Comic book fans, this is your moment. Rick and the gang met Gregory at Hilltop Colony on The Walking Dead along with a slew of characters and references from the graphic novels. After meeting Jesus in the previous episode, we also met Hilltop doctor Harlan Carson, and officially referred to Negan's group as the "saviors" for the first time on the show.
Hilltop Colony has been built around a fictional historical building called Barrington House in Virginia. The residents live in Barrington House and in trailers brought over from a FEMA community. It looks pleasant enough, but like most places on The Walking Dead, is full of dark secrets. Their leader, who lives comfortably in the mansion, is Gregory — and he's not too pleasant, for starters. It's no wonder that he is an antagonist in the comic books. He was incredibly rude to Maggie, and has put his people in a precarious position by caving to Negan's saviors.
That's the other sketchy thing about Hilltop Colony. They are under the rule of Negan. It wasn't long after Rick's group arrived that they discovered Negan has been collecting goods from Hilltop in exchange for "protection," but isn't afraid to kill and kidnap people in order to demand more. According to the promo for next week, Rick and the Alexandrians are all ready to declare war, which is what happens in the comics. Rick promises to kill Negan in exchange for a trade agreement with Hilltop.
This episode was all about "building," from building a family to building a community. Is Gregory a good leader even though he has associated with Negan to make ends meet? That seems to be the question as The Walking Dead continues. As Jesus told them, the world has gotten bigger — but that doesn't make it any less dangerous.
Image: Gene Page/AMC
