The Walking Dead: Morgan, Ezekiel and Martin Luther King
By Susie Graham
On The Walking Dead Negan has enslaved the surrounding groups and even his own people. Can he be fought using a non-violent approach in the apocalypse?
None of us liked seeing our group broken and submitting to Negan. We cheered when Rick was ready to fight back. But what has really changed? The Saviors’ numbers are still huge. They still have to provide for Negan in order to keep him from coming back and killing people.
One thing that has changed it that they are aware of what they are fighting. Last time, they were cocky going in and experienced major losses for that mistake. But awareness without a change of strategy doesn’t do much good.
It’s a good thing that they are ready to fight and that they are gathering weapons and numbers for the fight. But they are going to need advisers, too. Perhaps, they can get some grounding from Morgan, Ezekiel, and Martin Luther King.
Morgan
People roll their eyes at Morgan when he uses the word precious, yet they mourn Abraham and Glenn. Their lives were precious, weren’t they? Morgan didn’t use that phrase in Ezekiel’s presence. He just talked about the possibility of another way. Maybe just getting Negan out of the way.
Morgan was just doing what they should be doing before they attack this time-thinking things through. An apocalyptic brainstorming session. Morgan told Rick about killing the man who shot Carol. He didn’t have to do that. He could have tried to keep that part hidden from Rick. He could have kept his no-killing record clean.
He told Rick that for a reason. He wanted Rick and the others to know that under the right circumstances, he knows that killing might be necessary. That he is capable of doing that now without becoming crazy Morgan again.
It seemed like Rick and Morgan’s reunion was strained, but there were subtle clues that Rick still has a strong connection to Morgan. He didn’t tell Ezekiel that Morgan used to live in Alexandria. He told Ezekiel that he knew Morgan from the beginning.
King Ezekiel
The undead have created a new world. An incredible world that seems unimaginable. A world that has been taken back in time. King Ezekiel has created a new world, too. A world that has been taken back in time. An incredible world that seems unimaginable.
"I made my own world here. I found a way to deal with the bad by going a little overboard with all the good. I just… embraced the contradiction."
In his role as King, he protects his people and takes on the burden of being the one to see the reality of what is in the world of both the undead and the world of his creation.
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
Now with Rick and his people requesting that he allow his people to see the world of the undead, it is becoming more difficult for Ezekiel to continue to protect his people. The makeshift padding that his guards wear, the tiger and the cobblers at every meal aren’t going to be enough to shield them much longer.
The Don Quijote symbolism of The Kingdom that I adore is coming to life. Someone or something is going to be Sancho Panza for the people of the Kingdom and shout, “Giants? Those are not giants! Those are windmills!” If the people of the Kingdom continue to see giants instead of windmills, they are going to get their asses kicked just like the beautiful old man Alonso Quijana-the Man of La Mancha.
Martin Luther King
Ezekiel read to the children from the “I Have a Dream” speech as a bedtime story. On the surface, it might seem like that was telling Ezekiel to stay passive and not join Rick in the fight because Martin Luther King protested non-violently.
Related Story: The connection between the 2 stories told in 709
But can you protest non-violently in the Apocalypse? I don’t know the answer to that. Let’s look at some of the words in the speech that might be clues to what Ezekiel might need to do in the future. He may be able to use some of his peaceful ways in the fight. He has already taken a big risk and made a statement by sheltering Daryl.
"It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment."
Ezekiel has tried to protect his people, but they are enslaved. He may realize from that speech that now is the time to stop allowing this slavery to continue. That if they do what they have to do, Alexandrians and Hilltoppers, Kingdom and Oceanside-perhaps even some of the Saviors will be able to join in the words:
"Free at last! Free at last!Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
(Except from the walkers!)