The fuse has been lit as a revolution is about to break out in the Commonwealth. Prior to Rick’s arrival the citizens of the Commonwealth felt mistreated by their government. Since Rick has arrived, due to a series of events, the citizens of the Commonwealth have been inching closer and closer to overthrowing their government and instituting a new one. The latest event that lit the fuse is Rick being forced to kill Dwight as a symbol for the residents of the Commonwealth to take back their rights from the government.
The Good:
The table is being set for a civil war to be fought between the government and the citizens of the Commonwealth. Pamela, due to how news spreads within her community, plays off the Dwight situation as an assassination attempt and that Rick saved her. In doing this she is attempting to quell the uprising against her by have Rick on her side, which will increase support and eliminate the possibility of him being an enemy to her in the future. As this is occurring, Princess begins to pack up her things from Mercer’s room as she does not want to be here when things turn violent and she does not want to let negativity back in her life. She explains in her past her step-father and step-brother use to punish her by hitting her and tying her up and placing her in a closet. This has resulted in her developing the strategy to not let negative thoughts into her life even if it means for her to move out of that situation. In turn, this affects Mercer who is approached by Laura where she sees his frustration and suggests that they begin to make a move to overturn Pamela and the government she has established. The first action he takes is making a speech that captures the sentiment of how all the soldiers of the Commonwealth feel by risking their lives with no improvement in the life-quality to protect the upper class prior to the apocalypse. While he is not opposed, before he can finish he is stopped as Lance comes in and hears it all making it clear he is not happy with Mercer. In this situation Mercer has just stated several truths about the Commonwealth that his fellow soldiers agree with. Others do not agree with Mercer’s points and they are supporting Lance and the government. This circumstance changes the game. Now it is not only the lower skilled and income residents of the Commonwealth who are opposing the government, there are people within the government opposing it as well. With the civil war in its infancy, Magna orders Siddiq to go to the Hilltop to gather a group to check on the Commonwealth as she is concerned about Rick. Siddiq, once at the Hilltop, recruits Dante, Jesus, Aaron, and Carl to join him to check on Rick and the Commonwealth. Before they leave Lydia makes up with Carl as they had a fight the night before. Both the journey and Carl and Lydia making up hints that the peace the four communities have been experiencing since the end of the Whisperer War is going to come to an end as turmoil is kicking up in the Commonwealth.
The Bad:
The comic rushes Rick forgiving Michonne for causing Dwight’s death. As a result of this it plays down what Dwight was attempting to do along with the complicated and calculated decision Rick had to make in killing one of his own people. Furthermore, in playing it down it damages the 20 plus issues it took to properly build out this point, which has now been buried and treated as a non-key issue for The Walking Dead moving forward. In forgiving her, the comic has efficiently labeled Dwight’s character to be his last action, which is a hot-headed radical rather than being a leader who helped to defeat the Whisperers.
The Verdict:
This issue is like the rocky seas as the waves bring you up and bring you down. Clearly the comic has lit a fuse for a civil war to break on all fronts within the Commonwealth as key figures are beginning to make intentions known. But it is just intentions without any major actions. At the same time the comic has also buried and labeled Dwight’s character as a hot-headed radical and does not acknowledge what he has done for the four communities. This raises questions as to what his past actions and what his death will mean for the Commonwealth and the four communities once the news is spread. Due to this, the comic is a hard issue to swallow as the plot is moving in one direction, but is moving backwards in another area.
