Trouble is on the horizon on The Walking Dead. In “Variant,” Aaron (Ross Marquand) and company discover a new threat and Eugene (Josh McDermitt) is on the lam.
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Eugene wasn’t always the most brave person. It took him a while to learn to fight walkers. But he always did what he needed to do to survive … including lying. But now, he will do what must be done and be who he has to be to save those he loves.
THE FUGITIVE
Eugene saved Max (Margot Bingham) from Sebastian (Teo Rapp-Olsson) by pushing a walker into the young man, thereby killing him. Max and Eugene got separated. A woman on the street said Eugene killed Sebastian. Daryl (Norman Reedus) was nearby so he grabbed Eugene before the Commonwealth police could. Now Pamela (Laila Robins) has the military police searching for Eugene and Max.
Pamela won’t let anyone touch Sebastian. She admits that she knew he wasn’t the best person. They had their issues because family is a complicated thing. Something Mercer (Michael James Shaw) knows too. Pamela subtly threatens Max. She needs someone to take the fall for Sebastian’s death; to show that actions have consequences. If Mercer can find Eugene, then she will help Max. For now, the military arrests all of Eugene’s friends.
Mercer interviews Rosita (Christian Serratos) like he doesn’t know her. He asks for Eugene’s whereabouts. Witnesses saw Rosita with Eugene, but she says she hasn’t seen Eugene since before the commotion. Mercer asks Rosita to tell Eugene to turn himself in. It’s the only way to help himself and his people. He lets Rosita go after the warning.
Eugene is hiding at the church with Daryl. He is very concerned about Max but everyone else is worried about getting out of the Commonwealth. Eugene says he won’t leave without Max so Rosita volunteers to find her. That will be hard because Pamela is offering a reward for the capture of Eugene and Max. Anyone who helps them will suffer the same fate.
KINGDOM 2.0

Aaron, and company continue towards Oceanside, but run into a group of walkers. They decide to go through the woods to get around the group. The wagon gets stuck. The group is able to get the wagon unstuck, but Jerry (Cooper Andrews) gets hurt in the process. They find an abandoned community with walls around it. And decide to camp there for the night.
While Lydia (Cassady McClincy) and Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari) try to start a fire, he tries to kiss her. Lydia pulls away and leaves. Jerry is telling Aaron about how much he likes the place. He calls it The Kingdom 2.0. Aaron isn’t listening and leaves to take the first watch. Lydia decides to go with him.
Aaron and Lydia have a heart to heart about Elijah. Lydia thought about Henry recently. She’s not sure she can be with Eljiah because she’s afraid to lose Elijah too. Aaron tells her about Eric. When they first met, Eric asked him out several times in a six month period, but Aaron always said no. He eventually said yes and the time with Eric was the happiest time of his life. When Eric died, he wished he could take back one of those No’s so they could have one more day together. Loss is inevitable, the only thing they can control is when they say yes. Outside of the walls, a dead hand reaches for the top of the fence.
FOR FAMILY
At the Commonwealth, Princess (Paola Lázaro) yells at Mercer for the way she was treated. And to find out what’s going to happen to Eugene if they catch him. Mercer says he will do everything he can to make sure Eugene is treated fairly, but Princess is pretty sure they are going to kill him. She defends Eugene saying he is a good person. He accepted her for who she is and saved her. Mercer says they can’t change what happened and he has to look out for his family too. They are interrupted when a soldier reports that they saw Max.
Later that night, Max is making her way to rendezvous with Rosita when two soldiers show up. They pass by, but Max runs back to her hiding place. There are two more soldiers waiting for her. Rosita steps up to help her, but Max shakes her head. Rosita has to pretend that she was just passing by when they found Max.
Mercer gives Max a statement to sign that says she suffers from depression and paranoia. In her confusion she manipulated a recording of Sebastian to slander the Milton family. Mercer encourages her to sign it so she can be free. Max won’t sign because she knows things will go back to the way they were. If she doesn’t sign, she could be executed for treason. Mercer is trying to save her and the Commonwealth. Max thinks about how her father taught them to be good citizens. She says he would be ashamed of Mercer right now.
Daryl catches Eugene looking out the window and tells him to stay out of sight. Eugene is anxious to find Max and tries to leave the church. Daryl steps in the way, so Eugene tries to fight him. Daryl is amused and steps aside. He knows Eugene won’t leave, no matter what he says. Eugene thinks he’s a coward, but Daryl calls it smart. Eugene knows he relies on others and their courage. His only discernible skill is the ability to lie. He wonders if people are born brave or become brave. Daryl says both.
TRAUMA

