Here’s the good news — at least one of The Walking Dead‘s three looming mysteries was solved tonight. We learned that Abraham, Sasha and Daryl are all OK. And while we may not have learned whose blood that was on the wall, we may have finally learned the fate of our beloved Glenn.
And, you guys, he’s alive!
But let’s zip back a minute, because tonight’s episode was important for a variety of reasons. Obviously, we all wanted reassurance that Daryl was going to make it back to Alexandria in one piece. Spoiler alert: In case you haven’t caught tonight’s episode, he (presumably) does. We don’t see him make it all the way back, but we do see him make his way out of several potentially fatal situations before hopping into a truck bound for Alexandria.
Prior to finding said truck, though, we discover that the trio became separated when a group of strangers started shooting at them. If you follow the comic series at all, I think you’d agree that this nefarious new group would seem to be the infamous “Negan’s Saviors.” So, hold that thought — I’m coming back to it in a bit.
After a series of unfortunate events and (on Daryl’s journey) a betrayal, the trio is on the road trying to radio Rick when a faint voice crackles through the walkie. It utters one word: “Help.” Yet that one word was enough — Glenn is alive, y’all. Glenn is alive!
More:The Walking Dead‘s Glenn just bit the dust — or did he? (POLL)
But was it really Glenn’s faint voice streaming through the walkie? Not everyone is as convinced as I am that the cry for help is coming from our hero.
If you need any proof that glen is dead the actor that plays him isn't mentioned in the opening credits. #TheWalkingDead
— Josef Barker (@pizzalord1988) November 16, 2015
@Holidill@TonySolo the voice of reason I say it was Rick on the walkie #TheWalkingDead
— ciniSTER 🎬🔪🍿 (@ElwayC) November 16, 2015
It was me saying "help" in that walkie talkie because i can't wait anymore for this preview #TheWalkingDead
— The Walking Dead (@TWDGAL) November 16, 2015
However, because I’m incredibly stubborn and refuse to give up on Glenn, here are all of the reasons it was most definitely his voice on the walkie. All you naysayers can issue your official apology to us true believers next week, when Glenn miraculously emerges from beneath that dumpster — covered in intestines and smellin’ ripe, but still rockin’ and rollin’ nonetheless.
1. It sounded like him.
Let’s start with the obvious, right? The voice may have been faint. It may have been meek. But it still sounded like Glenn’s voice. Some people swear it is actually Rick radioing for help from Alexandria, but I rewound it and listened again in slow-mo — to me, it sounds like Glenn, for sure.
2. Norman Reedus is baiting us.
Much is being made of an interview Norman Reedus gave EW, during which he seemed pretty definitive in his determination of who the voice belonged to — or, rather, who it didn’t belong to. “I will say that voice is not Glenn,” he responded when the topic came up in conversation. He then went on to describe in detail how he, like the rest of us, was entirely broken up by Glenn’s death. But I’m not buying it. Would the producers really let him spoil what was obviously meant to be another big cliffhanger? I don’t think so.
3. They wouldn’t use that shtick twice.
The Walking Dead isn’t the type of show that relies on tired ploys for ratings grabs. Surely they wouldn’t hint at Glenn’s survival if he wasn’t actually alive — that would be like making us suffer through his death twice, and they aren’t that sadistic. Are they?!
4. We know Glenn has his walkie handy.
In “Thank You,” the episode during which Glenn allegedly died, he most certainly had his walkie on him at his time of death. We know this for several reasons. First of all, how could anyone forget he and Rick’s nostalgic exchange — you know, the convo in which he calls Rick “dumb-ass” like the good ol’ bad days? We also know this to be true because we see the walkie tucked into his pants during his last few scenes at the zombie-riddled dumpster. So it’s entirely within reason to believe that he has been hunkered down in the dumpster just waiting for someone to land on the right frequency at the right time.
More:The Walking Dead: 7 Ways tonight’s Morgan episode hints at Glenn’s survival
5. Negan is now on the scene.
If you don’t want to hear that even if Glenn survives that it won’t be forever, now would be a good time for earmuffs. ‘Cause in the comics, our hero doesn’t live forever. In fact, he is beheaded by a horrible dictator named Negan who makes the Governor look like an old friend. Remember earlier when I mentioned that the people shooting at Daryl, Rick and Sasha were presumably members of Negan’s Saviors? Well, this means Negan’s arrival is impending. This has also been made clear by the recent casting of Jeffrey Dean Morgan for the role. All of this is to say that Negan’s arrival points at Glenn’s death at his hands — and while I still don’t love the idea of him dying, at least it would be more ceremonious than the puny send-off he supposedly got this season.
6. Daryl’s crossbow was stolen.
I know what you’re thinking: What in the world does Daryl’s crossbow being taken have to do with Glenn’s death? Basically, it lends more credence to the theory that Glenn will ultimately die not by the mouths of zombies but at the hands of Negan. Here’s how. In the comics, a character called Dwight kills Abraham with a crossbow. You see, Dwight is one of Negan’s group, The Saviors. The very guy who betrayed Daryl tonight and took his crossbow is supposedly that same character. Obviously this does not bode well for Abraham in the long run, but it does make it seem more likely the show is following Negan’s arc in the comic series — which means Glenn isn’t a goner just yet.
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