"Variant" is the nineteenth episode of the eleventh season of AMC's The Walking Dead. It is the one-hundred and seventy-second episode of the series overall. It premiered on October 16, 2022. It was written by Vivian Tse and directed by Karen Gaviola.
Plot[]
Eugene goes on the run after the Founders Day incident. Pamela tasks Mercer to investigate his whereabouts, to Max and Princess' dismay. Meanwhile, Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, and Elijah encounter an unusual complication at an abandoned Renaissance Faire.
Synopsis[]
In the immediate aftermath of Sebastian's death during the Founders Day celebration, Eugene and Max are separated from one another amongst a crowd of panicked Commonwealth citizens, with troopers closing in to contain the hysteria. As Eugene tries to find her, he mistakes another woman from behind for being Max, who begins to call him out as the one who killed Sebastian. Eugene panics and is guided along from the oncoming soldiers by Daryl. Eugene insists that he needs to find Max, but Daryl, determined to save his friend from the situation he's gotten himself into, pulls him into a nearby store to hide.
Sebastian's corpse is strapped to a table in the Commonwealth morgue and, reaching for one of his blades, Mercer suggests that they should put him down. However, Pamela refuses, ordering that no one is to touch Sebastian until she says so. Addressing her son's corpse, Pamela tells Sebastian that she wasn't blind to what he was and, that despite what he thought, she was trying to help him, but she may have been too late. While they had their issues, family is a complicated thing. Pamela orders Mercer to find and arrest Eugene, intending to put him on trial for Sebastian's murder and to have him stand as an example to all of the Commonwealth. Under her orders, Mercer has his Commonwealth soldiers take in any associates of Eugene for questioning, including Rosita, Ezekiel, and Princess.
Meanwhile, Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, and Elijah are still making their way to Oceanside. Aaron looks back and smiles as he sees Lydia and Elijah flirting with each other. Up ahead, they see a large herd of walkers coming down the road towards them. Jerry suggests they wait it out, but Aaron says they'll find a way around. Jerry believes that off-roading with the wagon is dangerous and they should relax since it's a nice day and he can treat them all to his "famous fettuccine con cannellini beans a la Jerry." Aaron says they have to keep moving since they don't have time to spare. As the group proceeds on the trail, a walker turns its head in an unusual fashion, as if watching them.
Rosita sits in the interrogation room awaiting questioning. Mercer enters and reads her file and asks if the information is true. Rosita asks Mercer if he's really doing this, but Mercer doesn't answer and continues to try to follow protocol, acting as if they don't know each other, much to Rosita's disbelief. Rosita finally answers that the information is true. Mercer asks what she was doing during the riot and what she was doing with Eugene. Rosita says that she and Eugene were talking about Max, who wants to change things for the better at the Commonwealth. Mercer asks if she has seen Eugene since, which she answers she hasn't. Mercer breaks character and tells Rosita that he respects her even if she currently doesn't respect him, but he tells Rosita to tell Eugene to turn himself in to make it easier for everyone. If Rosita and her people don't cooperate, no one will be going anywhere and things will get worse. Rosita merely chuckles and leaves.
Daryl is sharpening his knife at the church when someone knocks. He readies himself in case it's an intruder, but it's just Rosita. She asks if he's talked to the others and he answers that they'll all be leaving at dawn. Eugene emerges from the back and Rosita asks how he's doing. He answers that he's better than he deserves and asks if they have seen Max, which she answers they haven't. Eugene apologizes for putting the group in danger for his actions, but Daryl tells him not to be sorry since Sebastian had it coming. Rosita says they need to get Eugene out of there and Daryl says he knows when the guards change shifts so they can slip out while they switch. Eugene looks conflicted and Rosita asks what's up. Eugene answers that he needs to go after Max, but Daryl says they can't since all the guards are looking for him. Eugene refuses to leave without Max. Rosita says she will go find her and try to get them both out. Just as she's about to leave, an announcement from Pamela is heard that anyone who has information about the whereabouts of Eugene or his accomplices will be rewarded.
