Season 8 of The Walking Dead has been a doozy. After being subservient to The Saviors for a year, this season brought All Out War against Negan. This has resulted in a ton of epic gunfights, a few close calls, and the death of original cast member Carl. The conflict between Rick and Negan will finally end this coming Sunday, as the finale episode is set to be a bookend for the entire series thus far. And now it looks like two supporting characters are going to have significant arcs: Jesus and Eugene. Considering their respective journeys this season, this could have major implications for the characters and the show itself.
This news comes to us from The Walking Dead Fan Bag, which regularly teases upcoming events of AMC's apocalyptic drama. Fans have the opportunities to have questions answered, and one in particular asked if Jesus would get proper screentime and lines of dialogue, considering it had been a while since the Hilltop survivor got any significant to do. But he's been confirmed, and the first few stills of the finale episode "Wrath" show that Jesus is engaging in hand to hand combat with the Saviors, and kicking some ass (literally).
If Rick and Negan have any hope of resolving their issues the way that Carl wanted at the time of his death, something tells me that Jesus is going to be a major player. While willing to fight for survival, Jesus was one of the only characters advocating for the Savior prisoners at The Hilltop, and for a peaceful resolution to the overall conflict. Rick and Negan would have to come to this place by themselves, but Jesus certainly seems like the perfect character to help them barry the hatchet... and the dead bodies.
One of the most interesting character studies in The Walking Dead Season 8 has been Eugene's arc. While fans thought he was a cowardly turncoat last season (resulting in actor Josh McDermitt receiving death threats) he's been shown to be truly struggling with the guilt over his survival and help of The Saviors. At first it seemed like Eugene drank the Savior kool-aid, although it's now become clear that he's very conflicted. He helped Father Gabriel escape the facility, but also refused to help Negan's wives poison him last season. The Walking Dead Fan Bag has indicated that Eugene's story will be a major focus in the finale, teasing:
Almost no one has correctly predicted what's in store for Eugene during the Season 8 Finale and beyond. And we kind of like that. We can tell you that you'll see plenty of him in this final episode.
Now the question is: what will he be doing? Eugene has been showed drinking heavily in order to deal with his self loathing, but it's clear that Rick's group is not going to welcome him back with open arms. Rosita is especially salty, telling Eugene her plan to put him in a hole and only let him out to help the other survivors. He ultimately escape that fate by vomiting all over Ro Ro, which should only add to her frustration and blood lust. Will he finally be redeemed? We'll just have to wait and see.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus our superhero premiere list and Amazon premiere list to ensure you don't miss a single episode.
