'The Walking Dead' Recap: 'Time for After'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

For the vast majority of people out there, choosing a side is a fairly simple process. We find those that align with our views, our ideals and our goals and we stand with them in our cause whether it be good or bad because a united front always helps to progress whatever it is we are trying to accomplish. But for other people out there, choosing a side can actually be quite the painful ordeal. For some, that’s due to the fact that they have often chosen to stay on the sidelines and let the world sort its own business out, and now that something in their life has changed, they’re forced to step up and are unsure of how to proceed.
 
But for others, well their issues with having to align themselves with a particular cause comes from the fact that they quickly picked a side, and they later come to realize they’ve made a terrible mistake. They chose a side without taking the time to think about what exactly they were backing and a crisis of conscience has now consumed their soul and it is this notion that found its way to the center stage on The Walking Dead last night, because ‘Time for After’ returned us to the Sanctuary to focus on Eugene and his long standing controversial decision to join the Saviors…and the regret he is now experiencing over it.
 
If anything, I have to admit that I was quite impressed with the fact that the series decided to address this now, in the midst of All Out War, but truly, it could not have come at a better time because while we all know that Eugene has chosen the wrong side, it’s high time he figured it out as well. But his coming to such a realization would not come about in simple fashion because that’s simply not this show’s style. No, in order to bring Eugene to the point of epiphany, an incredible push storytelling wise had to come into play, one that stayed in tune with season eight’s theme of the greater good and one that broke Eugene at last. 
 
As it turns out the key to shattering a man like Eugene Porter is to hammer home the point that he’s a coward without a spine and all night long, both Dwight and Father Gabriel found ways to test his mettle and bring his cowardice to the forefront of the story and slowly but surely it tore at his soul. There was constant regret upon his face and on his mind over the fact that he was helping Negan and unfortunately for those that were slowly starting to reach him…his fight or flight response came into play when Daryl’s plan to shatter the walls of the Sanctuary came to fruition, forcing Eugene to not only acknowledge the fact that he’s okay with being Negan’s pet puppy, but he also took this moment as an opportunity to remind everyone that he will do anything to please his new master and he puts together a plan to finally free the Sanctuary and the Saviors from the dead within and around their walls.

---

​Now I saw the fan reaction to this episode, and I know everyone was basically pissed at Eugene for continuing to align himself with Negan and have his back for that matter, and while I too would love to feel fury over this, I felt nothing but pity when all is said and done. Because I’m constantly reminded of the final moments of Eugene’s story in this episode, wherein he finally hits his lowest point and basically drinks himself stupid to dull the pain and my pity comes from the fact that he’s a man who is simply lost. He never mattered before the end of the world, he lied and embarrassed himself to try and feel needed and important, and it took an evil man’s compliments and faith to finally give him that sense of belonging and well…it’s clear after being pushed so hard in this story that he finally knows he made a poor decision in joining and supporting the Saviors. He knows good people will die for his actions and at long last he’s finally feeling conflicted over his selfishness and his rampant fear and I’m still wondering if his story will be a long and drawn out redemption tale where somewhere down the line Eugene will finally wake up and smell the proverbial coffee and do the right thing.
 
Don’t get me wrong however, I’m still disappointed in the man and his sheer desire to be adored by Negan because he is better than that. But if anything, my fury in this tale comes from the fact that Daryl essentially screwed everything up with his unnecessary need for revenge because as I mentioned before, he went through with this plan to ram a truck into the Sanctuary and well…had he exercised some level of composure and stuck with the plan there’s a chance that Eugene wouldn’t have come up with his hastily designed plan to free the Saviors from the living dead and some patience on his part could have allowed for the war to come to an end far sooner and at this point, who knows what kind of trouble Daryl’s selfishness has caused because Negan is out and about and furious and no doubt ready to unleash his own special brand of fury upon the Alliance.
 
However, there is at least one sliver of hope when it comes to the war, in that, after spending a little time toying around with the Heapsters and their allegiance, the story finally brought that whole mess to a satisfying conclusion by way of a thrilling sequence wherein Rick was able to demonstrate to Jadis his resolve and strength by defeating her lieutenants and destroying Winston 2.0, and his overall badassery was enough for her to finally realize that he was not a man to be messed with and she finally aligned with the Alliance. But while it is nice to see this strange group of folks back the right side for a change, their contribution to the war effort may not matter now that Rick is fully aware of the fact that the Sanctuary is walker free, and filled with fear because of this chilling development…
 
In the end however, despite the powerful implications of trouble to come from that closing shot, this was quite the lovely little character study of Eugene Porter and the conflict he’s now going through internally and I certainly hope he realizes he can no longer back the wrong side when it comes to this conflict and when all is said and done, Josh McDermitt deserves some serious props for his performance in this episode. He really displayed his acting chops through and through and I hope somehow the series finds a way to put more of that on display. But in the meantime, there’s bigger fish to fry. The Saviors are loose and Negan is no doubt looking for revenge and I have no doubt that we will see the brutal fallout from Daryl’s folly in next week’s midseason finale. Until next time. 

---