The Choice

"The Choice" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of season one of The Last Ones. It was published for the first time on July 5th 2015.
==Plot==
Peter fills Joy in on a secret and recruits her to do a job. Meanwhile, a guilty Charlotte begins to put Eli's plan into place.
==Synopsis==
In a flashback, a young Charlotte heads downstairs to find her mother, Samantha, lying on the floor with her father, Collin, standing over her. He tells Charlotte to go back upstairs and promises to read her a story. Charlotte is confused over her mother's behaviour, but Collin assures her she's fine. Charlotte then heads back to her room.
In the present day, Shiro approaches a reflective Charlotte and asks if she's coming back to camp as they're moving out soon. She confirms she will after picking some blueberries for Beatrice. Shiro picks up on her mood and asks if she's all right. He leaves her in peace when she insists she's fine.
At the survivors camp, Peter talks to an unhappy Angie, who is infuriated with Alexis, whom they're about to go and meet, for her apparent role in the death of Victoria. Peter asks Angie if she's going to stay calm. She in return asks if he's going to be there to stop her if she's not. 
On her journey back to camp, Charlotte is stunned when Eli appears out of nowhere. He asks if everything's still going to plan, and she confirms it is. Charlotte does however, ask for one small thing: if Eli decides to kill Peter and the others, he must spare young Beatrice. She then pleads with him not to kill her. Eli agrees, as long as Charlotte keeps up her end of the bargain, which she promises to do. Eli says "see you presently" as he departs.
In another flashback, Samantha asks Charlotte if living with her father, like she always wanted to, makes her happy. Charlotte confirms it does, but then asks her mother if it makes her happy. Samantha doesn't reply, and instead says she has a headache when Charlotte gets suspicious. Moments later, Collin arrives home and happily says hello to his family. He praises Charlotte for doing her homework and asks Samantha if she's all right. Charlotte tells him about her headache. Collin wraps his arms around Samantha, who appears uncomfortable, and promises Charlotte he'll take care of her. Charlotte initially smiles as she watches her father embrace her, but she quickly takes notice at Samantha's closed-off body language and her defeated, saddened expression.
At camp, Jai and Joy say their goodbyes as the former prepares to leave with Peter and the majority of the other survivors for a meeting with Alexis. Joy tells Jai she understands his reasons for going but she'll miss him as he's been her rock. He informs her he feels the same way. Just then, Shiro and Aimi come over to say their goodbyes. Joy turns down Aimi's offer to stay behind, reminding her she's got quite good with a gun. Joy is taken aback and touched when Shiro gives her a hug.
Angie is reluctant to leave Bobby behind but he and Javier convince her that he can look after himself. Angie hugs her little brother, who orders her not to be home late.
Charlotte returns to camp just as the group prepare to move out. Peter hands Beatrice over to Georgie and thanks her for looking after his little girl. Peter then asks to have a private word with Joy. He takes her to one side and reveals he's fully expecting Eli to turn up at the meeting with Alexis. Joy promises Peter she'll protect Beatrice with her life should anything go down. Peter tells Joy he's already confident about that but decides instead to confide in her about his suspicions of Charlotte: he's certain she's a spy.
In Victoria, Alexis scolds Matt for not having enough people on watch. She expresses her disbelief that he was once in the military and demands that he set up more watch points. He apologies and leaves. Michael, who was listening to the conversation, points out it's quite rare to witness such brawny men be completely dominated by a woman. He then jokes they might have to start calling you the new Iron Lady. Alexis retorts that his jibes are growing tiresome. Michael shrugs this off, and reveals that he's still mad about Vicky's death, and every time he thinks he's over it, he looks outside the walls and sees her grave, and it makes him angry all over again. Alexis asks him to save his comments for another day. Michael tells her to lighten up and reveals he's only half-joking. He liked Vicky and what Alexis did to her was low, but he's not tying himself a noose over it. Nor does he feel morally superior enough to actually judge her too harshly, as he's aware they all have to do things they're not proud of, now more so than ever. 
Michael asks Alexis why she's so stressed, as Peter and his group don't sound like bad people. Alexis wonders what Angie and the others would do if they found out about Vicky. Michael recalls that Angie has a temper, but Alexis tells him it's not them she's anxious about. Michael asks her to elaborate, but Alexis replies "Don’t you have work to be getting on with?" Michael takes the hint and leaves as Alexis looks out over the complex.
