This week’s episode of The Walking Dead was a table-setting episode nested nicely in the middle of two other story arcs (the fate of Glenn, and the zombie horde encircling Alexandria). To some, it may have seemed like a filler episode, but those familiar with the comics storylines will recognize that “Always Accountable” will pay off down the line (most likely, in the second half of the season). This episode — in addition to getting Daryl, Abraham, and Sasha back to Alexandria with a gas truck and a rocket launcher — also sets up the introduction of the much talked-about Negan down the line.
How does that work? Let’s jump straight into this week’s open questions.
1. First things first, was that Glenn’s voice on the walkie talkie?
According to a Norman Reedus interview on EW, it was not. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it was not someone with Glenn, like Jesus — a character introduced later. Reedus says it also could be someone back in Alexandria, but — at this time of the day — no one was in immediate danger back there, except that Wolf Morgan had locked up. (Could it be the Wolf on the walkie? Not likely, but that would be an interesting twist.)
My guess is that someone is using the walkie to lure Daryl, Abraham, Sasha into a trap, perhaps even the people we saw earlier in the episode with the man who had his arm chopped off. Recall that, earlier in the episode, they changed the frequencies on their walkie talkies. Why even mention that if it wasn’t going to come back into play?
2. Who Were The Two Kidnappers?
The characters who kidnapped Daryl briefly were played by Austin Amelio and Christine Evangelista. Though not officially confirmed, Austin Amelio’s character is almost certainly Dwight, an important character in the comics. This was something of an origin story, laying the groundwork for some of the important details we find out about him in the comics (more below). They live in a colony where they “earn” in exchange for safety.
3. Who were the people tracking them?
The people trying to get Dwight and Evangelista’s characters were probably Saviors, led by Negan (who we now know will be played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The people in the colony basically kneel to the Saviors, pledge their loyalty to them, and give them part of what they earn in exchange for safety. They’re basically the zombie apocalypse version of the mafia, although it is interesting that one of the Saviors decided not to pursue Dwight and Evangelista’s character because they preferred “willing assets.”
4. What were Dwight and co. doing in the burnt-out marsh?
They were ostensibly tracking down Patty, a friend and/or relative of Tina, the woman who was killed in the episode by the burnt zombies under the plastic. (R.I.P. Tina.) But they were also escaping Negan, although in the end, it appears they’re going back to their colony — which is controlled by Negan — because they understand how important safety is in this universe.
5. Will we see them again?
Yes. In fact, one of the reasons the male character is almost certainly Dwight from the comics is that he will return around the same time that Negan is set to be introduced to the series: At the end of season six. We know he will return because the actor who plays him, Austin Amelio, tweeted as much, but has since deleted.
Norman Reedus also confirmed as much in an interview with IGN.
What do we know about Dwight from the comics?
Comics Spoilers
I don’t want to give away too much, because Dwight ends up becoming a very important figure in the comics. I’ll just say this: He’s a reluctant lieutenant to Negan. In the comics, he also has half of his face burnt by Negan with an iron. My guess is that he gets his face burnt by Negan when he returns for escaping with one of Negan’s wives (the woman with Dwight in this episode). In the comics, the character also carries a signature crossbow. Thanks to this episode, we also know where that crossbow comes from.
6. Why did Abraham gnarl at the zombie and nearly get himself killed?
Getting in the face of that zombie represented a turning point for Abraham. We have seen him become increasingly reckless because he doesn’t think he has anything for which to live. That moment with the zombie offered an epiphany: Now he has a reason to continue. As Michael Cudlitz told Mashable, it was a “cathartic moment of literally looking death in the face and choosing to live.”
7. Is Abraham interested in Sasha?
Yes, yes he is. That’s one of the reasons he realizes he wants to live. Again, as Cudlitz told Mashable: “I do not think Abraham knows how he feels about Sasha. He just knows it’s strong. He knows that it is something he’s not felt in a very, very long time, and he knows that it’s very different from what he feels with Rosita.” It seems as though Sasha is not exactly opposed to the idea, either.
8. How will that rocket launcher be used?
Chekhov’s rocket launcher! It will almost certainly come back into play. In fact, I have a hunch that both the rocket launcher and the gas truck that Daryl takes will come into play as soon as they get back to Alexandria. Daryl knows — thanks to Dwight’s crew — that you can set a fire and the zombies will basically walk into it. That might be an easy way for Daryl to rid Alexandria of the zombie horde: Set the gas truck in the middle of the horde, blow it up with the rocket launcher, and watch them burn!
9. Was there a really cool Easter Egg in this episode?
Why yes, yes there was. Note the Cherokee Rose in the marsh above? That’s a nod to the Cherokee Rose that Daryl gave Carol all the way back in season two. The Cherokee Rose is a Native American sign in which the gods protected their children. (Sadly, it did not protect Carol’s child, Sophia.)
10. Did Daryl turn into this weird horse during the episode?
Sadly, he did not.
