The Walking Dead is on a collision course with the Commonwealth, but the AMC series has written itself into a corner. After Michonne's emotional exit in last week's episode, The Walking Dead started its Commonwealth arc in "Look At The Flowers," as Eugene, Yumiko and Ezekiel make their way to rendezvous with Eugene's new long-distance girlfriend. This story is directly in line with the comics, as is the hilarious introduction of Princess. At this point in the comics, it's not long until the group reach their destination and meet up with Stephanie's people, before being marched to the impressive Commonwealth community.
Upon arrival, Eugene's group discover that the new settlement is home to Elodie, the long-lost daughter of Michonne who miraculously survived and has been living happily in the Commonwealth for a number of years. The mother and daughter share an emotional reunion and Michonne's priorities naturally shift, with her motherhood forming the backbone of the entire Commonwealth arc. Obviously, Michonne is no longer a part of The Walking Dead's cast, so there'd be little value in her daughter being discovered at the Commonwealth, but The Walking Dead has navigated around such problems before. After Carl was killed off, for example, the series used Henry to fill his storylines. Unfortunately, this isn't an option with Elodie.
In order for the "long-lost child living in the Commonwealth" plot to work, The Walking Dead needs a character who is already confirmed to have kids, otherwise the reveal will feel like a very convenient retcon. However, the replacement child would also need to have a half-believable way of secretly surviving, and this is tricky considering parents rarely leave their young ones alone in the zombie apocalypse. Taking a glance at The Walking Dead's current roster of survivors, no character fits the requirements. Carol's only biological child was Sophia, Maggie's first child was with Glenn and Rosita's with Siddiq, while Eugene, Gabriel, Negan, Ezekiel and Daryl have never previously mentioned having kids. Only Michonne's on-screen son, Andre, had a chance of potentially turning up alive, even though Michonne believed him dead.
This presents a major problem for The Walking Dead's upcoming eleventh season. In the comics, Elodie creates a vital link between Alexandria and the Commonwealth, since Michonne is reluctant to leave her daughter and Rick refuses to abandon his friend. This connection between the communities provides the motivation for Rick's people to fight for the Commonwealth's future and without that, it's hard to see why the survivors on the AMC series would be so invested in a settlement they've only just discovered. Moreover, Elodie is responsible for exposing the hidden hypocrisy and inequality of the Commonwealth to Michonne, generating conflict between the 2 sides. The whole point of the Commonwealth in comparison to the Saviors or the Whisperers is that their wrongdoing bubbles beneath the surface; if the heroes don't have an inside source of information, how can they uncover the truth?
Since introducing a secret lovechild of Daryl or Negan might feel a little contrived, The Walking Dead won't be able to successfully replace Michonne with another character, but there is a potential solution: Stephanie. In the original story, Stephanie and Eugene form a romantic bond that mostly takes place separately from the main story, but promoting the character to a main player could fill the gaps left by Elodie. Instead of an emotional mother-daughter reunion, The Walking Dead could play up the romantic, star-crossed lovers angle, while Stephanie could also provide all the necessary exposition and secrets that Elodie was responsible for. Vitally, Eugene's refusal to leave Stephanie behind might provide the impetus for his friends to stick around in the Commonwealth, rather than leaving them to their capitalist devices.
The Walking Dead continues with "The Tower" April 5th.