The Commonwealth has officially become a threat on The Walking Dead. But they don’t know who they’re dealing with. In “What’s Been Lost,” Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) are forced to work with an unlikely ally to find their friends and Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) is held hostage in the Commonwealth.
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The only thing more dangerous than the dead is the living. But without the living, we might as well be dead. There are few people who will put others’ lives ahead of their own. And they will take the necessary action to ensure their family lives. People like Carol Peletier.
TAKEN
Carol stops at the bakery to grab some food for the trip home. Ezekiel (Khary Peyton) comes in to give her some medical supplies to take with them. That’s when it happened. The men that took Rosita (Christian Serratos) took Ezekiel and tried to take Carol. Bad idea. Carol is a fighter and escapes the men easily.
Carol runs to the garage where Daryl keeps his bike and finds a trail of blood. Inside of the garage, Daryl is fighting off a guy. He already killed one of his attackers. Luckily Carol enters as the dead man reanimates. She pushes the attacker off of Daryl. The new walker bites the attacker before he can stand up. Daryl kills both men. He tells Carol that they took the kids. She tells him that they took everyone.
Carol and Daryl assess their situation. Daryl reveals that they even took Dog! These guys are obviously working for Pamela. They need to find help, but who? Daryl suggests Mercer (Michael James Shaw) and Carol suggests Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton). Huh?
BUSINESS AS USUAL
Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) declares anyone from Alexandria as enemies of the state. She shut the gates from anyone new ‘migrants’ from getting in. She tells a group of her constituents that she has taken every measure to ensure the Commonwealth’s safety. That’s when Yumiko bursts in, demanding to know what Pamela did with her friends. After Pamela politely ends her meeting, she tells Yumiko that Team Fam was taken to ensure a fair trial for Eugene (Josh McDermitt). And basically threatens Yumiko, saying if she ever wants to see them again, she will prosecute Eugene. Pamela also threatens the life of Yumiko’s brother Tomi (Ian Anthony Dale).
Yumiko runs to tell Tomi whats going on. He basically tells her to do what they want her to do so that they can all remain safe. That would mean sacrificing Eugene. Tomi says Pamela is too powerful. There is no true justice in the Commonwealth. They must do what they can to survive.
On the way out, Connie (Lauren Ridloff) pulls Yumiko aside. She was able to escape capture by stabbing a guy in the leg. Connie followed him to the hospital so she can follow him to their friends. Yumiko says it’s too dangerous for Connie to follow him and she volunteers to do it for her. While following the guy, he spots Yumiko. She pretends that she’s looking for someone and passes by him.
AN UNLIKELY ALLY
Daryl and Carol easily take out the guards in the jail to get to Hornsby. They find him talking to himself while playing with his coin. There’s blood everywhere and Walker-Sebastian (Teo Rapp-Olsson) is trying to get to Hornsby. Daryl kills Walker-Sebastian and grabs Hornsby. Hew throws him against the wall, demanding to know where their friends are. Carol takes over and gives him two choices. Tell them where their friends are or he dies. He says he can show them. He knows a way out without being seen.
There’s just one problem. Hornsby is wearing an ankle monitor. As soon as he leaves the cell, the alarm will go off. The Commonwealth soldier immediately arrives and starts shooting. Daryl has a gun and shoots back, allowing Carol and Hornsby to escape. Carol doesn’t want to leave Daryl behind, but he says he will find her.
Pamela meets with her new assistant about an upcoming press conference. She accidentally calls the new assistant Max (Margot Bingham). She gets a phone call about Hornsby’s breakout. Pamela immediately goes to the jail and finds Sebastian’s dead body. His head is split open and Hornsby’s coin is laying in Sebastians’s brains.
Yumiko visits Eugene to tell him about Pamela’s plans. She has no choice but to do what Pamela wants. Eugene is understanding, saying he already accepted his fate. He just hopes the governor doesn’t go back on her word to let their friends go free. Yumiko has no hope. She says Pamela has all of the leverage. Eugene says they have to believe that is still something they can do. They have to return the faith their friends always have in them. This is not the end.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Hornsby talks as he leads Carol through the woods. He commends her bravery, saying she’s not like everyone else. She’s alway thinking 10 steps ahead. He also hopes that Daryl is okay. That is a red flag for Carol and she turns her gun on Hornsby. She doesn’t trust him. He acts as if he’s done nothing wrong and tells her to shoot him. A Commonwealth jeep and two motorcycles approach, forcing them to hide. Hornsby says he knows how to lose the soldiers.
