The Walking Dead s11e15 Episode Script
Trust
Previously on "The Walking Dead"
Y'all looting houses now?
Sebastian made us come in
here.
He threatened our kids.
That the money? home with He's been finding desperate people, sending them through swarms to get stashes of cash.
Most of them didn't make it out.
Things just got a little out of hand.
Aah! It's only a matter of time before Hornsby comes for these people.
Then we have to do something.
But if Ian didn't steal the weapons, who did? Dixon! They're looking for you on the roof.
Guys, you see my problem here.
This is not a good look.
It puts all of us in a very tough spot.
Problem or not, it's the truth.
So, let's just run through this one more time, make sure I got it straight.
You went in.
Things got tense.
A firefight broke out.
Then the people here killed every last one of our trained, armed, and armored soldiers, but not you two, the one-armed guy and the priest.
Then the killers escaped.
You called me over the walkie.
We drove up.
And here we are.
That's your story? - That's basically it, yeah.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Yes.
What do you think about all this? Well, we've been on the road a long time.
They can definitely handle themselves.
If that's what they say happened, that's what happened.
Maybe.
But I have another theory.
Just hear me out.
It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a bunch of crazed, violent strangers to just keep the two of you alive.
It also doesn't make sense for the two of you to lie to protect a bunch of crazed, violent strangers Unless they weren't strangers.
Are you calling us liars? Your guy lost control of the situation.
We barely survived.
We're not gonna take the fall for this.
Okay.
Fair enough.
I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here.
I've just got a job to do.
At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, right? Justice.
Of course.
You two keep searching the area while the rest of us move out.
- Copy that, sir.
- To the Commonwealth? Oh, no.
There's monsters running loose.
We need to smoke them out.
We'll start with the hilltop, see if our friends heard anything.
At the very least, they should know there's some very dangerous people who might be coming their way.
Better suit up, soldier.
Good morning.
Last night was fun.
And the night before.
Yeah.
We're pretty awesome at this sex thing.
And I should know.
I've had a lot of sex in my life.
Well not a lot of sex.
Wait.
You know what? We're both adults.
I've had a lot of sex, and you've had a lot of sex.
I love listening to you talk.
And, of course, the sex.
Me, too.
But, dude, these crack-of-dawn, super-soldier wake-up times suck ass.
I don't know how you do it.
Do you even need sleep? 'Cause every time I roll over, you're just lying there staring at the ceiling.
I think you're part robot.
That's it.
You got me.
Beep.
Beep, beep.
Mm.
Come on.
What's the deal with that? Is it some kind of meditation? Maybe I'm just basking in the afterglow.
I sleep fine.
I do have that effect on people.
But it didn't really look like basking, more like stewing.
You getting at something? No.
Just making sure you're cool.
Okay, then.
I'm fine.
Great.
Totally.
But if there was anything you needed to get off your chest all I'm saying is that, contrary popular opinion, I'm pretty freaking great at listening.
I said I'm fine.
Message received loud and clear.
See? Good at listening.
You're gonna be late for work.
Come in.
Apologies for the early-morning invite.
This discussion isn't quite ready for public broadcast.
Are you two okay? That message seemed pretty urgent.
Rosita confided in me about a harrowing experience she recently encountered on the job.
We thought it would be beneficial, given your position as a truth-telling newsperson, to give you the deets.
Alright, so, what's up? Sebastian and some of his cronies forced Daryl and I to steal cash from an abandoned house outside the perimeter.
There was a woman there.
They had done this before.
They had sent civilians in, and none of them made it out alive.
They wanted us to stay quiet, but I think about that woman, April, and what they all went through.
There are good people here.
They need to know the truth.
Mm-hmm.
Someone sent us a list of names of people when the ex-trooper went missing.
We tried to figure it out, but we just kept hitting dead ends.
April Martens.
That could be her, right? Let me see that.
No, there are way more names on this list than Sebastian sent into that house.
Maybe it's related, but there's something else going on here.
Whatever this is, if the Miltons are involved, they'll keep it locked up.
We need inside access to dig it out.
I might know someone.
You got everything you need? - I think so.
- Good.
And I'll make sure RJ gets to his classes on time today.
Alright.
Well, you better.
- Come on, slowpoke.
- Here you go.
Ezekiel.
Good day, young friends.
Drink deep from the cup of knowledge and listen to your teachers.
Huh? Alright, go on.
Here you go.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
Bye! You're looking lively.
Well, losing a tumor the size of a grapefruit works wonders.
Recovery's going well? Still got a ways to go, but prognosis is good.
Healing well.
Yeah, I was thinking about what you said before.
How I reacted.
I never properly thanked you.
You don't have to thank me.
- I do.
- No.
Can't imagine the lengths you went to to make this happen.
Least I can do is say "thank you.
" I've been busy.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
I took your words to heart about doing something extra with this time I've been given.
I'd love to show you if you're free.
Today's tough.
Can't do it today.
Come on.
- No, really - Play hooky with me.
Ah, I can't.
I'm swamped at work.
At the bakery? Um, well, no.
Um, I got another job.
It's just this thing I had to Um, it's a It's It's complicated.
And something happened, and then things went all sideways.
- And I have to go - Carol.
Hey.
I just have some things that I need to figure out first, to fix.
