I think he is going to do enough to be useful and stay alive. The metal will keep the walkers in one piece but it will prohibit any mobility.

He's smart enough to see schemes "pump the brakes sister". The only one I worry about misleading him is Dwight.

 

Besides, Eugene had to pass the test. If he hadn't told Negan something useful to prove he really was a "smarty pants" he would probably have gotten a severe beat down at the very least.

Rick never used walkers to guard his living spaces so it would never have come up during the time Eugene was with him.

 

They also have a smelting furnace there and Rick does not all part of the plot


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I think Eugene could be the one who ends up killing Negan. Him or Father Gabriel.

Everyone thinks it will be Rick or Daryl. Somehow I think not.

 

He's just trying to survive until someone comes to save him.

 

I think he's playing a long game. The reason I think so is the little smile he gave as he walked away from the group after giving the idea about molten metal.

I can not imagine, after watching them kill Abraham, that he would become one of them in reality, but for now, he needs to go along and he's good at playing along.

 

What Bettie says basically.

Hes not going to betray Rick & Co. he's playing Neegan to survive. The conversion he had with Dwight at the end tells us this!

 

Yea, I believe he is playing along to stay alive, get as much info as possible about the compound and the workings of the saviors.....and enjoy the perks while he's at it. This is something Daryl could have done, had he just played along. But, as Negan said, Daryl is emotional. Eugene is not. He's a crying mess, but when it comes down to it, he knows fighting isn't his strength. His intelligence is, so his best bet is to be just that, intelligence.

 

I think it's obvious that Eugene is just pretending to be a member of the Saviors. He has to in order to survive, of course.
When he was released after the first conversation with Negan, telling him how to keep the walkers on their feet, he smiled. It demonstrated that, for the time being at least, he had Negan exactly where he wanted him to be.
And I'd say it's not only the attempt to survive but also the very opportunity to help his friends and weaken the Saviors.

At the same time I believe that playing a role is the only way for Eugene to feel safe. He knows that he is not a great fighter, even though he has learnt how defend himself and how to fight. And he knows that he wouldn't stand a chance at Negan's place, so he slips into a role that comforts him and gives him some self-confidence. Since he is really good at pretending and lying, he simply does what he can do best and assumingly slowly sneaks his way out of Negan's grip, step by step.
Plus, when playing a role he is convincing, whereas he isn't when being his old self.

It's funny that with his straight, prompt and direct way to react he is actually lying. Big time. A lie is served best when being honest.

It's debatable whether or not it was a good idea to refuse giving the pills to Negan's wives. On the one hand, the Negan problem could have been solved almost instantly. On the other hand, had it gone wrong, Negan would have known that Eugene was the one who made the pills, of course.
Not to mention that the women asking for help could have been a trap created by Negan.
So I tend to think that rejecting the request was the best thing Eugene could do.

As for Negan, I found it a bit unbelievable that he believed Eugene so quickly. He has no reason to assume that Eugene is honest, despite him being afraid and convincing with his odd and almost autistic personality.
Negan seems to be satisfied much too quickly now. Other than in the first episodes of his appearance. He used to be very suspicious, which is why he is so eager to break everyone before trusting them.
Additionally, if he really believes that Eugene is so intelligent he should be afraid that Eugene crosses them. In a way that Negan couldn't even think of.

Same with believing Dwight so quickly. It was very obvious that Dwight framed the doctor in order to protect Sherry and himself. Blaming someone else even though he seemingly wouldn't profit from it at all, as Negan stated, is the oldest trick. Double-assurance. Not even very clever.
And how come Negan doesn't even want any proof of Sherry being dead?
He can't be that stupid.

On the other hand, this might be just one part of Negan's mental illness, his megalomaniacal mind.

 

Negan doesn't fear Eugene because he thinks he is too weak to do anything but cooperate. He thinks he was already broken.

 

I don't think Negan is anything like he shows on the outside most of the time,this is his real power.

