The first Season 7B photo shows intense negotations between Rick and Gregory

A new photo from The Walking Dead midseason premiere show Rick, Maggie and the others trying to negotiate with Gregory. Will he agree to help them?

This photo from TV Line shows that Rick and the group will be negotiating with Gregory in the midseason premiere. Gregory is not a great leader, but for now the group needs his support. But will get give it?

Gregory is a wildcard for Rick and the group as they start the push to all out war. They need Gregory to play ball and help them hide their plans from the Saviors. But Gregory isn’t usually one to put aside his own self-interest to help others.

Maggie, Sasha and Jesus could easily oust Gregory at the leader at Hilltop. The people of Hilltop know that it was Maggie and Sasha who saved them from the last Savior attack. They would support a leadership change.

But right now having Gregory in place as the leader at Hilltop is critical to Rick and the others attacking Negan and the Saviors. Negan knows that Gregory is the leader at Hilltop. If the Saviors return for another load of supplies and Gregory isn’t in charge anymore it will put Hilltop on Negan’s radar. He will know something is going on there.

Why Gregory is Important

If Maggie, Sasha and Jesus team up to lead Hilltop Negan will know Maggie is alive. Right now he thinks that Maggie is dead and that’s an advantage for Rick and the group. They don’t want to give up the element of surprise just yet. It’s one of the few weapons they have to fight Negan.

Maggie’s grave at Alexandria could be a great place for the group to store weapons, munitions, or anything else they don’t want the Saviors to find when they are searching Alexandria. They have no reason to suspect that grave is a fake right now. But if they find out Maggie is alive Negan will almost certainly have that grave opened and searched.

Will Gregory Make A Deal With Rick?

Gregory is selfish and petty leader. And he’s afraid of the Saviors.

More from Undead Walking

• Walking Dead alum Jayson Warner Smith promotes new film, Chipper, watch it now
• Walking Dead actor Chandler Riggs filming new movie in Tampa Bay
• Why is there no season 12 of The Walking Dead?
• Will Morgan Jones find Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live spinoff?
• Watch Tales of TWD actress Jillian Bell in Prime Video’s Candy Cane Lane

Turning Maggie and Daryl over to the Saviors would definitely help his position. And it might even help Hilltop by making the Saviors ease up on the colony.

But eventually the Saviors would go back to threatening the colony and demanding more and more from them. Even a poor leader like Gregory must see that the situation with Negan and the Saviors is not sustainable.

However, Rick and the group already screwed Hilltop over once. Rick told Gregory that they could handle the Saviors. He was very wrong, and it put Hilltop and Gregory in a dangerous spot. Gregory may not be willing to take that risk by working with Rick and the group again.

Will He Have A Choice?

Even if Gregory doesn’t want to help the survivors in their fight against Negan he might not have a choice. Maggie, Sasha and Jesus made it clear that they intend to take on more leadership at Hilltop. Gregory will just be a figurehead. So Rick, Maggie, Sasha and Jesus might not give him a choice. They may just tell him what they expect him to do.

Next: Can the survivors win a war against The Saviors?

The Walking Dead Midseason Premiere

The Walking Dead midseason premiere airs on Sunday, February 12^th. The premiere should answer questions about Hilltop’s role in the upcoming war. The back half of Season 7 is going to be exciting as the colonies start to rise up against Negan and the Saviors.