The Walking Dead S11 E11: "Rogue Element" Review
The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 11: "Rogue Element" Review
[WARNING: Major spoilers for The Walking Dead seasons 1-10, spoilers for season 11.]
Two steps forward, two steps back.
While the first two episodes of Part 2 of The Walking Dead's final season indicated an interesting turnabout for the rest of the show, Episode 11, "Rogue Element," ends up feeling a little goofier and more oddly conspiratorial than its predecessors. The conspiracy regarding rogue soldiers in the Commonwealth's army has, it seems, been replaced by an inner conspiracy within higher circles involved with the Commonwealth. The extent of that conspiracy remains unknown for most of the episode, and while this turns out to be an interesting concept, the practice therein doesn't entirely mesh with everything that has come before.
The episode starts off with Eugene and Stephanie--the Commonwealth girl he was speaking to over the radio throughout Season 10--initializing a better relationship between one another. Unfortunately, this relationship takes a turn when it appears Stephanie has gone missing, running away to parts unknown despite the budding romance between her and Eugene. Determined to find out if there are any clues as to where she's gone, Eugene enlists Princess to help him investigate where she may have gone--and who may have been behind her disappearance. It's an interesting concept to be sure, and a far cry from the more streamlined conflict the Commonwealth was involved with in the comics. Unfortunately, due to a not-so-well-hidden shadow of a character with a rather unique face and build, the mystery can be solved by anyone paying attention within the first 15 minutes of the episode.
Stephanie's disappearance and Eugene's subsequent search for her felt like a side-plot that maybe should have stretched over two or three episodes instead of being the focus of a full, 45-minute stint. It did shake things up a bit in terms of how the villains this season are going to be portrayed--interior groups and individuals that are the bad part of what amounts to a net benefit for their newfound society--but the way it was presented could have been handled much better. I think the very last scene of the episode was probably the strongest of the whole thing, but it could have been a lot more powerful if it had happened over the course of multiple episodes. At least then the rather stark change in Eugene's character and demeanor would have had more development outside of him acting on pure emotion to go up against odds he simply can't beat. The Eugene of Season 8's All Out War story arc seems a far cry away from this rather meek, almost simplified version of the character that we get here. What I can praise, however, is Josh McDermitt's acting, which was stellar throughout the episode. His distress at Stephanie's disappearance and his reactions to the revelations he uncovers are both key elements that make the episode enjoyable.
I do, however, wish that things were a bit more centralized in terms of the overarching plot. The last three episodes had a multitude of ideas introduced that haven't felt all that connected, which makes me wonder if they'll ever be connected at all. This includes the destruction of the Reapers save for Leah, the solider-based secret society in the Commonwealth, and now another secret society involved with the Commonwealth that seems to be completely different. The number of ideas introduced in the last three episodes seem like a lot to juggle, especially because of the lack of connectivity between them all. While I do hope the show will step back to show us the bigger picture soon, without hints that these pieces are all part of a larger puzzle, everything feels a little disjointed. Especially given some of the strange and seemingly innocuous allegiances revealed in this episode.
Another part of this episode's weirdness is reflected in the side-plot, following Carol as she continues to curry favor with Lance for the sake of getting Ezekiel bumped up on the surgery list. She accompanies him to an unofficial outpost of the Commonwealth, where a small batch of poppy farmers provide opium for the Commonwealth's hospital. However, there is conflict over how much they're being paid, something that Carol is forced to resolve in order to better her favor with Lance. Again, another element of the Commonwealth has been introduced, but it seems to have been done only for the sake of this episode. Many of the characters felt written like caricatures of whatever role they needed to play--well acted, but not very well-written. The entire conflict was also resolved through a plot contrivance, something that I was surprised to see in an episode of The Walking Dead and not a show on the CW. It lacked the finesse that it could have had, and the complexity it could have reflected regarding the inner workings of the Commonwealth. I do hope this part of the episode is revisited in the future, as it would make for more interesting worldbuilding that isn't tied to a very small part of the overarching plot.
Speaking of overarching plot, though, there was one plot of both notable interest and that was paced well throughout the episode. Upon their settlement into the Commonwealth, sisters Connie and Kelly have become journalists for the Commonwealth's newspaper. After Tyler--the rogue soldier from the previous episode--was hospitalized, Connie and Kelly attempted to get an interview with him so they could publish a story shedding light on the insurrectionary conspiracy transpiring in the community. Unfortunately, they are stonewalled by higher-ups in the Commonwealth, people who seem reluctant to allow anyone to enter Tyler's room. Connie and Kelly are thus forced to try and figure out what's going on via Mercer--who both does not want to speak to them and has no idea what they're talking about. While this part of the episode was portrayed in a rather stale way, the concepts herein were interesting, with everything being presented in the best possible way given the amount of time in the episode and relevance to the main plot herein. I do wish we got more of Mercer given what happens during his time in the episode, but overall I am satisfied with what we got.
While there appear to be many moving parts that have been introduced in the Commonwealth both in this episode and the last, the lack of connectivity between all of them has me wondering what the point of it all will be later on. I understand we still have 14 episodes to go, but there is so much that has been left unaddressed that I'm not sure will be addressed later. For example, what happened to the baby Whisperer Alden adopted after Gamma's death last season? No resolution to this after his death two episodes ago. Perhaps we'll learn more when the rebuild of Hilltop is addressed later on, but even that brings with it the baggage of the remnant Whisperers who appear to be living there after the episode back in Part 1. Will we see them again? I do hope this is brought to the forefront of at least one episode prior to Hilltop being fully rebuilt.
For now, though, it still seems like The Walking Dead is headed in the right direction, albeit with a few hiccups here and there--such as this episode. While this episode wasn't great and established a lot of things that feel like new distractions compared to last episode's plot, I don't think the dip in quality for this episode alone spells Part 2's doom. How the rest of the episodes fare--especially the next two or three--will probably be the determining factors as to how I feel about the future of the series as well as where it's currently heading. This episode was a misstep, yes, but that doesn't mean the show won't correct course and get back to where the last two episodes were in terms of quality, intrigue, and genuine mystery. I've said this in practically every episode review for the show so far: The Walking Dead is never going to hit the same high as Seasons 4 through 6. But it is starting to climb out of the rut Season 7 and 8 put it in, and I can see glimmers of effort behind what's going on. So, in hopes that effort comes to the forefront once again, I can say I'll gladly stick around and wait for what the rest of Season 11 Part 2 has to offer.
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