The Walking Dead s11e18 Episode Script

We want justice!
I promise you, I will
find the real culprits
and bring them to justice.
Previously on "The Walking Dead"
What are you doin' here, man?
Well, I'm here to save your asses.
I think we can help each other.
And who are you?
I work for Lance Hornsby.
He's out there hunting my friends.
I need your help to stop him.
If your son didn't do the
things that he's accused of,
someone did.
- Guns on the ground.
- Weapons down!
We've come so far.
Lost so much.
Saying you handcuffed
my brother to a roof
and you left him there?!
It's hard to trust when
anyone can go at any time.
But the people who die
and the people who go
aren't lost forever.
I believe that.
I have to.
- And remembering their voices
- These people need you.
is how we keep them alive.
The future belongs to all of us now.
Drop your weapon! Hold it right there!
Take this guy out!
Put the knife down!
Do it, or we will shoot!
Let him go! Now!
Everyone stand down!
You heard him.
Lower your weapon.
This is not just about you.
I need him alive.
Dixon.
Not here and not like this.
You choosing this piece of shit?
If I was, you'd already be down.
Do what you fuckin' gotta do.
Daryl.
What have you done?
I made a deal for us.
Don't worry.
He'll live.
So the slate's just wiped clean?
Debt, deaths on both sides.
We get supplies, water, weapons.
Pamela provides everything that
we need to finish rebuilding.
Free and clear.
Then we just go home?
That's up to everyone to decide.
What does Pamela get out of this?
Hornsby.
We tell the people what he did.
Out here, back at that house where
Where folks died.
He takes the fall for it.
So this is about saving her son.
It's not our problem anymore.
We'll talk about it with our
people when they get here.
There's a lot to think about on our end.
Right. Yeah. Like how they
killed most of our people.
Anybody else?
I think the most important
thing is that we're together.
I don't want to go it alone anymore.
I don't trust them. But if you say
that this deal gets
us back in our homes,
with our own rules, then I
think it's worth the risk.
Alright.
You mind shifting me over a few feet?
Think I'm stuck on an anthill here.
Get used to it.
Wow.
I always thought we got along so well.
How many of my men
have you gotten killed?
Oh, Mercer.
I thought you realized by now
They're not your men.
Better hop to it, soldier.
You'll be transported
back to the Commonwealth
and put on trial.
Look, Pamela, it's just the two of us.
Drop the act.
No act, Lance.
You've gone too far.
Seriously?
You never seemed to have a problem
with how I got the job done before.
We're not talking about the past.
Only now. And you've made
quite a mess of "now."
- Hold on
- You might survive this,
if you play things right.
But your life at the
Commonwealth is over.
Over?
After After all the years,
after all that I've
done in service of you
Oh, please. You've served yourself
above everything and anyone else.
Always trying so hard
to prove the world wrong.
You refuse to see it.
But I've made something of myself.
You're an angry, delusional
little boy, Lance.
Trying to win a game,
but too foolish to realize
that you've never actually
been a player in it.
You still need me.
If something happens to me
certain alliances the
Commonwealth has
certain stabilizing factors
are likely to become a problem.
Whatever game you're playing, Pamela
I'm very much in it.
Lance Hornsby abused his position
and caused untold suffering for others.
But thanks in part
to the assistance of
friends and allies
Along with our dedicated armed
forces, he was unable to escape.
And I promise you all
Justice will be served.
She played that perfectly.
Hornsby takes the
fall, Sebastian skates.
Now, tomorrow is Founders Day.
An opportunity for our community
to come together and celebrate
what truly makes the
Commonwealth great
Its people.
And we will celebrate.
We will not forget, but
we will rise above this.
Because we are the Commonwealth.
There has to be
something more we can do.
Your people are leaving.
It's not your problem anymore.
Hey.
I'm still standing here.
I know. Thank you.
Would you ever consider
a A change of scenery?
You showed me your home,
I could show you mine.
Maybe someday
But not yet.
Now, we'll make sure Oceanside is okay.
I'll fill Cyndie and
Rachel in on the plan,
see what they need.
It'll take a bit to get everybody ready
and gather up all the supplies.
Head to Alexandria first.
It's in better shape than Hilltop.
- We'll see you there.
- Be safe.
Sure you wanna go?
Yeah. Yeah, it's fine.
Been on the road a few weeks,
so what's a few more, right?
- Hey.
- Hey.
Um, pack's all set. I'll
grab us some water, okay?
Alright. Thank you.
"What's a few more weeks," huh?
I'm sorry.
You don't have to be sorry.
No, I just
Henry.
You know, I haven't forgotten about him.
It's just I don't know.
You take happiness
wherever you can get it.
And don't ever be sorry for it.
Yeah?
Yeah.
You okay?
Yeah.
Yeah. I think I am.
I never, uh
I never thanked you for saving her.
I never thanked you for saving me.
We don't have to. We just do it.
Yeah.
Alright, come on.
Be safe out there, alright?
You, too.
We'll be back before you know it.
It's okay.
Here. It's yours.
I don't want it.
Alright.
My mom talked about
the day she'd hang up
her sword for good.
Not that we'd be completely safe,
but enough to feel like
she didn't need it anymore.
If I keep that, things
go back to how they were.
But they should be better.
They will be once we get home.
How?
It's still broken.
And what about everyone else here?
Shouldn't we stay and help them?
Isn't that what you and Mom and Dad did
at Alexandria and Hilltop?
That was different.
It wasn't. The only difference now
is that you'd rather run
away than stay and fight.
God damn it.
Stop.
Stop.
Just stop.
Lottery tickets here!
Get your lottery tickets here!
A new life for the price of a buck!
Lottery!
Y'know, you don't have to
lug that thing around anymore.
Yeah, well, I hate
to disappoint the kids.
I'm sure somebody else could do it.
Eh.
Maybe I just enjoy the exercise.
You're not coming, are you?
If it's about the treatment,
we'll have plenty of medicine,
I made sure of it. Maybe
Maybe Tomi can come.
It's not that.
My place is here.
When I set out with Eugene and Yumiko,
we were all desperate
for help, remember?
And I was desperate
to make a difference
One last time.
But this place, these people
you
gave me a second chance
to do a whole lot more.
So that's what I'm gonna do.
Helping the people of another Kingdom,
before it falls apart.
Hey. Come on down.
- Sure, let's try it.
- Okay.
We could all do that.
Today is a day of remembrance,
of those whose lives were lost
in the founding of this Commonwealth.
Their courage and
grit fortify our walls,
protecting our families, the
future, and America itself.
If they're gonna hear this,
why do I have to give a speech?
There are certain things you need to do
if you're ever going to lead this place.
Max, could you
"It is an absolute privilege
to be here with you today
as we honor the founding
of our great home."
- [Paper crumples, thuds
- Wow, that is crap.
I don't need this.
I will lead because I'm a Milton.
You have jeopardized
enough with your stupidity.
They need to see that
you have nothing to hide.
And be reminded that
you are his grandson.
- I am.
- Then show them.
Show me.
I will.
I know you will.
Politics was not my first choice either.
You were born to lead this place.
Hmm.
It looks like your amniotic
fluid is a little high.
What does that mean?
That you're in the right place.
Might've been an issue if
we didn't catch it earlier,
but now we'll keep a close
eye and you'll be fine.
Dr. Kleiner to unit 7.
Dr. Kleiner to unit 7.
This all getting too real for you?
No.
No.
But it is real.
It's all gonna be fine.
Staying here isn't an option.
Yeah.
It's not.
There are people looking to us.
I can't risk them.
I won't.
You know, I keep hearing my
dad's voice inside my head
saying, "Your life is
Is not your own once you have kids.
It's never the same."
I always just wanted
to know what that meant.
And I finally get to.
And I keep hearing Ian and Jesse.
And all the people they killed.
We don't need this place.
Because it's us now.
Yeah.
Alright.
Where's Judith?
RJ, where's Judith?
I'm not supposed to say.
She's supposed to be packing.
I said we had to pack. But
she said she wasn't coming.
Where'd she go?
I don't know.
We'll find her.
Ugh.
This parenting thing
I ain't very good at it.
But it's who you are to her now.
What would he do?
Don't. Rick's not here.
You are.
It's weird. Suddenly being a parent.
When Sophia was born, I had
no idea what I was doing.
All I really knew was that I loved her.
So tiny.
Looking to me for everything.
The weight of making a decision
that would make all the difference.
We just hope that the choice we make
is the right one at the time.
You'll figure it out. I know you will.
Yeah.
I'm not sure this is the best idea.
- We don't have much of a choice.
- Of course we do.
Eugene, I have to do something.
I've been in her office for years.
Even if I didn't know
what was really going on,
I definitely knew
Sebastian was bad news.
And I just went along with it.
You don't know what it's like
to feel that kind of guilt.
You'd be surprised.
I'm fairly familiar with guilt's burden.
I was proud of what we did.
I got used to feeling like
maybe everything would
always be the same.
Like we were trapped in the old world.
After all this, why shouldn't
we try for something better?
And thinking like that
actually felt good.
Like maybe we could
actually change things.
But it's all being erased.
So I have to try.
No matter what happens.
But if you don't want to do this, if
- If this is too much
- I-I want us to be safe.
We cannot trust this man.
But if you truly believe
there's an outside chance
he can help us, then
I'll suck it up and I'll do my best.
I thought you'd be gone by now.
Not quite.
Sustenance for conversation.
This for all the times
I got you out of a cell?
I'm a mite surprised
you're not able to do
the same for yourself.
Who says I'm not?
I try not to take
these things personally.
That's the game, right?
Any assistance I could offer?
That's a weak play, Eugene.
If you want something, ask for it.
I'm looking for any information
that might be damaging
to Pamela or her progeny.
Hm.
That's a tough one.
I'd love to help, but the irony is
Pamela's probably the
only reason I'm alive.
Some friendly advice?
You go after the Miltons
and they'll crush you.
Pamela's just better.
People wanted her son's head
Now they're dancing in the street,
celebrating the Milton legacy.
Founders of the Commonwealth!
So trust me when I say
You're better off making nice
with Pamela and her
sadistic shit of a son.
Eugene, make sure you
tell your girlfriend, too.
She's so great at hiding in plain sight,
right next to Pamela.
She should keep it up.
The last thing I want
is you two to end up
in a cell like mine.
You both have to live with it.
Unless you're willing to
burn the whole thing down.
you shall do to them
according to the whole commandment
that I have commanded you.
Be strong and courageous.
Do not fear or be in dread of them
for it is the Lord
your God who goes with you.
He will not leave you or forsake you.
My last sermon.
It's not your last.
You all packed?
Anything here you want me to grab?
My parishioners brought me food.
We can enjoy Mrs. Brennan's
ambrosia on the road back home.
That's all you.
You know, I didn't think
I'd get back to this.
To Him.
But I did.
The people that sit in these pews
They gave that to me.
You gave them something, too, you know.
And what you gave will be
here long after you're gone.
Yeah.
I just wish they brought
cotton candy instead.
Same thing every year.
We set it up, take it all down,
and we don't even get
to see the main event.
Don't matter,
as long as I can hear those
lottery numbers being called.
I promise to forget all
about you when I win.
Can we help you?
I wasn't trying to worry you.
I know.
I just
You just wanted to be alone.
I get it.
I used to have a spot like this.
When I wanted to hide and not go home.
Where'd you go?
There was a river behind my house.
I used to go down there
and wait for my dad to go to sleep.
You were alone a lot?
Yeah.
I don't mind being alone.
Sometimes I like it better.
Gives you time to think.
Figure things out, I guess.
I'm sorry about earlier.
It's okay.
I don't know what I'm doing.
But I'm trying really hard.
I wish things were like
how you want them to be.
That's the way they should be.
But they aren't.
And I have to keep you safe.
I'm gonna hold onto
the gun for a while
till you want it.
Or not.
But either way, you're stuck with me.
We good?
We're good.
Will I get to say bye to my friends?
Yeah.
Help me up.
"It is an absolute privilege
to be here with you today
as we honor the founding
of our great home."
I sound like a douchebag.
You'll be great.
This is for later.
And I'm heading home to change.
Okay. Sounds good.
This is bullshit!
"It is an absolute"
"It is an absolute"
Hey.
Thanks.
You going to do it?
I don't think I have much of a choice.
You do.
We all do.
Not according to my mom.
This should be my brother.
That's the one she wanted.
I'm just the one that's still here.
You can be more than that.
Is that what this is?
You're just her lackey.
Getting me to do
whatever she wants, right?
I don't just work for
your mom, I'm a citizen.
Okay.
Leading isn't just
telling people her words.
Some truth might be the way to go.
People respect that sort of thing.
People don't want honesty.
They want to be told
that everything's A-OK,
so they can go about
ignoring the goddamned mess
this world really is.
That's not true.
Please.
The Commonwealth is built
on buying into bullshit.
The desperate need to believe
that the ol' American
dream is still real.
You know, "Anything is possible!"
"We We could rise above our station!"
It's a friggin' joke.
The reality is that the poor stay poor
so that the rich can do
whatever the hell we want.
The game is rigged.
There are no bootstraps to pull up.
Christ, my mom hand-picks
the lottery winners.
And none of it matters, and
nothing will ever change.
But those people that you
think want "honesty"
yeah, they're just
too stupid to see it.
It's pathetic.
Now, that sounded like you believed it.
But maybe
maybe you just choose
to be a spoiled asshole.
I mean, if everyone else expects it,
who's left to disappoint?
I thought it was really cute.
Yeah. Go have fun.
Nice work.
Lottery tickets here! Lottery tickets here!
Everyone needs a chance!
You doing alright?
- Ladies and gentlemen
- I'll be fine.
please take your seats,
as the main event is about to begin!
People of the Commonwealth,
are you ready to witness
a battle for the ages?!
Captain, Watch out!
Oh!
Oh, my God.
One, two, three!
Commonwealth! Commonwealth!
Ha!
Let me hear it!
Come on!
Let's extend a hearty
thank-you to our combatants!
And now to continue
with this wonderful day,
my son, Sebastian, has
prepared a few words.
Thank you. It is, uh It
is an honor and a privilege
to be with you today to
celebrate the, uh to
I, um
I know that a lot of you
don't think very well of me.
I know that I probably deserve that.
Now, it is gonna take a long, long road
for me to earn your trust,
and live up to my legacy.
I don't have the words to describe
what this place means to me.
But my grandfather did.
So, humbly, if you would
join me in listening
to the wise words of President Milton,
founder of the Commonwealth.
Please.
The Commonwealth is built
on buying into bullshit.
The desperate need to believe
that the ol' American
dream is still real.
You know, "Anything is possible!"
"We We could rise above our station!"
It's a friggin' joke.
The reality is that the poor stay poor
so that the rich can do
whatever the hell we want.
The game is rigged.
There are no bootstraps to pull up.
Christ, my mom hand-picks
the lottery winners.
- And none of it matters
- I knew it. I told you!
- and nothing will ever change.
- You bitch!
- But those people that you think
- Stop that tape.
Hold on. Go!
yeah, they're just
too stupid to see it.
Converge on the ring.
Please, everyone, remain calm.
"Anything is possible!"
- "We We could rise above our station!"
- No one fires their weapon.
- It's a friggin' joke.
- Stand down!
- The reality is that the poor stay poor
- Stand down!
so that the rich can do
whatever the hell we want.
Back it up! Back up now!
Get back! Back!
Rotters! We got rotters in the square!
Come back here! You are dead!
Tango. Tango. Tango.
All units to the square.
The dead are inside the walls.
You six, come with me.
Secure the Governor until
you hear directly from me.
Where are you going?
You're supposed to protect me.
My job is to protect
the Commonwealth, ma'am.
Right now! Let's go!
Judith!
Judith!
C'mon. Let's go.
Give me the gun. They need our help.
We'll do this together,
alright? Come on.
Stupid bitch!
You're nothing!
Help! Help me!
Help me!
We need to go.
Help!
Help!
Help me!
Help me!
Help me!
Help me!
Help! Help me!
Yeah, they're just too stupid to see it.
Please.
The Commonwealth is built
on buying into bullshit.
The desperate need to
believe the ol' American dream
is still real.
You know, "Anything is possible!"
"We We could rise above our station!"
It's a friggin' joke.
The reality is that the poor stay poor
so that the rich can do
whatever the hell we want.
I need an example.
I want to remind these people
that actions have consequences.
I've heard stories about walkers
who can climb walls and open doors.
What the hell?!
Milton's son is dead, and
she wants Eugene for it.
If they catch him, he's dead.
- Getting you out of here.
- No!
Everyone stand down!
Aah!
You heard him. Lower your weapon.
This episode deals with our people
trying to negotiate
with the Commonwealth,
and specifically with Pamela Milton
and the fallout that
happens as a result of that.
What have you done?
Made a deal for us.
Daryl trusts Carol a lot.
And so the fact that Hornsby isn't dead
and that Daryl didn't, like,
just go rampage on all of them,
he knows that if Carol
is doing something,
even if it's something that
he has reservations about,
he knows Carol only ever does things
because she thinks it
is going to help them.
- Aah!
- He's gonna put in
one little bit of protest.
"Alright, you told me to keep him alive.
I'll keep him alive,
but I'm gonna go as far as I can go."
Aah. Aah! Aah!
