‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Warlords’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1113 of ‘The Walking Dead’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Over the course of the past couple of weeks, a grand and important question has come forth regarding the final season of The Walking Dead on AMC. In that, we are all beginning to wonder if the Commonwealth is a good place, or a bad place. Simply because… at times, we have been privy to moments that showcase a wondrous place that really is trying to put the world back together in a positive light. For we’ve seen our heroes be cared for and accomplish wonders within the territory’s borders. But at the same time, while it is cuddly to see justice be served and Ezekiel earn more life at a time when lifespans have plummeted… there are a lot of odd moments that have given all of us pause regarding this place.
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After all, we are fully aware now that some of its citizens are not exactly thrilled with the class inequity that exists within this supposed utopia and of course… Lance Hornsby is up to some shady stuff. Since he manipulated Eugene from the moment he arrived, and he has his secret council that he meets with under the cover of the darkness. But after weeks of weighing both of sides of the coin when it comes to the Commonwealth, at long last… the show finally took the time to answer that particular question… in the most surprisingly way imaginable. For ‘Warlords’ is a story that made it appear early on, that the Commonwealth is a place that we shouldn’t worry about in the slightest, as evidenced by the mission that Aaron recruited Gabriel for.

Since it was made clear to the padre, that the Commonwealth was moving fast to grow its ranks by doing what Alexandria once did. Which was to find survivors and bring them into the fold and give them a chance at a new life and since Aaron is about as trustworthy as it gets and shoots straight, Gabriel had no qualms with coming along for this little mission and even their arrival at the doorstep of an isolated apartment building full of people… showed no signs of trouble. If anything, the only real aspect of concern when it came to this mission… was a man named Toby. Who was helping Aaron bring people in and his goofy demeanor made it seem as though he didn’t take this seriously, nor did he have a clue what the hell he was doing.

A reality that was reinforced when the outreach team got inside of this place and spoke with its supremely gruff and untrusting leader, Ian. Since Toby was silent and confused on several occasions and for a time… it just appeared as though this mission was going to end in failure and instead teach the audience and our heroes a lesson, that sometimes… you cannot save certain people. Since Ian and his people were obviously in a supremely dark place. But when Ian got a little too hot under the collar and was distracted by the disarming kindness of Aaron in that moment… Toby transformed and quickly laid waste to Ian and his counterparts and then used the Commonwealth’s soldiers to seize control of the place and stun Aaron and Gabriel in the process.

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Because this was not at all what they signed up for and well… that’s when everyone came to learn, what the Commonwealth is all about. Which as it turns out, is nothing good. Since some of its leadership harbors corrupt morals and ill intentions. As evidenced by a fascinating flashback sequence wherein Toby was informed by Lance Hornsby, to take a team out to this place and wipe them out for messing with a Commonwealth convoy. A discussion that made it clear how little regard Hornsby stands for preserving life and how much he believes he needs to reshape the world in a specific image in his mind and that’s terrifying to say the least. But before we could process the gravity of this revelation… the trouble that arose for Gabriel and Aaron in that moment, kept our attention.
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For we also came to learn… they weren’t in on the plan, and they were horrified by everything they’d seen and that motivated them, to stand up in that moment and potentially lose their lives by fighting against the might of the Commonwealth. But thankfully, they weren’t alone in this fight. Because despite being handcuffed by soldiers, Gabriel was able to escape and that was made possible… by Negan. Who joined this group after leaving Alexandria behind and rather than exact revenge, he once again proved he’s trying to walk on the straight and narrow by saving Gabriel’s hide, and by calling for help. Because he also sent a courier to Hilltop… to ask Maggie to swing by and aid in the fight and thankfully, she’s arrived and reunited with Aaron and not a moment too soon.

For Toby and his soldiers are ready to common wanton murder in order to figure out who hit the convoy and these innocent people will need every bit of help they can get. In the end however, this was simply an incredible story through and through. Largely because… it certainly provided us with that all important answer regarding the Commonwealth and while it may not be the one, we were hoping for, it is there none the less and this is going to change everything. For there’s no way that Maggie will ever stand with the Commonwealth after learning about this treachery, but it may also change the course of events for Alexandria as well. Because this is the kind of behavior that Aaron won’t stand for or with and it will be interesting to see what action he takes against the Commonwealth when this fight has ended.

However, while the anticipation for that will be great, before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to talk about the other awesome moments present in this tale. For instance, how the truth was revealed unto us… was downright brilliant. Since it really seemed as though this story was going to focus on a new threat while offering up more commentary on the have and the have nots of the new world. Not a grand reveal that the Commonwealth has been the enemy all along. Also, you can’t go wrong with a kickass Michael Biehn cameo either, since he made Ian as memorable as possible and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this fascinating tale, it’s time to count down the minutes until next week’s tale… so we can see how our heroes handle a foe that outguns and outnumbers them. Until then.   

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