Eugene Plays Detective In A Mostly Terrible Episode Of ‘The Walking Dead’

There is only one thing you need to know about the Eugene episode of The Walking Dead. Out of ten, I give it three mother buckets.

Eugene Porter was looking high and low for his missing girlfriend, and the investigative pursuit of Eugene was followed by theRogue Element.

This appears to be the theme of the episode. The case of the soldier arrested at the masquerade ball, Tyler Davis, is being investigated by two investigative journalists.

I have questions of my own. Why is a total newcomer to the Commonwealth allowed to be an investigative journalist? Why would the Commonwealth allow such a profession? It doesn't make sense in an authoritarian society where it might be useful.

I am confused by a lot of things. What does Eugene do for the Commonwealth? He seems to have a lot of time to himself. They do too. All of these people seem to live in nice apartments. Why does Daryl have crummy digs? Why are some of our survivors doing well in the military while others are not? Why are our heroes treated differently when they are all newcomers?

This is a strange civilization. It makes no sense. How are they making ice cream and ice cream cones, which require large amounts of processed sugar and other ingredients, not to mention the fact that the ice cream needs to be refrigerated?

How long will it take for our heroes to destroy this place? They will not, but when they will, because that is what this bunch does. In Fear The Walking Dead, whenever the survivors reach a new settlement, good or bad, they destroy it. Alexandria and its original inhabitants were brought down the same way as the Sanctuary and his Saviors. The Governor and the police community where Beth was killed are just some of the places that have been mentioned. The core cast of characters of The Walking Dead are all dead from the deadly virus. They are the true villains of this show.

Who cares if the Commonwealth is too authoritarian? It's how they've made it work and survived and thrived during the apocalypse, while our heroes have struggled from one mistake to the next. Alexandria was a bastion of freedom and liberty under the rule of Michonne.

In any case, the entire plot of the movie is stupid. The first episode of Season 11 Part 2 was strong, but has since sunk back to Part 1 levels of mediocre. Even a stopped clock can be right twice a day. The Walking Dead is barely recognizable these days, a tired husk of its former self. The way the characters are integrated into the Commonwealth is implausible.

This week Eugene's story is almost as absurd. He tells her he loves her and she leaves. Eugene spirals into a downward spiral because of this. One of the detective boards from cop dramas has photos and thumbtacks and bits of red string connecting all the pieces of the puzzle.

If you look closely, you'll see some pretty interesting stuff on the board. Eugene made a detailed drawing of the ice cream truck where they were supposed to meet. The waffle cone is on the detective board. What appears to be a grocery coupon is connected to the waffle cone by a red string.

It is laughably bad. Who thinks of this stuff?

Eugene has been looking for a rogue element within the government of the Commonwealth and he enlisted the help of the Princess. It is all very silly. The writers and producers of The Walking Dead don't know how to make a believable mystery-thriller. Eugene's investigation ends with twists.

The twist isn't really a twist. Even if Eugene has been so easy to fool, he won't be in the audience.

She is just a plant that Hornsby used to get valuable intel out of Eugene. They broke it off when things got too serious, but why they continued is a mystery. Hornsby told Eugene that the ends justify the means. The people of Alexandria were saved by his ploy. He is not wrong when he tells Eugene that they lied a lot.

There is a second twist. A woman is behind Eugene as he burns his manuscript. Max is the assistant to the Commonwealth boss. The woman who was taken hostage last week and her sister to the general. She was talking to Eugene on the radio.

A second woman lied to Eugene about her true identity. Cool. She will be a good guy and not caught up in the Commonwealth scheming and plot which led to Eugene and his group getting arrested at the rendezvous point. Or something. The storyline is too much about Eugene.

What is the purpose of the armor? There is a scene where two Commonwealth guards run away from zombies who are too incompetent to kill, and the only thing the armor can do is slow them down and make it harder for them to fight the zombies. You wouldn't know it from the choreography, but surely it's at least bite-proof.

I'm not holding out much hope that things will pick up and we will get back to a decent story that we care about. Rick and Carl are no longer with us. Michonne is no longer with us. The series is telling a story that no longer matters.

What did you think of the show?

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