The Walking Dead: 8 Unanswered Questions After The Midseason Premiere

Here are all the big unanswered questions from The Walking Dead season 9's midseason premiere, "Adaptation." Returning after the latest winter break, The Walking Dead had plenty of business to attend to after the shocking debut of the Whisperers and subsequent death of Jesus in last year's midseason finale. That same episode also ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, with Michonne, Daryl and a handful of others surrounded in a graveyard by a mixture of their new foes and, in the words of Eugene, the "original recipe" undead.

This predicament solves itself in anticlimactic fashion, as the protagonist group more or less just walk away from their aggressors and, from that point, the episode settles into a familiar groove. The Walking Dead midseason premiere follows-up on Negan's jailbreak, introduces several of the main Whisperer contingent and continues to tease unseen events that occurred during the latest time jump. Elsewhere, Rosita makes a life-changing reveal that brings the AMC version of The Walking Dead a little closer to its comic book source material.

With some way to go until the community fair that will supposedly dominate the final act of The Walking Dead season 9, plenty of questions remain unanswered coming out of "Adaptation." Here are the most pressing issues from The Walking Dead season 9.

This Page: Questions About The Whisperers
Page 2: Questions About Negan
Page 3: Other Walking Dead Questions

Who Trapped Alden and Luke?

Arguably the biggest question raised by The Walking Dead's midseason premiere comes in the episode's final scene. The Walking Dead's gradual introduction of the Whisperers has come about via a series of ill-fated expeditions: Eugene and Rosita ventured out first, Michonne's group set out to rescue them and now Alden and Luke have taken off after the second group failed to return swiftly enough.

Unsurprisingly, this latest search party soon falls foul of the Whisperers after Luke is tricked into thinking a trail of arrows has been left by his friend, Yumiko. In truth, the arrows were placed by a shotgun-wielding female Whisperer to trick the boys into an ambush. While it's hard to tell one Whisperer from another under their dead skin masks (that's partly why they wear them), the figure seen here is no ordinary foot-soldier, but Alpha, the leader of the Whisperers played by Samantha Morton.

Although her appearance is brief, and her actual face remains unseen, this moment marks the debut of The Walking Dead's next prime antagonist after Negan and gives a small hint at what the three communities will soon be facing. Clearly, Alpha is cunning, ruthless and has a large number of followers ready to do her bidding.

Who Is Lydia?

After the Whisperers' graveyard attack and subsequent pursuit fails, Michonne and Daryl manage to capture one of their new enemies - a young, teenage girl who seems frightened but is still unwilling to divulge any information about her people. The girl is taken back to the Hilltop and interrogated without success, prompting Michonne to remind Daryl that he "knows what to do" if the prisoner proves to be of no use. Evidently, not at ease with the idea of killing a teenage girl, Daryl resumes his questioning but is unable to get straight answers until he engineers Henry, currently in jail for drinking booze, as a knight in shining armor. The ruse works and Daryl overhears the girl telling Henry that her name is Lydia.

Played here by Cassady McClincy, comic readers will know that Lydia is actually Alpha's daughter, and goes on to play a significant role in the forthcoming conflict between the three communities and the Whisperers. Already, the TV iteration of the character has slight deviations; dark hair instead of blonde and Henry as a love interest instead of Carl, but the capture of Lydia does set up a future confrontation on The Walking Dead straight out of the comic books.

Perhaps the most important question regarding Lydia is whether or not she can be trusted. While the youngster does appear genuinely frightened by Daryl and Michonne, she also manages to hide all the important details regarding her group. Is the scared teenager routine just an act? Or is there more to Lydia's life with the Whisperers than meets the eye?

What Do The Whisperers Want?

With the introduction of both Alpha and Lydia, thoughts begin to turn to what the Whisperers' intentions and goals are regarding the Hilltop and its fellow communities. Initially, the dispute seemed to be about territory. Eugene and Rosita ventured out further than anyone had previously in search of a radio tower and apparently encroached on Whisperer territory, ultimately leading to deaths on both sides.

However, Lydia later cries "we were going to kill you anyway" while being interrogated by Daryl. This could certainly be another of the teenager's lies but it would be strange for Lydia to make up such a thing if her intention was to placate Daryl and avoid getting hurt. Perhaps then the girl is being honest and the Whisperers would've moved against Hilltop and Alexandria regardless of whether someone intruded on their territory.

While Lydia's plan remains a mystery, Alpha's intention in capturing Alden and Luke is far clearer. Hilltop have a Whisperer prisoner, the leader's daughter no less, and the Whisperers have two captives from Hilltop. Alpha likely intends to offer a trade, as suggested by the recent trailer for the second half of The Walking Dead season 9.

Page 2 of 3: Questions About Negan In The Walking Dead Midseason Premiere

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan in jail cell in The Walking Dead Season 9

Has Negan Really Turned Over A New Leaf?

The Negan seen in The Walking Dead midseason premiere is undoubtedly a very different character to the one that hit a Glen-shaped home run in season 7 and fans would be forgiven for starting to think the jailbird may be on a road to redemption. For example, Negan tells Judith that he will no longer hurt anyone, even if they try to hurt him. At first glance, this seems like typical Negan misdirection but there's a hint of authenticity to Jeffrey Dean Morgan's delivery here that hints at the promise possibly being genuine.

More examples of Negan's changing attitude come when he revisits the Sanctuary, now bare and deserted. After a period of feeling sorry for himself, Negan decides to take his frustrations out on the local zombie population but strangely hesitates to kill one of the walkers, who he recognizes as former follower, Big Richie. Eventually, of course, Negan takes out poor Richie (and with a hilarious one-liner no less) but his initial hesitance does at least hint towards a softening of the character.

