Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" was an Abraham-centric one, where viewers were given a glimpse into his past, and how Eugene saved him from taking his own life.
Right from the beginning, it's made clear that Abraham is set on reaching Washington DC at all cost. And "Self Help" finally explained why the mission made Abraham tick, thanks to a few flashback scenes that showed how he lost his family.
Similar to the comics, the flashback scene showed Abraham leaving his family with a group of men, who raped his wife. Abraham sought revenge by savagely killing the men, and this disgusts his wife who says Abraham has become worse than the men who raped her.
She leaves with their children, and later he discovers their bodies, savaged by walkers. Heartbroken, he attempts to end his life, but not before a helpless Eugene with a group of walkers on his tail, finds him.
Eugene gives Abraham hope for a bright future, claiming that he knows about a cure for the outbreak, and that it's in Washington DC.
On how his character coped with the loss of his family, actor Michael Cudlitz told Entertainment Weekly that the prospect of a cure to save mankind from the zombie apocalypse has been Abraham's driving force.
"At the moment he is pulling the trigger, someone needs help, and it is in his core to help. He is a soldier. He is a service-giver at this core. And he can't even stop himself from helping him," explained Cudlitz.
"But then he's going to go right back to finishing himself after he's helped this person — until something is given to him which is beyond him and beyond his family. It is a mission, and he responds in his DNA and on a genetic level to that word 'mission,' because that is who he is."
And although Eugene effectively saved Abraham from suicide, the latter does not see it that way once Eugene finally reveals that he doesn't have a cure for the outbreak. This sends Abraham into a spiral, and the only person who gets through to him is Rosita.
Another scene, about which many fans are talking, is the love-making scene between Abraham and Rosita, and the soldier letting Eugene watch his intimate encounter. While many found the scene creepy, Cudlitz told The Hollywood Reporter that his character does not care who watched it, as he believed he has nothing to hide from anyone.
"He's like, 'Whatever.' It's totally an alpha-male thing as well," he clarified. "I can't personally identify with that, but it's a bit of a fratboy thing: 'F— it, you want to watch me f—? Watch me f—!' I don't think Abraham cares who is watching. He tells Glenn, 'I need some ass!' He could have said he was going to get some sleep. He just doesn't care."
"Everything about him is worn on his sleeve. Everything is open. If he's upset, he tells you; if he's upset with you, he tells you; he's going to go f— Rosita, he tells you. There's no agenda. Everything was taken from him, and he has nothing to hide from anybody," he added.
