| This article is about the Commonwealth in the TV Series. You may be looking for the Commonwealth in the Comic Series. |
- "For the benefit of all, and all who seek solace at our gates."
- —The Commonwealth's motto.[src]
The Commonwealth is a civilization of several united towns with over 50,000 survivors total in AMC's The Walking Dead. Its main community is located in Charleston, West Virginia and is led by Governor Pamela Milton. It also has its own army.
Contents
Pre-Apocalypse
Nothing is known about the lives of the residents of the community prior to or as the outbreak began. It is unknown if any of the residents knew each other or lived in Charleston before the outbreak occurred.
Post-Apocalypse
During the onset of the outbreak, many of the Commonwealth's original members arrived seeking safety and refuge. The Milton Family, a highly influential political family, somehow managed to secure a few blocks for people to live, to which the Commonwealth has been substantially expanding ever since.
Season 10
"Bonds"
When Eugene asks Stephanie about her community, she states she isn't comfortable with sharing any information about it, worrying she could put her group at risk of a potential threat.
"Morning Star"
During a conversation, Stephanie asks how many comets Eugene has spotted, to which he replies four. Stephanie is slightly peeved that Eugene is in the lead, and warns that he "better not be counting satellites", revealing that she saw one falling recently. Eugene realizes that the satellite she observed is the same one that crashed near Oceanside at roughly the same time, leading Stephanie conclude that their groups are located relatively close to each other. Excited to learn this fact, Eugene reveals that his group is located in Virginia and proposes a face-to-face meeting, allowing Stephanie to choose the time and location. Stephanie reluctantly agrees to talk to her people, but asks Eugene not to do the same. Eugene promises to keep quiet.
After being spooked by an unknown person and ignoring Eugene's calls, the two share a heart-to-heart causing Stephanie to abruptly blurt out the location of her group (Charleston, West Virginia). The duo set up a location and time of their future meeting, which Eugene accepts.
"A Certain Doom"
The Commonwealth Army appears at the Southern Train Yard where Eugene, Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Juanita are waiting for Stephanie. They rush in pointing their weapons at them, demanding them to put their hands in the air and drop their weapons. The group is both in shock and worried.
"Splinter"
The Commonwealth Army separates Eugene, Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Princess by placing each of them in separate train cars, so they can scout the area to see if there are any more members of their group in the area. Afterward, each member of Eugene's group gets interrogated to see if they fit the right criteria to enter the Commonwealth itself.
Season 11
"Acheron: Part I"
After ascertaining that the four are fit for further inspection, the Commonwealth Army bring Eugene, Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Juanita to a makeshift detainment center, where they are individually questioned by a man and a woman for hours on end, under the scrupulous yet silent supervision of Mercer. They are asked a series of detailed and personal questions, such as what their occupations before the apocalypse were, what the ZIP codes of their homes were, and whether or not they were ever arrested. The four are consistently kept under the threat of "reprocessing" if they fail to comply or meet the necessary standards to move on to the next level of citizenship authorization. They are all eventually put and kept inside of a makeshift cell and are each fed a bowl of a thin grain stew, and they watch as multiple other refugee seekers are forcibly taken away for questioning. After managing to escape from their cell and attempting to leave the facility, Yumiko decides to stay behind and undergo the acculturation process upon discovering her brother may be alive and in the Commonwealth, which motivates the other three to stay with her and do the same.
"Acheron: Part II"
The Commonwealth will appear in this episode.
"Out of the Ashes"
The Commonwealth will appear in this episode.
"Promises Broken"
The Commonwealth will appear in this episode.
Locations
- Southern Train Yard
- Commonwealth Detainment Center
- Wall of the Lost
- Union Station
- The Milton Hotel
- Elodie's Treats
- Tillman's Hardware
- Neighborhood
- Commonwealth Jail
- Taste of Tradition
- General Store
- Firehouse
- Cleaners
- Hawthorne & Gibbs Law Offices
- Courthouse
- Hill Street
- Track Side Lane
Government and Society
The Commonwealth has a very sophisticated bureaucracy, with an Office of State Affairs, and having a Communications Department, for example. It is led by Pamela Milton, who serves as the Governor of the Commonwealth, with her and her family having a high-degree of importance throughout its history. The Commonwealth uses the United States Dollar as a form of currency, and authorities take measures to strictly control the amount in circulation. Commonwealth society is based off a caste system, where people's pre-apocalypse professions are transferred to equivalent roles in the Commonwealth's society. This system has the higher-class maintaining a degree of superiority from those with lower-tiered jobs.
The Commonwealth has a large army, which is led by Pamela Milton (who serves as its commander-in-chief), as well as Mercer, who serves as the General of the army. It is a well-equipped force, with all members being adorned with the same white and red armor, along with high-powered assault rifles, indicating that the Commonwealth has significant manufacturing capabilities.
Inhabitants
- Pamela Milton (Governor/Commander-in-Chief of the army)
- Lance Hornsby (Deputy Governor/Director of operations)
- Mercer (General of the army)
- John (Legal Supervisor)
- Edward Widgeuroy (Worker at the office of State Affairs)
- Clark (Auditor)
- Evans (Auditor)
- "Stephanie" (Spy)
- Vazquez (Soldier)
- Livitz (Soldier)
- Zell (Soldier)
- Sorsensen (Soldier)
- Garcia (Soldier)
- Charles (Bakery Manager)
- Tomichi Okumura (Baker)
- Kasey (Florist)
- Elaine (Ice Cream Clerk)
- Marcus Colvin
- Sebastian Milton
- Kayla
- Stephanie Vega
- Yumiko Okumura
- Juanita Sanchez
- Eugene Porter
- Ezekiel
- Commonwealth Resident 1 (Government Clerk)
- Commonwealth Soldier 1 (Soldier)
- Commonwealth Soldier 2 (Soldier)
- Commonwealth Soldier 3 (Soldier)
- Commonwealth Soldier 4 (Soldier)
- Thousands of unnamed people
Deaths
- Many unnamed people
Appearances
TV Series
Season 11
Trivia
- The Commonwealth is the third largest community in the whole TV Universe, with a population of about 50,000 people, followed by Omaha being the second largest with at least 90,000 people and the Civic Republic being the largest with more than 200,000 people.
- It is also the largest community so far in the TV Series.
- A law office with the name Hawthorne on its front door is a reference to Michonne from the Comic Series, who was a lawyer with the last name Hawthorne.
