The Walking Dead – New Haunts

By: Kelly Kearney

After last weeks’ time jump, we pick up with our survivors trying to acclimate to life in The Commonwealth. It’s Halloween and everyone is in the partying mood. There’s haunted houses, masquerade balls and enough cotton candy and Carol’s cookies for everyone. Or is there? Like some sort of surreal snapshot of the world before, this new community seems to be struggling with those same old-world divides – classism, power, wealth and birthright are still waging their wars of oppression on those who believe they are powerless, impoverished and too ordinary to matter. And while many things have changed after “The Fall,” privilege and the lack thereof is still the main villain in mankind’s continued existence, even in the idyllic Commonwealth. After starving in a post-war famine, a full belly and a working record player can convince many, even Daryl, to turn a blind eye and simply follow the crowd.

Halloween in The Commonwealth

It’s been thirty days since Eugene (Josh McDermitt) brought the Commonwealth to the gates of Alexandria and we catch up with some of people who left to try and build a new life in this throwback community. It’s Halloween and there’s a carnival happening with all the trappings of a world our Alexandrians left to their memories. In a haunted house filled with caged walkers, or what the Commonwealth refers to as “Rotters,” things get a bit too real for the Grimes kids who only know these creatures as a deadly menace. Uncle Daryl (Norman Reedus) always has their backs and he asks his new friend dressed as a Rotter to chill because those type of haunts are triggering for these pint-sized newcomers. Everything is big and exciting for two kids who were born into the apocalypse, but they’re slowly learning about a world their elders only spoke of in stories. Whether it’s the cotton candy or the kid’s costume contest, R.J. (Antony Azar), Judith (Cailey Fleming) and even Jerry (Cooper Andrews) and his family now think of The Commonwealth as their home. Carol (Melissa McBride) also seems to be settling in to this new life just fine. Our favorite lethal ex-Queen is back to what she does second best: baking for the masses and trying to fit in. Daryl, on the other hand, isn’t exactly sold on this paradise but his best friend reminds him that this community has been around long before the Atlanta crew rolled into Virginia. “Maybe this doesn’t have to be hard,” she says but Daryl knows that in this world things are never that easy. There’s always a hitch and he’s just waiting to figure out what or who that is. It’s not that he isn’t enjoying his time while he waits, he is and his family, or what’s left of it, appears safe for now. For the time being, that’s good enough for him.

Enter Governor Pamela Milton (Laila Robins), who instantly grabs Carol and Daryl’s attention when she gets on the mic to announce the costume contest winners. They all watch as the mini-Mercer steals the grand prize and all crowd’s cheers. In this world their strongest warrior is a celebrity and everyone wants to be him. As the Governor drones on about the events for the day, we catch up with Connie (Lauren Ridloff) and Kelly (Angel Theory), who fill in Carol and Daryl on Connie’s return to her old job as a beat reporter. Kelly brags about how her sister is always looking for a hard-hitting story and even managed to dig up dirt on a local politician and get him ousted from his job. Daryl and Carol are impressed but especially Carol who continues to ignore her best friend’s words and play matchmaker between him and the journalist. With a masquerade ball planned for the evening, she tries pushing Daryl into asking Connie to the dance, but once again he brushes her off. He never showed much romantic interest in anyone, but even Carol can’t deny he seems to enjoy Connie’s company. Friends for now, but nothing says they have to stay that way.

After blowing off her Connie question Daryl finds Rosita (Christian Serratos) and the two head to another day of basic training with Mercer (Michael James Shaw). That’s right, the ex-military vet and the archer have joined The Commonwealth’s storm trooper- security forces and compared to the other cadets, many of whom were raised inside the safety of the town’s walls, these two are the best recruits of the crop. Killing walkers and protecting their town is what they do best and thankfully it pays well because Daryl is raising two kids who want what their friends have. Peer pressure and fitting in didn’t die with the old world and that means a weekly allowance and an upgraded apartment with rent. He came to this community to give the kids a better life and strapping on that ridiculous white armor is the way he plans to do that.

Speaking of old-world vibes, Carol found success taking over for Tomi (Ian Anthony Dale) at the bakery and as she passes out cookies and treats to the townspeople she notices her zoo keeper of an ex is struggling to pack up an animal crate. Regardless of his smile, his health is declining and it must be worse than anyone knows because he gifts Shiva’s collar to Jerry’s son, making the boy promise to keep it safe. After deflecting her fears about his health towards questions about Maggie and Lydia back in Alexandria, Carol knows Ezekiel (Khary Payton) is trying to keep something from her. Flying under everyone’s radar has always been Carol’s best weapon, so she sneaks into the town’s hospital records room to find out what’s going on with him. In the process of fingering through his file she’s caught by Tomi and, surprisingly, she trusts him enough to tell him what she’s up to. Tomi explains how medical care works at the Commonwealth and how Ezekiel is far down on the list for life saving treatments. Unfortunately, he won’t survive the wait. Carol bursts into tears knowing her ex-husband is going to need a miracle.

