The Walking Dead “Thank You” 

Did they just kill who I think they just killed? It’s been non-stop action so far on this season of The Walking Dead, and the latest episode, “Thank You,” did not let up. I think it’s safe to say we all need to talk to a therapist to work out our feelings over this (potential?) death.

If that was indeed Glenn getting his guts ripped open, then it’s a sad day for fans of the series. Glenn has been a character we’ve watched grow from a young man who once delivered pizzas, to a real leader and man of strength and forgiveness. Unfortunately, that forgiveness may have led him astray when it came to Nicholas. That’s not to say Nicholas meant to take Glenn down with him into that herd of walkers, but by shooting himself in the head, Nicholas inadvertently did just that.

My love for Glenn wants me to hope that the guts being chowed on were Nicholas’, who looked to have fallen on top of Glenn, but even if that were the case, how would Glenn get out of there? The internet is already on fire with theories that Glenn could have crawled under the dumpster, but that feels highly unrealistic. As much as it pains me to say this, if Glenn somehow makes it out alive, I will feel cheated as a viewer.

Like most fans, I always watch The Talking Dead after each episode ends, and there is always an “In Memoriam” segment that features all the people who died each episode. However, Glenn was not featured because there is no definitive proof yet that Glenn is dead. Chris Hardwick, host of The Talking Dead, read the following statement from The Walking Dead Showrunner, Scott M Gimple: “In some way, we will see Glenn, some version of Glenn or parts of Glenn again, either in flashback or in the current story to help complete the story.

This statement makes me think there are two possibilities for his character going forward. Option 1: He’s dead, and the others will eventually see him as a walker. That would be one form of closure. Option 2: A part of me thinks that if a character as major as Glenn were to die, wouldn’t his death be bigger, and not just a ricochet off another character’s death? The other scenario would be Glenn getting out of there somehow, but as I said above, that plot maneuver would feel cheap. We’re clearly not done with Glenn, but how we will see him next remains unclear.

This was definitely another tense hour of the show, and I thought the interactions between Heath and Michonne were fantastic. Heath overheard Rick tell Michonne and Glenn before he left that they needed to leave anyone behind who couldn’t keep up. I already like Heath and his willingness to speak his mind. Still, it was nice to see Michonne put Heath in his place when he confronted her about Rick’s instructions.

Michonne may not agree or even listen to Rick, but she understands where he’s coming from. Heath may think he’s seen real horror, but Rick has seen far worse. Michonne has seen worse. Glenn has seen worse. Their entire group has gone to hell and back. The Alexandrians have no idea what they’re up against outside their walls.

Elsewhere, Rick made his way to the RV, and tried to contact everyone via walkie-talkie. Daryl had left Abraham and Sasha to go back to Alexandria after hearing all the gunshots. Rick managed to get through to the three of them, and told them how they needed to keep going and that made Daryl turn around and rejoin. Rick had his own troubles because he was attacked inside the RV by the Wolves that Morgan let escape in the previous episode.

Rick actually looked defeated. After killing the two Wolves inside the RV, and then gunning down the others trying to sneak up on the outside, he looked truly upset. Of course things got worse once the RV wouldn’t start, and we were left watching Rick be surrounded by more of the walker herd.

Lingering Questions

• If Glenn somehow makes it out alive, will that lessen the impact of his real death if or when that happens?
• How is Rick going to get out of the situation he’s found himself in?
• Will Daryl regret not continuing onward to help out the Alexandrians?
• Did Rick get walker blood inside the cut on his hand?!
• Can anyone tell me how Morgan was able to get back to Alexandria so quickly, but it seems to be taking the others forever?

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.

Check out a sneak peek of the next installment titled “Here’s Not Here.”