A little bit of Eugene Porter goes a long way, which is why its surprising when his step-into-the-spotlight episodes turn into series highlights (see the seventh seasons Hostiles and Calamities). In a way, this weeks episode Time for After is the sequel to last years Eugene showcase. As his new allies face a desperate situation, with only a couple days of supplies remaining and no clear way out, he once again asks the only question that matters to any well-coiffed opportunist: Whos going to keep him vertical?
But this chapter is also about one man wrestling with both his soul and his survival instinct. This characters always going to skew toward the cartoonish. Beneath all his bluster, however, Eugene is a fairly complex, somewhat relatable guy. Hed prefer to be saintly, but has no problem coming up with justifications for his jerkier behavior. Arent we all like that sometimes?
100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time'The Walking Dead' Season Premiere Recap: Life During WartimeThe 10 Wildest Led Zeppelin Legends, Fact-CheckedSugar Ray's Mark McGrath: 5 Songs That Make Me Cry
In this episode, those stubborn rationales manifest as a super-sized portion of moral relativism. For most of the running-time, Eugene drifts from one conversation to another, with Sanctuary-dwellers none of them Saviors per se who fruitlessly lecture him on how he should be using his intellect and influence. When he tells Dwight that he wont rat him out if he ceases the double-agent act for the AHK (thats Alexandria, Hilltop, and Kingdom), the scruffy saboteur snarls back that keeping Negans side safe means dooming Ricks. Later, the drunken concubine Tanya, the kidnapped doctor Harlanand the sickly Gabriel all urge Eugene to do the right thing: help tip the balance of this war to the good guys. He remains unmoved, arguing that the right thing is different for everyone. Nobodys really better or worse than anybody else just stronger or weaker.
Thats why the only person hell really listen to is Negan, whos strong as hell and who, not incidentally, treats our man like a valuable resource instead of a weaselly creep. (How does it feel to be the second-most important person here? Negan asks, sincerely.) So Eugene gets busy concocting an exit strategy for everyone trapped in the Sanctuary.
And heres what makes Josh McDermitts TWD beta male such a fascinating dude to watch: Despite all his annoying quirks, he just cant escape his conscience or his cowardice. When he retrieves Sashas iPod from her casket to make a pied piper drone (a mobile sound system that will lure zombies away from the compound), he suffers pangs of remorse remembering how he aided his former comrades demise. After Dwight shoots the plane down, Eugenes ready to spill what he knows to Negan. Then the turncoat walks into the room and he stops, because hes afraid to betray him to his face. And as fiercely as he toes the Im Negan party line in public, hes gulping down Tanyas smuggled wine the second hes back in his room, desperate to be numb.
Yet despite all of that, Time for After isnt as satisfying an episode as Hostiles and Calamities was, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, Eugenes shtick really is hard to take at length. As a minor figure who pops up every now and then to say things like, You look like a potato-and-shit casserole, hes very colorful and entertaining. But when those kinds of lines dominate? They lose their novelty in record time.
More damningly, one of the two subplots this week is to put it mildly absolutely idiotic. Remember how Sheriff Grimes got himself captured last week? And how the only way that move wouldve made any sense is if hed had some kind of safeguard in place? Well, never mind. Rick does eventually get the better of Jadis, and forges the alliance hes looking for. But thats only because his captors try to execute him with a armored walker rather than, yknow, their guns. At no point does any Scavenger shoot our hero, even as hes wresting control of their ghoul and turning it against them. What the hell?
The one saving grace to this whole asinine turn of events is that when our smug hero leads the Scavengers to the Sanctuary to complete the final phase of his ultimate scheme he finds the facility vacated. Sorry, no more zombie hordes serving as your siege engine, sir. Thats a consequence of what happens in the other subplot, where Daryl, Morganand Tara shrug off the objections of Michonne and Rosita and breach their enemys walls. The idea is to create carnage and chaos and also, apparently, an opportunity for escape.
Daryls plan is arguably as short-sighted and dependent on dumb luck as Ricks. But at least his storyline rounds out the larger theme of this episode, which has to do with picking sides and following through.
Early on, Eugene tries to delay taking any action by sitting around and making lists: What I Know, What I Know I Dont Know, and Things I Am Unaware Of. Wholly. Dwight tries to encourage his inaction, insisting, All you have to do to be on the winning side is nothing a directive that suits the sniveling smart guys personality just fine. Rosita and Michonne make similar cases to their people, saying they should trust Rick, and avoid making rash decisions just because theyre itching to stay active.
But those two never actually try to stop Daryl & Co. And by stepping aside, they effectively let the attack happen, screwing over their fearless leader. Its too bad they couldnt consult Eugene, who couldve easily articulated for them his philosophy of non-involvement. He knows as well as anyone that as much as we may like to plead ignorance, eventually even our indecision becomes a choice. Especially when theres a storm brewin and heading their way.
Previously: Odd Couples