If Rick had talked to Negan instead of killing his men, Glenn and Abraham would likely still be alive in The Walking Dead Season 7. It’s a hard truth, but Rick failed his group and people going against him is a consequence of his idiotic actions.
[Warning: The Walking Dead Season 7 spoilers ahead]
Deanna Monroe’s son Spencer quickly became the new Father Gabriel of the show, as in people just hated this guy. Spencer would steal items from the food pantry, talk shit about Rick behind his back and blame everyone else for his problems. Spencer didn’t trust Rick was capable of being a good leader to Alexandria, and it came with good reasons.
Spencer’s mother, father and brother all died after Rick strolled into town in The Walking Dead Season 5. Don’t get us wrong, they all would’ve died eventually even if Rick didn’t make it to Alexandria, but it still has to cut Spencer deeply, losing his whole family in a span of a few months. However, Austin Nichols, who played Spencer on the show, explained to Entertainment Weekly he doesn’t believe his character was acting against Rick out of spite.
“I don’t think Spencer was only thinking about that and only resentful of that,” Nichols told EW. “The really important thing to remember at the end of Season 6 is what Spencer says to Rick as he’s getting into the Winnebago. He says in the final episode ‘If the Saviors do show up, shouldn’t we just try to make some kind of deal?’ And Rick basically slammed the door in his face and took off. And what we find out in the end of that episode and the beginning of Season 7 is that Negan kills Glenn and Abraham.”
Nichols added, “As a fan, I’m totally with Rick and everybody. But Spencer in this instance was right. If he had listened to him, it’s possible that those two characters might not be dead. If we would have bowed to Negan and said, ‘Yes, we’re going to do what you say,’ we might not have lost those two great guys. And that’s hard to argue. Spencer was kind of right. It’s an awful situation, but it’s one thing that I really believe he was right about.”
Spencer was right. If Rick made a deal with Negan instead of attacking The Saviors, maybe it would’ve bought them time to figure out how to deal with the threat. Take Ezekiel’s deal with the Saviors as an example of how they could’ve achieved peace for a small moment in time. It wouldn’t have taken Rick long to find the other communities working with Negan and rise up against him. Maggie’s child would still have a father and the quick-witted Abraham would still be around to give us one-liners.
But I guess that doesn’t make for a good story. Negan gutting Spencer in front of the people of Alexandria does. The Walking Dead Season 7 returns in February 2017.