Uh, it's better that you don't even know about it, okay? Just trust me.
I trust you more than anyone.
You'd think this place would make life easier, huh? Feels like there's a lot more gray instead.
Rain check? Guaranteed.
I'm getting healthy again.
You're stuck with me.
I guess I can live with that.
Bye.
Bye.
Why don't you two take care of this? Are you serious? We have to save our ammunition.
I was told you can handle yourselves.
Where's the problem? We saved you a bullet.
And barely broke a sweat! Nice! Come on, let's keep moving! Helmet on, soldier.
This a bad time? Not the best day, but, um, please come in.
Are you feeling okay? - Is there something - No, no.
I'm great.
This is about a friend of mine.
She's sick and can't afford the treatment.
Won't put her family into debt.
She needs a small procedure.
If we can take care of it outside the system W-What sort of procedure? Appendectomy.
- Ezekiel - I've secured the equipment and a sterile operating area.
I just need a few extra supplies and you.
Ezekiel, this is incredibly risky.
- I understand that.
- And And not just for her.
For For everyone involved.
She's not gonna change her mind, and I understand the risks.
She does, too.
I wouldn't ask if this wasn't her best option.
I lost a patient this morning.
I'm sorry.
And that was here.
That was here, Ezekiel, in a hospital.
Tomi you're the only one that can do this.
Please.
Do your part to keep our community safe.
If you see something, say something.
Remember, we are all in this together.
What are you doing here? We shouldn't be seen together.
Circumstances required an immediate face-to-face.
I took precautions see? Just a humble delivery boy.
I don't understand.
You want me to look for secret files? Yes, and steal them.
Eugene, we're supposed to be staying out of trouble, not looking for it.
Things have finally been going right with Hornsby, and the Alexandria rebuild is coming along.
My friends didn't have a choice.
Rosita was forced into the situation by Sebastian.
Wait.
This involves the Miltons? The young psychopath, at least.
Okay, um, you could have led with that bit of information.
Max, people have died.
More are missing.
Your brother can corroborate.
Michael? He was there, too.
Oh, um, sorry to interrupt, ma'am.
No.
Not at all.
Um, the room is all yours.
Thank you so much.
There you go.
Have a nice day.
Afternoon, Maggie.
Good to see you again.
What do you want? There are some killers on the loose.
We lost a lot of men.
So I'm hunting them down.
And the property they stole, the Commonwealth's property.
I don't know anything about that.
Well, of course not.
So you wouldn't mind if we just do a quick look around, right? Rule you all out.
For the paperwork.
I gave you my answer.
You're gonna get people killed if you force your way in there.
She isn't giving me much of a choice here.
I'll talk to her.
And why would you do that? Because I don't want to shoot anybody here today.
Let me do this.
We go in, nobody gets hurt.
Deal? Deal.
Open up.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Yeah, it does.
Ain't nobody leaving until they look around.
It'll be quick, I promise.
You expect me to trust him? I ain't asking you to trust him.
I'm asking you to trust me.
You gonna tell me what's going on? I'm gonna need you to be more specific.
Uh, Sebastian, a heist, people missing? Sounds like you already know.
But I want to hear it from you.
Why would you keep something like this from me? 'Cause it's not your business.
I mean, what you want to hear? This place ain't perfect? That we're lucky to have some parts of the old world, warts and all? Ain't none of this shit new.
People hurt each other.
People kill each other.
Happens all the time.
- It's part of the job.
- And what? That's just supposed to make everything okay? No.
Of course not.
People lost their lives because I failed them.
I missed it.
The weight of that is mine to carry, not yours.
I'm not a little kid anymore, Mike.
You don't need to play big brother and protect me from the world.
Says the little girl who almost got caught on the radio a few months ago.
Okay, that's not fair.
Look, I don't want to fight with you.
Then let me help you.
You want to help? Let it go.
It's over.
I fixed it.
And what about Sebastian? Again, you already know.
Come on, now.
How are you okay with letting that little bastard walk free? Because I got 50,000 other lives to think about.
Oh, please.
So, I go after the kid, what happens then? You think that kind of insubordination is gonna slide? Then what? What if I disappear? Who keeps this place running? If the Commonwealth falls, a lot more people are gonna wind up dead than the ones in that house.
Not all of us view human lives as acceptable losses.
Pam's your boss, too.
Take it up with her.
You got her ear.
Yeah, and you've got the community's.
They listen to you.
They look up to you literally.
I am just a soldier.
But you could be so much more.
You could change this place.
But maybe that's just me being naive.
Maybe you are really just a poster.
Good.
They should move on in a minute.
Then we head for the loading dock.
For a guy who was worried about coloring outside the lines, you're handling it well Maybe even enjoying it.
I've broken my share of rules once upon a time.
My sister can attest to that.
But this place has a way of lulling you.
Why upset the applecart if it's keeping you safe, right? That is the struggle Protecting ourselves or others? I wouldn't mind both.
Hmm.
- Ready? - Yeah.
Ooh! Shit.
Nice truck! This new? I started converting the engine, but it doesn't run.
You know we found tire tracks at the scene? Not a lot of cars running these days.
You got something you want to say, why don't you just say it? Just stating the facts.
You know, I come from a long line of gearheads.
