This clause contains spoilers – and spoiler - ish theories – about the most late episode ofThe Walking Dead , " Same Boat . "
Negan , the wide feared Savior kingpin , demander of supplying and basher of skulls , is dead . Already . Or perchance not .
Here ’s what we saw : Rick ’s crew , armed and quick to exterminate , victoriously go forth from the assault on a so - called Savior compound , and capture a man attempting to get by on Daryl ’s bike . But then a splinter radical of Savior survivor informs them via Walkie Talkie that they ’re prevail Maggie and Carol hostage .
AMC
By sequence ’s end , Maggie and Carol get the better of their captors and some men who get in as backup . When Rick call into question his hostage , the military personnel annunciate that he is Negan . One .44 magnum round to the drumhead later , and Rick imagine the mess has been clean up .
But has it ?
allow ’s take a gradation back . This isThe Walking Dead , where flavor are deceiving , and planted grounds can clew us into future reveals . Earlier in the episode , Carol , bound and under guard , convert words with one of her captors , a grisled chain - smoking compartment with a inclination to speak too much , who lease a significant hint slip : " We ’re all Negan . " A sudden fit of smoking carriage ’s cough prevented any further elucidation .
AMC
This fits with the story differentiate by the escapee who arrest to being Negan . Rick ask him whether Negan was inside the chemical compound or was one of the survivors dispatch by Carol and Maggie . " Both , " say the hostage . Negan may be nothing more than a spooky sobriquet , take over by the Saviors to frighten the innocents they terrorize . Or maybe Negan ’s a loss leader so diligent about protect his own mystique that he arrange his followers to fake the title and keep others guess .
In any case , there ’s a good chance the man ( or men ) responsible for rag the Hilltop stay at large – very much alive and , when he hears of how many casualty the Saviors have suffered of late , very disposed toward vengeance .
Rick ’s decision to shoot a possible Negan impostor does n’t bode well . If he thinks that Negan and the Saviors are terminate , not keeping his guard up may lead to problems if the facts are n’t what they seem . While Rick himself has never glimpse Negan , and therefore has no direction to be trusted he killed the right guy , there ’s one individual among his political party who has and could facilitate substantiate it : Jesus . If only someone would only ask him what this Negan mate really looks like …
AMC
If the Savior chemical compound raid by our poor boy proves to be a artificial satellite power – very likely , if there ’s to be any dramatic event – it ’s easy enough to consider that Jesus did n’t have it off it . But he should eff the worldwide verbal description of the straw man he ’s spent the last several episode warn everyone about .
We ’re tie up to find out whether thetrueNegan survives in the week ahead . If the writers require to keep Rick and troupe in the darkness for any longer they ’re going to need a adept excuse why Jesus is n’t giving out more useful information .
It ’s a pity , too , that Carol and Maggie did n’t have the clock time or inclination to weightlift their overthrown captors for more information before eliminating them . There ’s no doubt that these Saviors were among the more extremely regard under Negan ’s instruction , and they believably make out something worth require about .
AMC
Then again , it ’s clear this whole digression – no matter how much I enjoy Alicia Witt and Jeananne Goossen cameos ( and I enjoy them alot ) – was cooked up simply todelay Negan ’s much - tantalise innovation another week . ( I take I was a little precipitant in my prediction that Negan ’s squash racquet - wield revenge was at hand , but I keep up it ’s coming very , very soon . )
This would hardly be the first timeThe Walking Deadhad make up a bit of drama for the rice beer of padding . And as digressions go , seeing the show ’s two strong adult female plain ass for 45 hour was a good one . The inevitable has been prolong once again – but there will be no avoiding portion come the end of the sixth time of year .
Sign up herefor our daily Thrillist email , and get your fix of the good in food / drink / playfulness .