Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 15 of The Walking Dead Season 7, "Something They Need."
Eugene has spent the second half of The Walking Dead Season 7 safe and surprisingly sound with Negan and the Saviors at The Sanctuary. Coming off of some of his efforts to help Rick battle the bad guys, he seemed to be taking a more heroic turn. Then, before even a single full episode of captivity, Eugene started parroting "I'm Negan" and helping the Saviors. Somehow, he seems find new ways to sink lower and lower each week, and "Something They Need" featured his worst behavior yet. He's not content to just grovel himself anymore; now, he's trying to convince others to grovel with him.
Sasha was the latest Alexandrian to end up imprisoned at The Sanctuary, and her treatment was clearly far closer to Daryl's torture than Eugene's coddling. After she was nearly raped, watched Negan kill her would-be rapist, and left with a knife and the options to either try to kill him, kill herself, or kill her zombifying would-be rapist, Sasha wasn't exactly in the most amenable mood.
So, when Eugene shuffled into her cell with his non-hypoallergenic pillow and pleas for her to be his pal and side with the Saviors, Sasha should probably be commended for not pulling the blade on him. After he dared to bring up Abraham to her while living a life of comfort in Abraham's murderer's compound, he deserved...well, at least a swift smack in the face by that non-hypoallergenic pillow to knock some sense into him. The guy apparently never learned to read a room. I mean, he actually said this to Sasha:
I have never in my life been as scared as I was that night in the woods, kit to the grit, fully believing my number's about to be called, then seeing it happen to someone brave. To a survivor. And then the pants-pissing fear of the rinse-and-repeat of that very same event, I just... I couldn't. Being here means I'll never have to again. And neither will you if you just say 'yes.' Please say 'yes.' He would want you to... He wouldn't. I do. We're still here. Things have changed. We can change with 'em. We have to.
In Eugene's (very slight) defense, he has been through a hellish experience throughout Season 7, and all of the characters have been scared senseless at some point or other. He's not even the only one to make a bad decision out of fear. As Josh McDermitt said, Eugene is simply trying to align himself with the scariest man in the zombie apocalypse to spare himself. That said, there's a difference between making a knee-jerk decision out of fear and actively working with the bad guys to continue oppressing the innocent settlements just trying to make it in the zombie apocalypse. Then, he goes and tries to recruit Sasha, who is quite understandably half-crazed with grief and on a mission to avenge a loved-one's death? Come on, Eugene.
Of course, there is [the chance][1] that Eugene is pulling a very elaborate long con, but we have no reason to believe that he's a good or thorough enough actor to keep up an "I'm Negan" act even behind closed doors. He's too smart to believe that Negan has the entire Sanctuary bugged to keep an eye on him and listen in on his conversations at all time. Frankly, if The Walking Dead tries to pull a "Psych! He was really tricking the Saviors the whole time!" ploy, I'll have a very hard time believing it.
[1]: http://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead
Now, would I believe Sasha pulling a long con? Absolutely, and I look forward to it. Eugene? Not so much. Even when given the opportunity to slip her a weapon under the pretense of wanting to kill herself, he went out of his way to slip her poison.
There's only one episode of The Walking Dead Season 7 left, so be sure to tune in next Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on AMC to see what final horrors are in store for our not-so-merry band of survivors. Dwight certainly seems to have some tricks up his sleeve. Showrunner Scott M. Gimple has already promised there is an actual ending to the season rather than another ginormous cliffhanger, so at least we'll have some answers instead of just questions by the end of the finale. Check out our midseason TV premiere guide and our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your other viewing options, and don't forget to take a look at our rundown of all the 2017 TV renewals and cancellations.
