*Spoiler warning! Be sure to watch this week's Walking Dead episode before reading on. *
Though the title for this week's episode probably had some fans thinking Melissa McBride's Carol was going to bite the dust, that wasn't the case (even though Hallucination Alpha preyed hard on Carol's guilt). In fact, The Walking Dead actually gained a new addition in "Look at the Flowers," with a final scene that featured a masterfully spooky introduction to the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed comic character known as Princess, whose real name Juanita Sanchez.
What's more, Paola Lázaro's TV introduction as Princess was far more enjoyably creepy than how the character showed up in the comics. Honestly, that late-episode sequence is already among my favorite Walking Dead introductions across the whole series.
During "Look at the Flowers," Eugene came clean about his radio communication with Stephanie, at the risk of making everyone mad at him, with Yumiko and Ezekiel eventually agreeing to accompany him on his trip to meet her at their arranged spot. (As a downer note, Ezekiel is almost definitely not going to survive the length of this journey, given his illness and his heartfelt goodbye to Jerry.)
Upon reaching the big city, a location type that The Walking Dead hasn't utilized much in later seasons, the trio noticed some pretty peculiar sights. There were walkers in the area, but not ones that were freely walking about. Instead, these zombies had been staged to make them look like normal humans just doing their thing.
For instance, they passed some kind of boutique, with two dressed-up walkers strapped to chairs outside of it, as if they were awaiting walk-up customers. If that wasn't freaky enough, a presumed restaurant nearby featured walkers that were set up in the window to appear as if they were having a meal and cocktails. I'm pretty sure all the walkers' clothing came from the same store, presumably geared to New Year's Eve ball costumes. (Also, those walkers' synchronized moans made their presence all the more disturbing.)
Eugene, Ezekiel and Yumiko also witnessed a walker strapped to a motorized cart, as if it had just come from grocery shopping. Elsewhere, walkers inside of vehicles were chained to the steering wheels to make it look like they were driving. In face face of the madness, Ezekiel was downright tickled to see one walker set up as a meter maid giving one "driver" a ticket.
As if things couldn't get any more unpredictable for our curious heroes, that's when they met an actual human being. After seeing a beyond-rotted walker on the ground donning a purple feather boa, that's when Princess made her first appearance. It was obviously no coincidence that Princess was also wearing purple.
Though Princess' initial salutation was friendly enough – "Oh my God! Hi!" – it's understandable why Eugene, Yumiko and Ezekiel were so shocked to see another living and breathing person who just happened to be wearing clothes similar to all the walkers they'd just passed. Unfortunately, that was the only moment that viewers got with her, and she didn't even get to say what her name was.
Things went a little differently in the Walking Dead comics, where readers got to see more of Princess whenever she was first introduced. In the source material, Michonne is part of the scouting group with Eugene, and it's as they're passing through Pittsburgh where she made the oddball choice to holler out asking if anyone was around, which surprisingly got a response when the colorful Princess stepped out. (In the comics, her furry jacket was pink instead of purple, but she also had some sweet eyewear and a bigass gun.
Without getting into comic spoilers or anything, Princess makes it known that she's been by herself for quite a while, and that the others are the first people she's seen in a long, long time. Which makes her seem a little bit wacky, as would be the case for most people who spent their time completely alone in a big city filled with walkers.
How much more of Paola Lázaro's Princess will we see in Season 10? Only the future can deliver those answers, and you can catch the for-now-final episode of The Walking Dead next Sunday on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET. There's no telling just yet when the official Season 10 finale will be ready to go, since coronavirus concerns are keeping the episode's post-production process on hold for now, with Killing Eve stepping up to fill the space. Check out all the other big shows that are also facing season delays due to COVID-19.
