Things are about to go from bad to worse for the Commonwealth. Since communication and the arrival of the Four Communities flaws have been exposed in the Commonwealth’s governmental systems. In response to these flaws the citizens of the Commonwealth have seen an alternative and fairer lifestyle that they want, this has prompted them to become vocal to their government. With the riot being squashed, Dwight’s death, a guard being acquitted of murder, and Mercer being imprisoned a civil war between the Government of the Commonwealth and the citizens is unavoidable.
The Good:
The final nail to an unavoidable civil war has just been put into the wood with Mercer’s plan of overthrowing the government being put down by Lance and ending with him being imprisoned. While he is imprisoned Pamela Milton visits him to express her disappointment as she took him in, gave him a job, and power within her government. In response Mercer exposes who she really is by making it clear he had no real power, was a babysitter for her son, and was put in countless dangerous situations by her and her son without either one of them caring. Furthermore, Mercer reveals that he knows that her intention is to eventually hand over her power to her idiotic son so that they may continue the lifestyle they have. Pamela does not dispute this, but rather confirms this assertion by making it clear Mercer is right where he belongs sitting in prison. This captures the systemic problems that the Commonwealth has in governing its people and why they want to overthrow it. Furthermore, as this news comes to Rick and Michonne it becomes clear that the people of the Commonwealth were picking a side between the Government and the citizens but where hesitant to act due to respecting and trusting Mercer as the lead guard. With him in prison there is no reason for the citizens to not engage their government in a violent way. For Rick and Michonne this raises questions including how can they stop it and are they the cause for all this occurring as they didn’t introduce these feelings that these people have but they did show them an alternative style of life and gave them hope that it could be achieved. As this is unfolding, Jesus and Carl run into Princess who has left the Commonwealth, in the process Jesus falls off his horse and is rescued by Carl who are separated from the group. While they are separated Princess saves them by finding a place for them to hide as the rest of the group leads the hoard of zombies away. While Carl and Jesus wait, Princess fills them in on what is occurring with the Commonwealth as infighting is taking place between the government and its citizens and she left because she doesn’t mix well with people when they fight and that she is better off alone. Much to her surprise Carl reassures her that she is a good person and that she is not a loner as she saved both Jesus and himself when she did not have to. After waiting for the herd to thin out Carl convinces Princess to join them to the go back to the Commonwealth and be part of their team. This captures Carl’s ability to lead and make a persuadable argument that not only helps his community, but also helps his team complete the task at hand, which in turn shows how Carl is developing into a leader.
The Bad:
The comic ends on a sudden cliffhanger with no major build up being devoted to it and this is that the herd was rerouted to the abandon rail cars that Eugene was and still working on. While the herd was being rerouted, the guards protecting Eugene were recalled and told him that they could no longer protect him if he chose to stay and continue to work on the train. Beyond that exchange the comic gave no answer until the final pages where Eugene is working on the engine and is unaware of the herd approaching him. This seems out of character for Eugene as he is very contentious of the herd and how they maneuver as he has developed countless measures to steer and control them throughout the years he has been in the Four Communities. Furthermore, Eugene in the last several issues of the comic, has proven to be an instrumental character in both expanding technology as well as fostering relationships between people and to put him in a situation where he may die seems like it would hurt the development of the comic as it is approaching issue 200.
The Verdict:
It is clear that all the pieces are now in play for a confrontation to occur within the Commonwealth over the next 6 to 12 issues that will redefine relationships between several people, the Four Communities and the Commonwealth. With that mind, issue 188 of The Walking Dead has accomplished its job effectively in setting the table for the next big event to occur.
