Enemies that become friends from The Walking Dead season 9

Every character on The Walking Dead has a dark past. Every character has killed, lied, and done things they are not proud of. Some characters evolve and grow into better people, but others are simply unable to come back from the things they have done and are just too far gone. 

The Walking Dead episode 903 shook the table when it comes to the current redemption arcs the show is exploring. Father Gabriel has proven himself to be quite possibly Rick’s biggest cheerleader and an ardent advocate for the group. At the same time, Anne abandoned any real chance at moving past her heinous betrayals as she returned to the Junkyard and realized that life as Jadis might actually suit her better.

Father Gabriel has one of the finest redemption arcs on the series. When we first met him, he was a coward who locked his congregation out and sentenced them to die a grim and bloody death. Later, he betrayed the group and urged Deanna to kick them out of Alexandria. Over the seasons, Gabriel has worked to put those actions behind him and build this new future. He’s willing to risk it all and die to assure that future becomes a reality.

When Jadis was first introduced, there was some understandable hesitance to trust her, seeing as she only spoke a few words and nearly fed Rick to a weaponized walker. She and her band of Scavengers were given chance after chance to work with the united communities, but they kept blowing it. After the conclusion of All Out War, Jadis became Anne and seemed to abandon her darker past to also contribute to this new future. Old habits die hard, and much like the coward Gabriel used to be, Jadis is back and is just looking out for herself.

Throughout the series, a multitude of other characters have had flings with redemption arcs. Tara went from being a member of The Governor’s militia and attacking the Prison to saving Glenn’s life and later, fighting against a different tyrant. Tara has grown immensely as a person, even learning to forgive Dwight for what he did to Denise. Much like Gabriel, she herself started off as an enemy, but is now one of the most important members of the new world.

Dwight went from capturing Daryl and killing Denise to risking his life to betray Negan. While he may have never been the most loyal member of Team Negan, he did kill on their behalf. Dwight’s motivation in this story really stemmed from his love of Sherry, someone he literally agreed to turn to the dark side in order to protect. By the end of Season 8, Dwight’s true colors came to the surface as he showed utmost regret for his actions and even accepted whatever fate Daryl had in store for him. While we may not know where he is currently, Dwight has shown that love can make a person do bad things and later make up for them.

Not every redemption arc is straightforward. Eugene has one of the most complicated and turbulent positions on the show. He lied about knowing the cure to the walker disease, which can be considered a villainous act, but also a heroic one seeing as how he motivated Abraham and the others. After his secret was blown, Eugene became a hardened survivor and a team player. His time as a member of the Saviors made it seem as though he couldn’t be redeemed. That is until those bullets exploded on the final battlefield of All-Out War, and immediately won him a place back in the group.

Season 9 has already shown that redemption arcs aren’t simple. A heavy focus right now is on whether or not the Saviors can become trusted allies. Alden certainly seems to have been brought into the inner circle, and he is working to make life easier for his former friends. Arat appeared to be on her own path to redemption, but that ended promptly with the sharp stab of Cyndie’s spear.

Can Rick and company’s former enemies ever truly be part of the future civilization that is being built? The jury is still out on that, but Gabriel, Tara, Dwight, Eugene, and many others show that it is certainly a possibility. Without those that have made the jump from enemy to friend, who knows what the story would look like right now.