Ezekiel and his Kingdom came to The Walking Dead in the second episode of Season 7 and with this exotic pet owner came a new ally for Carol, Morgan, and the rest of their crew. But can Ezekiel be trusted on The Walking Dead ? During the Oct. 30 episode, "The Well," Carol was understandably suspicious of "King Ezekiel" when she woke up at the Kingdom after being attacked by a Savior in Season 6. However, when he dropped his royal act, he seemed to win over the tough cookie that is Carol. As the best way to find out what is to be expected of this new character is to look at what he has done in the comic books, let's review if Ezekiel is really as good as he seems. Comic book spoilers follow.
Anyone who calls himself "King" should obviously raise a red flag or two, especially considering what happened with Rick's group and the self-proclaimed Governor. That, plus all of the evil actions that Carol has seen people do (remember that time she saved all of her friends from being slaughtered and eaten at Terminus?) and done herself (remember that time she killed Karen?), I got why Carol was a bit uneasy with Ezekiel. Yet, as the episode continued, her urge to flee didn't seem to be the right decision since despite the Kingdom's quirks, it was a safe place for her to recover. Morgan is a much more trusting person than Carol, so while she thought he was simply being seduced by the well-maintained Kingdom and its leader, he actually had it right. As he explained, it was as simple as, "They were helping you, so I've been helping them."
Ezekiel proved during "The Well" that despite his title and intimidating pet tiger named Shiva, he really is one of the good guys. While the TV series has been known not to follow the plot of the comic books exactly, Ezekiel is a major part of The Walking Dead comics and has alliances with Jesus' group the Hilltop Colony. In the comics, the Kingdom, the Hilltop, and Alexandria all unite to take down Negan's Saviors and I doubt that the TV series would change that major aspect now that Negan killed the two beloved characters of Glenn and Abraham. Morgan already saw firsthand that the Saviors are demanding supplies from the Kingdom, so it's a perfect setup for them to join forces with Alexandria — particularly when Rick and the others (and viewers, for that matter too) are in desperate need of another leader and community that they can trust.
After his time with Eastman, Morgan has been looking for the good in people and because of that, it's probably for the best that he encountered Ezekiel's Kingdom before anyone else in Rick's crew. While Carol had been unconscious and recovering, Morgan had been able to see the inner workings of Ezekiel's leadership. As Ezekiel seems to be following in his comic characters' footsteps, Morgan isn't being naive to believe in Zeke. And these men respecting one another so quickly will hopefully lead to Morgan introducing Rick to Ezekiel to form this essential alliance.
With a major baddie like Negan not going anywhere anytime soon, you need to create balance with a good guy — and based on "The Well," Ezekiel on The Walking Dead should end up being just as trustworthy as his comic counterpart.
Images: Gene Page/AMC (2)
