10 Burning Questions for 'The Walking Dead' Season 6 Finale
Season six has been an especially grim one for "The Walking Dead." After a promising start to this batch of midseason episodes (Richonne FTW), things have quickly gone south: Denise was killed, Carol abandoned both Alexandria and her badassery, and now, four of our heroes have been captured by the Saviors -- and Daryl may or may not have survived a close-range gunshot. What lies ahead for Rick and co. in this weekend's season finale? Read on for the burning questions we hope to have answered.
1. Did Daryl die?
Last week's episode ended on a major cliffhanger, with Dwight shooting Daryl in the closing moments. There was a lot of blood, but the splatter-filled screen faded to black before fans could see if Mr. Dixon survived. Perhaps Dwight merely wounded Daryl (did he simply shoot him in the shoulder?), and will use him as a bargaining chip with Rick. We find it hard to believe that the show would kill off one of its few remaining original stars in such an ambiguous way; when/if Daryl dies, fans will likely see it all happen, leading us to believe he'll make it out of this scrape alive (for now).
2. Will Glenn, Michonne, and Rosita live?
Glenn and Michonne were captured by the Saviors, and after Daryl was shot, they likely took Rosita hostage, too. Could this entire trio be on the chopping block? Both Glenn and Michonne got some quality time with their significant others last week, and if this show loves anything, it's depicting moments of happiness followed by crushing devastation. Still, Glenn is (probably) safe, since he's already had one major death fakeout this season, and it would strain credibility to do that all over again. Michonne and Rosita are fair game, though. And if Michonne does die, expect all hell to break loose as Rick avenges his partner.
3. Who will Negan kill?
According to the "Walking Dead" comics, Negan kills a major character upon his first introduction to our core group. But showrunners have indicated that that person's identity may change in the televised version of events, and we're wondering if perhaps Daryl is the one who suffers Lucille's wrath this time around. Based on those Polaroids we saw at the Savior compound back in episode 12, whoever winds up on the other end of Negan's bat is in for a nasty end. And with another cliffhanger surely waiting for fans, it's going to be a long summer dealing with the fallout.
4. What's happening with Maggie?
Last week, we discovered that Maggie has some severe bruising all over her body, most likely the result of her and Carol's rough run-in with the Saviors in episode 13. Maggie also suffered a knife wound to the stomach during that encounter; could that injury have been more significant than we thought? Ms. Greene was hunched over and howling in pain last we saw her, indicating that she could be losing her baby. That loss would be especially devastating if Glenn dies, too.
5. How many Saviors are there?
Dwight and Honey already revealed that they have no idea how large their group is, despite being part of it for years, and Paula indicated that she thought he entire community was wiped out when Rick and co. invaded. Plus, it seems like every week, a new band of Saviors is setting up a roadblock or ambushing our survivors. Will the true depth of their ranks finally be revealed? And once that's known, is it feasible to think that Rick and co. can defeat them all?
6. Will the Saviors attack Alexandria?
The answer to the previous question may be revealed if the Saviors decide to attack Alexandria, like Hiro indicated would happen before Carol killed him last week. Maggie has been preparing for such a scenario, stockpiling guns and ammo at key guardposts throughout Alexandria, and stashing a few extra weapons in secret locations, too. All that can't be for nothing, and it looks like the freshly-trained Alexandrians are in for yet another crash course in community defense – only this time, their invaders won't be walkers.
7. Will the Hilltop community join the fight?
We haven't heard anything from the Hilltoppers since Rick and co. thought they solved the group's Savior problem, and reaped their plentiful food rewards. But Jesus and Gregory seem too significant to just drop off the face of the earth, especially since Jesus has proven himself an adept survivor (and skilled at sneaking up on people, an important trait in the apocalypse). Will some of the Hilltoppers lend a helping hand should the Saviors come knocking at Alexandria? And if things go south with that fight, will the Hilltoppers once again go back to living under Negan's thumb? That could cause some resentment, since we'd imagine Gregory wouldn't be too pleased with Rick after giving up so many of his resources in exchange for the sheriff's (now seemingly useless) muscle.
8. Who was that mystery man looking for his horse?
Morgan and Rick came upon a man – clad in what appeared to be body armor – on their search for Carol last week, though he fled before he could provide much intel. That odd encounter surely can't be a one-off, and with Rick's discovery of one of the Hilltoppers' spears that the man dropped, it looks like he'll have some sort of connection to that community. Might he be from another group with which the Hilltoppers have been trading? As Glenn pointed out, the Saviors and Hilltoppers have already proven that the world is bigger than the Alexandrians initially thought. Could it perhaps be even larger? And what implications can that have for Rick's crew? Might they, too, join in an uprising against the Saviors? This may be an issue larger than can fully be addressed in the season six finale; we'd expect it to resurface in season seven this fall.
9. Will Morgan finally kill?
Morgan's morality has been a big sticking point this season, with the survivor refusing to kill any attacker -- no matter how dangerous or vicious -- because he steadfastly believes "all life is precious." He butted heads with Carol in particular over this viewpoint, though after Carol split from Alexandria, he seemed to waver ever-so-slightly, even agreeing to take a gun from Rick when he remained outside the gates to search for his missing friend. Both Rick and viewers know that Morgan can't possibly survive in this world without taking another's life. But will Morgan actually do so? Or will his reluctance be his downfall? After 16 episodes of buildup, we're impatiently waiting for a resolution to this storyline.
10. Can Carol make a comeback?
Speaking of the Morgan vs. Carol battle of wills, Carol seemed to finally be swayed by Morgan's way of thinking, peacing out from Alexandria with the excuse that she can't bring herself to kill, and thus doesn't want to be put in the position of having to do so for any of the people she loves back home (sorry, Tobin). But then, she turns around and shoots a bunch of Saviors, her motivations murky at best. What's happening with our once-fearsome survivor? Is this a true crisis of faith, an act, or a bit of both? Will she be able to take out any other Saviors, or will she herself be brought down? We'd hate to see her go out on such a down note, but with the odd choices the writers have been making with her, it may finally be time to say goodbye.
Photo credits: Gene Page/AMC