Meanwhile, Aaron's group's wagon gets stuck in a divot in the woods, and they try to push it out. They finally do, but it hits Jerry in the leg, injuring him. Aaron spots a nearby site, an abandoned renaissance fair park, and suggests they take a rest inside. They arrive and begin setting up for the night. Lydia brings Elijah some wood to make a fire and kneels down to help. Elijah and Lydia start staring lovingly at each other and Elijah goes in for a kiss, however, Lydia backs away at the last second, causing an awkward situation. She then tells him he's going to get more kindle and leaves. Jerry tries to converse with Aaron, who is lost in thought while trying to sharpen a stick, saying that the place is quite habitable and potentially could become the Kingdom 2.0. Aaron doesn't answer back and throws away his stick in frustration when it breaks. Aaron asks what Jerry said, but he tells him it's nothing. Aaron says it will be dark soon and he'll take first watch. Lydia walks over and asks Aaron if she could talk to him, and the two walk away to talk in private.
Left alone with Sebastian, Pamela cleans up the blood on his face. Pamela knows that Sebastian always complained that she chose the Commonwealth over him, but there never really was a choice. Pamela doesn't know if she was ever capable of giving Sebastian what he needed, of controlling him. Crying, Pamela wonders what, after all of this struggle and sacrifice, they are left with now, but "at least we don't have to disappoint each other anymore." Sebastian begins to reanimate and, composing herself, Pamela leaves the morgue, ordering a soldier outside to take care of Sebastian.
At the Commonwealth police station, Mercer enters and finds Princess sitting at a table and tells her she shouldn't be there. She confronts Mercer about his men taking and questioning her for three hours. Mercer apologizes and states that he can't be seen treating her differently from everyone else. He then goes on saying that Pamela wants Eugene for Sebastian's death. Princess tries to argue but Mercer shuts her down. Princess then bluntly states they are going to kill Eugene and asks how he can be good with that since Eugene is a good person. Mercer remains firm that they have to catch Eugene and she can't change that. He says Eugene will get a trial, but Princess questions if it'll be a fair one. Mercer says nothing and Princess asks him what's the point of the Commonwealth if a good man is put to death. A soldier enters and says there was a sighting of Max. Mercer immediately takes actions and heads out to find her. Before he leaves, he tells Princess he's got to go. She says "Me too." without him hearing.
Aaron and Lydia have a talk on one of the buildings. Aaron asks if she wants to rest so she can take the later shift with Elijah, though she states she's fine. Aaron asks if everything is good with the two of them. Lydia says that she was brought back memories of Henry and that she doesn't think she can get back into another relationship. Aaron tells a story about him and Eric, who he says were married. Aaron and Eric had met at work in Washington, D.C., and there was an instant connection. However, when Eric first asked him out, Aaron rejected him, and kept saying no for the next six months for reasons he doesn't even know, most likely out of fear. Eventually, he finally said yes and his time together with Eric was the happiest he had ever been. After Eric's death, Aaron often thought that if he could give anything to take back one of his "nos" to have one more day with Eric, he would. He tells Lydia that loss is inevitable but the only thing they can control is when they say "Yes." On the outskirts of the settlement, the walker from earlier reaches its hand above the fence, as if trying to scale the perimeter.
Meanwhile, Max is sneaking around the Commonwealth, evading the guards. She spots Rosita and runs toward her, however Rosita sees some guards behind her and tells her to go back. Max tries to hide but more guards emerge and apprehend her. Rosita watches as she is taken away. Max is taken to the interrogation room where she reads a statement required for her pardon. Max objects to this, but Mercer tells her she has to read it. The statement says Max has been dealing with mental health issues which was the main cause of her actions. She gets progressively more frustrated reading through and reads it more and more aggressive until Mercer tells her to stop and sign it. Max continues to be difficult despite Mercer's insistence to take the pardon. Max declares that she did what she did because she couldn't handle being part of something so rotten. She points out that Eugene had saved her from being killed by Sebastian and refuses to let him die. Mercer reasons that he is trying to save her from being executed, but Max says she is trying to save the entire place. She then tells Mercer to speak truth no matter the cost, something their dad once said and to never forget their duty as a citizen. She then says that he would have liked Eugene and been proud of what they did, and be ashamed of Mercer. Mercer walks away without saying a word.
