The Walking Dead 903: The significance of ‘No Exceptions’
There was a moment during The Walking Dead “Warning Signs” when Maggie could have stopped Cyndie, but two words had her changing her mind.
So much of The Walking Dead season 9 has been about moving forward, but it’s clear that the pain of what came before is still as raw as ever. When Maggie and Daryl came upon Cyndie and the Oceanside women as they were about to execute Arat there was a moment when Maggie’s expression was one of horror. That changed with two words: “No exceptions.”
Imagine the pain of living and working side by side with the same people who slaughtered your husband, father, brother or son. It’s beyond comprehension, really. So in those 35 days after Maggie hanged Gregory the women of Oceanside were quietly capturing Saviors and slaughtering them. When Maggie and Daryl came upon the gruesome scene, Cyndie informed Maggie that they were inspired to take their revenge after seeing Maggie kill Gregory.
At first Maggie’s eyes are full of horror and disbelief. She made the decision to kill Gregory, which was her first “kill” after all this time, but she didn’t expect to see copycat behaviors as a result. It’s a testament to Lauren Cohan’s skill as an actor as her face is flooded with emotions; Hershel’s beloved daughter not only made the call to kill Gregory (which was justified!) but her actions led the Oceanside women to kill several Saviors without any kind of trial.
It wasn’t until Cyndie told Maggie and Daryl the story of how Simon, Arat and the Saviors arrived at their camp that things changed. Cyndie explained that Arat made her beg for her 11 year old brother’s life before declaring that all of the boys needed to die, and that’s when Arat had uttered the two words that would ultimately seal her fate: “No exceptions.”
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As it happens, “no exceptions” are the same words Negan used when he killed Glenn. Daryl had stepped out of the lineup despite Negan’s warnings, and so Negan was obliged to kill someone else. That someone was Glenn, and he had to do it because there are rules and there are “no exceptions.”
When Cyndie said those two words Maggie and Daryl exchanged a long look before turning around and walking away. As they left Cyndie killed Arat, thus exacting her revenge.
It’s possible to think that Maggie would have stopped Cyndie if not for those two words. In that moment those two words sent Maggie (and Daryl) back to the lineup in the woods, and it was simply too much. And at that point who was Maggie to deny Cyndie her revenge?
The Oceanside womens’ actions were not something Maggie expected to see, and, as seen with Gregory’s death, there will be consequences. We can safely assume that there will be no more Savior deaths once all of Simon’s men have been killed, but the Saviors are growing restless at being rendered helpless and this kind of lawlessness cannot be tolerated in the long term. Michonne’s charter will help, but everything Rick has worked for is being chipped away.
Next. The Walking Dead 903: The fallout from Maggie's decision. dark
For now, though, Maggie seems content knowing that the Saviors are getting the punishment that was due to them. Now she’s heading to Alexandria to talk to Negan himself, and that will be one hell of a conversation.