The cliffhanger ending of The Walking Dead‘s Season 10 finale marches the survivors towards a New World Order — and the show’s endgame. In “A Certain Doom,” Eugene (Josh McDermitt) races towards his date with destiny as he leads a scout team towards Charleston, West Virginia, the location of a rendezvous with so-far unseen radio contact Stephanie (Margot Bingham). Along with King Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), and newly encountered loner Princess (Paola Lázaro), Eugene is on the verge of a world-changing discovery, while friends back home fight to silence Beta (Ryan Hurst) and the Whisperers once and for all.
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During the finale’s final moments, Eugene (Josh McDermitt) races towards his date with destiny as he leads a scout team towards Charleston, West Virginia, the location of a rendezvous with so-far unseen radio contact Stephanie (Margot Bingham). Along with King Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), and newly encountered loner Princess (Paola Lázaro), Eugene is on the verge of a world-changing discovery, while friends back home fight to silence Beta (Ryan Hurst) and the Whisperers once and for all.
Reaching a Charleston railyard by bicycle late at night, Eugene and company seem to have missed their meeting with Stephanie’s people. “She’s not here anymore,” a deflated Eugene says, “if she ever was.”
Undaunted by the missed connection, Eugene declares they’re not turning back.
“There are people out here. Maybe not in this very train yard, or a 100-mile radius, but they are. Stephanie is. We keep trekking until we find them,” he says. “The very reason we boldly voyaged was to make what we built stronger by assimilating with like-minded folks. So we keep looking for them, and assimilate we shall.”
Spotlights spring to life, illuminating a small army of white-clad soldiers. More than a dozen of them, each with guns raised, order the group to surrender their weapons and raise their hands. Outnumbered and outgunned, the foursome complies as they stare down the army of the Commonwealth.
In the comic book, the Commonwealth is a network of connected settlements based in Ohio and first encountered by a scout team consisting of Eugene, Michonne, Magna, Yumiko, Siddiq, and Princess.
Governor Pamela Milton lords over this classist civilization called home by nearly 50,000 survivors, who enjoy such pre-apocalypse luxuries as cafes, a high court, and even an event arena still in operation for concerts and sports games.
Among its residents is Stephanie, whose comic book counterpart strikes up a long-lasting romance with Eugene. Margot Bingham voices the character who has appeared intermittently throughout Season 10, and the actress joins the cast in a recurring role for Season 11.
Other yet-cast members of the Commonwealth include the spoiled Sebastian Milton, military leader Chief Officer Mercer, and self-important bookkeeper Lance Hornsby. In the comic book, the Commonwealth is where a leading character reunites with a loved one long believed to be dead.
“I think there’s going to be some major consequences just in talking on the radio with this person,” McDermitt previously told TV Insider of Eugene’s over-the-air friendship. “He’s making some decisions that could severely alter everyone’s way of life, and I don’t know that that’s solely his decision to make. There could be some life and death consequences based on those decisions he’s making.”
The Walking Dead returns with six new Season 10 episodes in early 2021 on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.
