Mercer (Michael James Shaw) from The Walking Dead. Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC.
** SPOILERS BELOW. Do not read beyond this point if you have not seen the latest episode “Faith” of The Walking Dead. **
In the run-up to the penultimate episode of the final season, Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) finds himself fighting for his life. In a speedy criminal proceeding to rival any rocket docket, Eugene is found guilty and sentenced all in a day. The Commonwealth condemns Eugene to death by execution within one hour.
The next scene finds Eugene being led down dim lit hallways by an armed escort. There in the bowels of the Commonwealth, he meets a grim General Mercer (Michael James Shaw). After a tense pause, a guard unlocks Eugene’s handcuffs and frees him. Eugene is confused, but Mercer is blunt.
“Time to f–k shit up.”
THE COOLEST, BEST LINE
However, that was not the original line from the script.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Angela Kang explained how some late stage riffing led to this final line.
“…I don’t even think that was originally the last beat of the script, but sometimes you’re just in editing and you’re moving things around and it just felt like that was such a cool, dramatic moment. And that was just a free take that Michael did for fun and nobody thought we’d use it. But my editor had put it in the cut that he and the director [Rose Troche] did. And I was like, ‘We should just check the scripted takes, just in case.’ And, by far, that was the coolest, best take. And we’re like, ‘Let’s just use it. Why not?’”
As to what the original reading was? In the actual script, Mercer was supposed to say, “Time to take this place.” Far more cut and dry, according to Kang.
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