11x19 Variant

[7.5/10] An episode “Variant” comes down to two major scenes for me. So much of The Walking Dead is a bunch of two-character conversations, with one action set piece to goose things a bit. This one is no exception.

But I think you can draw a major contrast between two of the biggest scenes. One is the confrontation between Pamela Milton and Lance Hornsby. Not for nothing, it has the best composition of any scene in the episode, with some creative staging and lighting that gives the confrontation a stark, almost eerie feel before a single word is said. It’s a weird scene, with Governor Milton’s odd, almost sexual carreses of Lance at a time when she’s theoretically blaming him for the death of her son. And it’s peak Milton power play, showing Hornsby that whatever power or influence he thinks he has, the corpses of his goons show he’s out of his league.

But it also doesn’t feel anything like a conversation two people would really have. As I often say, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. All television (save documentary) is a heightened reality to some extent. But these are very much characters in a T.V. show monologuing to one another, delving into soapy dialogue and taunts and faux-Nolan style philosophical bromides about power and players that feel artificial and showy. I’m not knocking it necessarily. The performers do well with the outsized tone, and the simple imagery of Pamela bringing her zombified son in to eat Lance’s goons while he watches is the sort of extreme torture-adjacent grotequerie that this show likes to traffic in.

But then you have the scenes between Princess and Mercer, where Mercer asks her to stay and Princess explains why she can’t. That too should feel unreal in its way. Princess’ monologue about growing up in an abusive home has a certain stagey, writerly quality as well. And yet, whether it’s the outstanding performance from Paola Lazaro, or the fact that her story of a tough home life is far more relatable, or the simple point about how “It could be worse” isn’t good enough resonates, but there’s poignance in her speech that’s been missing in this season of the show. You buy the harrowing tale, and how it influenced Princess’s philosophy on life, and how it applies to why she cannot stay in a rotten place like this, even if the world beyond their walls has its challenges too. It’s founded on two characters with a real connection, real human emotions, and a point that has power beyond the immediate circumstances. More of that please.

As with the prior episode, much of this one is about those conversations: people deciding whether to stay or go given what’s happened in the Commonwealth. None are as powerful as the conversation between Princess and Mercer, but there’s some solid moments. I like Max choosing to stay and fight for change rather than skip out. I like Eugene deciding that he’s found his partner in life, and is willing to sacrifice everything for her. Ezekiel choosing to stay and help still feels a little out of character, but they at least sketch things out a little more. And servicing the relationship between Eugene and daryl and especially Eugene and Rosita is worthwhile as the show prepares for its Swan Song. I’m still not as invested in the goings on here as I might be, but they’re trying, and I can appreciate that.

Plot wise, I remain nonplussed. The idea that Pamela would try to pin the disruption on Eugen, using Max as a bargaining chip to get Mercer to do her bidding has some merit. I’m just over the twisty machinations at play, so what can you do? Lance is effectively off the board, and the show put the public anger on the backburner for the episode, so it’s all focused on the manhunt for Eugene and the Virginai survivors trying to get out. Again, nothing wrong with that, but it’s a little rote (not to mention unbelievable that nobody bothered to look in the church where one of Eugene’s friends was the religious leader.)

We also see Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, and Elijah going on a trek together. As I’ve said before, Aaron’s long been a big nothing of a character to me, despite how long he’s been around, so it’s hard for me to be invested in this one. THat said, I did like his speech to Lyida, who feels awkward opening her heart again because she’s worried it would be dishonoring Henry’s memory. His speech about missing his partner, and lamenting all the time they would have gotten to share together had he said yes sooner, has pathos and sweetness to it, and makes the point well, even if it’s not quite as moving as Princess’ monologue here.

I’m more sanguine (no pun intended) on the zombie attack scene. There’s so little danger with the capable characters these days that it just can’t get my blood pumping anymore, and there was nothing special about the direction or cinematography either. I also don’t know how I feel about the prospect of smart (or at least smarter) zombies. I thought it was bonkers when the Whisperer arc seemed to tease the possibility of talking zombies, and busting out walkers who can open doors and climb with five episodes to go seems like a cheat. But who knows, maybe they’re going somewhere with it. Otherwise, I do like the prospect of the sojourning crew contemplating a “King Jerry”, even if it’s pretty convenient that they just happen to stumble on the perfect site for a Kingdom 2.0.

Overall, the nuts and bolts writing of this one is a bit of a step up. But the contrast between the show being at its flashiest and most unrealistic, compared to a more honest, down-to-earth scene shows that variation in The Walking Dead itself, that sometimes leaves me scratching my head, and sometimes helps me remember the potential I saw in this show.