Eugene (Josh McDermitt) has a date, and it’s with the woman whose voice first came over his radio in The Walking Dead Season 9 finale, “The Storm,” where her message was just missed by King Ezekiel (Khary Payton). After collecting parts from a Soviet satellite that crashed to Earth in the Season 10 premiere, Eugene temporarily relocated to the Hilltop to engage in top secret “audio rendezvous” with a woman belonging to what she describes as an “overly cautious” community. Operating under call sign “Tater Bug,” Eugene has kept in careful contact with “Blue Weevil,” communication that will soon lead to the survivors’ world getting bigger once again.
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Fearing Eugene and his people could be a threat, the woman told Eugene their correspondence could continue only if it was Eugene’s voice on the radio. “I want to trust you,” she told Eugene in 1006, “Bonds,” adding, “But if I hear anyone else, I’ll know I can’t. And you won’t hear from me again.”
This connection was jeopardized in Sunday’s 1011, “Morning Star,” when Rosita (Christian Serratos) broke Eugene’s promise by intercepting a call in his brief absence. After making peace with Rosita, who encouraged Eugene to get off his ass and go get the girl, Eugene made one last call while waiting for the walker horde shepherded by Alpha’s (Samantha Morton) Whisperers to reach Hilltop.
Unable to locate the record, Eugene recited lyrics from “When the Wild Wind Blows” by Iron Maiden. The radio fizzled to life: “Have you stared across the garden looking at the meadows? Wondering if they’ll ever grow again? The desperation of the situation getting graver, getting ready when the wild wind blows.”
It’s Stephanie (voice of Margot Bingham), who hurried out a location: “Charleston, West Virginia. Southern rail yards, about a mile south of the Kanawha river. One week. Can you be there?”
“Yes. I will be there,” Eugene replied. “Not square. It’s Tater Bug, over and out.”
In the comic books, Eugene was in a romantic relationship with Rosita, who was pregnant with Siddiq’s child when she was among the victims murdered by Alpha and the Whisperers. After making contact with Stephanie over the open air, Eugene and Stephanie’s radio correspondence turns into a friendship and, eventually, a romance when she introduces Eugene’s people to the Commonwealth, an Ohio-based network of communities home to nearly 50,000 survivors.
Eugene, along with current Hilltop leaders King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), will embark on a road trip to meet Stephanie in episode 1014, “Look at the Flowers,” according to spoilery episode synopses for the remainder of the half-season.
New episodes of The Walking Dead Season 10 premiere Sundays on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.
