After the epic news dump we had last episode, this one seems to tie up a lot of those loose ends and catch us up on the surprise stories of Stephanie, Eugene, and the big wigs at The Commonwealth. We also get to see Maggie again as she struts her power and confidence to blow the minds of those looking to control her.
This article contains major spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 12: The Lucky Ones.
Max/Stephanie and Eugene
This episode starts out with a montage that explains how the person we knew as Max (Pamela’s assistant) is actually the Stephanie we knew from the radio calls with Eugene in Season 10. If this is at all confusing, let me explain.
There is no Stephanie. Max called herself Stephanie, which is actually her mother’s name. Max is also Mercer’s sister, and Mercer doesn’t agree with Max’s rogue communication with the outside world. Max set up a makeshift radio from junk parts and chatted with Eugene which got that whole group to come to The Commonwealth in the first place.
The Stephanie we’ve see so far is actually named Shira, but she was sent to infiltrate the relationship and lead Eugene away from Max. The pieces of this puzzle are falling in place, but I feel like we still don’t know the Big Why.
I like the fact that we get to see Eugene’s time with “Stephanie” from Max’s point of view. Many wondered after last episode why Max wouldn’t be the one who met up with Eugene if they had such a great connection on the radio, but we learn in this episode that she didn’t even know he was in town. Her brother, Mercer, told her to stop the unauthorized talks and she did. She realized that she crossed a line and she didn’t want to go any further.
But one day we see how she found out that Eugene was at The Commonwealth. When he was ordering ice cream with fake Stephanie, he ran into Max briefly. When we saw this play out a few episodes ago, we probably didn’t think much of it, but now that we see Max’s point of view, we see that it was her epiphany moment. Sadly, she thought he was with this other girl (Shira) and was happy with her. She didn’t know that Eugene thought Shira was Max.
So where will Max and Eugene go from here? Will they pick up where they left off over the airwaves? Is it too weird for Eugene because he already gave his heart to the fake Stephanie?
Ezekiel and Carol
We knew that Carol worked her magic to get Ezekiel a higher place on the surgery list for removal of his cancer, but now we get to see Ezekiel find out. He was quite angry when he realized what Carol had done, mainly because it seemed unfair to the others who were actually next in line, but Carol pretty much reassured him that these lists are all a series of favors and cutting in line anyway. Carol’s appreciation of Ezekiel is unmatched and she just wants to make sure that his potential grows and blossoms.
But now we have the hanging question about whether or not Ezekiel will go through with the surgery. And if he does, will he feel guilty about it, or will he feel like he has a greater destiny to fulfill?
Can’t wait for our Carol & Daryl spin-off! Still so excited to think that we won’t have to say goodbye to them by the end of season 11. ❤️❤️❤️ #TheWalkingDead #TWDFamily pic.twitter.com/5APFsOs5V2
— Skymiibo (@SkymiiboTWD) March 7, 2022
Maggie and Pamela Milton
Governor Pamela Milton and her slimy sidekick, Lance Hornsby, set out on a tour of the nearby settlements to pitch the idea of joining up with The Commonwealth. Aaron and Alexandria are on board, but Rachel at Oceanside seems reluctant. They let Pamela know that they’re only interested if Maggie (and Hilltop) is interested because of a previous agreement.
So the Commonwealth Magical Mystery Tour sets out to win over Maggie and extend their power as far as possible. Pamela and Lance both try to woo Maggie, but it doesn’t seem to be working.
Maggie catches on to Lance’s shadiness and doesn’t fall for his empty promises of the potential future for her and her son. Maggie also seems really bothered by the fact that Daryl is stepping right into line with Mercer’s orders during the meeting of the towns. They even tried to pull one over on Maggie by letting Daryl appear without his trooper armor, but he still marched right along with them.
Ultimately, Maggie tells Pamela and Lance that she rejects their offer and won’t partner up with The Commonwealth. This seems to hit Lance the hardest, mainly because he was hoping to lead these side settlements.
But Maggie said something great at this point: “Everything costs something.” She knows that these snakes have something up their sleeves and she doesn’t want any part of it. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen in that epic ending from Episode 9, this won’t be the last time The Commonwealth tries to get control of Maggie.
As for the ending, it wasn’t as shocking as previous episode endings from this season, but we do get to see Lance’s continued spiral downward. The man seems to be ready to snap. Or maybe he’s just honing his big plan.
We see him standing in the woods, shooting walkers one by one, without a care in the world that his gunshots are actually attracting more. Aaron sees him and catches on that Lance is probably not well right now. I can’t help but wonder just how big of a problem will Lance become.
The Next Episode
In Episode 13, we will see yet another new group pop up. Aaron talks about making first contact with this group to offer help, but it seems like they’re not interested in help.
So what did you think of this episode? Let us know in the comments below!
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