Each week, we give every episode at least 24 hours to breathe…and for you to get caught up. After that, you’re clicking at your own risk. Spoilers ahead.
The biggest theme for The Walking Dead was how much bigger the world actually was than Rick and the Alexandrians knew. As far as we know, there are at least 3 more factions who will have a direct impact on the group we’ve grown to know and love: The Hilltop, the horse people (very likely “The Kingdom” led by Ezekiel, for those who read the comics and I don’t think that’s much of a spoiler), and The Saviors. Right now though, this current world is run by Negan.
There is a lot of angst regarding the Season 6 finale. Fans were prepared to say goodbye to one of their favorite characters and now they have to wait till October to find out who it is. To an extent, I agree that Scott Gimple and the show’s writers are taking liberties with the audience’s patience but at the same time…I like it.
We’ve heard so much about Negan since the mid-season finale, how everything you own belongs to him, how all the Saviors are HIM. The Season 6 finale was a 90 minute introduction to just how powerful this man is and goddammit, he’s powerful. It was slow, it was painful, but the point got across. Then when everyone watching braced themselves and thought they knew who would get their brains bashed in at the end, Negan (representing the writers) took that away from you. It’s sick, twisted, and probably dumb, but now you’re going to have to tune in for the Season 7 premiere to find out what happened. It’s the 2nd time this season they “Jon Snow’d” you (for Game of Thrones fans, it’s the mystery of whether or not an important character died).
Now for the last Walking Dead Power Rankings…until Season 7.
1. Negan (Previously 2nd)
“Pissing our pants yet…It’s gonna be pee pee pants city here real soon?”
As you now know, this is Negan’s World Order. He has a James Bond villain’s amount of henchmen. He’s methodical in getting his message across and having his followers call themselves by his name. Negan’s this weird mix of mafia don, pirate captain, feudal king and cult leader. He takes control by force, he plunders those he conquers, everything you work for makes it up to him, and his followers seem to believe in him. He would also prefer people work for them than kill them, which is sensible. The crazy thing about it all is that I think…I love him? That’s probably thanks to Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s performance after he climbed out of the camper. He’s a bad dude, for sure, but he was charming, funny, and had this swagger about him that makes some villains too cool to hate entirely.
2. Morgan Jones (Previously 4th)
Out of everyone among the Alexandrians right now, Morgan is the most in control. Morgan also broke his own rules to save Carol, blasting away Roman with the gun Rick gave him in the previous episode. Morgan gave the man a chance to drop his gun, but didn’t hesitate a second when he saw that look in his eyes. He also might be the key to saving the group from Negan, as he and Carol ride with a pair of equestrian enthusiasts with body armor to wherever they come from (confident it’s The Kingdom). If anyone can be diplomatic for an alliance, Morgan probably has the capacity to broker that kind of deal. He also has a chance to go full Eastman with Carol, who needs to find purpose again.
3. Rick Grimes (Previously 1st)
I don’t fault Rick at all for falling into Negan’s trap. It was going to happen, sooner or later. The goal was to get Maggie to the Hilltop to Dr. Harlan, and Rick doesn’t send his people into harm’s way without going with. He was getting cocky though and he didn’t truly know how big the world was or how dangerous Negan, is until it was too late. You live and you learn though, right? Keyword: Live. But Rick’s now facing the consequences for killing so many Saviors.
Negan kill scale: 0/10 – Negan threatened to feed Carl’s remaining eyeball to Rick, so that cancels them both out
4. Lead Savior (Newbie)
“Welcome to where you’re going.”
We don’t know his name, yet, but we have seen this the lead savior before. You may recall him in the forest with Daryl and Dwight, before they hated each other, and he cut off another savior’s limb to save him. We didn’t see his face then, but Steve Ogg’s is pretty memorable. He orchestrated the whole elaborate path for Rick to
5. Dwight (Previously 3rd)
Dwight hauled in 4 of the 9 captives, and they are some of the more dangerous from the group. He’s going to be an interesting variable going forward, considering he tried fleeing from Negan before. Will someone get through to Dwight to help them get out of this mess? The little bit of hope is in his hands, if so.
6. Eugene (Previously 16th)
This is the highest Eugene has ever been ranked and likely ever will. As much as it was probably a fool’s errand, Eugene gave himself up as a decoy to drive the winnebago into the Saviors’ next trap. That says a lot for a character who started out only caring about himself and survival. During his goodbyes to Abraham, Rick, and Maggie, he also passed his instructions for making bullets on. That should come in handy eventually.
