Negan is sent to the Commonwealth to warn the group of Lance’s actions while the Deputy Director hunts Daryl’s group.
Abusive Parents: While Sebastian certainly deserves a harsh telling off at best for his actions, Pamela chewing out Sebastian for humiliating her certainly crosses a line and shows what she’s really worried about.
All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Downplayed, but Shira and Roman easily get into Carol’s apartment, suggesting they have some sort of master key that lets them get in anywhere they want.
Armor Is Useless: In the Cold Open, a Commonwealth trooper’s armor is torn apart by walkers almost instantly.
Blatant Lies: Pamela lies to the populace that Sebastian is a good young man despite previously admitting to her secretary that he’s a piece of shit.
The Bus Came Back: Shira and Roman return to hunt Daryl’s kids after last having been seen in “Rogue Element”.
Negan asks Mercer about April, the woman who was killed during Sebastian’s scheme in “The Rotten Core”.
Negan tells Carol about Lance threatening Hershel in “Trust”.
Pamela spits at Yumiko that she's suspicious of Connie due to her being a prominent journalist, recalling her clear resentment of her due to getting her uncle kicked out of office as related in "New Haunts".
Continuity Cavalcade: The first minutes of the episode are a montage of clips from the show dating all the way back to the pilot, highlighting the themes of heroic survivors creating found families and villainous survivors that kill others to enforce their rule.
Negan is once again in a car chase with someone hot on his tail, complete with some Car Fu like in Season 8’s “The Key”.
Negan recalls how Carol told him he should’ve stayed in Leah’s cabin as she ordered him to in the Season 10 finale “Here’s Negan”.
Contrived Coincidence: A massive horde arrives at the Commonwealth's gates just as Pamela sees for herself that the protests against her are getting worse, and as time goes on, the horde keeps pushing through military checkpoints as the protests keep going. The Commonwealth uses the approach of the horde to enact a lockdown that would conveniently shut down the protests.
A Day in the Limelight: Jerry gets some focus as he’s tasked with taking care of Judith, RJ and Gracie while Carol and Negan look for Sebastian.
Easily Forgiven: Downplayed given the amount of time that has passed since Negan’s Heel–Face Turn, but Jerry has a noticeably calm reaction to seeing him again, implying he doesn’t resent him nearly as much as some of his friends still do. This is Jerry we’re talking about, after all.
Evolving Credits: To accommodate the bulk of the supporting cast joining the opening sequence, the credits sequence is extended and shows looks at the Coalition’s communities.
Foreshadowing: After Mercer retreats from trying to save the trooper who gets torn in half, an aerial view is shown of the horde once Mercer leaves. It suspiciously gets diverted in two much faster than hordes usually move.
Freudian Excuse: Sebastian implies part of his behavior is because he resents that his mother spends most of her time running the Commonwealth.
The Guards Must Be Crazy: The Commonwealth guards are shown to really suck in this episode when faced with their first major crisis. The squadrons out in the wasteland keep failing to hold off the horde, and the vigil attended by a large amount of people aren’t even noticed violating curfew until Henderson and his men arrive. Rosita lampshades the first case, saying some people aren't doing their jobs right.
Honorary Uncle: Aaron is called “Uncle Aaron” by Judith, adding him to the list of people considered blood family by her and RJ (which includes Aunt Carol, Aunt Maggie, Uncle Daryl, and Tia Rosita).
I Have Your Wife: Carol and Negan go looking for Sebastian to get insurance so the Coalition’s people can leave. Meanwhile, Shira and Roman hunt for Daryl and Aaron’s children as Carol and Negan suspect Lance is looking for his own hostages.
Pamela shows more concern for her and her son’s reputation than anything, especially hers. Despite the severity of Sebastian's crimes, she implies he could still be a leader someday while waxing on how her father and uncle also had rough spots before becoming leaders, showing she's deluded enough that the Milton family should remain in power.
During the protests, some Commonwealth citizens are seen still going for ice cream and throwing dirty looks at the protestors.
It's Personal: Towards the end of the episode, Pamela lets slip that she really hates Connie for her work that got her uncle kicked out of office.
Jerkass Has a Point: Henderson is serving on behalf of the corrupt Milton’s, but he’s correct that the protest that quickly erupts at the memorial is endangering all of their lives due to the horde that is pushing past the military.
Lack of Empathy: When Yumiko confronts Pamela over how her troops gassed the civilians including her friends, Pamela dismisses it as what they get for violating the lockdown order.
Lethal Chef: Discussed. Carol burns the pancakes she’s making for the kids, and Judith says Daryl can’t cook if he’s not using a campfire.
The Load: When Carol orders the kids to pack up so they can hide, Gracie stops to complain she wants pancakes. Thankfully, they’re able to hide in time, but it still could’ve cost them.
Mama Didn't Raise No Criminal: In public, Pamela swears Sebastian is innocent and a good son. In private, however, she eventually admits that Sebastian could be guilty of some of what he's been accused of. Disturbingly, she seems to think that Sebastian still has the potential to be a leader after claiming that her father and uncle were also rebels before they became leaders.
Mass "Oh, Crap!": The news of an approaching horde is enough to quell the protesters who begin returning home per lockdown procedure.
Negan joking that he should've stayed in the cabin is a reference to how his comic counterpart was Put on a Bus after the Whisperer War, never returning until the Grand Finale. His marveling at the Commonwealth is also a nod to how his comic counterpart never visited the place.
Carol and Negan discover Sebastian sprawled out on his bed, not unlike how in the comics, Rick was similarly sprawled out after having been shot by Sebastian. However, this Sebastian turns out to be alive.
Pet the Dog: Negan tells Carol about his marriage and child on the way because he’s nervous, and Carol recognizes it and tells him everything will be okay.
Precision F-Strike: Negan says, "I am fucked either way", the second uncensored F-bomb of the series.
Properly Paranoid: Pamela grows suspicious of Yumiko due to her friendship with Connie, who is indeed one of the masterminds of the conspiracy against the Milton's.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Discussed throughout the episode. The group is preparing to pull the Coalition residents out of the Commonwealth.
A walker encountered in the sewers has a burned face and a striped shirt, made up to look like a parody of Freddy Krueger.
The Commonwealth troopers, true to their armor, begin ordering the protesting citizens to "move along".
Spanner in the Works: A random Commonwealth citizen just happens to be strolling by the outskirts of town square where Carol and Negan emerge with Sebastian, making the protest even worse and resulting in a tear gassing.
Spotting the Thread: Mercer recognizes that Negan was sent by Daryl when he asks about April.
The Team: The group that fights Lance out in the wastelands. Daryl and Maggie lead the operation and give the others orders. Aaron serves as a key lieutenant. Negan is the most physically imposing of the group. Gabriel is the smartest who also serves as a Friendly Sniper. Annie is the least inclined to combat at the moment due to her pregnancy.
Lance is reduced to screaming and raging at his men to kill Daryl and the others.
While not outright evil, it's clear the uprising against her was just about the last thing Pamela ever expected. She at first hides in her office while delivering fruitless public addresses and lies that her son is a good person.
What Happened to the Mouse?: The fate of Oceanside, who were on the chopping block for another genocide from Lance, is not revealed in this episode despite it being the cliffhanger that Part 2 left off on.