Peter gives a dumbfounded Joy all the reasons why he suspects Charlotte of working for Eli, including his random first meeting with her in the woods, how it was her idea to go to Summerlyn City to look for Lorna, where they ran into Eli within seconds of arriving there, and her mysterious disappearance after the group left the hospital to get medicine for Georgie, and how she's been acting strange ever since that day. Joy eventually comes round and realises that Peter is right. Joy panics and tells Peter he and the others could be walking into a trap. Peter assures Joy he has a plan.
Back at Victoria, Alexis joins Jenson on watch and asks if he's seen anything. He confirms he hasn't. He then tells her he might be more useful if she told him what exactly he was looking out for. She refuses and tells him to just do it. She then climbs down from the watch-post and faces questions from Coleman and Steph, who are worried about her and asks if the people she's meeting with today are trustworthy. Alexis tells them she has precautions in place and that she'll be fine. Its revealed that an Asian man, presumably Shiro, arrived at the complex the day before with the proposal of a meeting between Peter and Alexis. Alexis tells Coleman and Steph she has a feeling the meeting is about a certain individual, but she excuses herself and leaves when they question who the meeting is going to be about.
As Peter and most of his group are about to leave, Peter wishes Joy luck, who wishes him luck in return. He and the others then drive away as Joy, Georgie, Beatrice and Bobby watch. Bobby remarks its just the four of them now. Joy corrects him, as she's going after Peter.
At the swimming center, Eli gathers his people and attempts to talk them into attacking and killing Peter's people at their camp. Initially, the survivors are against the idea but Eli convinces them by stating that if they do not act first, it will be them who are attacked and killed. When Cassie doubts if they need killing, Eli reminds her of Jai's cold-blooded killing of Amar. Reluctantly, the group agree and are led away by Ken, with the exception of Joel, as Eli requests him to stay behind as he has another job for him.
On their way to Summerlyn, Sean notices that Peter seems preoccupied and has checked the wing mirror numerous times. Peter explains he's just looking for the dead out of habit. He insists to Sean that he's not hiding anything from him. In the other car, Shiro asks a distant Charlotte if she's all right, but she doesn't respond.
In another flashback, an older Charlotte is paid a visit at her apartment by her mother, who has come home from her vacation with her boyfriend earlier than planned. Samantha reveals to Charlotte that she's received some news regarding her father, but Charlotte is uninterested and reminds her mother that the restraining order they have against him means they never have to speak of him again. Samantha breaks the news that his current partner, Lesley, has been found dead after being brutally beaten. Charlotte is beside herself with upset and guilt, as she feels she should have warned Lesley. Samantha tells Charlotte not to blame herself.
Back in the present, Shiro asks a non-responsive Charlotte if she's having a stroke. She tells him she's just distracted and Aimi defends her, telling Shiro to give her a break.
At camp, Georgie and Bobby talk over their confusion about Joy's departure. Georgie tells Bobby that Joy told her to keep an eye out and if they see anyone they don’t recognise approaching camp, they're to get in the car and drive away as quick as they can. Bobby suggests he go on watch. Georgie agrees, and admits she can't shake the feeling that something awful is about to happen.
On her travels to follow Peter and the others, Joy is left irritated when her car breaks down. She hops out and decides to move on foot, dispensing with a zombie as she moves. She takes cover by a large rock when she spots Eli's group of survivors, armed and heading for the camp.
Outside the walls of Victoria, Peter and co await to arrival of Alexis, who soon joins them. Peter tells her he's there to talk about Eli, and she reveals she thought as much. Angie interrupts and angrily demands to know if Alexis killed Vicky. Alexis denies doing so, but Angie doesn't believe her. Peter tells Angie he understands why she's angry, but Vicky isn't what their meeting is going to be about. After being warned to step back by Jenson and Steph, Angie reluctantly does so, but tells Alexis she hopes Vicky is haunting her sleep.
Joy calmly confronts Eli's men, who immediately raise their weapons at her. Joy hands over her gun and places her hands in the air. She is stunned when she discovers the group have been sent to kill everyone at the camp. When Cassie and Big Pete get cold feet about killing, Ken takes them to one side and tries to convince them to follow Eli's instructions. Joy is left being guarded by Jonny, who tells her if she wants to pray before she dies, she best do it now. Joy refuses, saying she's never asked the big man for anything and doesn't intend on starting now. Slowly and sneakily, she pulls out a knife.
