‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘The Rotten Core’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1114 of ‘The Walking Dead’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say that the AMC series, The Walking Dead, will be remembered fondly for accomplishing a great deal during its time on the airwaves. After all, this is the horror story that finally made zombies mainstream, and had it not been for this series, horror would not be as popular and as well-embraced as it is right now. Not to mention, it will be remembered for taking its source material to a whole new level by adding incredible depth to the already rich characters that jumped off of the page of Robert Kirkman’s revolutionary comic. But of the many things this show will be remembered for when it goes off the airwaves later this year, its ability to genuinely surprise us and shock us is something that will keep fans and future audiences that discover this series, buzzing about the show long after its curtain call.
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Because over the course of its illustrious run, the shocking character deaths that started in season two and the twists and turns that deviated from the comic books, have had all of us pouring over social media or texting our friends or shouting aloud at a watch party, regarding their gravity and power and even now… as we near the end of the journey, this show is still finding new ways to just shock us… as evidenced by last night’s episode. For ‘The Rotten Core’ is a story that seemed as though it was going to be heavily grounded in action and adventure and rightfully so. After all, this particular tale picks up mere minutes after Toby punished anyone that wasn’t telling him what he wanted to hear, all while Aaron and Maggie’s team entered the battleground apartment building to fight against this injustice. 

But a reunion with Negan and the discovery that young Hershel Rhee stowed away in the truck, led to quite the powerful surprise for certain. For it was Negan that rescued young Hershel from the Commonwealth’s soldiers and once he was safely with the others in a hidden apartment, that shocker came into play. For a brief conversation between Hershel and Negan, wherein Negan revealed that he was the one that viciously killed Glenn on that one fateful night, brought about a reckoning for Negan. One where he outright had to answer for what he has done and face the pain and remorse of taking Glenn and Abraham’s life and this led to some incredible moments for certain. The kind where young Hershel outright pulled a gun on Negan for his actions and where the man responsible for all of this pain… had to attempt to explain himself and apologize.

Which was… a sloppy task for certain and that’s something the show should be applauded for. Since it didn’t let Negan off the hook for what he’s done, nor does it make this moment any easier or smoother. It just served to remind us that this world is messy and flawed and broken and people here have had to do horrible things to survive and have indulged in the darkest corners of their souls to see another day. But what made this such a shocking moment… wasn’t the fact that Negan had to have this tough talk with young Hershel. It’s that he made an actual attempt to make things right and flawed attempt or not, that’s a huge deal for Negan since he’s tried hard over the past few years to just… put all this behind him, and that moment… combined with the revelation that he’s remarried and about to be a father, may have finally put him on the road to redemption.

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Which is something, we never thought we would see on this show and even then, who knows if it will ever fully come to fruition. Since there is a real anger and hate swirling in Hershel’s soul and understandably so, and Negan’s promise to finish their business… might end his life in a poetic and ugly manner. But all that speculation aside, there were more surprises to be found in this particular tale. Such as the fact that the Commonwealth’s army, one that is highly trained and well-armed… lost to the good people of this apartment complex and Toby got his comeuppance, and that’s shocking because they should have won the day. But instead, this is an army that we are learning is quite arrogant and undisciplined and a great deal of their problems with ferocity and execution, comes from what we discovered back within the Commonwealth’s borders.
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In that, this ‘bold reimagining’ of the old world, is nothing more than a recreation of the latter days of Rome. For it is filled with corruption and complacency and greed and while we knew of the first issue, thanks to last week’s reveal about Lance, we hadn’t a clue how far it spread and how bad the other elements were taking hold in this place. At least, not until Sebastian Milton revealed it. Because when he was lightly embarrassed by Daryl before Mister Dixon and Rosita started their patrol shift… he ordered them to join a pair of sleazy lieutenants that he had on the take, to take part in a stupid and foolhardy mission. One where Daryl and Rosita would traverse a sea of walkers to break into a rich dude’s house and steal his money since Sebastian’s funds were now cut off, thanks to mother’s fury over his spoiled nature.

Which was of course, a mission that Daryl and Rosita didn’t want to take part in, but threats run deep and well… it of course didn’t go as planned and had it not been for Carol and Mercer, who knows if they would have made it out alive. But they did and this outright exposed the corruption and greed present here and it is so deeply rooted in the Commonwealth’s overall structure that not even Mercer can do anything about it. As evidenced by the fact that he had to pawn the death of the corrupt officers off on living dead related endings, and by how… he stood by and let Sebastian collect his money and go about his day, despite the fact that he was responsible for a bevy of innocent deaths in this matter. Since he sent a ridiculous number of civilian teams to this house to get his bloody bag of money before ever considering Daryl and Rosita.

If anything, that really made for some heartbreaking revelations about the Commonwealth, and it, and Negan’s surprise… once again forced the viewer to ponder upon the central question hanging over this season. In that, are we worth saving? Because on the one hand, Sebastian’s nonsense implies that, no we are not. But seeing a man like Negan, transform himself from a violent despot into an honest man, ready to start anew and ready to face the emotional consequences of his past, and become a family man in the process… says that perhaps we are. Which means this little dance around that question will continue until the very end of the series. But while we wait to see how this show answers that question, we can bask in the wonder of a shocking episode, one that also set the stage for some incredible conflict. Since the good people of the once strong Alexandria Alliance, appear to be slowly preparing for a grand fight with the morally corrupt echo of the past that is the Commonwealth. Until next time.

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