Alpha’s wrath would earn consequences even more severe than Negan’s that day with Abraham and Glenn, if Rick Grimes was still running the show on TWD.
The Walking Dead said goodbye to Rick Grimes, but it’s fun to think about how the latest episode would have played out with the sheriff still in town.
If Abraham Ford and Glenn Rhee’s deaths at the hands of Negan ignited Rick Grimes’ will for revenge, you better believe Alpha’s recent actions would bring about even more severe retaliation. In the end, Negan lost everything — Sanctuary, being a leader, his entire way of life — to Officer Friendly. Combine Rick’s rage at letting his theoretical guard down enough for Alpha and Beta to take hostages along with Carol and Daryl’s fury and you have all out war once again. Except this time around, chances are Rick would not let The Whisperers integrate into his communities. It would be more akin to the time Rick shot Saviors who helped him, dialed up.
Do the communities have to toughen up again? Has one movie night been one too many in the face of threats from every turn? Alpha called the Kingdom’s fair a shrine to a dead world. While Rick Grimes likely agreed when he first arrived in Alexandria, Carl’s letter changed everything. Even if Rick himself knows the bleakness of the world, it doesn’t mean he has to follow in its footsteps. Rick would want the communities to continue a vision of a better world, one like the one they once all lived in. At the same time, he’d take all the fighters he could to attack The Whisperers as The Governor once did before him.
Rick Grimes does not forget and he does not necessarily forgive either. The communities would start building up for war again immediately with the advantage of not being completely isolated from each other any longer. He wouldn’t have to start from scratch as he once did at Hilltop with Gregory’s rule.
The main question is, would Rick let Negan go and trust him enough to battle alongside him if need be? Would two sworn enemies facing a new threat be able to set aside differences for the common good? Or would Negan remain locked away regardless, a metaphorical axe to be broken out in case of emergency at best?
Would Daryl allow Negan out with Maggie and Tara not around to keep his anger as actively alive? There’s a chance fans will find out the answer to that question as the season progresses. What of Michonne, she already went to Negan for advice about where Judith was? It’s really only a matter of time. If Rick Grimes was around right this second on The Walking Dead, it’s practically assured, he’d declare war. Siddiq’s story alone would be enough. Will Lydia remain on the sidelines of this upcoming battle or fight?
Check out The Walking Dead cast and alumni Thank Andrew Lincoln in a heartfelt video.