group stay in a walled castle-esque building overnight, which is where the variant zombies get introduced. For the first time in the show, a wall is not enough to separate the dead from the living. We see a zombie climb over and attack the group. Not only can they climb walls, but we get glimpses of zombies opening doors and occasionally using weapons. At one point, a zombie picks up a rock and tries to kill Jerry. These advanced zombies feel like the ones from way back in season 1. Back then, we saw a zombie smash a window with a rock.

The variant walkers are so advanced that Aaron even suspects them to be whisperers (humans camouflaged in zombie skin) and he rips their faces off, only to find that there’s nobody underneath.

Verdict

There’s a lot to love in this episode. We learn about Princess’ childhood; Aaron’s time with Eric, and Mercer and Max’s relationship with their father. The introduction of the variant zombies could’ve been a little more impactful. I feel like this is going to be a slow burn and we’ll see the variant stuff become more important for the franchise in the long run. Remember, we’ve also got loads of spinoff shows on the way.

Overall, I’d say this is a pretty solid episode. I can’t believe we’re so close to the finish line. We’re in the endgame, folks!

Verdict: B-

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