5 shocking moments from The Walking Dead’s “The Cell”
The Walking Dead delivered a great story with “The Cell.” Here’s a look at the top five shocking and surprising moments of the episode.
At last we travel to the Sanctuary, home of Negan and the Saviors. The Walking Dead ‘s third episode of this young seventh season is still packing punches, as we saw in “The Cell.” Daryl is clearly struggling with Glenn’s death, and being naked in a dark cell eating dog food and listening to horribly cheerful music isn’t helping things.
Let’s take a look at some of the shocking and surprising moments from “The Cell.”
Sherry’s warnings: Sherry shows up early in the episode. She offers Daryl a warning: it’s better to do whatever they ask of him without arguing. Whether she knows what Negan did to Glenn and Abraham or not, she insists that there is always something worse. She seems very insistent, and she also seems genuinely concerned for Daryl’s well being in spite of the circumstances.
Perhaps Sherry’s warnings for Daryl aren’t “shocking” but they do signal something interesting about her status in the Sanctuary. She isn’t sneaking around trying to warn him, and she isn’t locked away. Later we learn that Sherry is Dwight’s ex-wife, and she’s currently married to Negan. Given her lofty status, this suggests that Negan is so self-assured that he doesn’t worry about his wife talking to her ex-husband, nor does he mind her talking to Daryl.
Negan and Dwight’s story: Dwight’s role in Negan’s world was never clear until Negan explained the way things are between him and Dwight. Dwight is a trusted member of Negan’s inner circle, and while they had their ups and downs Negan knows he can trust him. As it turns out, Dwight, Sherry and Tina escaped the Sanctuary because Tina was sick and needed medicine. That medicine, Negan said, was costly and it meant Dwight needed to work harder for it.
After Tina’s death in the woods, Dwight and Sherry returned to the Sanctuary and begged Negan to take them back. Eventually, to ensure Dwight’s cooperation, Negan forced Dwight to give up Sherry so Negan could marry her. What’s more disturbing about this story, especially for non-comic readers like me, is that it really makes you cringe thinking about what that pregnancy test means…
Pack mentality: Negan’s influence is completely pervasive among the Saviors. When Negan asks who the men are, they say Negan’s name. What does this mean? It means that each man is an extension of Negan. What they do is a reflection of him, and that is enough to keep them in line.
So what did it take to get those men in line, and what does Negan do to keep them in line? The thought is terrifying. Clearly there have been defectors, so why aren’t there more defectors given that there seem to be at least two other places where they can go. (Again, it would be very helpful to have a map at this point!)
Related Story: Did Negan already know about Alexandria?
Daryl’s name: I’ll be honest here. I’m not shocked that Daryl didn’t back down at the end of “The Cell,” opting to say his name rather than Negan’s. The key difference with Daryl right now is that he’s all alone and he has no hope of being rescued, so he has no reason to give in. Rick, on the other hand, almost cut Carl’s arm off to save the group, and that shows what happens to people in leadership positions. Daryl is by himself. The worst thing Negan can do is to kill him. I’m sure that if Negan brought in someone that Daryl cared about, Daryl would cave in an instant. But in this case, it’s not surprising.
What’s surprising, however, is how shocked Dwight is about Daryl’s refusal to bend to Negan’s will. This would suggest that Dwight wants Daryl to live (as does Sherry), but what could be his motivation?
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Music: One of the single most shocking moments from “The Cell” is that the song “Easy Street” isn’t available for purchase. Can you imagine having to listen to that over and over again? Torture. That’s the kind of song you put on a ten hour loop and blast it you’re your annoying neighbors are having a barbeque. That’s the song you put on when you pick up your in-laws at the airport. That’s the song you put on during time outs. (Just kidding. Sort of. I would do one of those three options if the situation called for it…but which one did I use? Here’s a hint: The time I did it before it was Norwegian Death Metal…)