Warning: SPOILERS for The Walking Dead ahead
-
In the latest episode of The Walking Dead, it appeared that Tara (Alanna Masterson) got infected with the deadly walker sickness after being shot by Dwight - but don't write her off just yet. For quite some time now, Dwight (Austin Amelio) has been one of the more interesting villains among The Walking Dead's large cast of characters. While a top lieutenant among Negan's vicious Saviors, he's also someone Negan has treated extremely harshly, having his wife stolen and his face burned with an iron by the tyrannical leader.
Near the middle of The Walking Dead season 8 though, Dwight made the leap from morally conflicted villain to reluctant anti-hero by choosing to side against Negan and try to assist Rick, Daryl, Maggie, and the rest. While they're all understandably unwilling to fully trust Dwight, his help has come in handy on several occasions so far, and while Daryl can't seem to see it yet, it's likely Dwight just pulled off his biggest act of heroism yet.
Related: Walking Dead Crossover Pokes Fun at Avengers: Infinity War
During Sunday's Walking Dead episode, the Hilltop was attacked by a group of Saviors, led by Simon and Dwight. Negan is still currently out of the picture, after his fight with Rick and capture by Jadis last week. Thankfully, Maggie and company were ready for the battle, and seemed to escape with minimal casualties. Some people are injured, though, including Tara, who was shot with an arrow by Dwight in the melee.
Daryl is understandably furious about what Dwight did to Tara, believing the former Savior to have switched back to Negan's side. However, later in the night while most are asleep, several of the wounded die, and turn into walkers. These walkers then kill several more people before all the risen dead can be subdued. Once it's determined that everyone who turned was wounded by the Saviors - thanks to their weapons being coated in infected walker blood - Rick and Daryl go and tell Tara what happened, and it's made pretty clear that they think she'll be next to turn as a result of her injury.
Daryl laments not killing Dwight when he had the chance, but notably, Tara doesn't seem to be sick at all. In fact, she looks totally fine, and that's likely because Dwight saved her life. While winging her with an arrow hurt, it didn't cause any lasting damage. Moreover, at the time Dwight shot her, Simon was sneaking up on Tara with a walker-blood coated cleaver. Not being fully invested, it's likely Dwight didn't cover his weapons in the blood, and by drawing on Tara first, he prevented her from being infected by Simon.
If we need any further confirmation that Tara is going to be fine, it's worth remembering that something very similar happened in the comics. In Issue #123, Dwight shot Rick with an un-tainted crossbow bolt, which led Negan to write Rick off as a goner - not knowing that Dwight is a double agent. Since the bolt wasn't infected, Rick survived the wound, so it's almost certain that Tara will as well.
More: Walking Dead: Reedus Promises ‘Satisfying’ Season 8 Finale
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC.