Angela Kang, you let me down… I was so excited for this episode and it was a MAJOR let down. I was expecting an Aaron or Gabriel death but I guess we will get one of those next week. I know everything from episode 15 was just a set up for the “mid-season” finale but this was the worst episode of season 11 B. I also don’t get how next week is the mid-season finale since there are 24 episodes and next one will be episode 16 but that’s okay… It just makes me believe that the first 8 episodes were just an added extra to beef up the Reapers storyline. Episode 15 had a lot of romance, little zombies, but did set up a few storylines for the 11B finale. I give episode 15 a 1 and a half out of 5 stars. I will give the returning Leah and Commonwealth searching Hilltop its own shine but I will point out a few stray storylines that will bleed into episode 16 and probably into 11C. Ezekiel seems like he is running his own hospital and asking Tomi to treat patients. I didn’t get why this was in there. It also made me mad that Tomi sent away his only doctor to get more medications and left Ezekiel and Carol to help him with the surgery. Even though they did a good job, it made no sense that Carol and Ezekiel knew what to do. Princess and Mercer seems like they have a relationship, which is fun but adds nothing to the story. Unless you count him opening up why he killed the two Commonwealth soldiers last week, there is nothing substantial. Eugene went to find Max to unveil the truth about the list that Connie and Kelly got in episode 10 but again, this didn’t lead anywhere , so I expect a conclusion next week. We did why Mercer seems like he is diverting from the Commonwealth way. He is doing it to keep all of the civilians alive, even if that means protecting the Milton’s at all cost. Max seems like she is upset with him not rising up but I expect him to fully rebel in season 11C. Again, I get why episode 15 was the way it was, but a major letdown is an understatement…
Maggie vs. Lance
Lance doesn’t believe the story that Aaron and Gabriel were the only two that survived the events from last week and beings to question them. He believes that they knew the people from the inside and goes to Hilltop to see if Maggie and company know anything about it. Although Daryl is a part of the Commonwealth military, his alliance still lies with the original group. He believes Aaron and Gabriel, helps them clear walkers from the road when no one wants to, and convinces Maggie to open up their doors. Lance becomes skeptical of Hilltop’s appearance when he finds the same truck that was used to get away but Maggie disconnected the starter so it wouldn’t start. Lance even questioned Hershel but he didn’t budge either. Even when times were tough, Daryl still sided with the group and held a gun to Lance and company. I hope that Lance doesn’t die because he is the most complex Commonwealth character and brings a lot to the story. Commonwealth leaves Hilltop, still questioning who stole the guns. Daryl, Gabriel, and Aaron do not go back with him and realize they can’t go back for awhile. I am guessing that they will go back to Alexandra but Daryl will end up going back to Commonwealth because of his status in the military and he can’t leave Judith and RJ behind.
Leah Joining the Commonwealth
Unless you count a battle between Daryl, Aaron, and Gabriel against the Commonwealth for next episode, Leah possibly joining the army is the only substantial story that we got from this episode. Leah was the one that stole the Commonwealth guns in the first place and Lance figures that out at the end of the episode. Leah starts to kill some soldiers until Lance starts to talk with her. I knew that she wouldn’t kill Lance, since that wouldn’t make a lot of sense at this time but I didn’t expect him to offer her a job. I think that Leah will end up accepting the position and go back with them next episode. The only interesting dynamic is if Leah will end up dying at the hands of Lance and the Commonwealth and Daryl seeing Leah inside the Commonwealth walls. I do believe if she does die, we will get a Leah and Daryl reunion before her demise. Maybe this is how Daryl ends up leaving the Commonwealth all together and will go back to Alexandra for good. I was in the camp of her surviving to his spin-off show but I didn’t expect her to come back to the show so quickly and expect her to die in season 11C, just for the emotional impact on Daryl. I hope we get this reunion next week but knowing AMC, they’ll delay that for as long as possible and get that in the middle of 11C. All I ask is for episode 16 to be good and not a major letdown again. Having only 9 episodes left in the show is a sad thought to think about and they need to go out on a high note.