The Walking Dead: Burning Alexandria was a mistake
At the end of “How It’s Gotta Be,” Negan and the Saviors laid waste to Alexandria. Will this decision come back to haunt Negan later on?
Negan seems to have a love-hate relationship with Alexandria. The Walking Dead villain led a fiery assault upon the community in the midseason finale and it’s very likely that the community will have a hard time rebuilding no matter who wins the war. Was destroying Alexandria a mistake? It certainly seems so.
One of my favorite moments from season 7 was when Negan toured Alexandria with Carl in “Sing Me a Song.” The man who bashed in Abraham and Glenn’s heads with a baseball bat took his shoes off and delighted in the feel of carpet under his feet while the running water and working lights captured his interest and put a gleeful smile on his face. It was weird and if was fun and it was the perfect moment of levity in a dark season filled with death. At the end of the episode, Negan remarked that he could see himself moving into the suburbs and he certainly looked the part of the dad on the porch bouncing Judith on his knee.
This contrasts sharply with the man who went through Alexandria early on in season 7 and removed all of the mattresses from the community and burned them to send a message to Rick and the others.
You’d think that Alexandria would become the ultimate prize for the winner of All Out War. The victor would be able to lay claim to the community once and for all, reaping the benefits of the solar panels and water systems that make Alexandria an almost fully functional pre-apocalyptic community.
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So why burn it?
Clearly, burning Alexandria is one big middle-finger to Rick. Up until the midseason finale, the Saviors spent most of season 8 under attack, with their only victory coming against Ezekiel when they ambushed the Kingdommers.
While it might feel like an effective means of attack, there’s every reason to believe that this decision will come back to haunt everyone in the end. Alexandria is much more desirable a place to live than the Sanctuary, to be sure, and without a place to call home Rick’s group will be without a home until it can be repaired. Of course, Alexandria’s fate will be determined by the outcome of the battle, so all we can do is wait and see what happens.
The Walking Dead returns February 25 at 9pm on AMC.