The episode’s narrator, who is most likely Judith, declares, “I want to believe there’s hope.” Together, there is hope. there not? Before the Commonwealth could govern them, as Carol later explains to Maggie, they had to be divided. Now that the Coalition’s survivors have regrouped, or at least some of them have, it’s time to topple the Milton government.
All focus shifts to saving the kidnapped “Exiles,” as they are now known, after a large slew of abductions and the amusing deaths of Sebastian and Hornsby. There are numerous opportunities to be reminded that family ties are more powerful than zip ties, including a brand-new Commonwealth henchman to despise, code words to understand, a train to hijack, and many others (especially those cheap ones Maggie wiggles out of pretty easily).
Maggie, Rosita, Gabe, along with Daryl and Carol, who have been looking for them, are among the tiny group of heroes that manage to escape from the Commonwealth’s grasp. The action alternates between them and the prisoners. Mags, Rosita, and Gabe successfully escape the cargo caravan without suffering any serious harm or being discovered.
Losing their children is what hurts the most for both mothers: When Rosita becomes frustrated, she becomes angry (to which her baby daddy helpfully responds with his mantra, which is reminiscent of the mud flaps on a Ford F-150: “Quit bitchin’ and move forward”). However, Maggie is plagued by thoughts of Hershel being taken away, and eventually, guilt overtaking her, she sobs in front of a sympathetic Carol. Pam’s decision to separate these mothers from their cubs may have been a strategic mistake.
These days, Daryl is also a surrogate dad, so he has a lot to fight for in addition to trying to save Judith and deal with his unrequited affections for Connie. When a Jeep arrives with Connie in it, they are aiming for the train station.
A stolen walkie-talkie informs them that it is against policy to put a “exile” on a cargo train, but Connie is “designation two”—a designation so important that the trooper who hears it exclaims, “Oh shit!” Carol persuades Daryl that restraint is preferable than bravery when he is about to pounce. Her statements had even more significance in light of what transpired back in the cave, when Carol accidentally dropped explosives, causing a collapse and trapping Connie inside. (That incident feels like it happened a long time ago, yet it only occurred in season ten; for us viewers, it was only a short while in TWD time.) To avoid jeopardizing their prospects of saving Connie and finding everyone, Daryl refrains from taking any action.
The Darol trio—Mags, Rosita, and Gabe—reunite after an overblown sequence in which Maggie sits in the middle of the road, holding a zombie infant that snaps and growls at her—we get it, Maggie, you miss your son. The simple but effective derailment strategy they come up with involves sabotaging the track switch, stopping the choo choo, holding the conductor hostage, and cutting off radio communication. There is a shootout, but even better, there is a fun motorcycle pursuit. Of course, that guy has no chance against the post-apocalyptic Steve McQueen on a bike, so Daryl dispatches him by ducking beneath a downed tree and ramming his bike into the trooper who is trying to run.
In the middle of the chaos, they discover that the exiles are subjected to hard labor as punishment—as well as a dying trooper who receives both last rites and a compassion knifing from Gabe. According to rumors, “designation two” refers to someone who has been transported far away and will likely never be seen again. A map is also in the engine room, the conductor claims, but before he can be much use, the man drives what appears to be a massive screwdriver through his neck; for additional grisly flare, he collapses face-first and the steel explodes out of the back of his neck. Happy Trick-or-Treat!
The torment (of himself and his family) at the hands of the Nameless Man, or the Warden, as he is also known, was the conductor’s greatest worry. He has taken Hornsby’s place at the top of Milton’s organizational ladder of henchmen, and he has been given the responsibility of introducing the exiles to “the first day of a new beginning”—labor at a Commonwealth prison camp. In the process of dividing Annie and Negan into two groups, the Warden informs the captives that they will no longer require names. Neegs, Zeke, and Kelly are now basically gruel-eating pack mules who clear out debris. They rapidly pick up the lesson to abide by the Warden’s instructions. Zeke forbids Kelly from pursuing three exiles as they attempt to sprint for the forest line; moments later, they are shot dead (and then gunned down again when they return as zombies). When Negan asks about his wife and receives a baton backhand to the jaw, he finds himself on the receiving end of an FAFO.
Two major initiatives are put up for the near future as a result of all this wrangling and unhappiness. Even though Zeke still plainly despises Negan for his numerous prior transgressions, Neegs approaches him in such a beguiling manner that the former king can’t help but listen after seemingly not speaking in years (some of which Zeke takes a moment to recall, including torture, NXIVM-style mistreatment of women, etc.). Negan will offer Zeke the chance to bring about their overthrow, even though the personal costs will be severe, since he is adamant that their only chance to defeat the Warden and his thugs is hope, whatever the hell that means. Zeke has excellent reasons for not having complete faith in Negan, but he persuades him with his commitment to protecting his wife and unborn child.
Maggie’s group is another. To get on the walkie-talkie, Rosita uses her trooper training to pretend to be a lost soldier in need of directions. They discover that Colony 22, where the exiles are being imprisoned, is actually Alexandria, thanks to an exceptionally helpful Commonwealth cop – pretty sure that voice belongs to TWD superfan Yvette Nicole Brown. Dun, dun, DUN As Maggie makes a commitment that they will reclaim their children and their home, the flickering campfire light lends a sheen of intensity to their features.
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