The Walking Dead 1011: Has Negan relapsed?

During The Walking Dead season 10 episode “Morning Star”, there was a moment with Negan that hinted at a possible relapse if things go too far between the Whisperers and the communities.

There was a moment during The Walking Dead between Negan and Alpha while they marched to war. Negan gave Alpha some advice and suggestions, some of which Alpha agreed with and some that she didn’t. This left fans wondering if it means that Negan is on the road to a relapse.

It felt like the Saviors were making a comeback tour with the tree in the road and a full display of terror laid out for the survivors. Not only that, but Negan is giving Alpha advice about how to proceed, and the fact Alpha went along with some of Negan’s advice shows that Negan has a degree of influence once again.

In the past, Alpha killed her own people for unsolicited advice and so far she has taken a small portion of Negan’s advice. The only other person who had the benefit of giving advice to Alpha has been Beta. She clearly trusts Negan after his assessment of Gamma and is impressed with his assessment skills.

Negan has been looking for ways to become a leader again. He gave an offer to Michonne and more recently had his infamous “baby bird” session with Gabriel. The truth is that Negan is only comfortable if he has a degree of power over something or someone.

Right now, Negan has a little influence over Alpha and seems to be on the rise as a ranking member of the Whisperers. His rise is the fastest rise of any member and he essentially positioned himself almost as the new co-leader of the group. He likes to have input and feels he is finally using his skills to the fullest with his vast knowledge. Every survivor wants to serve their purpose with their skills being used to the fullest and Negan happens to have characteristics that make it hard to not be in a position of leadership.

Negan views all the members of the Whisperers as resources just as much as the citizens of Alexandria, Hilltop, and Oceanside. Since he is now able to openly talk to Alpha, he is trying to slide his old agenda from his Savior days.

The problem is that Alpha doesn’t believe in what Negan believes. Negan is trying to rebuild and save civilization, while Alpha is looking to destroy and end civilization. Negan is generally very patient, but his history dealing with people who like to wipe out populations is well documented.

A resource is a terrible thing to waste and the problem with such contrasting views is that Negan can only take so much before it’s a problem. Everything Alpha has done endangers everyone and there may be no avoiding a tense confrontation after everything that Alpha has done.

With the former leader of the Saviors having a little power, the survivors would have every reason to be worried. The communities already don’t trust Negan for what he has done in the past and seeing him in a skin suit will not help the case.

The preview for 1012 shows a confrontation between Negan and Aaron. This spells trouble for Negan, especially since Aaron may remember the time he was kneeling in the woods as Negan terrorized the group. Aaron was one of the few who had firsthand knowledge of how powerful Negan truly was. Aaron will certainly reopen the controversial debate within himself as to whether keeping Negan alive is truly worth it.

The distrust with Negan may cause a major rift and damage ties beyond repair potentially. Negan was pushed to the limit during his war with the communities and in the very end, Negan had plans to exterminate them.

Hopefully, Negan will not be pushed to that point again and can keep his cool while being tested. It’s also the biggest test for the survivors in the history of The Walking Dead as a past foe aligns with the current enemy.

Stay tuned to see if Negan can keep his cool with the pressure mounting on both ends of the battlefield, or if it will be yet another explosion. The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC.