Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead season 10, episode 16.
Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) made sure to relay a special message to Rosita (Christian Serratos) in The Walking Dead season 10 finale, but viewers may have missed the meaning behind the "half orange." Originally planned to air in April, the sixteenth episode was finally released, and it concluded what was left of the Whisperer War. Among the bravest during the final battle was Gabriel since he took leadership of the survivors orchestrating moves from within an abandoned hospital. When the line of defense looked like it was about to fail, Gabriel chose to stay and fight as his life stood in the balance. Before he faced off with remaining Whisperers, Gabriel wanted to make sure Rosita knew how much he cared about her.
The romantic relationship between Father Gabriel and Rosita came as a bit of a surprise in the time jump following Rick's departure. While Rosita found solace in Gabriel when she was obsessed with killing Negan, their bond didn't seem to be heading in that particular direction. Even after having a child with Siddiq, Rosita and Gabriel became closer. The future of their romance took a downturn during the ongoing conflict with the Whisperers, but it was clear that they still had strong feelings for one another.
After the Alexandria survivors took refuge in the hospital, referred to as the "Tower," Beta led the horde of walkers right toward them. Gabriel helped plan the next line of assault, which involved several members sneaking through the crowd to eventually lead the masses away. When walkers and Whispers infiltrated the Tower, the survivors evacuated, but Gabriel elected to stay behind and fight. Before sending Judith away, Gabriel wanted the young girl to tell Rosita, "eres mi media naranja," which in English translates to "you are my other half of the orange." Judith questioned the phrase involving an orange since she translated it literally. Nonetheless, she agreed to pass the message onto Rosita who was hiding at a rendezvous point. Though Gabriel ended up surviving, thanks to Maggie and the masked stranger, his message was extremely telling in terms of his love for Rosita.
The Significance Of Gabriel's Half Orange Message
"Tu eres mi media naranja" is a common idiom to Spanish speakers since it's commonly used to state that "you are my other half." The line is also used to reference soulmates, husband, wife, or the love of someone's life. In this case, Gabriel became well aware of the half orange idiom and the pair must have used to showcase their feelings. It must have been something special seeing as Gabriel didn't take the time to explain it to Judith when she questioned its meaning.
More than anything, Gabriel's thought of giving Rosita the special message was an indication that he intended to sacrifice himself. After overcoming his cowardly demeanor, Gabriel was given a chance to become one of the most respected figures in The Walking Dead. He fully believed that he may not make it out of the Tower alive, but Gabriel came to terms with that notion if it meant the others got out alive. Unlike Gabriel's demise with the comics' version of the Tower storyline, the character was able to reunite with his half orange, Rosita.