‘The Walking Dead’ season 7 spoilers: An Alexandrian is now a Negan
“The Walking Dead” season 7 episode 11 saw Eugene turn Negan rather quickly. It remains to be seen if he’s just assuming the character in order to survive or if he really considers himself to be one of the Saviours, and a high-ranking member at that.
Spoiler alert: This preview contains plot details about “The Walking Dead” season 7. The season premiered Oct. 20. The series is available for Australian viewers to watch on Foxtel every Monday, 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Eugene didn’t completely reveal his true identity to the other survivors. He kept mum about his being a scientist until Negan had him on the edge. That’s when the Saviours’ leader realised the smarty pants’ value and treated him like royalty.
According to Josh McDermitt, who plays Eugene on the AMC series, it didn’t take long for his character to see how Negan runs things. McDermitt says that the language spoken at the Sanctuary is “aggression.”
Now that Negan has been flattering him for his brains, Eugene is beginning to fit right in. But nobody knows for sure if he’s just doing it just to get by or if he actually really likes his new home. Eugene was quick to answer “I am Negan” before the bat-swinging villain could even finish asking his question.
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen Eugene do something like that,” says McDermitt. “It’s not him, but I think it’s kind of slowly becoming him as well.”
Now that Eugene has taken what is supposed to be Daryl’s place (had he sucked up to Negan), he’s taking fully advantage of it. Negan has never physically harmed him in any way like the Saviours did to Daryl. But he also knows that if he messes up, he might end up like poor Dr. Carson.
“Eugene fully recognises that if I can be valuable to this man, I will never have to be scared again,” says “The Walking Dead” co-executive producer Denise Huth. “And he’s fine with that.”
Showrunner Scott M. Gimple agrees, and says that the one thing that the antagonist can promise Eugene is safety. Executive producer Gale Anne Hurd adds that the Eugene is “someone who’s essential to Negan’s plans for the future.”
Maybe Eugene just wants to see how things play out. Rushing things can only lead him to disaster. It’s unclear if he has really settled in at the Sanctuary or just waiting for the perfect time to escape. One is sure, though: Eugene is doing what he must to stay alive.
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