The Walking Dead season 11, episode 22 recap: Faith

The Walking Dead season 11 episode 22 “Faith” has a lot of lives in danger, all the while walkers continue moving towards The Commonwealth. As Negan becomes enemy number one at Outpost 22, Yumiko struggles to prove Eugene’s innocence and seeks help.

If that isn’t bad enough, Aaron and his group find out what happened at Oceanside. How will the series end?

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 22 recap – Oceanside’s Fate and The Missing Children

Aaron, Jerry, Lydia and Elijiah continue their journey to Oceanside when Aaron notices someone is following them nearby. It’s Luke and Jules, who we haven’t seen in a very long time!

The couple managed to escape Oceanside as Lance Hornsby and The Commonwealth soldiers arrived. They fled, leaving it all behind, although it still sounds like there might not be more survivors.

Hearing this angers Aaron, as he had hoped Pamela and Lance would have kept their word in restoring the communities. They still do not know that Lance is dead, and Pamela has taken their friends.

With Commonwealth soldiers hot on their trail, Lydia convinces everyone to blend in with the walkers, similarly to what others have done in past seasons. The horde is large and the presence of Commonwealth soldiers searching the horde with search lights doesn’t help matters.

Will they survive? The episode doesn’t make their fates known.

Meanwhile Daryl, Carol, Connie, Maggie, Rosita and Gabriel watch the prison work camp, that is Outpost 22, from afar noticing all the armed guards. They do not see the children.

The group decides to split up with Daryl and Connie heading to the tunnels and Carol and Maggie sneaking inside the homes. Gabriel and Rosita will remain to keep watch and shoot if needed.

Maggie and Carol have several close calls and share rare moments of raw emotion. Maggie still cannot cope with the fact her son is missing.

Carol relates to her concerns as she had lost two children of her own since the apocalypse started (Sophia and Henry). She assures her friend that everything will work out.

Thankfully it does when they hear Hershel calling for help. He is successfully rescued however he doesn’t know where the other kids are, especially Rosita’s baby daughter Coco.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 22 recap – Negan and Ezekiel

At Outpost 22, we see that Princess and Magna have also been taken. As the groups work, they begin passing notes to each other in secret without the guards watching, while also using sign language.

As Negan receives a note, he notices his wife Annie struggling to work. Trying to be nice, he asks a nearby guard if he can take on more shifts, so she doesn’t have to.

The guard initially denies his request but almost accepts when another guard marches over. As they proceed to beat him, Annie tries to interfere worried for her husband.

This results in Negan accidentally dropping the note. He and Ezekiel try to convince Tyler Davis (the one who held Max hostage in season 11 episode 10) to help them work together to escape.

Tyler doesn’t see the point as many have tried and failed. At that moment Negan is taken and brought to the man in charge of the operation at Outpost 22. During this scene, the guard Negan spoke to earlier is denied his relocation request.

This is heartbreaking as he has a sick relative he needs to see. Negan, being the ever observant and type to be underestimated, would later use this information.

The man in charge sees a leader in Negan (oh, the irony) and wants to know who is trying to escape and why. He believes Negan knows however the former leader of the Saviors plays innocent and claims everyone hates him, aside from his pregnant wife.

Using her as leverage, he wants Negan to give him a name. Afterward, Negan visits Annie who is resting.

The two converse about their baby and Negan’s promise to get them out. She’s worried he’ll do something drastic but playing it safe, he doesn’t tell his wife any of his plans.

Upon Negan’s return, Ezekiel asks what happened. To prevent others from getting involved, Negan remains silent on the matter.

This angers Ezekiel who refuses to let go of the past, even going as far as mentioning Henry’s older brother Benjamin. He insults Negan firmly, claiming he doesn’t deserve to be a father.

Negan gets just as angry but decides to not engage and instead returns to the man in charge. That night, everyone is gathered outside to discover the traitor to be Negan.

He has willingly turned himself in to save everyone else. As he is willing to die via firing squad, the man in charge decides to add Annie as well.

Negan goes ballistic finally proving to Ezekiel he’s changed. Negan begs the guard, who is about to crack and show actual sympathy.

Ezekiel, The Princess, Kelly, Magna, Tyler and several others stand before Negan and Annie. Ezekiel makes a beautiful speech about hope and change, trying to convince everyone, including the guards to stand down.

At the last second the guard Negan had the most interactions with shoots another guard, who was ready to fire. In the chaos, the man in charge takes Kelly hostage only to be wounded by Daryl as he and Connie arrive.

Angered that her daughter is not at Outpost 22, Rosita attempts several times to find out where she is. The man in charge refuses to answer and gets eaten alive by a walker.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 22 recap – Eugene’s Trial

Back at The Commonwealth, Eugene’s trial is in full swing. Yumiko, being the professional and intelligent lawyer she is, would have easily convinced anyone of Eugene’s innocence.

Trouble is that Governor Pamela Milton obviously has the judge and most of the people in her corner. Yumiko is able to get the townsfolk to side with them however it is not enough.

In a last-ditch effort, she goes to Mercer, Max’s brother for help. He apparently knew that Pamela had taken everyone, including The Princess and still remains loyal to her.

At the court hearing, Eugene makes a profound speech before the crowd but is ultimately found guilty and sentenced to death within the hour. Terrified, Eugene is ready to meet his end as two guards escort him.

However, he comes face to face with Mercer who insinuates that he’ll be aiding Eugene in his escape.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 22 review

This was another spectacular episode from start to finish! I, myself, am getting worried that we have yet to find the missing children.

Where could they honestly be? I had hoped that rescuing everyone from Outpost 22 would have been a little bit more exciting.

However, I can see why the writers chose for the impact to be through both Ezekiel’s speech and Negan’s decision. Both Ezekiel’s and Eugene’s speeches were well done, however Eugene’s rubbed me the wrong way for one reason.

Eugene essentially sacrificed himself, by telling Negan how to make bullets way back in season 7. He had hoped to avoid further deaths at Alexandria.

While there he did aid in Negan’s walker fence problem and starts running a operation of bullet making. But Eugene did all that so that the bullets and guns would be faulty.

Rosita and Daryl legit try to rescue him and he refuses to go. He doesn’t tell them why of course because that would spoil the ending.

But he stays because if he didn’t, those guns wouldn’t have backfired, and Negan might have won on the field in season 8. So, why is Eugene saying he was working with the villains?

Why does he feel responsible for people dying? He literally saved lives!

As we move dangerously close to the end of the series, I can see why Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan) was a little angry that his and Lauren’s Cohan’s spinoff was announced so early. The two had plenty of close calls and high-stake moments.

If anyone wasn’t convinced Negan has changed before, this episode proved it. Thankfully a large portion of the group has been reunited at Outpost 22, however what does this mean for Aaron’s group?

Moving amongst walkers, especially at night, when it has also been revealed variant walkers exist, doesn’t bode well for them. We’ve seen several characters die in these situations.

There is no way all of them are getting through unscathed. I am, admittedly, a little frustrated that we still haven’t seen Oceanside.

It seems odd that we were left on that cliffhanger from season 11 episode 16. Did Lance decide to outright kill them all or not?

Mercer’s act of coming to Eugene’s aid during his final hour was such a relief! However, the biggest, glaring issue remains: the walkers.

How has no one mentioned the fact that they are getting closer? Regardless of the chaos at The Founder’s Day Celebration, the trial, all of that, how could no one be worried or discussing these incoming walkers?

By the looks of the next episode, it seems it’s too late and they are arriving to The Commonwealth…

What did you think of The Walking Dead season 11, episode 22? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Walking Dead season 11, episode 23 airs November 13 on AMC.