In a snap of a finger part two of the revolution has started and ended in the Commonwealth as Governor Milton has been forced into hiding. While this is a victory for the citizens and the soldiers, who for years have been treated as second class citizens, they have no leadership to usher in a new government as the citizens and soldiers do not trust one another. This opens up an opportunity for Rick, which Dwight was aiming for, and that is for him to assume leadership of the Commonwealth. Yet this opportunity and decision does not come without consequences or responsibilities as 30,000 plus lives will be impacted based on how Rick chooses to proceed with the Commonwealth.
The Good:
Clearly the revolution has touched upon several points of no turning back for all members of the Commonwealth. In particular, for Mercer who was caught by Lance attempting to rally his fellow guards to overthrow Governor Milton and was later imprisoned. In thinking about what Mercer said his fellow soldiers, with encouragement from Laura, agree with him and decided to blow up the walls of the prison to free him. This is not only freeing Mercer but, is sending a message to Governor Milton and her inner circle that the soldiers and the citizens who she has treated as second class citizens have had enough. Furthermore, these actions are meant to strike a position of fear into her to force her to flee or surrender. Governor Milton dismisses it until Rick tells her that Mercer is leading this revolt and that she needs to leave. This attitude shows how out of touch she has become with her people and the threats of the world they live in as she is not exposed to any of it, rather she has various people protecting her from it. We are now seeing how years of problems have led to a variety of groups becoming frustrated as their leader has no understanding of the true threats that exist in the world. After listening to Rick and hearing soldier and citizens approaching her home Governor Milton with her son begin to follow Rick as he is helping them escape from what would be certain death. During this escape Sebastian questions Rick who snaps and states that everybody hates him and his Mom, but they don’t deserve to die for that. This shows that Rick is fully aware of the failures that Governor Milton has caused in uniting and treating her citizens fairly, but is mature enough to know that offense is not punishable by death. Luckily, as they are escaping Rick runs into Jesus and his group and tells him to take the Governor and her son to Greenville to keep them safe. This captures the ability of Rick to analyze and enact a plan to try to keep everyone safe. Knowing that the Governor will be safe Rick returns to where the revolution is occurring and is met by Mercer who is having trouble restoring order as the citizens do not trust the soldiers. Mercer realizes that the citizens will never trust the soldiers fully due to what has transpired recently, but they will trust Rick and will choose him over Governor Milton as a leader. This puts Rick in a difficult spot as he just assured her safety and now in assuming power. It can be viewed as an act of double-crossing or a set up to deprive her of power. Under this lens, this could force her to make a drastic view that might cause more blood to be spilled rather than a peaceful transition.
The Bad:
While the revolution was taking place Eugene and Stephanie were in their own conflict as a herd appeared them forcing them to hide in the engine car of the train. While Eugene did take charge of the situation and eventually got Stephanie and himself to safety the comic missed a perfect opportunity to solidify a relationship between them. In particular, the comic could have extended this circumstance to allow both of them to become closer and allow Eugene to start to move past Rosita and his lost child with this relationship. Depending on the direction the comic is going, as TWD tends to go, either Eugene or Stephanie would eventually be killed which would evoke emotions and reiterate the ideas that actions have consequences. Yet because the comic failed to do this, that emotional connection is lost and will take a lot of effort and writing to build it up again with these two characters.
The Verdict:
Clearly a small win has been achieved for Mercer and his fellow soldiers along with the citizens of the Commonwealth. This win brings with it several problems including what are the next steps they take as a community to move forward, what actions will the Governor take, and what will Rick do now that he has been put in a situation where he is forced to assume power to prevent a bad situation from becoming a worse one. As all of this is playing out, the comic glosses over the struggle Eugene and Stephanie have and with that decision loses a massive opportunity to add even more character development to Eugene who has been taking leaps and bounds in the last 50 issues. With that in mind, the comic hits several points that is setting up the 190thissue but feels like it has taken several steps backwards in the famous storytelling- style Robert Kirkman is known for.