At the church, Eugene looks out the window to see trooper activity to help Rosita find Max. Daryl asks if he's trying to get himself caught but Eugene is tired of sitting around. Eugene tries to leave but Daryl stands in his way. Eugene tries to act tough and challenges Daryl to a fist fight. Daryl does nothing and seems amused by this. Daryl tells Eugene he can go ahead, but when he tries to leave, Eugene questions why he isn't stopping him. Daryl knows that Eugene isn't going to go and Eugene realizes he is right and sits back down. Eugene calls himself a coward but Daryl just says he's smart. Eugene then calls himself a liability and knows he always has been and the only reason he's alive is because of his deceitfulness. Eugene asks if people are born brave or they become it, and Daryl answers "both" before patting him on the back and going out to watch for more guards.
Ezekiel lets Princess in on the plan to smuggle Eugene out of the Commonwealth. Princess thinks this is a good plan and they can eventually meet up with Eugene and go on the road again like before. However, Ezekiel states that he isn't leaving, much to Princess' shock. Princess asks how he can stay with all the crazy stuff happening, but Ezekiel sees this as more of a reason to stay: Max and Eugene started a rebellion, and they should try to aid in it. Princess says maybe she doesn't feel like fighting and deep down the Commonwealth isn't all that's cracked up to be. Ezekiel asks if she thinks Mercer is a good man. She thinks so but says she has known a lot of guys who she thought were good men, but turned out not to be. Ezekiel says although they haven't seen eye to eye, Mercer is probably just trying to do the best of what he has. Princess thinks she deserves more than just the best of a bad situation. Ezekiel agrees and tells Princess that if she needs anything, he will be there.
In the Commonwealth jail, where a tied-up Hornsby has been moved to an even more secure, windowless cell, Pamela enters. Hornsby smiles, thanking her for coming, and begins to talk about the two of them discussing a way forward. Pamela cuts him off, bitterly remarking that he killed her son. Hornsby, unaware of the outcome of his plot, loses his smile. Pamela tells Hornsby she knows about how he had his people kill Commonwealth workers, turning them into walkers and creating a public panic. Hornsby says that this was done as a way of getting her to "understand" and getting her attention, but that killing Sebastian was never part of the plan. Hornsby acknowledges that his gamble didn't go the way he thought it would, and that despite their differences, he was always on Sebastian's side; that he was willing to help get people for his heist and other "side projects," and that he did so simply because he was a Milton. Hornsby tries to shift the blame onto the newcomers from Hilltop and Alexandria, as everything worked in the Commonwealth's favor until they arrived, and that unless 'someone' who knows how to handle them does so, they will not stop causing descent and chaos. Pamela takes Hornsby's coin from his pocket, asking him what should be done with him. She suggest they try it 'his way,' and "take a risk." She juggles the coin back-and-forth between her hands, eventually stopping and putting both of them forward, offering Hornsby a choice. Hornsby ultimately winds up choosing the hand with the coin in it, and sighs with relief. Thinking this means a favorable outcome for him, he thanks Pamela profusely as she puts the coin back into his pocket. He says he is "one-hundred percent at the Milton family's disposal." Pamela tells him she knows he is. She opens the door to the cell, and a some Commonwealth troopers bring an undead, chained-up Sebastian into the room, and attach him to the wall. Horrified, Hornsby says he doesn't understand. Pamela reminds Hornsby that he just said he's at the family's disposal. However, thanks to him, this shell of her son is all that remains of the family. The troopers bring in the dead body of Calhoun, whom they have shot in the head, and untie Hornsby before tossing him a machete. "Body's still warm. Feed my son, Lance." Pamela orders as she leaves.
