By Taylor Roar

Thank you, Jesus. And by that I mean The Walking Dead character, of course. The sigh of relief I had when Maggie was taken to Hilltop colony before Negan could find her in last week’s episode was breathed right back in when Gregory, the Hilltop’s leader, threatened her safety once again.

“He’s a coward. They’re more dangerous,” Maggie said. She couldn’t have been more right.

In yet another act of dominance, the Saviors opened the gates to Hilltop, lit a few fires and blasted classical music from a car. Walkers flooded in, dimly lit by the orange glow. It was a paradoxical moment where the light, classical tune was paired with the seemingly imminent death of many people. But of course while Gregory hid, Sasha, Maggie and Jesus saved the colony.

That meant nothing to the cowardly leader. Gregory would do anything to save himself. So when the Saviors came back, he attempted to give Maggie and Sasha up. Thanks to Jesus, they were safely hidden.

“We’re all gonna be one big happy dysfunctional family,” Jesus told Gregory.

A side story followed Enid and Carl as they took a trip to the Hilltop. It’s rare that moments of true joy enter the plot of the show. The two teenagers, who are usually forced to act as adults – though they often fail – were finally seen as kids.

On their long walk they found roller skates and a little romance. They eventually shared an innocent kiss. More importantly, however, there was more development in Carl’s character.

I think most would agree Carl doesn’t make the best decisions. He’s seen his father take on opponents of every variety and demolish them all. What he doesn’t get is that every win took a level of calculation that required both a lot of patience and a lot of people.

But once again he’s taken matters into his own hands. Despite the protests of Enid, he left his short-lived teenage fantasy to find Negan. Obviously, the already one-eyed kid has a death wish. I have to give him credit for his heart being in the right place, though.

He recalled watching the deaths of Glenn and Abraham. “I didn’t look away. I knew that I needed to remember it,” he told Enid. At least he does incredibly annoying things with the intention of being thoughtful.

He isn’t the only one with a plan to maim the Saviors by taking out their all-powerful leader, either. In the beginning of the episode Michonne left with her sword, saying, “I’ve got some things to figure out.” And Sasha asked Jesus to repay her for Gregory’s cruelty by finding out where Negan lives.

The episode ended with Jesus hopping into the back of a Savior’s supply truck to find Carl already hiding there. If there are any big Carl fans, this was probably a comforting moment. Jesus’ magical strength and wit could save them both.

I’m not so sure that a plan to kill Negan would debilitate the Saviors at all, though. With characters like Simon and Dwight as Negan’s highest ranking officers, they’re sure to be thirsty for power. Negan being out of the picture would only give them a chance to be the top dogs. But then again, maybe they’d be willing to fight each other for the dictator’s position, causing a civil war.

It doesn’t matter yet. We’ll have to see if anyone can kill Negan first.

Featured Photo Credit: Feature photo courtesy of The Walking Dead on Facebook.

Taylor Roar is a freshman journalism major and can be reached at troar@terpmail.umd.edu.