The Walking Dead 907: Jesus as the reluctant leader
In the first look at the Hilltop after the time jump, Jesus is running the show. However, The Walking Dead King of the Man-Bun doesn’t want to be a ruler.
Jesus is in charge at the Hilltop, but he’s not exactly thrilled about it. The Walking Dead episode “Stradivarius” takes fans back to the Hilltop for the first time since the time jump. Maggie is gone and she named Jesus as the leader, but Jesus isn’t exactly thrilled about the position.
When fans first met Jesus he was a lone wolf. The Hilltop was his home, but he was known at the Kingdom as well. He disliked Gregory and wasn’t at all upset when Maggie started taking over upon her arrival.
Jesus could have easily removed Gregory from power on numerous occasions, but instead he operated under the radar, undermining Gregory for the greater good of the community. Instead of openly challenging him, Jesus supported the community and helped keep it running. Being in charge was never something he aspired to, which is clearly evident because he could have been the leader at any given time.
Now that Jesus is the leader, he’s not interested in the role. Thankfully he has Tara with him, and she’s doing a fantastic job running the community. She’s doing such a great job that she’s keeping Jesus elected because the community thinks he’s the one calling the shots when he’s actually letting her make the decisions.
Jesus can’t shake the free-spirited side of his personality. That’s why he’d rather break the rules and venture outside the Hilltop safe zone to have good-natured battles with his bestie, Aaron. (Aaron, a member of the Alexandria council, was also a scout for Deanna back in the day, and he’s breaking Michonne’s rules by going outside the walls)
When Rosita reveals that Eugene is in trouble, Jesus wants to go out into the woods to find him despite warnings that the leader shouldn’t go on such missions. He can rest assured that the Hilltop will be in capable hands because Tara is there running the show for him.
Next. The Walking Dead 907 recap: Stradivarius. dark
In the world of The Walking Dead, it’s critical to play to each person’s strengths. Jesus is a very capable scout, fighter and diplomat. He’s not interested in being the leader, and so he should pass the baton to Tara because she has a natural propensity toward leadership. At that point Jesus would be free to do what he does best: Doing his own thing. (And rocking an awesome man-bun)