The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 19, “Variant,” which debuted Sunday, Oct. 16 on AMC.
In The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 18, “A New Deal,” Carol Peletier made a deal with Pamela Milton that ended one fight but caused another. Eugene resumes the fighting, which comes as a genuine shock. Who would’ve thought the geeky creep from Season 4 would be the one to jumpstart the conflict to end the series?
Following the pattern of reminiscing on past seasons, Season 11, Episode 19, “Variant” opens with Judith Grimes narrating Eugene’s backstory. His life has been about the courage he wished he had, but he always made the decisions that proved he’d never be as brave as Abraham or Rosita. But the montage — and the events of the past two episodes — show Eugene’s growth from a coward who lied about having a cure to a man willing to do anything to protect those he loves. With that courage, he manages to begin a revolution that will draw the series to a close, no matter who wins the war.
What Happened to Eugene After the Founder’s Day Incident
After releasing the tape Max Mercer recorded that exposed Sebastian Milton’s feelings on the class divide in the Commonwealth, Eugene is taken by Daryl Dixon to hide from troopers. Pamela orders his arrest, along with that of many others who may have had a hand in what led to Sebastian’s unexpected death. Max takes the fall for it against Eugene’s wishes. Daryl, Rosita and Eugene hopes this whole thing blows over in the church where Eugene gets more anxious by the minute. (Side note: how did no one find these three in the place where Eugene’s known friend and accomplice Father Gabriel works? Also, where is Gabriel? Everyone is turning up missing or the show is neglecting to include characters in prominent storylines, which is increasingly frustrating in the final season.)
Outside the church, Pamela is becoming just as anxious as Eugene. This appears to be a situation she’s never had to deal with before, and it’s forcing her to resort to consulting Lance Hornsby. Lance isn’t the most reasonable or safest character right now, and has a target on his back. Making Pamela just as unhinged as Lance is won’t help Eugene’s case at all, much less Daryl and everyone if they want to make it out of this alive. Seeing that the situation isn’t going to fizzle out anytime soon, Eugene surrenders. But this is The Walking Dead, and nothing ever resolves smoothly, so Rosita is kidnapped in the final scene. This means that the choices Eugene makes after his arrest may determine both his and her fate.
How Eugene’s Actions Will Shape the Final Episodes
When Eugene tells Rosita his plan, there’s a moment that hints that it may be their final conversation on The Walking Dead. Rosita can’t swallow her emotions anymore as she lets the tears fall, begging Eugene to not turn himself in just to save Max. It’s the kind of moment where viewers see how far Eugene and Rosita’s friendship has come. Eugene was the hopeless romantic in love with his best friend and Rosita always turned him down. And in some ways, his crush on Rosita held him back from reaching his fullest potential — even if Josh McDermitt says Eugene has not yet reached his final form. Eugene finally finding love with Max gave him that last sliver of courage he always needed and viewers see that in the way he risked his life to expose Sebastian and when he turns himself in. Yet Eugene or Rosita may very well die because he chose to not let things go with Sebastian.
There are still five episodes left in the series, so Eugene and Rosita may reunite again. But the emotions that spring from this one conversation seem true to life as if McDermitt and Christian Serratos were saying goodbye on-screen to each other. Whether they were or not, Eugene’s story isn’t over yet. His work will continue to expose the Miltons even behind bars and everything Eugene set in motion will be continued by those who are still free. There’s a domino effect happening that may or may not end well for the survivors, but it’s incontestable that Eugene knocked over the first domino when he suggested going to the Commonwealth in the first place — an action that he may regret down the line if things don’t work out in his favor.
New episodes of The Walking Dead air Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on AMC and stream a week early on AMC+.