This theme is explored in greater detail at the end of the episode, when Negan ultimately returns to Alexandria and asks Judith to be put back in his cell. It's far too early to be considering Negan a 'good guy' but it's hard to disagree that this Negan is not the Negan of old.

What Happened To The Sanctuary?

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan in The Walking Dead

One of the biggest mysteries in the first half of The Walking Dead season 9 was the events during the six-year time jump. Maggie's disappearance, the X-shaped scars and Michonne's newfound rage all hinted at significant stories taking place off-screen that viewers have yet to discover. Another mystery from that same period concerns the fall of the Sanctuary. Before Carol wiped out the Saviors for good, it became clear that something had happened to the Saviors that not only isolated them from the other communities, but also threw them back out into the wild.

"Adaptation" finds Negan revisiting his old stomping group, giving viewers a first look at the settlement since its demise. Unfortunately, the sequence doesn't offer too much explanation as to what caused the Sanctuary to collapse. The building has clearly fallen into disrepair, but that could just as likely be from years of neglect as from whatever caused the Saviors to leave in the first place. One scene does find Negan looking disappointingly at some soil, hinting at the farming issues that were first mentioned while Rick was still alive, but there's no conclusive reveal that explains why the Saviors couldn't survive there. Flashback scenes will surely feature at some point this season to plug those gaps.

What Next For Negan?

Having decided that life on the outside wasn't all it seemed, Negan returns to the comfort of his Alexandrian cell by the end of The Walking Dead midseason premiere. However, an actor of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's standing can't be cooped up within four dank walls for long, so what happens next to Negan?

In the comics, Negan is freed by a disgruntled resident of Alexandria, before killing his liberator and striking out solo for a little while. Since TV Negan has already decided against living alone in the wild, the AMC series is unlikely to follow the source material in this particular arc and writers will need to concoct a new way to get Negan back among the action.

This may be where Negan and Judith's friendship comes into play. With a new enemy of the horizon, Alexandria could soon find itself in desperate need of military strength and this predicament could force Negan onto the board, possibly at Judith's suggestion. The youngster has seen that Negan can be trusted to a degree and might offer him a chance at redemption by undertaking a mission against the Whisperers on Alexandria's behalf.

Page 3 of 3: Other The Walking Dead Midseason Premiere Questions

Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel in The Walking Dead

How Will Gabriel React To Rosita's Pregnancy?

Eugene attempts to reveal his love for Rosita in this week's episode of The Walking Dead and Rosita responds by running out of the room and throwing up. Certainly not an encouraging sign for the budding Romeo. However, Rosita's sickness was not, in fact, caused by Eugene's advances, but by her newly revealed pregnancy. Complicating matters further, Siddiq, who Rosita had a fling with before coupling with Gabriel, turns out to be the father.

With Gabriel as her current boyfriend, Eugene as her aspiring boyfriend and Siddiq as the father to her child, Rosita's affections are in high demand right now and it remains to be seen how Gabriel will react to the news of her pregnancy. If indeed she decides to tell him.

In the comics, Rosita is actually in a relationship with Eugene following the time skip, but becomes pregnant after an affair with Siddiq. While she does reveal her situation to Eugene, the scientist buries his head in the sand, not wanting to know who the real father is and promising to raise the baby as his own. The plan is swiftly nixed by Rosita's death and when Eugene does finally find out the mystery man's identity, he responds with sympathy towards Siddiq, with both men mourning someone they loved.

In this week's episode, Eugene overhears Rosita's revelation, so it seems likely that Gabriele will play the role of the faithful partner here and vow to stand by his woman, 'til death does them part.

Why Does Judith Let Negan Go?

Cailey Fleming as Judith Grimes in The Walking Dead

Judith's reputation as a miniature badass was boosted considerably in The Walking Dead midseason premiere after the youngster's no-nonsense attitude to Negan's escape attempt. Seemingly the only person in Alexandria actually capable of tracking someone down, Judith finds Negan attempting to climb over the settlement's fence and points a gun squarely at him. Despite some tough words, as well as an assurance that she will shoot him, Judith ultimately lets Negan go free.

It's not immediately clear why Judith goes against her parents' wishes and there are several potential reasons for her decision. Viewers have already seen Judith and Negan talk secretly through the latter's cell window, and this bond could mean that Judith has developed a soft spot for Negan. Alternatively, perhaps the youngster just couldn't bring herself to shoot an unarmed man in cold blood. It's also possible that Judith somehow knew that Negan's life as a prisoner of Alexandria was still far better than living on the outside and assumed that the former Savior would come crawling back sooner or later.

Either way, it's clear that Judith has a maturity far beyond her years and possesses a wiser head than most of The Walking Dead's adults. It's also fairly apparent that under no circumstances does Judith consider Negan a serious threat. If only she was old enough to remember that time he stabbed someone to death in the middle of the street...

In no way could "Adaptation" be considered one of the most action-packed or fast-paced installments of The Walking Dead but it did set up several new points of intrigue to be explored in the forthcoming block of episodes. Negan's future is open-ended, the mystery of the Whisperers continues to evolve and the dark period of the time skip continues to be the elephant in the room. With the inter-community fair still to come, things are sure to heat up considerably in the coming weeks.

Next: The Walking Dead Renewed For Season 10 At AMC

The Walking Dead season 9 continues with "Omega" February 17th on AMC.