Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead season 11, episode 17
The Walking Dead season 11 part 3 is making a victory over the Commonwealth look ridiculously easy. Despite having a disadvantage in numbers, resources, and weapons, Alexandria hardly feels like an underdog in the fight against the Commonwealth anymore. Season 11’s villains aren’t on the ropes just yet, but it’s becoming easier and easier to imagine Daryl, Maggie, Negan, and the others defeating Lance Hornsby in the end.
A big part of what makes the Commonwealth’s military so imposing is their white armor, which supposedly makes killing them difficult to do. However, The Walking Dead season 11, episode 17, titled “Lockdown”, suggests otherwise. In one scene, zombies easily tore into a Commonwealth soldier and ripped him in half, with Mercer powerless to do anything about it. The fight against the zombies and how badly it went for the soldiers created the impression that their armor is surprisingly useless, which is obviously a bad look for the show’s final villains. At another point in the episode, Daryl successfully held his own against the Commonwealth’s forces and picked off several of Lance’s men on his own.
Is Alexandria Already Winning Season 11’s Commonwealth Battle?
Though Walking Dead still has seven episodes left, it looks like Alexandria has already gained the upper hand in the conflict with season 11’s main villain. Regardless of the forces he has at his disposal, Lance has failed miserably in his efforts to bring down Daryl and Maggie. His actions have cost him dozens of his men. He’s suffered setback after setback in The Walking Dead season 11. As of now, he’s been outwitted and beaten at nearly every turn. So unless a shocking twist turns the tide in his favor somehow, Lance is already on the path to defeat.
In fact, the Commonwealth is currently struggling on both fronts. Lance Hornsby's actions and what the characters on the inside have managed to uncover have done significant harm to Pamala Milton’s image and her hold over the Commonwealth citizens. People are staging protests and becoming increasingly willing to speak out against her. She’s trying to prove that Sebastian is innocent of the crimes he’s been accused, but with everything that’s happened, there’s a sense that she’s fighting a losing battle. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Yumiko, Connie, and Stephanie destroy what’s left of her credibility and make way for a major change in leadership.
Is Lance Hornsby Really The Walking Dead’s Final Villain?
While fighting Lance and the Commonwealth has admittedly been a challenge for the main characters, they’ve yet to emerge as the ultimate enemy for the final Walking Dead story. Some speculate that this could be because The Walking Dead still has some huge developments in store that will shake things up ahead of the ending. Lance pulling out an unexpected trump card or a last-minute visit from the CRM represent two different ways that the series could throw a wrench into things just in time for the series finale.
The Walking Dead releases new episodes on Sundays on AMC.