When Peter tells Alexis that Eli has been watching her safe-base as well as their camp, Alexis isn't surprised and both agree that he probably has a nasty little surprise for them. Confirming this as he walks into the scene, is Eli. All guns are raised and pointed at him, but it doesn't seem to startle Eli in the slightest. Sean notices that Peter is taking his eye away from Eli and looking around. He mutters that Joy should be nearby by now. Eli is told not to try anything, and he assures them he won't, but he tells Charlotte she can now go as there's no need for her cover anymore. Her allegiance with Eli is then revealed to the stunned survivors. Charlotte explains that Eli has her mother and apologises for what she's done. Eli tells Charlotte the location of her mother. Before she leaves, Peter tells her if he sees her again, he'll kill her. Charlotte then departs.
In a final flashback, Charlotte pays a visit to her old family home in order to convince her father to plead guilty to spare Lesley's young children the pain of having to go through a trial. Upon arriving, she discovers Collin lying in pain on the kitchen floor. He explains that his back has gone out, as it always used to do. Charlotte refuses to help, and reminds Collin of the time she found her mother at the bottom of the stairs, with cracked ribs and a broken leg, and how Collin talked away the suspicions the doctors at the hospital had. Charlotte tells Collin she knows about Lesley. Collin admits her death is terrible but denies any involvement and tries to claim that it was her brother, whom she had a hostile relationship with. Angered with his lies, Charlotte goes to leave, but Collin pleas for help and asks Charlotte to pass him the phone so he can call for an ambulance. Charlotte looks at the phone, but then spots that the stove is on. She tells him she's going to give him one last chance to confess to what he's done, but he doesn't.
In the present, Eli tells Peter and Alexis that he's offering them both a choice to surrender to him. This amuses the survivors, as Eli has no less than five guns directed at him. Flabbergasted, Peter asks Eli if he seriously thinks he's in a position to make demands for surrender. Eli smiles and says "absolutely." 
Eli's followers continue to debate on whether to follow his instructions. Cassie and Big Pete bring up the possibility of taking them alive. Just then, Ken is horrified to discover that Joy has escaped by slitting Jonny's throat and taken off in her car. With their friend dead, the group finally find the motivation they need to follow Eli's commands. 
Charlotte arrives at the shack where her mother is located. She steps inside only to find a dead corpse of a zombie on the floor. Confused, she is taken aback when a live zombie bursts through a door behind her and tackles her to the ground. Charlotte is horrified to discover that the zombie is her mother. Left with no choice, Charlotte puts an arrow in her mother's head, killing her for good. Charlotte then breaks down, confessing to her mother's body that she killed her father, and this is happening now as a punishment to her. She also reveals that she thought she did it to spare Lesley's children the pain of the trial, but in reality, she just wanted to kill him. Charlotte collapses to her mother's side and sobs "this is all my fault."
Back outside Victoria, Alexis tells Eli he must be the most deluded person she's ever met if he truly thinks he has any sort of power. Peter agrees, and asks if he's been overestimating Eli's intelligence all this time. Eli is quick to prove them wrong and tells Alexis if she and her people fail to surrender to him, a bomb he planted underground nearby will detonate, destroying and killing her safe-base. Alexis doesn't believe him, and states she would have seen him bury the bomb. Eli whistles and a small bomb explodes nearby, much to the shock of Alexis and the other survivors. Eli then tells Peter that if he and his group fail to surrender, then Lorna will be executed. As he makes his throat, Joel walks a worse for wear Lorna into the scene. Peter is horrified. He asks about Milo, but drops it when Eli appears confused. Eli warns the group to plan no ambushes or rescue attempts. He tells the group to meet him at Ludovico's, a restaurant a few minutes South of Victoria. He smiles, and tells them they have three hours.
Back at the shack, Charlotte tearfully and quietly holds her mother in her arms. She lies her down, holds her hand one last time and then walks away. Infuriated, she says "All right, Eli. You’ve had your fun. My turn now."
==Deaths==
*Jonny
*Samantha Layton (Confirmed Fate / Zombified)
*One zombie.
==Trivia==
*First (and last) appearance of Collin Layton.
*First appearance of Samantha Layton.
*First appearance of Ken.
*First appearance of Malcolm, without lines.
*First appearance of Dan, without lines.
*First appearance of Nigel, without lines.
*First appearance of Gus, without lines.
*Last appearance of Jonny.
*Lorna Thompson returns in this installment, after an absence of nine episodes.
*The title of this episodes comes from Eli's words to Charlotte which was shown in The Olive Branch, where after revealing that she doesn't have a choice on whether or not to follow his instructions, he replies "Oh, Charlotte… there's always a choice." 
**The original title for the episode was 'The Traitor'.
*Michael refers to Alexis as the new Iron Lady, a nickname given to Margaret Thatcher, the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990.