Basic Training

Welcome to Mercer’s “advanced military training,” the first lesson of the day is teamwork. Mercer divides the new recruits into pairs and hands each duo a single knife. Each team is tasked with clearing a Rotter filled apartment, but they must do it together- no one man army showboating while the other kicks dirt waiting to be rescued. Rosita and her partner do well as both take turns with the grab and kill method, but Daryl, on the other hand, is used to fighting walkers with equally skilled partners in real world settings. He assumes the guy he was paired with can handle himself. He hands the guy the knife and leaves him to fight his own Rotters while taking out a few others. That all ends when Mercer shoots one of the Rotters inches from Daryl’s head and says he failed to understand the word “team.” Daryl is a bit miffed, but Mercer recognizes talent when he sees it and asks both of the former Alexandrians to join him on a special training session. This time it’s with the Governor’s son and privileged little snot, Sebastian Milton (Teo Rapp-Olsson).

The session takes place in the woods with a shipping container full of Rotters. Mercer set up a controlled setting to build up Sebastian’s skills, but as Daryl soon finds out, it’s mostly to boost the kid’s ego. With a pile of weapons at his disposal, the doors to the container are opened and Milton gets his kill on. One particular Rotter gets a bit handsy and as Sebastian struggles to put it down, Daryl steps in and shoots it with his crossbow. Sebastian loses it and has a full-blown tantrum over Dixon taking his shot. He storms off and Mercer reminds Daryl that part of being a team player means letting someone else win. He could let this kid feel empowered, or he could use the Milton name to make Daryl’s life miserable. It’s pretty clear Mercer is a stand-up guy and Daryl accepts his new boss’s advice.

Carol: Mission Possible

After learning of Ezekiel’s diagnosis, Carol comes up with a plan to move her ex’s name to the top of that treatment list. After overhearing Lance Horsby (Josh Hamilton) panicking over the perfect vintage of wine to please Pamela, Carol knows this is her way in. Sneaking out of the community, she heads to where she last saw a crate of French wine. After a few touch and go Walker moments proving Carol hasn’t lost her mojo, she manages to get the crate to a very impressed Lance and the two strike up some interesting chemistry. The wine is exactly what Lance was looking for and he isn’t even angry she snuck out to get it. In fact, her mission earns her a favor and she uses it to ask him about helping Ezekiel. It’s an unlikely friendship starting to form between these two. After Lance says he thinks Carol has a bright future at the Commonwealth, you have to wonder if Carol is turning up the smiles to lull him into a false sense of security. When he goes as far as to say she IS the future, you realize that whatever magic she’s brewing in these people, it’s working.

Later that night on the masquerade ball’s red carpet we catch a glimpse of the leadership dynamics of the town when the locals line up to cheer on their celebrity hero, Mercer, who the fans obviously prefer over Lance. Dressed in a perfectly fit suit the soldier wows the crowd but especially Princess (Paola Lázaro), who has a major crush on the big guy. She might be the town’s record store owner but that doesn’t land her on this elite guest list. Like the perfect glass slipper fit, her orange armored Prince takes her hand and guides her through the cheering onlookers and into the event as his date. Inside she catches up with Connie and Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), whose positions in the town guaranteed them a ticket and a glass of Carol’s wine- which everyone, including Pamela, seem to be enjoying. The person who isn’t enjoying the vintage is Magna (Nadia Hilker), who is acting as one of the many servers for the night. She quietly waits on her ex, Yumiko, and the two trade regretful looks while Magna’s quickly devolves into a cold stare. This place might have saved them from starvation, but it’s also ignited a hunger for equality they thought died when the word they knew did.

Masquerading at the Ball

As the night continues, Pamela takes the stage for another speech and is interrupted by a waiter who Princess recognizes as the young trooper (Cameron Scott Roberts) she knocked out in the train car. What’s he doing serving appetizers? We quickly find out he was fired for letting Princess best him in the fight. Inside these walls mistakes are not something people are allowed to make. Just one and you can be stripped of your honor. The young man heckles Pamela and her leadership in the middle of her speech and as Daryl and Mercer’s other top guards start to close in on him, he grabs her assistant, the fake Stephanie (Margot Bingham), and holds a knife to her throat. He wants people to know the truth, not the sanitized PR spin from Governor Milton’s office. Before the guards can grab him the young man flees the building and runs into the haunted house. Eventually, Daryl finds the distraught man trapped in a corner and holding a knife up to his throat ready to end his life rather than face whatever The Commonwealth has in store for him. Daryl tries calming him down by asking him about his family and says they don’t deserve the pain of losing him. Daryl convinces him to hand over the weapon and let him cuff him. That’s when Sebastian shows up, all hyped up on the rush of the moment and starts insulting Daryl on finally doing a good job. He’s still salty about earlier, so Daryl takes Mercer’s advice and hands the prisoner to Sebastian. He can play the hero for mommy and get all the praise if it means Daryl is out of his line of fire.

Sebastian drags the cuffed waiter through the ball, making a big show about how he caught the armed man. Pamela is impressed and orders her guards to take the man away. Just as they’re dragging him out the door he yells “resist the Commonwealth!” and eludes to the fact there are thousands of dissidents just like him.

The following day, when Rosita and her fellow soldiers raid the man’s secret hide out, she finds evidence that suggests the man wasn’t lying. The room is covered in anti-Commonwealth posters and graffiti reminiscent of the mural in the subway station Daryl discovered. It looks like the outcasts are coming to eat the rich and perhaps nothing is what it seems in this new world. It is a pretty good bet that Magna and probably many others, not only figures this out but are building a resistance that will pit family against family in a battle of classism vs survival.