As Princess leaves her apartment, bag in hand, Mercer walks up and asks if they can talk. Princess reluctantly agrees, and invites him inside. Mercer admits he doesn't want her to leave, but Princess says that she has no choice. Mercer asks if he's the reason, which Princess is not certain about. She reassures Mercer that he's "great," but she does not feel comfortable staying in a place where her friend is going to be unfairly executed. Mercer explains he's doing everything in his power to make sure Eugene is not killed, but Princess voices her doubts about him doing "everything" to prevent it. Princess declares the Commonwealth and it's politics a "shit-show," and while Mercer agrees neither it nor he are not perfect, compared to the world outside the walls, "it could be a lot worse." Princess cuts him off angrily, and tells him her life has never been easy, even before the apocalypse. She tells Mercer that, after her father left her when she was nine, her mother remarried half a year later. Her stepfather and stepbrother were authoritative and cruel to her, yelling at and hitting her frequently, with her mother letting it happen so that they wouldn't leave. In response, Princess would act out daily to try and get them to leave and make the abuse end. Instead, her stepfather and stepbrother would tie her up, put her in a closet, and leave her there for hours at a time. This would lead to Princess soiling herself, which resulted in further beatings. And in spite of all this, Princess' mother would laud the roof over their heads and the paid bills, insisting "it could be worse."
"Fuck that thinking. It could be better, too." Princess laments. "It should be." She tells Mercer that the Commonwealth's treatment of its people reminds her of her stepfather, and that if she is made to sit around and do nothing, she is no different than her mother. And, unable to stop Pamela from giving the order, her only other option is to not be around when Eugene is killed. Mercer silently attempts to console Princess as she readies to leave once more. Princess admits that, due to the way she was traumatized, she often saw all men as monsters. But she knows Mercer is not that kind of a person.
At night, Lydia and Aaron are on watch, stoking a fire. Lydia grows concerned when she hears wood and hinges creaking in the distance, but Aaron assures her they triple-checked and locked everything, and that its most likely just the wind. Just then, they hear the sound of a gate opening. Lydia insists wind could not have done that, and Aaron agrees that they should do another sweep. A small herd of walkers begin pouring into the fairgrounds, and Aaron and Lydia get ready to fight them. They manage to take out a couple each, but when Lydia stabs her staff into the chest of one of the walkers, it grabs her onto her weapon and begins pulling her towards it. Lydia manages to stab it in the shoulder, stunning it, and she and Aaron retreat to get Jerry and Elijah. The group briefly hold the walkers at bay, killing several more, but are forced inside one of the buildings as the undead continue swarming them. Aaron estimates the herd is at least fifty strong, and Elijah wonders aloud how they managed to get inside. The knob on a door to their left begins turning, and Jerry presses himself against it, holding it shut. Jerry asks when the dead began opening doors, and Aaron surmises that it must be the Whisperers. Aaron sends Elijah and Lydia through a hole in the roof, and switches with Jerry in holding the door shut so that he can get out, as well. Lydia and Elijah help Jerry up, sitting him against a box, as Aaron joins them. Elijah spots an opening in the herd, and Lydia suggests they make the short jump. Aaron lets them head down so that they can flank the herd. While Jerry remains in place, the same walker that grabbed Lydia's weapon begins climbing onto the roof behind them. After it manages to pull itself up, Jerry calls out to Aaron as it grabs a nearby rock and readies to strike Jerry with it. Aaron intervenes, tackling the walker and punching it. "Goddamn Whisperers!" he grunts as he grabs onto the walker's face, ready to pull it off as a mask. Instead, Aaron pulls off the entire face, revealing it's facial muscles and skull as it continues growling at him. It's not a Whisperer, but a walker. Aaron grabs Lydia's knife from it's shoulder and stabs it through the forehead, killing it. He and Jerry stare in alarm at the remains of the anomalous being, as Jerry worriedly asks "how the hell did a walker do that?"
The next morning, having successfully cleared out the rest of the herd, Aaron and Jerry talk about what they witnessed last night as Lydia and Elijah ready themselves to leave. Aaron theorizes that the walkers are evolving into new variants, such as the ones which return to places that were important to them in their past lives. However, he always thought stories he had heard about some of the undead being able to climb and open doors were nothing more than hearsay. He wonders if there are other variations of more dangerous, more intelligent walkers out there. As they head out, Lydia kisses Elijah, having taken Aaron's advice from yesterday to heart. As they depart from the fairgrounds on the wagon, Aaron voices his supports Jerry's idea of one day turning the location into a second Kingdom, with King Jerry and Queen Nabila in charge of it.
