Why The Walking Dead Fans Are Divided Over Hornsby's Plan

This article contains spoilers for "The Walking Dead" Season 11 episode "Trust."

It's a historic time for AMC's hit series "The Walking Dead" as Season 11 winds down. As revealed in September of 2020, this batch of episodes will be the last for the widely-beloved post-apocalyptic drama, though the franchise it spawned is far from over. Numerous spin-off titles, ranging from the anthology program "Tales of the Walking Dead" to the Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan)-centric "Isle of the Dead," are on their way down the production pipeline. Still, as of this writing, the original show still has a lot left in the tank before it passes the torch.

Throughout its final season, "The Walking Dead" has spent a lot of time developing the Commonwealth's Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton): a mysterious figurehead of the community whose welcoming demeanor fails to hide his cunning, calculating self. At this point, Hornsby is in search of those responsible for raiding a Commonwealth caravan and killing one of his operatives, Toby Carlson (Jason Butler Harner). His investigation has brought him to the Hilltop, where he and his forces seem eager to stir up trouble, but as it turns out, there's more to his plan than Maggie and company realize.

In the closing moments of the episode "Trust," Lance Hornsby makes an overture toward the former leader of the Reapers, Leah Shaw (Lynn Collins), offering her a job. This alliance has given "Walking Dead" fans a lot to talk about, as evidenced by the divisive discourse surrounding Hornsby's latest move.

Lance's decision to enlist Leah to his cause certainly complicates the situation between the Commonwealth and the Hilltop, as well as some of their respective residents. Leah is a skilled combatant and military-trained tactician, making her a valuable ally in Lance's latest scheme. However, she and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) — who's currently a soldier for the Commonwealth but makes no bones about his enduring allegiance to Maggie — were once lovers before their falling out. With a tangled narrative web like this, the story can go in any number of directions, hence why online chatter about it from "Walking Dead" fans shows little sign of slowing down.

"Maggie is going to be targeted by Leah and she's going to have Maggie in her sights and Daryl will end up having to kill her to save Maggie," theorized @docsavagequinn on Twitter, with @FirestarHart offering a similar prediction. Although, they add that this could coincide with Lance's attempted takeover of the Hilltop and Alexandria colonies. Alternatively, @Melanie07192305 thinks, "Maggie is going to take Leah out, Pope had a bounty on Maggie that failed and Leah is just another Pope." Regardless, as noted by @walkingdeadart1, Leah's learning of Daryl's alignment with the Commonwealth will likely cause serious tension.

Will Leah and Daryl's reunion affect Lance's master plan? Who will make it out alive? Will the Commonwealth make a move to conquer the Hilltop and Alexandria? Only time will tell as "The Walking Dead" Season 11 soldiers on.