Has The Walking Dead finally revealed how the Commonwealth connects to the CRM? As The Walking Dead season 11, part 2 draws to a close, Lance Hornsby appears installed as the TV show's final villain. Many viewers will, however, be painfully aware of a larger threat looming in the background - the Civic Republic Military. Otherwise known as the "helicopter group" responsible for making Rick Grimes disappear, the CRM has featured in both Fear The Walking Dead and Walking Dead: World Beyond, and puts the Commonwealth to shame as a military force. Wiping out massive communities with minimal effort, it's surely only a matter of time until The Walking Dead's final season addresses the CRM elephant in the room.
Because the CRM has been conspicuous by its absence in The Walking Dead season 11, many are theorizing a possible connection between the Civic Republic and the Commonwealth to bring these currently-disparate threads together in The Walking Dead's final block of episodes. Lance Hornsby's military nous and secret machinations might tease his hidden CRM allegiance, or maybe the zombie hordes Mercer has been fending off were intentionally sent toward Pamela Milton's community, since we've seen the CRM use that very same tactic in Walking Dead: World Beyond.
Instead, The Walking Dead season 11's "Acts of God" hints the CRM are responsible for that mysterious list Connie was slipped by an unknown informant. Following the sudden disappearance of Tyler Davis, Connie received a list of around 200 names, with Tyler's the most recent. The Walking Dead's protagonists discovered some of these missing persons had been sent on an idiotic cash-grab by Sebastian Milton, but the sheer amount of names far exceeded the brat's suicide missions. In "Acts of God," Max discovers a file marked "RESETTLEMENTS" in Pamela Milton's office. The documents within reference each of the missing persons on Connie's list, followed by a set of numbers Max (who is super-intelligent, remember) speculates are coordinates.
Does the CRM provide the key to unlocking this mystery? Cast your mind back to The Walking Dead season 7 and the introduction of Jadis' Scavengers. Her group had been commissioned by the CRM to abduct folks and ready them for transportation to the Civic Republic via helicopter, usually labelled "A" or "B." This grim fate befell Corey Hawkins' Heath, but Jadis' deal also allowed her to get Rick Grimes sorely-needed medical treatment. From Walking Dead: World Beyond, we know some kidnapped by the CRM become experimentation subjects toward halting the zombie virus. The coordinates and names Max discovers could be drop-off points, since we know from Fear The Walking Dead that CRM helicopters prefer to keep their movements unpredictable. Similar to Jadis' Scavengers, the Commonwealth might've made an agreement with the CRM whereby any troublesome residents are shipped off without a trace. The Commonwealth gets rid of unwanted rebels, while the CRM receives a steady supply of test subjects. Everybody wins... unless you're Tyler Davis.
It's too early to determine whether Pamela Milton is fully aware of her community's ties to the CRM, or whether this is something Lance cooked up in secret (though The Walking Dead is leaning toward the latter). In either case, such a deal could explain how The Walking Dead integrates the Civic Republic into its final season. If we assume the good guys overthrow Lance and turn Pamela's Commonwealth into a groovy haven where everyone enjoys equal status, the CRM will be left wondering where their next shipment of specimens has got to. Daryl Dixon and friends would then face a very angry army accusing the Commonwealth of breaking its side of the bargain.