Negan kill scale: 9/10 – Eugene had his nice moment to say goodbye and passed on his last bit of usefulness in the bullet instructions. The only thing that makes me hesitate on Eugene’s fate is the lack of heartbreak he garners from dying for effect.
7. Jesus (Previously 9th)
If there’s going to be an uprising against Negan, Jesus is more than likely the man who can bring the other factions together to make it happen. Whatever alliances the Hilltop has, they have them because of him. He also knows better than most what it’s like to deal with Negan, so Rick will need to lean on him for that information.
8. Maggie Greene (Previously 4th)
Physically in the worst place possible, with hers and Glenn’s baby at risk, Maggie stayed cool. She’s not really giving up, she’s trying to keep Rick even keeled by saying she believes in him, and when she shouldn’t even be walking…she says she will. It’s likely that she’s going to lose one or two more important people in her life (Glenn and the baby). After losing the most already on the show (her whole family), I’m more confident in her to handle that than most of the characters on the show.
Negan kill scale: 2/10 – There’s a lot of Daenerys Targaryen in Maggie, and there’s too much of her story left to go. It also seems like Negan has a soft spot for women…until someone like Dwight tries running off with them.
9. Carol (Previously 14th)
I want to rank Carol higher, but her willingness to give up made that tough for me to do. What puts her back in the Top 10 was how badass she was when Roman had her dead to rights. “This world doesn’t choose for you, you do.” After being shot multiple times, she laughed at Roman. I do and don’t get her resistance from Morgan. Ironically, Morgan took the “choice” to die away from Carol. Like he said though, she “can come back from this”. She’ll have to when she finds out her friends are under Negan’s control.
10. Father Gabriel (Previously 12th)
Two characters made the biggest leaps in development this past season, Eugene and Father Gabriel. Gabriel’s may be the most significant though, since he was at one point against Rick and those closest to him. Now he’s Judith’s personal bodyguard and more ready to defend Alexandria than anyone currently there.
11. Carl Grimes (Previously 15th)
I think there’s a lot to be said about Carl wanting to go on the mission to help Maggie. As Enid pointed out, he is looking for a fight…but so is everyone on the winnebago. Justifying Carl’s decision is Rick not putting up a fight. Rick also calls him “Son” before they are surrounded, as if the Walking Dead writers are conscious of the “CORAL” joke. I put Carl ahead of the others remaining at Lucille’s mercy because he stayed tough in front of Negan. “Cry a little”, Negan said…Nope. The “future serial killer” made a savvy move locking Enid in the closet to keep her safe. She is definitely his motivation these days.
Negan kill scale: 1/10 – As noted before, Negan’s ready to feed Carl’s other eye to Rick. That suggests he’s keeping Carl alive, but doesn’t necessarily have to grab his eyeball. Just saying.
12. Glenn Rhee (Previously 6th)
Things aren’t looking great for Glenn, but at least he tried to defend his wife’s honor. His innocence is gone after having to kill for the first time and he may be paying for that soon. The foreshadowing has been there too, shown holding a bat before and seeing photos of Negan’s victims. Losing him would still be especially painful as he had been the group’s moral compass up until this point.
Negan kill scale: 8/10 – As many of you know by now, the comics suggest Glenn is the one at the end of Negan’s bat. Losing him would shake the group to its core. However, he’s cheated death twice already this season. Can he and the writers surprise us again?
13. Abraham (Previously 10th)
Abraham gave Negan a glare that was just begging to be smacked by Lucille. Part of it is “take me, not them” and another is “do your worst, asshole.” Abraham is ready to have something real with Sasha and he wants to have what Glenn and Maggie have. I don’t think he’s totally willing to lose that, but he’d rather sacrifice himself for any of those 3 first so they have a chance going forward.
Negan Kill Scale: 8/10 – Negan saw Abraham’s fu manchu and his only response was, “I need to shave this.” That could very well mean getting rid of Abraham, but I also think he’d find Abraham to be useful in his militant world.
14. Michonne (Previously 7th)
Michonne’s got her whole family kneeling next to her, Rick and Carl. I think people are confident because Rick’s fallen for her, she’s doomed (like Lori and Jessie). I think Rick has suffered enough and that would be too redundant, at least at this point. She’s also way more of a capable killer once shit hits the fan…which it just did.