You mind? She sure is clean for a truck that just sits here.
Ethanol conversion is solid.
Intake looks good.
We left plenty of fuel the last time we were here.
No wonder she won't work.
The starter relay is disconnected.
I'll just go ahead and hook that back up for you.
Let's test it out, see if I've got the magic touch.
You and your people have 'til sundown.
Then you can be on your way.
Oh, God.
Oh, God.
Oh.
I can handle them from here.
Thanks for the discretion.
I was hoping this new job of yours had connections here.
I might have mentioned your name.
Yeah, well, my old man used to say, "It's the hope that kills you.
" Are we screwed? I don't do well in confinement.
Don't Don't worry.
I've got it handled.
Unless you plan on getting in more trouble today? Hey! Not all trouble is bad trouble.
Come see.
We already pulled you out of work.
What's a few more minutes? Ezekiel, please tell me your friend is human.
Hey.
Go ahead.
Here.
Hey, Ezekiel.
Wow.
You really have been busy.
I've got a debt to repay.
Is my patient already here? Theresa's in the back.
Hey, Zeke.
Hey.
You got a minute? For you? Um, I got two.
I-I wanted to apologize for earlier.
This whole thing is new to me.
I-I mean, not the sex part, but, uh us.
And, uh, I don't want to Okay, listen.
I got a special sense for when somebody's not okay.
A lot of firsthand experience.
And I might put out this totally sexy, carefree, fun-times vibe, but I can handle heavy stuff, too.
In In case you ever need it.
I killed two of my men.
And I covered it up.
Never thought I'd be that guy.
That's not how I came up.
That's not how my parents raised me.
I had certain lines that I didn't let myself cross until now.
You know the thing that's really messing with my head? The thing that keeps me up at night, the thing I keep thinking? I'd do it again.
I spent a long time, all my life trying to keep it together, safe, solid for everyone else.
It's the only thing I know.
Only thing I'm good at.
And it worked.
It got us this far.
Maybe this place needs something else.
Maybe I'm part of the problem.
I don't know.
I'm just tired.
Hey.
Why don't we go inside and we figure it out together.
Hey.
Hershel, right? I'm Lance.
Don't know if you remember me.
I've heard you've had a pretty exciting life, young man.
Taken any exciting trips lately? How about your mom? The last thing I want, Hershel, is for something to happen here, especially to your mom.
So I'm gonna need your help.
If I can get the truth, I can fix things.
That's what I do.
But I can't keep people safe if they keep secrets.
So I want you to think really hard here.
Is there anything you want to tell me? I should probably go get my mom.
Hey, hold on a second.
You're a good kid brave.
And the thing about good kids is they deserve presents.
It's funny.
I found this hat all the way back where the bad things happened.
Be a shame for a-a nice hat like this to go to waste.
Huh! I'll be damned.
Perfect fit.
What are the odds? Hey! Put him down! Go! Release him or we will shoot.
Let's go! Move, move! This guy put his hands on Hershel.
Stand down! He said something bad was gonna happen.
- Whoa! I can explain.
- Back up! - Now! - Got him! You know, I'm a nice guy, Maggie.
I'll even let you back down so no one gets hurt.
Plenty others have made the mistake of threatening my family.
Most of them are dead now.
And you turned this place upside down and you found nothing.
So unless you want to die for nothing, tell them to drop the guns before something really fucking bad happens.
Everyone lower your weapons.
That's an order.
Back up.
We're leaving.
Sorry if there was any miscommunication.
Shame we couldn't be friends.
We ain't going back to the Commonwealth.
They're keeping us out here to search.
Until they find the killers? Yeah.
Well, if we can't give them the killers, what about those guns? We find them, maybe it buys us some time.
That's a big maybe.
Something's about to go down.
Just keep your eyes open.
You find something? - We did.
- Show me.
You did good.
Theo did most of the hard work.
I have to admit, though it feels special.
After all we've been though, as close as I came got a fresh start.
And it was important to me that my friend know just how much I appreciate her.
It must feel really, really good.
Hey.
What's going on in there? Just thinking about the world.
That's a big subject.
Anything specific? Just all the years the darkness.
After everything, in the midst of everything, you're sitting here glowing.
The light suits you.
This light here came from a spark that you helped me find.
Darkness is heavy.
Some of us carry more than others because we're strong enough to hold the weight.
But we make the light.
Hey.
You make the light, Carol.
You know that, don't you? You know we're not getting back together, right? Yeah, you keep saying that.
Ezekiel, we need you back here! It burst, the appendix.
We need to get her to a hospital.
No, no.
There's no time.
Either we clean the abdomen now or peritonitis sets in.
Move her and it will be too late.
I can do this trust me.
I know you can.
How can we help? Ezekiel, take over bagging.
Uh, Theo, go back to the hospital, get more antibiotics.
Take this clamp, hold tight.
- Mm-hmm.
- Take this.
Get more gauze.
Alright, let me let me in there.
Gauze.
Oh, God.
Okay.
Move it back.
Little further, little further.
There it is.
There it is.
Gauze.
Gauze.
That's good, Ezekiel.
Okay.
Now we have to flush the cavity.
Carol, saline.
We'll know more over the next 24 hours, but it looks good.
See? Small procedure.
