Well, that was unexpected. There aren't many characters left on AMC's The Walking Dead that have been there since the beginning, and now it looks like there is one less after last night's death. It was heart-wrenching, tear-jerking and utterly maddening, but it sure as heck was effective. But is the character in question really dead?
Spoilers below for the latest season and episode of The Walking Dead. Continue reading at your own risk!
Seriously, get out of here.
Really.
Still here? OK, moving on.
That's the question on everybody's minds right now. It certainly looked like Glenn was ripped apart by zombies, but let's take a quick look at the facts and see what we can discover.
First, a recap of events. Glenn and Nicholas head toward a feed store to create a distraction, as zombies invade Alexandria and Rick's plan doesn't go exactly as planned. Glenn's thinking is that by lighting the store on fire, the zombies will be attracted to it and give the citizens of Alexandria an opportunity to escape. The only problem is that when Glenn and Nicholas arrive (the same Nicholas who has previously tried to murder Glenn twice, and who Glenn then spared), the two find the feed store already thoroughly burned. When the two look for another building to burn, they are cornered by a horde of walkers. Glenn and Nicholas stand on a trash bin as the zombies hungrily bite at their heels.
It's in that moment that Nicholas accepts that there will be no escape. He pulls out his gun and thanks Glenn, presumably for saving his life previously, before he pulls the trigger and commits suicide. Nicholas' body falling into the crowd of walkers knocks Glenn off the dumpster, too, with the zombies quickly tearing the two bodies apart.
However, fans who stuck around after the show may have noticed something peculiar. Actor Steven Yuen, who plays Glenn, didn't appear on The Talking Dead afterward. It's long been a tradition that characters who die during the night's episode appear on the talk show immediately afterward to discuss their death, but Yuen was nowhere to be seen.
Then there are also The Walking Dead comics to consider. Glenn dies in the comics as well, though his death is much different. In the comics, Glenn is brutally killed by Negan, the sadistic leader of the group known as The Saviors. He beats Glenn to death with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire as the other survivors watch, wanted to send a message. The show is known for diverting from the source material, but it's still worth keeping in mind that the showrunners may ultimately want Glenn's death to happen in a similar manner to that of the comic. While Glenn's "death" on the show was definitely emotional, it ultimately feels pointless, unlike his death at the hands of Negan.
It's worth noting exactly how Glenn died in the show. It appears that Nicholas' body falls on top of Glenn before the two are ripped to pieces. Since we know walkers tend to ignore people covered in walker juices, it's maybe possible that Glenn played dead underneath Nicholas' corspe. After the Walkers had their fill and left, perhaps Glenn escaped.
It's a big maybe, but what is clear is that Glenn will return in some shape or form in the episodes to come. Showrunner Scott Gimple released this statement after this week's episode:
"In some way we will see Glenn—some version of Glenn or parts of Glenn—again. Either in flashback or the current story to help complete the story."
That makes it seem like Glenn will return as a zombie and will perhaps have to be killed by another member of the group.
But that's all speculation at this point. It will at least be another week before we know whether Glenn truly is dead or alive. In the meantime, we can only hope that the character has somehow survived to fight another day. If not, RIP, Glenn. You will be missed.
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