You NEVER KNOW WHAT HE IS REALLY THINKING.

 

You might be right. This would contribute to his delusion of grandeur, thinking that people are either weak by nature and below him - or have to be broken first in order to obey.

Yet, since he isn't stupid he should be aware especially of intelligent people. Since he is a very skilled manipulator, through terror and brainwashing at least, he surely knows that there are others out there who know how to play the game, too.
He could only feel safe when being in the position to follow clever people's mind. As long as Eugene, for example, hides behind techno babble Negan has no choice but to believe that Eugene knows what he is talking about. Unless Negan comprehends all the stuff, people like Eugene have every chance to outsmart him.

It should be interesting to see if Negan just pretends to be happy with Eugene's intellectual skills or if he really starts to trust him.

 

It will also be interesting to find out which way Eugene eventually fights.

 

lots of times, on the news, on cop shows, you will hear someone say of a sociopath, "he thinks he's smarter than everyone else." that is literally what sociopaths do think.

since a sociopath is manipulative and capable of getting his own way, he believes he is "smarter." he is accomplishing the only thing he cares about with ease, and he enjoys seeing he has made others suffer as a "win," so he is wonderfully brilliant in his own mind.

real intelligence as we experience it is an alien thing to him. he doesn't really grasp that it even exists.

that's why i disagree with, "He could only feel safe when being in the position to follow clever people's mind."

i think he cannot see the writing on the wall. it is in invisible ink to him. he is contemptuously indifferent. he feels totally safe in his own twisted notion of intelligence where he reigns supreme, and that is a sociopath's downfall.

 

I keep thinking about the scene where the burned face guy (Randy?) and Eugene are on the balcony watching the liquid metal being poured over the walkers. They both say their real names, then they both say I am Negan. IMO that tells me that they're both playing the game to survive. Eugene could be even attempting to gather intelligence on how to go about taking out the saviors, but only time will tell. Maybe he has been turned? I just don't think there is enough evidence right now.

 

that's dwight. i agree: they are sizing each other up.

personally, i would never trust dwight since he both turned on daryl and headed back to negan of his own free will when he was already well on his way to leaving negan's territory. but that's my real world response and in this show lots of people change their basic personalities and i am obliged to accept it.

 

I wasn't sure about Eugene but I think Chris on TTD slipped up saying the two main storylines in this episode were about people lying to him (Negan), referring to Dwight (selling out the Doc) and... Eugene???

 

According to most studies I'd say that Negan is a psychopath. Although the criterias are not always very clear and it's sometimes hard to distinguish psychopaths from sociopaths, Negan fits into the psychopath-category.

He doesn't seem to love or even like anyone, despite him pretending to be fond of Carl.
He is calculating his moves and always comes up with a very coldhearted action (or reaction). He also enjoys the misery of others, as a matter of fact, violence and torturing others calms him down.

One of the traits of psychopaths is their high intelligence (often, not always). Since we know that Negan is intelligent, he either buries it deep under his satisfaction of being respected or he plays games with those he pretends to trust and has another surprise for them later.

Okay, this is only a TV show and not a scientific institution, so it remains to be seen whether or not he really trusts Eugene or just plays a game in order to find out more - and/or to torment him.


Generally, as for Eugene, in no way has he turned his back on his friends. I'm not even sure that he is still the coward others see in him. He is just fighting in a non-aggressive way and represents the exact opposit to Negan.
I'll bite myself if I'm wrong here, but I'm actually convinced that he has become a little hero and might be the only one who is capable of defeating Negan with his soft but clever personality.
He is stronger than most people would give him credit for. Abraham was one of those who noticed it. A little too late though. Sadly.

 

yes, i completely agree. if negan isn't a psychopath, no one is. officially they have discarded both terms as diagnoses and now say antisocial personality, but i still like the old visceral terms.

also agree eugene has adapted and will be a steadfast friend and hero.