Nothing to worry about.
Can we talk? Yeah.
I, uh I regret my earlier ambush.
It was mighty uncool of me.
If the stuff that you mentioned is happening here, it's bad.
Really bad.
Well, it was not my intention to put you in a tight spot.
If this arrangement makes you uncomfortable It does.
The idea of continuing to sneak around just when I had hoped that things might go back to normal Maybe I'm not built for this.
But I don't think I have a choice.
Hey.
Of course you do.
My friends and I will find another avenue.
No.
Eugene, that's not what I meant.
There is no choice because there is no back to normal.
We know what we know.
And because of that, things have to change.
I can't wait around for someone else to step up and help.
I can promise you this.
Whatever we find, whatever comes our way, you will not face it alone.
I'll be by your side, hell or high water.
You sure? Against all odds of the cosmos and humankind, we found one another.
I've never been more certain of anything in my life.
So what do I need to steal? Wait! Hold your fire! We're here to talk.
We've come a long way to find you.
You were not easy to track down.
But since you've caused me more than a handful of trouble, the least you can do is hear what I have to say before you kill us.
Talk fast.
My name is Lance Hornsby.
And I'm here to offer you a job.
I'll need to see her when she's dead.
This a fight that I'm in it's not gonna end until I end it.
I'm doing this my way.
Your way got my men killed.
We find our moment, we take it.
We are in this until we find a way to fight our way out.
This place has a way of lulling you.
Why upset the applecart if it's keeping you safe, right? That is the struggle Protecting ourselves or others? I wouldn't mind both.
We had this storyline with Ezekiel and Tomi and Carol where they got to go and do a surgery.
So, the director that we had for this episode is named Lily Mariye.
She's an amazing director, but one of the other things about her is that she was a long time cast member on the series "ER.
" So, we had to do a surgery on this, and it was this funny thing where we had the perfect director who's like, "Oh, I've been in those scenes.
I know exactly how to do like a hospital scene.
" So that was really fun, and it just wound up being like this happy accident to tell this story.
Good morning.
It's so fun to write for Princess and Mercer.
They're so great as individuals, and I think their scenes together are just so sweet and the way that they play the characters with such nuance and loveliness.
We're both adults.
I've had a lot of sex, and you've had a lot of sex.
I love listening to you talk.
And, of course, the sex.
Paola, who plays Princess, is so, so funny.
But I love that with Mercer we also get to see this side of her that's like more serious and earnest, you know? And I might put out this totally sexy, carefree, fun-times vibe, but I can handle heavy stuff too if you ever need it.
I think Michael, who plays Mercer, is just such a meticulous actor in like the very best way.
Like, it is so lovely to work with, and he's so smart about how he approaches this character, like, really thinks so deeply about every line and every word.
I killed two of my men.
And I covered it up.
When those two get together, we always know we're going to get this, like, lovely, well thought out emotional scene back that is really fun to watch and romantic and all of that.
This is not a good look.
It puts all of us in a very tough spot.
Problem or not, it's the truth.
The scene where Aaron and Gabriel are just straight-up lying to Hornsby is just really fun.
Seth and Ross as Gabriel and Aaron, they're very, very funny in real life.
And so their characters tend to be so serious because the show is serious, but we like when we can have those moments of kind of like dark comedy in it.
That's your story? - That's basically it, yeah.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Yes.
There is dark humor that comes through in like every person in this scene knowing that every other person in the scene is playing a game.
Okay.
Fair enough.
I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here.
I've just got a job to do.
And yet they're just gonna all pretend like there's no game being played, this is the truth.
Why don't you two take care of this? Are you serious? We have to save our ammunition.
I was told you can handle yourselves.
Where's the problem? There's multiple people in danger right now.
Daryl, Aaron and Gabriel, if they're like really found out to be lying or they kind of confront, they are in danger.
All of them have children that are back at Commonwealth, all of them have loved ones that are back at the Commonwealth.
Given what just happened with Sebastian for example with Daryl, there may be a willingness to mess with their kids or mess with their loved ones, and so they don't trust that.
You expect me to trust him? I ain't asking you to trust him.
I'm asking you to trust me.
They know that Maggie is in trouble.
Gabriel and Aaron very, very well know and are kind of like communicating via telepathy to Daryl.
You know, they got the looks going and stuff, Daryl is like reading the situation and doing his tracking and going like, "Okay, I have kind of an idea of what happened here.
" So I think they feel that by going with Hornsby and the troopers, they can keep an eye on them, and really, it's a selfless move on the behalf of Daryl and Aaron and Gabriel to go along with something that they very much do not want to be a part of.
And it's for the good of the people back home, it's for good of people at the Hilltop.
There's this tension around, like, is that truck gonna start.
All of that is meant to play with like a feeling of could they be discovered at any point.
Hornsby already knows the story.
He is like 98.
9 percent certain when he walks in the doors that Maggie was there, that she knows what happened to the people that were there, and all he's looking for is the smoking gun.
Plenty others have made the mistake of threatening my family.
Most of them are dead now.
This is not something that we wanted to build to, like, people firing guns at each other.
Like, that's not really where they're at in the story.
But we did want to feel like this is a fraught situation, it is a dangerous situation in some ways, because if Maggie and others are found to be interfering in the affairs of the Commonwealth, this might lead to a bad end for them.
