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The Walking Dead: Major character survival theories

By Adam Carlson

group of survivors, The Walking Dead - AMC
group of survivors, The Walking Dead - AMC /
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On last night’s episode of The Walking Dead, we saw a major character put into a situation that has polarized the fan base.  While some believe that the character is dead, others hold on to a shred of hope and have put forth theories on how survival is still a possibility.

What we’ll do today (October 26, 2015), now that we’ve had a good night’s sleep to think about it, is break down some of the ways that I’m reading on Twitter and Facebook that fans see this character living through this seemingly impossible position.  Plus, we’ll get far more specific once I put up the good, old-fashioned spoiler bar, since our readers outside North America have yet to view the episode and I’d hate to ruin the scene for them…

***WARNING:  THE WALKING DEAD 603: THANK YOU SPOILERS BELOW***

**STOP READING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS**

Okay, so now let’s get down to business.  The scene that we’re talking about involves Glenn Rhee and Nicholas when they’re navigating the small town outside Alexandria.  The two get trapped in an alley surrounded by fences and, of course, the undead.  Nicholas freaks out and shoots himself, falling off the dumpster.  Glenn grabs him to keep him on the dumpster, but ends up falling into a massive group of zombies, who tear into the human flesh.

Nicholas and Glenn Rhee, The Walking Dead - AMC
Nicholas and Glenn Rhee, The Walking Dead – AMC /

Logically, we should be able to assume that Nicholas is dead.  I mean, he shot himself and then fell into a group of walkers.  But that’s not what we’re arguing here.  What we’re talking about is ways that fans feel Glenn can escape this situation alive.  There are some pretty unique ideas about how this can happen, so let’s dive into the theories!

Glenn Rhee, The Walking Dead - AMC
Glenn Rhee, The Walking Dead – AMC /

Nicholas landed on top of Glenn and the walkers are tearing him apart…not Glenn.  I actually agree with this theory, but there also leaves a lot of questions as to what that would mean.  Since it looks like Nicholas’ stomach was on top of Glenn’s chest, that means that Glenn’s legs are likely getting eaten.

  • Glenn can jump into the dumpster and wait out the horde.  I like this theory, as zombies can’t open dumpsters, but the pressure from the zombies devouring Nicholas would make moving around nearly impossible for Glenn, as well as the surrounding horde of walkers.  Getting from the ground to the dumpster while surrounded and pushed down would be one heck of a feat.
    • Dumpster. The Walking Dead - AMC
    Dumpster. The Walking Dead – AMC /

    But he can just slide under the dumpster.  I’m not sure on this one.  I don’t think there is enough room to slide under there.  However, even if there were, then what?  The undead would have an easier time getting to him there because he’d be flatted out and they could just grab his limbs or head.

  • Glenn will cover himself in guts and blend in with the zombies.   This is a great idea, but there are some problems with it.  He’s already covered in Nicholas’ guts, which would make him even more appealing to the undead.  If you remember, it’s the zombie blood and guts that disguise people and allows them to move undetected.
  • A combination of #3 and #4.  This is an extreme longshot because of time and space constraints, but i suppose it is possible that he could buy himself some time and camouflage himself if he can get some temporary safety.  However, I still don’t see how he could free himself up enough to do this as well as how his limbs that are sticking out are not being devoured.
  • Someone will save him.  Getting a zombie to stop eating a human is a tough task, but as we saw with the walker on the road with Rick Grimes, they will stop and look around if they see something moving around.  Because of that, a combination of VERY loud noises and movement might be able to draw them away if they believe that their prey is dead.  A group that noisy would need one heck of a distraction though.

    • What do you guys think?  Is there an idea that I haven’t heard yet that could help save Glenn’s life?  Do you think he’s a goner despite all the hope from the fan base?  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

    Next: The Walking Dead's 50 most shocking moments and deaths

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