Peace returns to the Commonwealth. Despite the rage the people of the Commonwealth have experienced when one of their own was killed, the riot has subsided with the arrival of Governor Milton and her troops. Evan, though she never had to deal with an uprising in front of a recently arriving Rick Grimes and company, properly regains control of her community and demonstrates why she was elected to lead them. Even with her great leadership there is still doubt among members of her own community and Rick’s as to the true nature of the Commonwealth and the way they rule their people.
The Good:
Prior to Rick arriving the riot is in full swing as Michonne and Elodie are running away to safety. After getting away Elodie notices Jerome is in trouble and urges Michonne to go help him. Initially, Michonne tries to reason with the citizens of the Commonwealth but ends up being attacked, too. While on the ground Jerome puts his body over Michonne’s as a means to protect her from receiving any more harm. This captures the idea that Jerome understands the value that Michonne brings to the Commonwealth and that she is worth more than he is. Furthermore, Jerome is also demonstrating his appreciation for not only himself, as she is defending him in killing a civilian, but also in protecting the name of the Commonwealth’s soldiers. This also hints at the idea that Jerome is slightly interested in Michonne as he is willing to risk his life to protect her. With this in mind, it opens up several possibilities for a new relationship to occur between them. Upon arrival to the Commonwealth and seeing the riot Mercer, under Governor Milton and her troops, begins to subdue the riot. While it was not her intention to show off her military’s power, nor was it a circumstance they ever dealt with before, it sends a strong message to Rick of who the Commonwealth is. This is only confirmed by how quick the riot is quashed and order is restored between the government and its civilians. Before Governor Milton can return to her work she joins Rick as he is helping to clean up the damage that was caused by the riot despite being a guest of hers. By joining in, she is adapting traits from his leadership where everyone pitches in and that there is no separation from leaders and the average civilian. This shows that she can change and improve her leadership skills to governor and improve the life of the people she presides over. While cleaning up the mess Dwight comes to the realization that these people are being oppressed by their leadership and he wants to change the system. Before he does this, he approaches Rick to tell him, to which Rick immediately shoots him down telling him not to do anything. This raises questions about Rick’s long-term goals with the Commonwealth and the four communities and with needing Dwight as he no longer has Michonne in his council. Finally, the comic’s plot begins to lay out bigger and better plans for Eugene as he wants to restore an engine car on a train for the purpose of making transportation between the four Communities and the Commonwealth faster and safer. While this is still only an idea, it opens many possibilities that can occur between these groups which can include anything from expansions of territories and settlements to dividing them as people have different leadership styles.
The Bad:
The comic drops the ball on the riot as it was extremely short lived. The Commonwealth government style has been suggested and confirmed to be semi-oppressive, but still decent place to like society. Thus, when one of the citizens gets killed by the government it seems reasonable for them to riot and want to overthrow the government. Yet is unreasonable for that to stop when a fraction of troops return home after they have caused a significant amount of damage. Therefore, the riot seems unrealistic in the way that it would occur and the way that is was ended. Furthermore, the issue also deprives the reader of justice. The riot started due to one of the civilians being injured and later dying from those injuries from one of the Commonwealth’s soldiers. Michonne, who was hired to defend the soldier who caused the death to occur after the riot, had the trial dismissed and the charges dropped sighting it was time for the Commonwealth to heal. In doing this, it appears that the man who lost his life and his family received no justice as a wrong was not righted in this system. Considering that Michonne in many circumstances has demonstrated that she is a just person this seems out of place for her and seems very inconsistent with her character.
The Verdict:
The issue captures many different forms of progress as the Commonwealth’s troops restore order and stop the riot, regaining in a semi-peaceful way in the government. Governor Milton joins Rick and his group in cleaning up the riot before returning to her work shows she can adapt her leadership styles. Yet the issue has problems as the riot is not realistic in how it played out and ultimately ended. Along with the aftermath of Michonne getting the trial dismissed and preventing an opportunity for justice to occur. This raises questions about the The Walking Dead going forward along with the idea that characters are changing dramatically in how they approach life and their core beliefs.
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