Walking Dead: Why Pamela Milton’s Secretary Asked About Yumiko’s Group

In The Walking Dead season 11 episode entitled “Promises Broken,” Pamela Milton’s secretary expressed an unusual interest in Yumiko’s group. When Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) showed up at Pamela Milton’s office for a meeting with the Commonwealth leader, her assistant seemed quite curious about how Yumiko’s friends were doing, but she never explained why.

Played by Margot Bingham, this character previously appeared in episode 5, where she was seen carrying ice cream at the Commonwealth. She’s one of a handful of new characters that The Walking Dead season 11’s Commonwealth arc has added to the mix thus far, with the others being Mercer (Michael James Shaw), Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton), Tomi (Ian Anthony Dale), Stephanie (Chelle Ramos), and Sebastian Milton (Teo Rapp-Olsson). Pamela Milton (Laila Robbins) herself hasn’t appeared yet, but will obviously be important later. And considering that the actress playing her assistant is being credited as a series regular, it’s quite clear that she, like the others, will play a role in what comes next for Yumiko and the others.

Her true purpose in the story was hinted at by her questions to Yumiko about her friends in episode 7. A poorly-kept secret in The Walking Dead season 11 is that she’s the show’s real Stephanie, not Chelle Ramos’ character. AMC is calling Pamela’s assistant “Max”, even though Margot Bingham voiced Stephanie in season 10 when Eugene (Josh McDermitt) was talking to her on the radio. Clearly, she’s the one that Eugene actually communicated with. The secretary having previously developed a rapport with Eugene explains why she was so concerned for the group’s safety. However, she couldn’t be open about that because Yumiko, Eugene, Princess (Paola Lázaro), and Ezekiel (Khary Payton) aren’t supposed to be aware that’s she actually the voice on the radio.

The mystery behind what’s really going on with this character and the fake Stephanie is shaping up to be a key storyline for Eugene and his friends during their stay at the Commonwealth. As for why Stephanie is hiding her identity, it could be that she’s acting under the orders of her superiors. They may have told her to stay out of this matter so that they can use a spy to take her place and manipulate Eugene into falling into a trap. That does seem likely, considering the timing of their arrest in episode 5. Eugene, Princess, and Ezekiel getting caught trying to contact Alexandria could all have been a scheme hatched by the fake Stephanie, Mercer, and possibly Lance Hornsby.

Margot Bingham’s Walking Dead character has yet to make a significant dent in season 11, but that could change very soon, especially now that Eugene has landed himself in serious trouble by punching Sebastian Milton. The interest she showed in Eugene’s fate proved that she does care about him, and that could be enough reason for her to take action on his behalf in the episodes to come.