By copying a twist from Fear the Walking Dead it seems The Walking Dead season 11 is taking an unfortunate turn with Seth Gilliam’s Father Gabriel. The latest episode of the AMC series just delivered yet another dark moment for the Alexandria leader. Despite being a priest, Gabriel has been making some morally questionable decisions for some time now, with one of the first being when he killed Dante (Juan Javier Cardenas) in his prison cell, rather than wait for him to stand trial.
Later, he went against Rick’s vision for Alexandria by putting torture on the table in the fight with The Whisperers. In one of season 10’s extra six episodes, he gave Aaron (Ross Marquand) a shock by ruthlessly killing their captor, even though he had promised to allow the man a place in their community. Looking at everything Gabriel has done in recent years, there’s no mistaking the character isn’t at all the peaceful man of God he used to be.
The Walking Dead season 11, episode 3, titled “Hunted”, went even further with his character when a Reaper asked him to pray for him, feeling that as a priest, it was Gabriel’s duty to God to oblige. Though the Reaper did make a good point, Gabriel refused to comply and killed him. A line spoken by Gabriel in this scene, “God isn’t here anymore”, raised eyebrows just as much as his decision to deny the Reaper’s request. It’s in stark contrast to the time he read a Savior his last rites before making him his first-ever kill in a season 6 episode.
Not only does Gabriel’s decision reflect this idea that he has abandoned his values, but it also shows he’s turned his back on his religion. That’s made evident by the “God isn’t here anymore” comment, because it’s not consistent with his faith. Gabriel continuing to be a priest while no longer believing in God repeats a reveal from Fear the Walking Dead season 5. In the same episode that introduced Rabbi Jacob (Peter Jacobson), it was explained, much to Charlie’s surprise, that while Jacob still acted like a devout priest, he wasn’t really a believer anymore. He just pretended to maintain the faith of those around him. Gabriel could have the same reasons for not giving up his own priesthood.
Religious figures becoming disillusioned with their long-held beliefs is actually an old and tired trope in post-apocalyptic stories. And now, it appears that The Walking Dead is now going in the same direction with Father Gabriel. This new development is actually a bit of a disappointment, because while it was very interesting to see Gabriel become willing to do what it takes to survive, his ability to hold on to his faith in the face of every tragedy that’s befallen them has been a core element of his character, and one that even left an impression on Negan when they met in season 8. It’s a shame that The Walking Dead is doing away with this aspect of his character.