Negan Kill Scale: 5/10 – all the things listed above, and Negan may find Michonne useful.
15. Sasha (Previously 12th)
I thought the “packaged deal” thing was pretty sweet, however I think Sasha’s skill set would have been best used for defending Alexandria. That may be more on Rick for not having her stay behind, but none of their warriors are back protecting to their home. That’s not to say she isn’t reliable in either scenario.
Negan Kill Scale: 4/10 – If anyone’s getting killed first between “Sabraham”(is that their ship name?), it’s old Abe. He’s the one who appeared done not too long ago.
16. Horse Guy (Newbie)
Here’s your window into the next faction (possibly Kingdom). You get a feeling these guys will get along well with Morgan, because they carry spears. They also may be the key to helping Rick’s group out of this jam.
17. Aaron (Previously 13th)
Original Alexandria alum Aaron needed to come on this mission. He grew a bond with Maggie and he probably feels that he owes a lot to Rick for making the community stronger. He’s the strongest of his group and it would knock the hell out the other Alexandrians if they lost him.
Negan Kill Scale: 6/10 – I have to think there’s still more for Aaron’s role and offing him now wouldn’t effect the audience as much as others.
18. Enid (Previously 17th)
Props to Enid for trying to get Carl to focus on what was immediately important, Maggie’s health. You can tell she believes more in the community and she echoes Glenn’s overall point that they are stronger together than apart. Who’s going to let her out of the closet though?
19. Daryl Dixon (Previously 8th)
I hate having Daryl drop this far but let’s be honest, most of these characters wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for him. Yes, Maggie would still have been sick regardless, so likely Glenn, Rick and probably Daryl would have gone to take her to the Hilltop. Probably Aaron too. Who knows about Eugene…
Negan Kill Scale: 7/10 – Killing Daryl would be the biggest blow to the audience (outside of Rick, maybe). I think he and Dwight have serious unfinished business though. My hope is that Daryl letting Dwight live before pays off in the long run. Daryl deserves to go out fighting too, not like Opie from Sons of Anarchy.
20. Rosita (Oversight last week, Previously 8th before then)
I apologize for forgetting about Rosita last week, but she was sliding then with Daryl too. Daryl would not have put the other members of the group in this position if he didn’t leave. That could have been prevented if Rosita stopped him, or at least tried to get through to him as someone who was grieving the same way. Now she’s stuck on a chopping block with her ex and his new fling. Ouch.
Negan Kill Scale: 5/10 – There’s something about Denise telling Rosita “I don’t think you’ve ever known what it’s like to be alone” and Negan likes his “company” from what it sounds. She was already in a downward spiral. Why not go the way of Andrea with the enemy too?
21. Doctor Harlan (Previously 18th)
Somebody’s gotta help Maggie, right?
22. Heath (Previously 19th)
So did Heath and Tara get picked up by The Saviors too? Apparently not…
23. Tara Chambers (Previously 20th)
…and if Heath and Tara are still out there, they can either help Rick or team with the horse people and Hilltop.
24. Tobin (Previously 21st)
Tobes is just Tobin.
25. Spencer Monroe (Previously 22nd)
Spencer suggesting that Alexandria could make a deal makes me nervous, or maybe what was left of Rick’s swagger rubbed off on him. Still a big question mark.
26. Olivia (Previously 24th)
Ready your jars, Olivia.
27. Andy (Previously 25th)
Saviors probably STILL want to get some revenge on this dude, right?
28. Eric Raleigh (Previously 26th)
Your boyfriend’s in danger, Eric. What will you do?
29. Baby Judith (Previously 27th)
Keep doing you, Judith.
30. Gregory (Previously 28th)
I still don’t trust Gregory helping the Alexandrians against Negan.
31. Cal (Previously 29th)
I like the spear guys on horses better than this one.
32. Freddie (Previously 30th)
What would you say, you do here?
33. Craig (Previously 31st)
I seriously thought Craig was the guy hanging from chain with an X painted on him, but that was “just a guy.”
Anyone too high or too low in this week’s rankings? Let me know on Facebook or Twitter. Power Rankings will be back sooner than you think…Game of Thrones returns April 24th and we have the Pre-Season 6 Rankings already done.
michaelpiff 