Ezekiel (Khary Peyton) fills Princess in on the plan to get Eugene out of the Commonwealth. She’s ready to get back on the road with Eugene, Ezekiel and Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura). Ezekiel says he’s not leaving. He thinks he can help change happen in the Commonwealth, but Princess says it’s not worth holding onto. He says most folks are trying to make the best of what’s in front of them. Princes says this time she deserves more than just the best of a bad situation. Ezekiel agrees. He will support her, whatever she decides.
Pamela visits Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) at his request. She knows his people killed the workers and released their corpses to the public. He says he did it to get her attention but never intended for Sebastian to die. He blames the people from Alexandria and offers to take care of them for her. Pamela takes his coin and hides it in her hands. She wants Lance to pick a hand and says if he wins, he gets to live. He choses right. Lance is grateful and says he is at the disposal of the Milton family.
Pamela returns Lance’s coin and knocks on the door. A soldier brings in walker Sebastian. They untie Lance’s hands and give him a large knife. They also bring in Roman Calhoun’s (Michael Tourek) dead body. Pamela says if Lance is at her family’s disposal, this is all that’s left. She tells him to feed her son and leaves.
Mercer goes to Princess’s apartment as she is about to leave. He doesn’t want her to leave and wonders if she’s leaving because she’s afraid of him. Yes and no. She has to leave because of what they are going to do to Eugene. Mercer says it could be worse and Princess hates that phrase.
Princess tells him about growing up with a step-father and step-brother who beat her. Things could be better and they should be. But the Commonwealth reminds her of her step-father. If she sits by and watches, that makes her like her mother. Because of what happened to her, she thinks of all men as monsters. But not Mercer. She doesn’t see Mercer like that.
VARIANT
Lydia and Aaron hear a noise in the distance. They checked the place over several times and secured every entrance. So the fact that they hear someone fall alarms them. They see a small group of walkers coming toward them. They think they can handle them until the see another group approach from another side. Jerry and Elijah join the fight as they retreat to a nearby building.
They see someone trying to open the door to the building and think it’s a Whisperer. They have to crawl to the roof to escape. Once everyone is safe, Aaron, Lydia and Elijah assess the situation while Jerry rests by the opening. They think Lydia and Eljiah can jump down and clear the way for Jerry and Aaron because Jerry can’t jump.
Lydia and Elijah jump down and Aaron watches. One of the walkers climbs to the roof and almost gets Jerry. Aaron saves him and removes the mask of the Whisperer, except … it’s not a Whisperer. It’s an actual walker.
Lydia and Elijah were successful. The next morning they examine the dead. Aaron says that some walkers return to the place that they remember. He’s heard of walkers that can climb walls and open doors. They all pack up and prepare to leave. Lydia finally kisses Elijah, no longer afraid to move forward.
On the way out, Aaron agrees that the place looks like a Kingdom 2.0. Jerry says Ezekiel could be king again. Aaron says it feels like the place was built for King Jerry. Jerry likes the sound of King Jerry and Queen Nabila (Nadine Marissa).
SACRIFICE

Daryl and Rosita inform Eugene that the soldiers have arrested Max. Daryl says something is going to happen so it’s time to go. Eugene sits down and bids them both adieu. Daryl leaves Rosita to deal with him.
Eugene won’t let Max take the fall for what he did. He says his life isn’t worth living without her. Rosita thinks they will kill him if he is caught. He says he can either go where Max goes or end up who he was before. Max makes him a better man. Rosita told him he would find his person. He trusted Rosita enough and she was right. He found Max. Now he’s asking Rosita to trust him and let him go.
Eugene heads to the police station and turns himself in. He confesses that he made the tape of Sebastian and played it at the Founders’ Day celebration. He also caused Sebastian’s death. Eugene also says he acted alone. Max had nothing to do with it. The Commonwealth soldiers lock up Eugene. Max is distraught when she finds out.
Rosita is packing her things when two men walk into her apartment. They try to knock her out, but she fights back. One of the men gets a good hold of her and the other puts a hood over her head.
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The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC. You can watch the entire season 11 on AMC+.
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