He threatened our kids.
That the money? home with He's been finding desperate people, sending them through swarms to get stashes of cash.
Most of them didn't make it out.
Things just got a little out of hand.
Aah! It's only a matter of time before Hornsby comes for these people.
Then we have to do something.
But if Ian didn't steal the weapons, who did? Dixon! They're looking for you on the roof.
Guys, you see my problem here.
This is not a good look.
It puts all of us in a very tough spot.
Problem or not, it's the truth.
So, let's just run through this one more time, make sure I got it straight.
You went in.
Things got tense.
A firefight broke out.
Then the people here killed every last one of our trained, armed, and armored soldiers, but not you two, the one-armed guy and the priest.
Then the killers escaped.
You called me over the walkie.
We drove up.
And here we are.
That's your story? - That's basically it, yeah.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Yes.
What do you think about all this? Well, we've been on the road a long time.
They can definitely handle themselves.
If that's what they say happened, that's what happened.
Maybe.
But I have another theory.
Just hear me out.
It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a bunch of crazed, violent strangers to just keep the two of you alive.
It also doesn't make sense for the two of you to lie to protect a bunch of crazed, violent strangers Unless they weren't strangers.
Are you calling us liars? Your guy lost control of the situation.
We barely survived.
We're not gonna take the fall for this.
Okay.
Fair enough.
I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here.
I've just got a job to do.
At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, right? Justice.
Of course.
You two keep searching the area while the rest of us move out.
- Copy that, sir.
- To the Commonwealth? Oh, no.
There's monsters running loose.
We need to smoke them out.
We'll start with the hilltop, see if our friends heard anything.
At the very least, they should know there's some very dangerous people who might be coming their way.
Better suit up, soldier.
Good morning.
Last night was fun.
And the night before.
Yeah.
We're pretty awesome at this sex thing.
And I should know.
I've had a lot of sex in my life.
Well not a lot of sex.
Wait.
You know what? We're both adults.
I've had a lot of sex, and you've had a lot of sex.
I love listening to you talk.
And, of course, the sex.
Me, too.
But, dude, these crack-of-dawn, super-soldier wake-up times suck ass.
I don't know how you do it.
Do you even need sleep? 'Cause every time I roll over, you're just lying there staring at the ceiling.
I think you're part robot.
That's it.
You got me.
Beep.
Beep, beep.
Mm.
Come on.
What's the deal with that? Is it some kind of meditation? Maybe I'm just basking in the afterglow.
I sleep fine.
I do have that effect on people.
But it didn't really look like basking, more like stewing.
You getting at something? No.
Just making sure you're cool.
Okay, then.
I'm fine.
Great.
Totally.
But if there was anything you needed to get off your chest all I'm saying is that, contrary popular opinion, I'm pretty freaking great at listening.
I said I'm fine.
Message received loud and clear.
See? Good at listening.
You're gonna be late for work.
Come in.
Apologies for the early-morning invite.
This discussion isn't quite ready for public broadcast.
Are you two okay? That message seemed pretty urgent.
Rosita confided in me about a harrowing experience she recently encountered on the job.
We thought it would be beneficial, given your position as a truth-telling newsperson, to give you the deets.
Alright, so, what's up? Sebastian and some of his cronies forced Daryl and I to steal cash from an abandoned house outside the perimeter.
There was a woman there.
They had done this before.
They had sent civilians in, and none of them made it out alive.
They wanted us to stay quiet, but I think about that woman, April, and what they all went through.
There are good people here.
They need to know the truth.
Mm-hmm.
Someone sent us a list of names of people when the ex-trooper went missing.
We tried to figure it out, but we just kept hitting dead ends.
April Martens.
That could be her, right? Let me see that.
No, there are way more names on this list than Sebastian sent into that house.
Maybe it's related, but there's something else going on here.
Whatever this is, if the Miltons are involved, they'll keep it locked up.
We need inside access to dig it out.
I might know someone.
You got everything you need? - I think so.
- Good.
And I'll make sure RJ gets to his classes on time today.
Alright.
Well, you better.
- Come on, slowpoke.
- Here you go.
Ezekiel.
Good day, young friends.
Drink deep from the cup of knowledge and listen to your teachers.
Huh? Alright, go on.
Here you go.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
Bye! You're looking lively.
Well, losing a tumor the size of a grapefruit works wonders.
Recovery's going well? Still got a ways to go, but prognosis is good.
Healing well.
Yeah, I was thinking about what you said before.
How I reacted.
I never properly thanked you.
You don't have to thank me.
- I do.
- No.
Can't imagine the lengths you went to to make this happen.
Least I can do is say "thank you.
" I've been busy.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
I took your words to heart about doing something extra with this time I've been given.
I'd love to show you if you're free.
Today's tough.
Can't do it today.
Come on.
- No, really - Play hooky with me.
Ah, I can't.
I'm swamped at work.
At the bakery? Um, well, no.
Um, I got another job.
It's just this thing I had to Um, it's a It's It's complicated.
And something happened, and then things went all sideways.
- And I have to go - Carol.
Hey.
I just have some things that I need to figure out first, to fix.
Uh, it's better that you don't even know about it, okay? Just trust me.