Night falls and Hornsby continues to lead Carol towards a tunnel. He says it was a Commonwealth project when they first started. The tunnel caved in a couple of times and had to be abandoned. As they walk into the tunnel, Hornsby talks about the importance of having someone you trust. He says he and Pamela were once like Carol and Daryl. They built the Commonwealth together and Pamela took all of the credit.
Hornsby asks what happens when they take down the Commonwealth. Who will take power? Hornsby reminds her that the people who will suffer the rebellion will be the civilians. Carol and her people hold 50,000 lives in their hands. Carol says until she finds her people, there is no after. Hornsby wonders if Carol let the Commonwealth burn. She says the Commonwealth is not her problem. He pulls at her heart strings asking what will happen to the kids. Doesn’t the next generation deserve better than the one before?
In the tunnel, they encounter a group of slimy walkers. The walkers are little hard to kill, but Carol handles them. She uses the machine gun she took from the prison to kill the walkers. On the other side of the tunnel, they encounter the living. The Commonwealth soldiers catch Carol and Hornsby off guard. They order Carol to lower her weapons. The leader tells another soldier to radio command and tell them the escapees have been caught and killed. Before that happens, Daryl shows up behind the soldiers and shoots them all. There is one alive and Carol kills him.
KEEPING THE FAITH
Pamela checks on Yumiko before the press conference. She knows about Yumiko following her man. She also tells Yumiko that Connie was found and put with the rest of Team Family. Pamela admires Yumiko’s loyalty to her people and hopes she can understand why Pamela is doing all of this. Yumiko understands that Pamela is doing all of this for herself, not her people. Regardless, Pamela says the press conference will be broadcast across the Commonwealth. She hopes it will restore the people’s faith in her. Yumiko reminds her that these are not her words.
A spokesman for Pamela announces that the press conference was called to announce the Commonwealth’s full prosecution of Eugene for murder. While the spokesman talks, Pamela asks if there’s any news on the escapees. The soldier standing next to her says they have their best people on it. Yumiko hears the entire exchange. The spokesman introduces Yumiko. As she walks by Pamela, she hears the soldiers radio. The military found four dead soldiers and there’s no sign of the escapees.
Yumiko begins by expressing her gratitude for being a part of the Commonwealth and giving her people a second chance. For Yumiko, that meant being able to practice law again and upholding justices. She says Eugene is a part of her community and someone she grew to know well and trust. The events of the past two days reminded her that, no matter the personal cost, they must always seek justice if they are to preserve who they are as people.
Yumiko pauses to thank Tomi. She tells him to stand up so everyone can see his face. She tells everyone that he is irreplaceable. He’s always wanted what’s best for Yumiko and the people of the Commonwealth. She also thanks her people for always having faith in her. Now she wants to show her faith in them and honor the pursuit of justice. Yumiko announces her intent to defend Eugene who is being wrongly and unjustly accused by Pamela Milton and the Commonwealth. Half of the crowd is shocked. The other half applauds Yumiko.
WHAT’S BEEN LOST
Hornsby leads Daryl and Carol to an abandoned railroad station. There are two Commonwealth soldiers patrolling the building. Hornsby says it’s a supply train. It’s all part of a plan to expand the Commonwealth’s reach and connect communities. Carol asks if they want to connect or conquer. It doesn’t matter though. Daryl says this is the end of the road for Hornsby.
Hornsby tries to plead with them, saying they need him. He just told them everything they need to know, so he says they need his help after they take down Pamela. He wants to build a better future for future generations. With him, they can make a better place where people are judged for who they were, but what they can become. He thought Carol agreed, but she never said a word of acknowledgement.
There’s really nothing Hornsby can say to save himself. Daryl and Carol are going to kill him, but Carol will give him a chance to run. It’s more than he deserves. Hornsby continues to plead for his life, saying he won’t make it in the wild. But they don’t care. As Hornsby walks away, he grabs a gun from the Commonwealth jeep. He turns to shoot, but is hit with an arrow through the neck, courtesy of Carol. Carol and Daryl get in the jeep and drive away, leaving Hornsby to choke on his own blood.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth soldiers have Team Family all on a prison bus. Everyone has a hood on. One by one, the soldiers inject a sedative into each of their necks. The bus is escorted by a motorcade of vehicles.
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The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC. You can watch the entire season 11 on AMC+.
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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