This post contains major spoiler for the third episode ofThe Walking DeadSeason 7 , " The Cell . "
What ’s the deal with Dwight ? First introduced midway through Season 6 , fleeing the Sanctuary to make off with his sallow babe and vulnerable married woman , Dwight has a strong claim to being the most complicated role ofThe Walking Dead ’s vast ensemble . We ’ve go out him put himself in deathly peril to protect his family . We ’ve see him both befriend and betray Daryl , accepting his assistance and then break away off with his crossbow and motorcycle . We ’ve examine him shoot Denise in the question . We ’ve construe his face disfigured and his private section nearly bitten off . And now we ’ve seen him enjoy his position as lieutenant in Negan ’s private guard – nobble lunch from the underlings , bossing the watery around , and submitting the unfortunate person to a anguish regime no man would jubilantly survive . We ’ve seen him do a slew of things . But what ’s hisdeal ?
That ’s the lallygag motion – peculiarly after tonight ’s instalment , " The Cell . " Dwight ’s been assign by Negan to oversee Daryl ’s obtuse - boiling point torture , will him to break off and conjoin the Sanctuary elite group , a process it ’s strongly suggest was once support by him . ( This is one of our first glimpses of the Sanctuary recruitment process : Negan ’s best men are n’t conduct , they ’re made . Brutally . ) And his attitude toward Daryl as he feeds him frank - nutrient sandwiches and hale him to and from his cell – patient role , all - knowing , but not incisively stand for – does seem somehow sympathetic , even condole with . He ’s not concerned in hector Daryl or inflicting pain in the ass on him for no reason ; unlike Negan and his beloved Lucille , he is n’t by nature sadistic or cruel . You get the sense that Dwight wants to help the man he ’s been asked to torture . I was once like you , and I ’ve been through all this before , he seems to be say . Be smart , give in , and you too can survive and live life-time like a big shot like me .
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Except that Daryl is n’t locomote to give in – and that bothers Dwight a lot more than it should . He sees in Daryl an early version of himself , himself before the clip of Negan , main and headstrong and unafraid . But if Daryl bear this straining better than he did , if after all this excruciation he manages to stay independent and headstrong and fearless – well , what does that say about Dwight ? As he continues to torture Daryl and it becomes obvious that he ’ll bond to his convictions no matter what , Dwight begins to wonder whether he did n’t give up too well , whether he did n’t sell his someone to the fiend before had to . He ’s start up to suspect that if a man like Daryl – a serviceman like himself – can stand up to Negan ’s pressure so courageously , he should be able to as well . Otherwise he ’s just a coward . Otherwise he ’s just washy .
Dwight , Negan explicate toward the conclusion of the installment , give up the Sanctuary and betrayed him , and he only make his agency back into his ( and Lucille ’s ) good graces the hard direction . Dwight take up an atomic number 26 to the face , and Negan took Dwight ’s wife : Sherry , the woman introduced with Dwight back in Season 6 , is now Negan ’s partner and property , his to have his path with , and , plain , the aspiring female parent of his tike . Dwight is n’t precisely overjoyed with the situation , as one might imagine . But he ’s convinced himself that all of this – all of the chagrin , the indignity , the passing , and the abuse – is preferred to death . He ’s revel a comparatively inner spot as an officer in Negan ’s army . He ’s learn to do without niceties like felicity or pride .
But now there ’s Daryl , who essentially tells Negan compass point blank that hewould prefer death over meekness of that kind . And now Dwight is left to wonder which is the better way . Did he really do the right matter ? Is he really OK with living like this ? Suddenly he does n’t seem so sure . Daryl has offered Dwight an example of the kind of willpower and dissolve he did n’t recollect it was possible to keep up in a world like this , in the face of a man like Negan . He ’s also offer him an example of another way .
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The doubt is what effect that example will have on Dwight going forward . Will he take a shot at redemption and destitute Daryl , or even serve him repel against Negan and the Sanctuary faithful ? Or will he double down as a believer because he ca n’t comport the shame ? It seems clear that his prison term with Daryl will be a turn breaker point for a very conflicted piece . Which way he ’ll bend precisely remain to be image .
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