The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 15 Review: Trust
Paul Dailly
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Is Lance blossoming into one of the most formidable shows in the history of the series?
The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 15 built up the tension perfectly as Lance desperately searched for answers.
If you watch The Walking Dead online, you know there would be repercussions following the event of Riverbend.
Lance sent Toby to do the job because he knew Toby had the expertise to stealthily kill the people he wanted to be taken out of the equation.
Lance is the type of person who gets results and cuts people out when he no longer needs them.
It was fascinating to see the reaction on his face when Aaron and Gabriel fed him the tall tale about the gunfight.
The story was poorly cobbled together, and you could tell Lance knew it was filled with holes, but without solid proof, what could he really do to get answers?
Forcing Gabriel and Aaron to clear out walkers and such to see if they were as strong as they implied was an excellent way to give him some peace of mind.
Lance: 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?
Hershel: I should probably go get my mom.
Lance: 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. [Lance puts the hat on Hershel's head] Huh! I'll be damned. Perfect fit. What are the odds?
But this is Lance we're talking about, and he knew there was more to the scene than he was privy to, so of course, he would try and build a link to the Hilltop.
Maggie has been anti-Commonwealth since the beginning, and when you consider her past history with new communities, it makes sense.
For some reason, I figured the flash-forward from The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 9 wouldn't be revised until nearer the end of the series, so that was a pleasant surprise.
However, it didn't land with the thud expected for such a pivotal look to the future.
Lance: 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.
Leah: Talk fast.
Lance: My name is Lance Hornsby. And I'm here to offer you a job.
Lance would have probably opened fire to get into the Hilltop, but maybe that would have made things more interesting from the jump.
The insanity as Lance tried to throw out theories that included Maggie was a lot of fun, and you could tell Maggie was scared the truth somehow made it out there.
How would she be able to defend what little people she had left if the Commonwealth soldiers opened fire?
Lance manipulating Hershel was a hard left turn, but the child was clearly coached in not talking to strangers.
As the series has reiterated countless times, he was raised on the road, so he's wiser to the likes of Lance.
Lance knew the hat was Hershel's, confirming his theory that Maggie was at the Riverbend.
It's hard to assess why he left and allowed Maggie and her people to live, but this dude will probably have another trick up his sleeve.
Offering Leah a job was something I didn't expect, but when you consider that these two people hate Maggie with a passion, it makes sense.
Obviously, we know Maggie survives because she's a part of Isle of the Dead, but we don't know whether those in her inner circle will be so lucky.
Aaron, Gabriel, and Daryl leaving the Hilltop to continue the mission might have seemed like a bad move, but Gracie, RJ, Judith, and countless other people are the Commonwealth.
How do we know the Commonwealth wouldn't share a bizarre story to fit the compound's narrative?
The series has managed to nestle Max and Mercer into the plot very well, and I suspect the pair will be crucial to exposing the inner workings of this so-called safe haven.
Lance: Guys, you see my problem here. This is not a good look. It puts all of us in a very tough spot.
Gabriel: Problem or not, it's the truth.
Max was vocal to her brother about striving for change, which was largely fueled by what she learned about Sebastien.
We've barely scratched the surface about what's going on, but Mercer is carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders.
He's the face of the military, and he has clearly been built up by the people who run the Commonwealth.
He has a considerable amount of influence and might be able to turn the soldiers against the Miltons and Lance.
Then again, what do we really know about Pamela? We know she wasn't all that impressed with Lance's power plays, so it might be the case that she's not as evil as everyone believes.
We've yet to see her react to Riverbend, and what if she doesn't even find out?
Lance is power-hungry and will probably find a way to dethrone her and take over the seat of power when he gets a chance.
They go way back, but Lance's plans haven't just cropped up out of nowhere.
He's been playing this chess game for years, and he might just wind up on top.
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.
Rosita
Thankfully, Carol has some pull and has built trust with him. Carol has this ability to get answers without showing her cards, which is something that has helped her and our favorite characters for several years now.
She managed to get Tomi and Ezekiel away from the Commonwealth soldiers while stealing the medical supplies. That highlighted the importance of her role here.
We have just nine episodes left, so the narrative needs to feature another significant shift to truly showcase the fact that these storylines are building to a conclusion.
As a penultimate episode, "Trust" was very good. There were some moments that were out there, and I'm not too sure Leah should still be on the show, but we'll see what the midseason finale brings us.
What did you think of Lance's actions?
What do you think he will do next to get back at Maggie?
Do you think Mercer will turn his back on the people in power?
Hit the comments
The Walking Dead continues Sunday at 9 p.m. on AMC.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
