The countdown to "Negan Day" on The Walking Dead is running out, whether we like it or not. What is Negan's plan on The Walking Dead ? He's coming for Alexandria, but his specific plan seems carefully constructed to evade discovery — and I don't like it one bit. We know that Negan and his pal Lucille are finally going to appear in the Season 6 finale, but why now?
Clearly, after Daryl's first "encounter" with the Saviors and Rick's sneak attack on the barracks, Negan is going to want to retaliate against Rick Grimes and the walled city of Alexandria. I kind of don't blame him, except that I know from his comic book reputation just how evil he is — so clearly I'm on Rick's side. That said, ignore the graphic novels for a minute. The fact that our heroes have had so many encounters with Saviors that are not played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan says to me that Negan is one step ahead of them.
I want to gather everything we know about Negan from the series alone as clues to try and see what he's planning, from the TK to the way his followers claim "we are all Negan" with a creepy sense of knowing. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Andrew Lincoln teased that Negan's arrival is "the greatest entrance ever written" so buckle up.
Strength In (Hidden) Numbers
So far, since the massacre, it seems as if Negan has sent his people out in small groups to gain more intel. I'm counting the team that grabbed Carol and Maggie in this too. Why such small groups? Why not assemble all of his people in an army and storm Alexandria? Negan is definitely playing some kind of strategy here. For one thing, I think he's trying to hide his numbers — because it's working. The barracks clearly weren't everybody. All of this scouting squads have been different sizes. There's no way to get a good grasp on how many followers Negan even has to begin with.
Resourceful, Or Full Of Resources
The new groups of Saviors are basically saying the same thing that the bikers Daryl blew up at the top of this half season said: "take us to Alexandria, where you will hand over all your resources." Does this sound more like a game of Settlers of Catan than real life? Yes, but we have the benefit of not living in a zombie apocalypse. Count your blessings every day, that's what I say.
Gathering And Then Hunting
My theory is that Negan is trying to round up as many of Rick's people individually as possible — then he'll bring them together and exact his revenge. That obviously did not work with Maggie and Carol the first time. However, now Carol is injured and alone. It didn't take long before Daryl and Sasha were rounded up and reunited with Glenn and Michonne. Morgan is out on his own now as well. There's also Tara and Heath, who left on a supply run several episodes ago. Everyone is scattered leading up to the Season 6 finale of The Walking Dead, and unfortunatley that makes them ripe and vulnerable for Negan's picking.
Images: Gene Page/AMC; Giphy (3)
