Eugene is lying to Negan and hasn’t turned traitor in The Walking Dead

Episode 11 was a fascinating reveal of how Eugene is surviving in the Saviors compound — by slipping in to his old fake genius persona Dr Eugene of the Genome Project. He’s still on Team Family.

• The Walking Dead: A herd of trouble is heading for Negan
• TWD: Rick’s new army and Daryl’s new crossbow

FINALLY, we spent a whole episode at Negan’s compound and came away feeling that our heads had not been beaten in.

Episode 11 of The Walking Dead’s season seven had many of the familiar aspects of the dragging first half but this time they actually worked. This was an intriguing episode that not only had you wanting more but had fans laughing out loud. And that’s not something you can usually say about anything involving Negan.

Perhaps this was because we had someone we cared about to watch. But also, I think, because the plot was significantly advanced.

Eugene was dragged out of Alexandria to be Negan’s new weapons geek after Rosita bungled her chance to kill Negan.

Eugene arrives at the Sanctuary, escorted by Neck Tattoo Girl. It makes a perfect aiming point to stab her...

He was expecting torture but instead received a nice room, food and computer games. They even supplied him with music — although it was Easy Street, the song they used to torture Daryl with. Predictably, Eugene enjoyed it.

As an aside, what is going on with the timeline in this show? The Saviors are shown as having the best of what this apocalyptic world has to offer. That’s a VCR and episodes of Who’s The Boss? for Dwight and 1980s computer games for Eugene. What the .…? It’s easier to find a rarity like that than an Xbox or PS4, which is in even every other house? And the series cannot be set in the 1980s or Eugene’s mullet would not be such a subject of mirth among characters. And talk of the Genome Project would not be accepted so readily, either, given it was science fiction then.

Eugene finds himself in quite the pickle.

Anyway, a terrified Eugene works out swiftly that honesty does not work here and slips back into his old persona as Dr Eugene Porter of the Genome Project.

Some have been speculating that Eugene has indeed turned traitor and is now a Saviour. I don’t buy that at all. When Eugene is being truthful, he is nervous and stumbling and hesitant. When he lies he is all brash and arrogant. The bit where he intimidated someone at the compound into giving up their stuff for him showed how he made a conscious decision to stay in character as Dr Eugene.

Of course it’s set up so that we question if Eugene has gone over to Negan by pledging allegiance to the bat-shit crazy bat-wielder.

Check out Eugene’s lack of fear. He’s not Negan, he’s lying.

But Eugene’s “I’m Negan” was delivered without fear, in his persona of Dr Eugene.

He is smart though, and has quickly worked out how the Sanctuary worked, including what Dwight is up to. He also has a couple of kill pills that he whipped up for Negan’s wives but refused to hand over when he worked out they wanted them to kill Negan, not for suicide as advertised. What will happen to those, I wonder?

Negan thinks he has brought an asset into his house but what he has done is brought in a man who can undermine everything he is doing.

And then there is Dwight, who knows everything about the Saviors and is ready to turn on them.

While Eugene is entertaining Negan’s wives with chemistry tricks and microwave popcorn and working out plans to weaponise Negan’s zombie wall, there is the Dwight storyline going. And this is where it gets really interesting.

Negan’s wives want him to make a pill to kill Negan — but Eugene has other plans for that.

We learn that it was indeed Sherry who freed Daryl and she has run herself. After a brisk beating by Negan’s goons, Dwight is sent after her.

All he finds at their old home is a note and her rings. This opens up all sorts of doors. If she is on the run, she will surely run into one of the other settlements and come to Rick’s attention.

Dwight, meanwhile, sets up Negan’s doctor as Sherry’s accomplice, doing it without any visible signs of anger. He does it because the doctor sympathises with Dwight giving in to Negan and it results in the doctor being burned alive in the furnace by Negan.

Dwight heads back to his old place. Does he make the final decision to betray Negan here?

Leaving aside the huge plot hole that has Negan believing his only doctor is a more likely Sherry lover/traitor than the former husband of Sherry, it shows how Dwight is now running his own race. He’s really lying to Negan and that can only lead to him truly betraying the despot.

It was no coincidence the episode finished with Dwight and Eugene chatting together. It could be the start of something. After all, last time they met, Eugene sank his teeth into Dwight’s old fella. That’s the sort of thing that creates a bond between men.

Eugene and Dwight ham it up between takes. But will they unite in the show? Biting a man’s weiner does create a unique bond ...

Now, Eugene won’t trust him, because he worked out how Dwight played Negan into killing the doctor. But they will have an important part to play.