Don't worry. He'll live.
We've come so far. Lost so much.
This concept of going back into the past
to take a look at where
the characters are now
is something that we really wanted to do
for the final block of episodes.
Handcuffed my brother to a roof,
and you left him there?!
We like the idea of seeing
how far Daryl has come
in the journey.
Daryl went from somebody
who was bucking the system,
a lone wolf, didn't want to compromise,
and he has come to a point
where, as a leader, as a father figure,
he does have to sometimes trust things
that he doesn't want to trust.
You'll be transported
back to the Commonwealth
and put on trial.
Look, Pamela, it's just the two of us.
Drop the act.
No act, Lance. You've gone too far.
He's really, truly stunned
when she's so angry at him
and is kind of signaling
that he's going to pay
for the things that have happened.
You're an angry, delusional
little boy, Lance,
trying to win a game.
Too foolish to realize
that you've never actually
been a player in it.
There is also a part of
her that truly does not like
the idea that Hornsby has enabled
some of the things that he's enabled.
Even if she likes to
keep her hands clean,
it has brought shame upon her house.
Whatever game you're playing, Pamela,
I'm very much in it.
And it's yours.
The story that we wanted to play
of Judith and hanging up the gun
has these origins in a Western.
I don't want it.
When she refused it
at first, it's because
that's how she would
prefer to live her life.
Like, she would like it
if all of them were able
to hang up their weapons for good.
If I keep that, things
go back to how they were.
But they should be better.
They will be, once we get home.
How?
It's still broken.
And what about everyone else here?
Shouldn't we stay and help them?
I think that Judith,
in her kind of youthful idealism,
really feels like, "Why
would you leave this
and not try to stay and fix it?"
There is some truth
to what she's saying.
And I think that that does give Daryl,
like, something to think about.
And so I think that there's
this really nice exchange
between the parent figure and the child,
where they're both kind
of learning from each other
in the moment.
I wish things were like
how you want them to be.
That's the way they
should be, but they aren't.
And I have to keep you safe.
Aaaah!
In the comic book, football is
the big sport that they rally around.
But because of the pandemic
and the protocols we had,
football was going to be
very difficult to do safely.
The writer of this episode
said, "What if we do wrestling?
Because it is, like, only
a limited number of people,
but there is this theatricality to it.
It's all made up, and you
have heroes and villains,
And there's this sort of like
simplistic binary thing that you have,
that, like, even a sporting event
is propaganda for them,"
we thought was really interesting.
Oh! Ugh!
Ugh! Aah!
Commonwealth!
Commonwealth! Commonwealth!
Commonwealth!
I think, for Max, she's been discontented
for a while.
It's been a slow journey for her
that has ramped up in speed.
She really feels like she
has to do something about it,
or she cannot stand herself.
Leading isn't just
telling people her words.
Some truth might be the way to go.
I think that when she sees Sebastian
and sees that he really,
truly has no remorse
in spite of the fact that
he's been given a chance
yet again, and he
chooses to squander it,
so I don't think she feels too bad
about exposing that, because, I think,
that she feels like it's her
job as a concerned citizen
to do that for her people.
The Commonwealth
is built on buying into bullshit.
The desperate need to believe
that the old American dream
is still real.
The reality is that the poor stay poor
so that the rich can do
whatever the hell we want.
Help me! Help me!
Sebastian does get
attacked by the zombie,
and the reaction of the citizens
is to stand around and do nothing,
because they feel like, in his own way,
maybe he deserves a bloody end.
Help me!
The trust between citizens and leaders
is so broken right now,
it has gotten to the point
where, in this community,
there is a form of
just vigilante justice
that they feel like maybe
is the only kind of justice
that they'll get,
because the rule of law
did not work for the citizens
in the case of Sebastian.
And they are sort of content
to stand by and let him die.
Help me! Help me!!
Somebody help me!
Aaah! Oh!
Give me the gun. They need our help.
Taking up the gun again is
something that is tragic.
It is actually the saddest thing of all
that a child feels that
she needs to be a gunslinger
in this apocalyptic
world, but it's a marker
that even this place
that she thought was safe
is not immune to the dangers
of the rest of the world.
It's unthinkable in the Commonwealth,
and so, in that way, the Commonwealth
succeeded at least in
some measure of protection
for its citizens.
But even when Judith shoots,
like, if you look at her face,
there's a sense of the
tragedy of the situation
that you kind of see in
her young eyes and her face.