The Commonwealth From 'The Walking Dead' May Be the Next New Home for Daryl and the Gang

Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers for the Season 11 premiere of The Walking Dead.

Just when you thought the survivors on The Walking Dead were finished building communities and inadvertently ruining them soon after, the Whisperer War happened. For the most part, Daryl, Carol, and the rest of the good guys and gals won the battle.

But now that Alexandria and Hilltop are in shambles, that leaves them scurrying for proper shelter and a new community. Enter the Commonwealth, which may or may not be the answer they're all looking for.

But what is the Commonwealth? In the Season 11 premiere, the term is thrown around to explain where Eugene, Princess, Ezekiel, and Yumiko find themselves.

In the episode, they're questioned by authoritative-looking people in nicely pressed suits with Stormtrooper-esque guards nearby. They're basically prisoners without being told they are.

This is clearly a different kind of settlement than what viewers are used to. And you can't help but wonder if there's a catch.

If you are strictly a show-watcher, then you probably aren't familiar with what the Commonwealth is on The Walking Dead. In the comics, it's a collection of settlements made up of 50,000 people.

It's honestly the closest thing to a city the survivors have seen, with a solid infrastructure and even sports teams and celebrities. It's not exactly reminiscent of the "before time" in the Walking Dead comics, but it's close to it.

In the comics, the Commonwealth is run by Pamela Milton, the governor. She works with a man named Mercer, who is in the show. He's the guard in orange armor rather than white. Along with Mercer and other trained guards, Pamela keeps the Commonwealth safe and thriving.

There are also classes within the Commonwealth and the system is based on what its residents did for jobs before the apocalypse. For the most part, it's one of the most viable communities in the Walking Dead universe.

In the Season 11 premiere, while at one of the Commonwealth interrogation camps, Yumiko sees her picture on a board for lost people. It turns out, her brother posted the photo and a note for her. Although her initial instinct after being questioned by the Commonwealth authorities was to high-tail it out of there, the note encourages her to stay.

In the comics, it's Michonne, and not Yumiko, whose relative turns out to be alive with the Commonwealth. Michonne's daughter in the comics, thought to be dead, is reunited with Michonne thanks to the Commonwealth. In the show, it looks like that route will be taken with Yumiko, though there's still a lot to learn about this group of communities.

It makes the most sense for everyone who is still alive at Alexandria and Hilltop to make their way to a Commonwealth community. They, too, may have to undergo intense interrogations by the officials presiding over the Commonwealth.

And it's hard to imagine Daryl subjecting himself to that. But at this point, what choice do they have?

Josh McDermitt, who plays Eugene, spoke with CBR about this new group.

"We're starting to see more and more of this highly organized, highly structured community," he said. "Until one of the characters can figure that out, you're just going to be in a world of hurt. It would be great if they could get some help for their communities back home. But it's just kind of cracking through that bureaucracy first. I think it's the first step."

Watch The Walking Dead on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.