I trust you more than anyone.
You'd think this place would make life easier, huh? Feels like there's a lot more gray instead.
Rain check? Guaranteed.
I'm getting healthy again.
You're stuck with me.
I guess I can live with that.
Bye.
Bye.
Why don't you two take care of this? Are you serious? We have to save our ammunition.
I was told you can handle yourselves.
Where's the problem? We saved you a bullet.
And barely broke a sweat! Nice! Come on, let's keep moving! Helmet on, soldier.
This a bad time? Not the best day, but, um, please come in.
Are you feeling okay? - Is there something - No, no.
I'm great.
This is about a friend of mine.
She's sick and can't afford the treatment.
Won't put her family into debt.
She needs a small procedure.
If we can take care of it outside the system W-What sort of procedure? Appendectomy.
- Ezekiel - I've secured the equipment and a sterile operating area.
I just need a few extra supplies and you.
Ezekiel, this is incredibly risky.
- I understand that.
- And And not just for her.
For For everyone involved.
She's not gonna change her mind, and I understand the risks.
She does, too.
I wouldn't ask if this wasn't her best option.
I lost a patient this morning.
I'm sorry.
And that was here.
That was here, Ezekiel, in a hospital.
Tomi you're the only one that can do this.
Please.
Do your part to keep our community safe.
If you see something, say something.
Remember, we are all in this together.
What are you doing here? We shouldn't be seen together.
Circumstances required an immediate face-to-face.
I took precautions see? Just a humble delivery boy.
I don't understand.
You want me to look for secret files? Yes, and steal them.
Eugene, we're supposed to be staying out of trouble, not looking for it.
Things have finally been going right with Hornsby, and the Alexandria rebuild is coming along.
My friends didn't have a choice.
Rosita was forced into the situation by Sebastian.
Wait.
This involves the Miltons? The young psychopath, at least.
Okay, um, you could have led with that bit of information.
Max, people have died.
More are missing.
Your brother can corroborate.
Michael? He was there, too.
Oh, um, sorry to interrupt, ma'am.
No.
Not at all.
Um, the room is all yours.
Thank you so much.
There you go.
Have a nice day.
Afternoon, Maggie.
Good to see you again.
What do you want? There are some killers on the loose.
We lost a lot of men.
So I'm hunting them down.
And the property they stole, the Commonwealth's property.
I don't know anything about that.
Well, of course not.
So you wouldn't mind if we just do a quick look around, right? Rule you all out.
For the paperwork.
I gave you my answer.
You're gonna get people killed if you force your way in there.
She isn't giving me much of a choice here.
I'll talk to her.
And why would you do that? Because I don't want to shoot anybody here today.
Let me do this.
We go in, nobody gets hurt.
Deal? Deal.
Open up.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Yeah, it does.
Ain't nobody leaving until they look around.
It'll be quick, I promise.
You expect me to trust him? I ain't asking you to trust him.
I'm asking you to trust me.
You gonna tell me what's going on? I'm gonna need you to be more specific.
Uh, Sebastian, a heist, people missing? Sounds like you already know.
But I want to hear it from you.
Why would you keep something like this from me? 'Cause it's not your business.
I mean, what you want to hear? This place ain't perfect? That we're lucky to have some parts of the old world, warts and all? Ain't none of this shit new.
People hurt each other.
People kill each other.
Happens all the time.
- It's part of the job.
- And what? That's just supposed to make everything okay? No.
Of course not.
People lost their lives because I failed them.
I missed it.
The weight of that is mine to carry, not yours.
I'm not a little kid anymore, Mike.
You don't need to play big brother and protect me from the world.
Says the little girl who almost got caught on the radio a few months ago.
Okay, that's not fair.
Look, I don't want to fight with you.
Then let me help you.
You want to help? Let it go.
It's over.
I fixed it.
And what about Sebastian? Again, you already know.
Come on, now.
How are you okay with letting that little bastard walk free? Because I got 50,000 other lives to think about.
Oh, please.
So, I go after the kid, what happens then? You think that kind of insubordination is gonna slide? Then what? What if I disappear? Who keeps this place running? If the Commonwealth falls, a lot more people are gonna wind up dead than the ones in that house.
Not all of us view human lives as acceptable losses.
Pam's your boss, too.
Take it up with her.
You got her ear.
Yeah, and you've got the community's.
They listen to you.
They look up to you literally.
I am just a soldier.
But you could be so much more.
You could change this place.
But maybe that's just me being naive.
Maybe you are really just a poster.
Good.
They should move on in a minute.
Then we head for the loading dock.
For a guy who was worried about coloring outside the lines, you're handling it well Maybe even enjoying it.
I've broken my share of rules once upon a time.
My sister can attest to that.
But this place has a way of lulling you.
Why upset the applecart if it's keeping you safe, right? That is the struggle Protecting ourselves or others? I wouldn't mind both.
Hmm.
- Ready? - Yeah.
Ooh! Shit.
Nice truck! This new? I started converting the engine, but it doesn't run.
You know we found tire tracks at the scene? Not a lot of cars running these days.
You got something you want to say, why don't you just say it? Just stating the facts.
You know, I come from a long line of gearheads.
You mind? She sure is clean for a truck that just sits here.
