Lauren Ridloff, who plays Connie on The Walking Dead, confronts Michael James Shaw’s Mercer in a clip from season 11 episode 11, “Rogue Element.” AMC’s long-running zombie drama started airing the second half of its final episodes on February 20th. The Walking Dead’s eleventh and final season loosely adapts the comic book storyline in which Alexandria’s survivors cross paths with the post-apocalyptic and relatively advanced society known as the Commonwealth.
Connie made her debut as part of Magna’s group in season 9 after being rescued by Judith Grimes and taken to the Alexandria Safe-Zone. Connie was separated from the group during their war with the Whisperers but returned just in time for Alexandria and its inhabitants to meet their last big bad, the Commonwealth. Season 11, episode 10, “New Haunts,” saw a handful of characters accept the Commonwealth’s offer and join the community. While Ezekiel took a job as a zookeeper (of sorts) and Daryl joined the military, Connie returned to her pre-apocalyptic roots of journalism and became a writer for the Commonwealth Tribune. In the same episode, a dejected member of the community interrupted the elite’s gala, holding Pamela Milton’s (Laila Robins) assistant hostage—which made it clear to Connie that all is not well in the Commonwealth.
In a clip from this Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead, Connie and Kelly confront General Mercer of the Commonwealth army about Tyler Davis, the former trooper who interrupted episode 10’s gala. Instead of asking the questions she was sent to ask, Connie asks Mercer why Tyler has been in the hospital under armed guard for the past month; “what is he being charged with?” She also reveals that Milton’s assistant is Mercer’s sister, Max (Margot Bingham), before implying the obvious: the military and government are corrupt. Check it out below:
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As was the case in the comics, it appears the seemingly idyllic Commonwealth is plagued by an unfair class system riddled with discrimination—which is what led to Tyler’s desperation and anger towards Pamela in the previous episode. Prior to the apocalypse, Pamela was a career politician and the daughter of a president. Now, without any other surviving forms of government, she rules the Commonwealth rather than oversees it. It’s worth noting that Connie’s reporting led to the disgrace of Pamela’s congressman Uncle before the outbreak. It doesn’t bode well for Connie that she is already getting pushback for asking questions. On top of that, Eugene’s search for “Stephanie” will likely reveal even more about the Commonwealth’s corruption.
By all accounts, Mercer appears to be a “good” guy in The Walking Dead. So, it wouldn’t be him Connie and Kelly have to worry about, but rather her editor at the Tribune and anything Pamela ends up reading. In episode 10, Tyler mentioned an uprising consisting of thousands of unhappy community members. It seems likely the heroes will become a part of this resistance as they combat corruption. Irrespective of Connie’s fate, The Walking Dead universe will continue after season 11 with spinoffs including Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond, upcoming shows like Tales of the Walking Dead, and a series following protagonists Daryl and Carol. The franchise also continues to develop a trilogy of films starring Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, who may or may not be appearing in season 11.
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