Back in the Commonwealth, Eugene is waiting inside of the church when Daryl and Rosita return. Rosita informs Eugene that Max has been taken into custody, and Daryl points out the troopers' shift rotation is about to occur, meaning they need to leave soon. Eugene says that he is not leaving. Daryl leaves to go check on the others before their departure, and Rosita stay to speak with Eugene. She insists that he cannot help Max at this point, which Eugene agrees is a possibility, but he asks what kind of man he would be if he were to abandon the situation. "One that's alive," Rosita passionately argues, pointing out that he will be killed if he stays in the Commonwealth. Eugene tells her he knows that his decision isn't "logical", but that if he were to flee in order to save his own life, he would not want to live with himself anyway. He says that being with Max has turned him into a better person, and he does not want to go on without her; if he lets her suffer by herself, he's still the same scared, selfish person he was at the beginning of the outbreak. He reminds Rosita about how she once told him his special someone was out there waiting for him, and that he trusted her when she told him that because he always does. She was right, as Max is the love of Eugene's life, and he needs Rosita to trust him to do what needs to be done. Eugene assures a crying Rosita that she will be okay, and that he needs to be left behind. He gives her a gift to hand down to Coco: his bolo tie. Rosita accepts it, and the two hug.
Later, Eugene walks into the Commonwealth police station to turn himself in. He complies when ordered to get down on the ground and is detained by troopers as Mercer walks up to him. Eugene states his intention to confess the following: he secretly recorded Sebastian's rant about the Commonwealth and its true nature; he unintentionally caused Sebastian's death in the ensuing chaos; he acted alone, Max was not involved in any of the events. Mercer silently looks at Eugene before ordering he be taken into custody.
Back at her apartment, Rosita is finishing packing her things. She hears a door open and, assuming it's Daryl or one of the others, asks if everyone is ready to leave. She is attacked by men in black clothing, and despite being able to fend the two off for a short period, is ultimately incapacitated as a bag is pulled over her head.
Other Cast[]
Co-Stars[]
Uncredited[]
|
.png){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
Deaths[]
- Roman Calhoun (Off-Screen)
Trivia[]
- Last appearance of Ellen Ford. (Flashback, Corpse)
- Last appearance of A.J. Ford. (Flashback, Corpse)
- Last appearance of Becca Ford. (Flashback, Corpse)
- Last appearance of Arat. (Flashback)
- Last appearance of José. (Flashback)
- Last appearance of Potter. (Flashback)
- The title of the episode, "Variant", refers to the different kind of walkers that Aaron, Lydia, Elijah and Jerry encounter, who are the result of a variant of the Wildfire Virus.
- Lurkers, zombies that go into a state of dormancy until awoken by stimulates, are also realized to be variants. Aaron suggests that there might be other variants of the undead that they are unaware of, such as the one that his group encountered.
- This episode was made available for streaming to subscribers of AMC Premiere on October 9, 2022.
- Aaron refers to Eric Raleigh as his husband, although he admits that they weren't legally married due to laws at the time.
- Gay marriage was legalized in Washington, D.C. on March 3, 2010 - nearly six months prior to the apocalypse.
- Before realizing that they are dealing with a different kind of walker, Aaron, Jerry, Elijah and Lydia mistakenly believe that they are facing the Whisperers.
- Aaron "unmasking" the variant walker might also serve as a reference to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the skinless red face of the walker looks similar to Ross Marquand's MCU character, Red Skull.
Comic Parallels[]
Goofs/Errors[]
- While ten city workers were killed by Lance's henchmen, Pamela erroneously states that only eight workers were killed when speaking to Lance.
- While Rosita's fighting off against pair of men, she kick one of them into the stomach and his hat falls off. In the next shot, the hat can be seen on his head again, right before the camera went black.
Episode Highlights[]
TBA