Ethanol conversion is solid.
Intake looks good.
We left plenty of fuel the last time we were here.
No wonder she won't work.
The starter relay is disconnected.
I'll just go ahead and hook that back up for you.
Let's test it out, see if I've got the magic touch.
You and your people have 'til sundown.
Then you can be on your way.
Oh, God.
Oh, God.
Oh.
I can handle them from here.
Thanks for the discretion.
I was hoping this new job of yours had connections here.
I might have mentioned your name.
Yeah, well, my old man used to say, "It's the hope that kills you.
" Are we screwed? I don't do well in confinement.
Don't Don't worry.
I've got it handled.
Unless you plan on getting in more trouble today? Hey! Not all trouble is bad trouble.
Come see.
We already pulled you out of work.
What's a few more minutes? Ezekiel, please tell me your friend is human.
Hey.
Go ahead.
Here.
Hey, Ezekiel.
Wow.
You really have been busy.
I've got a debt to repay.
Is my patient already here? Theresa's in the back.
Hey, Zeke.
Hey.
You got a minute? For you? Um, I got two.
I-I wanted to apologize for earlier.
This whole thing is new to me.
I-I mean, not the sex part, but, uh us.
And, uh, I don't want to Okay, listen.
I got a special sense for when somebody's not okay.
A lot of firsthand experience.
And I might put out this totally sexy, carefree, fun-times vibe, but I can handle heavy stuff, too.
In In case you ever need it.
I killed two of my men.
And I covered it up.
Never thought I'd be that guy.
That's not how I came up.
That's not how my parents raised me.
I had certain lines that I didn't let myself cross until now.
You know the thing that's really messing with my head? The thing that keeps me up at night, the thing I keep thinking? I'd do it again.
I spent a long time, all my life trying to keep it together, safe, solid for everyone else.
It's the only thing I know.
Only thing I'm good at.
And it worked.
It got us this far.
Maybe this place needs something else.
Maybe I'm part of the problem.
I don't know.
I'm just tired.
Hey.
Why don't we go inside and we figure it out together.
Hey.
Hershel, right? I'm Lance.
Don't know if you remember me.
I've heard you've had a pretty exciting life, young man.
Taken any exciting trips lately? How about your mom? The last thing I want, Hershel, is for something to happen here, especially to your mom.
So I'm gonna need your help.
If I can get the truth, I can fix things.
That's what I do.
But I can't keep people safe if they keep secrets.
So I want you to think really hard here.
Is there anything you want to tell me? I should probably go get my mom.
Hey, hold on a second.
You're a good kid brave.
And the thing about good kids is they deserve presents.
It's funny.
I found this hat all the way back where the bad things happened.
Be a shame for a-a nice hat like this to go to waste.
Huh! I'll be damned.
Perfect fit.
What are the odds? Hey! Put him down! Go! Release him or we will shoot.
Let's go! Move, move! This guy put his hands on Hershel.
Stand down! He said something bad was gonna happen.
- Whoa! I can explain.
- Back up! - Now! - Got him! You know, I'm a nice guy, Maggie.
I'll even let you back down so no one gets hurt.
Plenty others have made the mistake of threatening my family.
Most of them are dead now.
And you turned this place upside down and you found nothing.
So unless you want to die for nothing, tell them to drop the guns before something really fucking bad happens.
Everyone lower your weapons.
That's an order.
Back up.
We're leaving.
Sorry if there was any miscommunication.
Shame we couldn't be friends.
We ain't going back to the Commonwealth.
They're keeping us out here to search.
Until they find the killers? Yeah.
Well, if we can't give them the killers, what about those guns? We find them, maybe it buys us some time.
That's a big maybe.
Something's about to go down.
Just keep your eyes open.
You find something? - We did.
- Show me.
You did good.
Theo did most of the hard work.
I have to admit, though it feels special.
After all we've been though, as close as I came got a fresh start.
And it was important to me that my friend know just how much I appreciate her.
It must feel really, really good.
Hey.
What's going on in there? Just thinking about the world.
That's a big subject.
Anything specific? Just all the years the darkness.
After everything, in the midst of everything, you're sitting here glowing.
The light suits you.
This light here came from a spark that you helped me find.
Darkness is heavy.
Some of us carry more than others because we're strong enough to hold the weight.
But we make the light.
Hey.
You make the light, Carol.
You know that, don't you? You know we're not getting back together, right? Yeah, you keep saying that.
Ezekiel, we need you back here! It burst, the appendix.
We need to get her to a hospital.
No, no.
There's no time.
Either we clean the abdomen now or peritonitis sets in.
Move her and it will be too late.
I can do this trust me.
I know you can.
How can we help? Ezekiel, take over bagging.
Uh, Theo, go back to the hospital, get more antibiotics.
Take this clamp, hold tight.
- Mm-hmm.
- Take this.
Get more gauze.
Alright, let me let me in there.
Gauze.
Oh, God.
Okay.
Move it back.
Little further, little further.
There it is.
There it is.
Gauze.
Gauze.
That's good, Ezekiel.
Okay.
Now we have to flush the cavity.
Carol, saline.
We'll know more over the next 24 hours, but it looks good.
See? Small procedure.
Nothing to worry about.
Can we talk? Yeah.
