Hostiles and Calamities

"Hostiles and Calamities" is the eleventh episode of the seventh season and 94th episode overall of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on February 26, 2017. The episode was written by David Leslie Johnson and directed by Kari Skogland.

The episode focuses on Eugene's (Josh McDermitt) experience and discovery that he must navigate the mysterious, confusing, and terrifying world within the Sanctuary where he unwillingly begins to work for Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Concurrently, Dwight (Austin Amelio) pays a visit to a place from his past.

Plot

After discovering Fat Joey's corpse and noticing a missing motorcycle in the bike lot, Dwight (Austin Amelio) panics and runs to Daryl's cell, only to find it empty. Dwight finds the note that Daryl received from his liberator and studies it. Concurrently, after unwillingly being brought to the Sanctuary, Eugene (Josh McDermitt) settles in quickly as he is provided with several amenities and privileges. Examining the handwriting on the scrap of paper, Dwight sits alone in his room until three Saviors barge in and start to beat him as Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), back from Alexandria, watches from the doorway. Imprisoned, Dwight sits in Daryl's cell, now his own, and is confronted by Negan, who informs him that Sherry (Christine Evangelista) ran away, wondering if she helped Daryl escape. Dwight defends Sherry, but Negan continues to question whether Dwight changed his stripes and helped Daryl himself; he then orders Dwight to find Sherry and bring her back.

Outside, Eugene is brought before Negan, who grills Eugene about his credentials. Scared, Eugene falls back on an old lie, claiming he has multiple PhDs in biochemistry as well as immunology and microbiology. He also lies about completing his doctorate and being a member of a ten-person team at the Human Genome Project to weaponize diseases to fight weaponized diseases. Impressed, Negan takes a liking to him due to his intelligence and willingness to submit to his demands. As a reward for his ingenuity, Negan offers and allows Eugene, in his new apartment, to spend some time with three of Negan's wives—Tanya (Chloe Aktas), Frankie (Elyse Nicole DuFour), and Amber (Autumn Dial). Meanwhile, Dwight returns to the place that was his residence before the apocalypse, looking for Sherry, where they agreed to rendezvous if they ever got separated. He finds a farewell note from her, admitting to freeing Daryl and apologizing for forcing Dwight into Negan's world; Dwight is shaken with emotion.

After bonding with Eugene, at their request, Tanya and Frankie ask Eugene to make two poison capsules, explaining that Amber wants to commit suicide; Eugene reluctantly agrees. Using his position of power, Eugene cuts in line in the Savior marketplace and orders cold capsules. He goes back to his apartment and makes the pills. Escorted to the factory floor, where a crowd has gathered around the furnace, Eugene watches as Negan accuses Dr. Emmett Carson (Tim Parati) for helping Daryl escape in order to impress Sherry. As evidence, Negan shows Carson a note from Sherry, which Dwight clipped from her farewell letter and planted in Dr. Carson's office desk. Frightened, Carson accuses Dwight, who doesn't admit he framed nor set up Carson, of lying. Eventually, Carson quickly folds and falsely confesses when Negan threatens him with the iron. Nevertheless, Negan, after staring intently at Eugene, grabs Carson and throws him face-first into the furnace, burning him to death.

Back in his apartment, approached by Tanya and Frankie, Eugene admits and correctly guesses that he knows the pills are for Negan, not Amber, and refuses to hand them over. Tanya calls him a coward and they leave. Later, Negan pays Eugene a visit and tells him that he doesn't need to be scared anymore and asks him an important question. Negan is cut short before he finishes when Eugene seemingly betrays his former friends by quickly responding: "I'm Negan". Committed, Eugene eagerly pledges his allegiance to Negan. By the next day, Eugene, now a Savior, is overseeing defense preparations outside of the Sanctuary.

Reception

Critical reception

"Hostiles and Calamities" received positive reviews from critics, with several critics praising Austin Amelio's performance as Dwight. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 90% with an average rating of 7.06 out of 10, based on 29 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "While it may slow the season's pace, "Hostiles and Calamities" takes a tense look inside previously unexplored Savior lives, advancing one character's logical and much-needed moral transformation."^[1]

Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B. He called it a solid episode devoted to Eugene and his journey toward the "dark side," writing, "Whether or not that journey was entirely necessary is a question we can save for some other time; for now, it’s nice to have a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, one that finds a character making an unexpected (and yet entirely plausible) choice."^[2]

Ratings

The episode received a 4.9 rating in the key 18-49 demographic with 10.42 million total viewers.^[3]

References

External links

• "Hostiles and Calamities" at AMC
• "Hostiles and Calamities" on IMDb
• "Hostiles and Calamities" at TV.com