The Walking Dead is going back to their Season 4 format of focusing on one group at a time per episode now that the gang is split up again. The Nov. 9 episode will focus on the crew that's heading to Washington DC, and it looks like ringleader Abraham is up to something. The fact that Abraham was so hellbent on leaving the security (eh, "security" is a strong word) of the church and Rick's group behind was kind of strange to me. They would be stronger with bigger numbers, and he had (reluctantly) agreed last season to get sidetracked to help Glenn find Maggie. So why DC right now? Well, turns out we may get some insight into his decisions with The Walking Dead showing a flashback of Abraham's past before he met up with Glenn.
I am not OK with the fact that Maggie and Glenn have left the core group. (And it makes me really scared that all of the rumors about Glenn dying could be true. Nooooo!) I can see Abraham's point that the only way this hell on earth is going to end is if they get Eugene to DC (you know, if you believe mullet Doctor). And Abraham is a soldier. He has a mission, and he wants to complete it. Yet, if you look at Abraham's face during the preview clip from the "Self Help" episode, it looks like he may be a bit suspicious of this master plan after all.
Has Abraham finally come to his senses? Is he questioning Eugene? I'm not exactly sure how these guys met and what Eugene said to convince Abraham to protect him. But, yet again, Eugene just said a lot of big words, with no actual substance. (Although Glenn's line about the hair is almost worth it.)
Seriously. Listen to the words Eugene is saying. And if his mumbled, quick-pace is too much, don't worry. I listened for you. When Maggie asks what's next, he replies, "Depends on the number of factors including density of the infected around target sites worldwide." And when Glenn questions what that means, he says, "That's classified." Uh, OK. Sure. AKA you don't have a lie about that one yet, Eugene!* Gah! That's just about the time Abraham starts looking in the rear-view mirror.
Abraham appears to be a man of serious virtue, but he's just a bit more rage-fueled than Rick. I think he means to do what's right, and he thinks getting Eugene to DC was right. But as the quintet runs into danger on the road, I could see him beginning to question what brought them there in the first place.
As for the above "Self Help" preview, Abraham says, "Mission hasn't changed. We can't go back. We're at war and retreat means we lose." Is he just fixated on getting Eugene to DC, even if he doesn't believe why they are headed there anymore, because it gives him a purpose? A mission to fulfill?
In another preview for the episode, it looks like Abraham may have killed a non-zombie extremely violently with a can of soup. (I did say he was rage-fueled.)
All signs point to this being a scene from the Abraham flashback that we will most likely be seeing. (Yay for flashbacks! But not yay for the dark content that we'll probably see if it matches his backstory from the comics!) I'm also hoping this glimpse into his past will give us the details about why he has joined up with Eugene in this quest.
Abraham is a strong leader, but just like everyone else on The Walking Dead, he has a past that he may be trying to atone for or runaway from. I just wish his running wouldn't lead him and the others in his group straight into danger.
*To be fair, Eugene also says this in the episode 5 preview: "Anyway, the speed with which things normalize depend on a number of factors including worldwide weather patterns which were modeled without the assumption that cars, planes, boats, and trains wouldn’t be pouring hydrocarbons into the atmosphere this long. Changes the game quite a bit when it comes to air-transmissible pathogens." This language is a bit more impressive and I could see some people eating up his fancy terms like "air-transmissible pathogens," but it still lacks zero substance in my professional zombie-apocalypse opinion. And he says the words "depends on a number of factors" way too much to be legitimate.
Images: Frank Ockenfels (3), Gene Page/AMC