I, uh I regret my earlier ambush.
It was mighty uncool of me.
If the stuff that you mentioned is happening here, it's bad.
Really bad.
Well, it was not my intention to put you in a tight spot.
If this arrangement makes you uncomfortable It does.
The idea of continuing to sneak around just when I had hoped that things might go back to normal Maybe I'm not built for this.
But I don't think I have a choice.
Hey.
Of course you do.
My friends and I will find another avenue.
No.
Eugene, that's not what I meant.
There is no choice because there is no back to normal.
We know what we know.
And because of that, things have to change.
I can't wait around for someone else to step up and help.
I can promise you this.
Whatever we find, whatever comes our way, you will not face it alone.
I'll be by your side, hell or high water.
You sure? Against all odds of the cosmos and humankind, we found one another.
I've never been more certain of anything in my life.
So what do I need to steal? Wait! Hold your fire! We're here to talk.
We've come a long way to find you.
You were not easy to track down.
But since you've caused me more than a handful of trouble, the least you can do is hear what I have to say before you kill us.
Talk fast.
My name is Lance Hornsby.
And I'm here to offer you a job.
I'll need to see her when she's dead.
This a fight that I'm in it's not gonna end until I end it.
I'm doing this my way.
Your way got my men killed.
We find our moment, we take it.
We are in this until we find a way to fight our way out.
This place has a way of lulling you.
Why upset the applecart if it's keeping you safe, right? That is the struggle Protecting ourselves or others? I wouldn't mind both.
We had this storyline with Ezekiel and Tomi and Carol where they got to go and do a surgery.
So, the director that we had for this episode is named Lily Mariye.
She's an amazing director, but one of the other things about her is that she was a long time cast member on the series "ER.
" So, we had to do a surgery on this, and it was this funny thing where we had the perfect director who's like, "Oh, I've been in those scenes.
I know exactly how to do like a hospital scene.
" So that was really fun, and it just wound up being like this happy accident to tell this story.
Good morning.
It's so fun to write for Princess and Mercer.
They're so great as individuals, and I think their scenes together are just so sweet and the way that they play the characters with such nuance and loveliness.
We're both adults.
I've had a lot of sex, and you've had a lot of sex.
I love listening to you talk.
And, of course, the sex.
Paola, who plays Princess, is so, so funny.
But I love that with Mercer we also get to see this side of her that's like more serious and earnest, you know? And I might put out this totally sexy, carefree, fun-times vibe, but I can handle heavy stuff too if you ever need it.
I think Michael, who plays Mercer, is just such a meticulous actor in like the very best way.
Like, it is so lovely to work with, and he's so smart about how he approaches this character, like, really thinks so deeply about every line and every word.
I killed two of my men.
And I covered it up.
When those two get together, we always know we're going to get this, like, lovely, well thought out emotional scene back that is really fun to watch and romantic and all of that.
This is not a good look.
It puts all of us in a very tough spot.
Problem or not, it's the truth.
The scene where Aaron and Gabriel are just straight-up lying to Hornsby is just really fun.
Seth and Ross as Gabriel and Aaron, they're very, very funny in real life.
And so their characters tend to be so serious because the show is serious, but we like when we can have those moments of kind of like dark comedy in it.
That's your story? - That's basically it, yeah.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Yes.
There is dark humor that comes through in like every person in this scene knowing that every other person in the scene is playing a game.
Okay.
Fair enough.
I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here.
I've just got a job to do.
And yet they're just gonna all pretend like there's no game being played, this is the truth.
Why don't you two take care of this? Are you serious? We have to save our ammunition.
I was told you can handle yourselves.
Where's the problem? There's multiple people in danger right now.
Daryl, Aaron and Gabriel, if they're like really found out to be lying or they kind of confront, they are in danger.
All of them have children that are back at Commonwealth, all of them have loved ones that are back at the Commonwealth.
Given what just happened with Sebastian for example with Daryl, there may be a willingness to mess with their kids or mess with their loved ones, and so they don't trust that.
You expect me to trust him? I ain't asking you to trust him.
I'm asking you to trust me.
They know that Maggie is in trouble.
Gabriel and Aaron very, very well know and are kind of like communicating via telepathy to Daryl.
You know, they got the looks going and stuff, Daryl is like reading the situation and doing his tracking and going like, "Okay, I have kind of an idea of what happened here.
" So I think they feel that by going with Hornsby and the troopers, they can keep an eye on them, and really, it's a selfless move on the behalf of Daryl and Aaron and Gabriel to go along with something that they very much do not want to be a part of.
And it's for the good of the people back home, it's for good of people at the Hilltop.
There's this tension around, like, is that truck gonna start.
All of that is meant to play with like a feeling of could they be discovered at any point.
Hornsby already knows the story.
He is like 98.
9 percent certain when he walks in the doors that Maggie was there, that she knows what happened to the people that were there, and all he's looking for is the smoking gun.
Plenty others have made the mistake of threatening my family.
Most of them are dead now.
This is not something that we wanted to build to, like, people firing guns at each other.
Like, that's not really where they're at in the story.
But we did want to feel like this is a fraught situation, it is a dangerous situation in some ways, because if Maggie and others are found to be interfering in the affairs of the Commonwealth, this might lead to a bad end for them.