Photo by AMC

From fun loving, push over pizza boy to selfless idealist, Glenn Rhee has been one of The Walking Dead’s most beloved characters. When the virus broke out, Glenn was delivering pizzas in Atlanta, Georgia to pay his rent, with no real support from his family. He served as the group’s scout and occasional test dummy, performing high-risk jobs like being lowered into a well with a walker. He later married Maggie Greene, and arrived at Alexandria as a supply runner. Now, we say goodbye to poor Glenn….or do we?

As much as we love Glenn, he had a beautiful death. In a show that thrives on being grounded in reality to the extent that no character is safe, seeing someone as wonderful and kind as Glenn be so mercilessly and pointlessly devoured by walkers, just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, was riveting and terrifying. His death in many ways was poetically tragic. Having made multiple attempts on Glenn’s life, Nicholas was sparred by our kind protagonist, and Glenn tried to show him the error of his ways. Glenn is just that kind of guy; he’s the kind of guy who gives everyone a second chance. While he evidently became battle hardened, Glenn remained that same boy who risked his life to safe a clueless sheriff from a tank. That benevolence got him killed. Nicholas, in the greatest caliber of irony, was accidentally responsible for the death of Glenn after redeeming himself from his intentional attempts. If Glenn had killed Nicholas that fateful day in the woods, Glenn might just be alive. Glenn’s morality led to his end, as it has for many characters before him. All to rehabilitate one man who ended of ending his own life, Glenn paid the ultimate price.

Or did he? Rumors had continued to circulate that Glenn in fact may have survived the seemingly survivable scenario. In the “Talking Dead” after show, Glenn was not mentioned in the “In Memoriam” tribute to character who died in the preceding episode. His actor, Steven Yeun, was not present on the show as is tradition after a major death. These two suspicious tidbits set off alarms all through the fan base. Speculation is that the entrails seen oddly being ripped from Glenn actually belonged to Nicholas, who is acting as a meat-shield for, enabling Glenn to scurry under the dumpster from which he fell. That would be great, right? Glenn could reunite with his wife and friends, and continue his story, right?

In all due respect for Glenn, he has to be dead. We should want him to be dead. A great character with one of the most powerful and utterly shocking deaths in the show’s history, bringing him back could be a worse idea then when Daryl and Carol hid in a precariously situated, bridge-teetering van. Indeed, having Glenn emerge from that horde of the undead completely unscathed would be not just miraculous and Hollywoodesque, but impossible. Even if he did scurry under the dumpster, he has no ammo, no food, and no where to run to; it would only be a matter of time until the undead realized he was under there, and I’m sure being covered in fresh Nicholas blood doesn’t help him stay hidden. Keeping Glenn alive might immediately satisfy millions of fans, but it would also kill the show’s credibility, and that very trait is what makes “The Walking Dead” so immersive.  This wrong place – wrong time demise is what makes it so unfair and poignant. How could we ever truly fear for another main character if it is established that leading protagonists have the one-up over the chopping block. How can we fear the undead if we see an unarmed twenty-year-old survive being swarmed by hundreds? That old “no one is safe” promise simply won’t hold any weight if Glenn survives, and frankly, I’ll feel cheated. I won’t be able to look at his character in the same light. Regardless of whether or not he survives, Glenn is dead.

We have yet to get our answer to Glenn’s fate, and instead have slowed down to see the backstory of Morgan Jones. In this backstory, we come to see a shocking revelation: Morgan Jones was more or less one of the Wolves.  Driven mad by the horror of seeing his wife devour his son, Morgan set out to “clear” all living and dead things in his path. He may as well have carved a “W” into his forehead. Rehabilitated by a former psychologist named Eastman, Morgan vowed to never kill again. In a situation mirroring almost exactly his encounter with Eastman, Morgan has captured a wolf dead-set on killing him and is intent of rehabilitating him. It seems crazy, but it worked for Morgan.

The potential consequences of this action could prove devastating. If the wolf escapes, he could wreak havoc. If Rick finds out, Morgan could face exile. If Carol finds out, Morgan could be dead. It’s up in the air what will happen next.

Until next time.