The Walking Dead went there on Sunday night.
No, we’re not talking about the implosion of the cave that housed Alpha’s horde. We’re talking about the scene we want to unsee.
Negan and Alpha had sex while the latter wore her signature Whisperer mask. It was a surprising turn of events, especially given that Alpha has not been exactly Team Negan since he arrived at her camp.
If you watch The Walking Dead online, you know that Negan successfully stirred up some doubt in Alpha’s mind about Gamma revolving on who told the good guys about where the horde would be hiding out.
When Negan’s claims checked out, Alpha took Negan out to the middle of nowhere and told him to get out of his clothes. Initially, he was concerned that the cutthroat villain was about to end his life.
When he turned around, however, she was also naked aside from her horrifying mask she uses to walk with, well, zombies.
While this could have been the making of a post-apocalyptic power couple, series showrunner Angela Kang told The Hollywood Reporter that she and others associated with the series felt like it had to happen.
That’s why she gave writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick the task of getting the two polarizing characters to the point in a way that fits the characters.
Negan and Alpha are not exactly characters fond of showing emotion.
“He came back with this whole storyline where Negan thinks he’s about to be killed, but it turns out to be this other thing that sits within Alpha’s animalistic philosophy,” she said.
“It’s the way she sees exactly who Negan is. She’s not wrong about him being a crass man.”
“Negan being Negan thinks, ‘Well, it’s an opportunity for me!’ It came together in this organic and fun way where the writer had a great take on the relationship from the comic book.”
“We had a fun time coming up with a way to show this to our audience in a way that’s safe for basic cable but also still surprising.”
The encounter undoubtedly changed the shape of the narrative moving forward because it means Negan will probably feel like Alpha is putting more trust in him than he could ever get back at Alexandria.
Still, it’s possible he will betray her at the last minute to prove he has turned a corner.
What did you think of the scene?
Hit the comments below.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm on AMC.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.