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Episode 501 Speculation & Easter Egg Check

October 15, 2014
Brian HuntingtonbyBrian Huntington
in TV
Reading Time: 6 mins read
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Episodes of TWD always lend themselves to speculation (especially since the creative team loves messing with fans) but Season 5 Premiere has seen more than it’s share. Let’s run down the list of some of the stuff we’ve seen and whether or not it’s true. In case it’s not obvious, SPOILERS loom large.

THIS DUDE IS NEGAN

This started well in advance of the premiere because Greg Nicotero specifically wanted to mislead you. He’s awesome like that. They included a shot of the Terminus butcher winding up on Glenn to get people talking.

not-negan1

Needless to say, this dude is NOT NEGAN.

FALSE.

THIS DUDE IS DEFINITELY NEGAN

We see this hulking, hard-talking, rapist in the end flashback, threatening Gareth’s people as they cower in a shipping container.

notnegan2

This is NOT NEGAN. He’s given importance because we see him earlier in the episode, he’s the tattooed crazy guy that comes running out of the shipping container and grabs Glenn:

notnegan3

This end flashback should be more of a “Oh crazy, that weakened crazy guy with the face tattoos has been locked up all this time!” but due to some low lighting it turned into “HOLY SHIT! NEGAN!” This has been confirmed directly by Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, Greg Nicotero, the key grip, my mom, everyone.

DEFINITELY FALSE.

THE RETURN OF SAM

Remember Sam, one half of the scared couple locked upstairs in episode 404 when Rick and Carol go on a supply run (and Rick kicks Carol to the curb)? Well he’s back! Lots of you spotted this one, and right you are. Sam is plunked down, first in line at the trough in the opening scene. Hence the knowing look he and Rick exchange. No time to say “Hello” though.

sam-returns

Bonus: Carol finds the watch that Rick gave Sam in the loot room.

CONFIRMED.

FAMILIAR CORPSE

If that corpse on the slab looked familiar, it’s because he was the guy that Rick used as a human shield in the Terminus shoot out in episode 416 (who gets shot pretty much immediately).

gareths-brother

This is not only confirmed by Scott Gimple on The Talking Dead, but he even reveals that it was Gareth’s brother. Do you think Gareth would have eaten his brother or would he have opted for a salad that meal?

CONFIRMED.

ANDREA RETURNS AS A WALKER

We’ve seen a BUNCH of this one. The walker that Carol kills early in the episode because Tyreese can’t has some clothing that is VERY similar to Andrea’s and is rocking hand cuffs.

Andrea-alive

Andrea-Walker

The Walker Stalkers asked Nicotero about it, who said that it is definitely NOT Andrea. Just a coincidence. Sorry. Also, Andrea was wearing full, non-lacing boots. This walker had boots that were unlaced and loose. And the stripes don’t match. And the cut of the t-shirt is different. And the color of the button-up is different…

CORRECTION: Jackaford Bittick points out on Facebook that I’m a moron and Andrea took off her boots to try and pick up tools with her feet. Hence, she would be barefoot.

FALSE. BUT STRANGE.

CREEPSHOW HOMAGE

Ok, I don’t think ANYONE caught this, and if you did, you go into our Cool Book (or maybe our Never-Play-Trivia-With-These-People Book).
Here’s the crate from one of the stories (called “The Crate) in CREEPSHOW (directed by George Romero, 1982):

creepshow

“SHIP TO HORLICK’S UNIVERSITY
VIA JULIA CARPENTER
ARCTIC EXPEDITION”

And here’s a crate in the premiere:

crate

Greg pointed out this Easter Egg in The Walker Stalker interview.

If you’ve never watched CREEPSHOW, give it a view. The Crate segment scared the CRAP out of me when I was little. But the whole movie is just campy fun if you’re not 5 years old.

CONFIRMED.

SMOKE SIGNALS

This one isn’t a rumor so much as a callback to episode 414, “The Grove.” In that episode, Mika tells Carol that the fire’s still burning. When Carol says, “It could have gone out,” Mika tells her that black smoke means the fire is still burning. SCIENCE!

In the premiere, Rick wonders if Terminus is still burning. Carol looks at the smoke and says, “It is.”

smoke

CONFIRMED.

IF HE WERE LEFT-HANDED…

Ok this isn’t really a rumor or speculation or Easter Egg, but I keep seeing this one in our Twitter feed. It invariably states that “If the guy with the bat had been left-handed, Rick and his crew would be dead!”

trough-line-up

I find this odd because, A) just because the dude is left-handed doesn’t mean he would be start from the other side. And B) Gareth was clearly using the others to intimidate Rick into telling him where the weapons are.

FALSE.

MORGAN IS MONTHS BEHIND RICK

In the final post-credits scene (fun fact, this wasn’t shown at the premiere in order to keep it secret) we see Morgan, seemingly following Rick and his crew. Notice the sign when Rick marks it vs when Morgan shows up:

Rick:
sign-before

Morgan:
sign-after

People are saying that the extreme growth when Morgan arrives indicates that he is MONTHS behind Rick. There is some credence to this. Multiple producers have pointed out the growth on the sign but I take that to mean that Morgan is a few weeks behind at most, not months and months behind. A) There is already some growth when Rick leaves, and B) vines can grow pretty fast. It isn’t like the seasons have changed. I think the crew was more worried about showing that Morgan wasn’t RIGHT behind them then they were trying to show how much time has passed.

UNKNOWN.

THOSE TREE MARKINGS ARE HOBO MARKS

And last, back to Morgan’s scene. When he leaves the tracks, he does so to follow circled X’s on the trees. Who is leaving them?! Well we don’t know yet (Nicotero says we’ll find out soon), but I’ve seen a lot of people say that they’re Hobo marks.

x-marks-the-spot

Very interesting idea. For those not in the know, Hobos would leave secret marks in various locations to indicate certain things like, “good place to catch a train,” “abandoned home,” or “safe to camp.” Here are a bunch of them.

I have two problems with this.
1) Who the F**K knows Hobo markings?
2) If they ARE Hobo markings—which are likely regional—the X is almost always used as some sort of safety indicator, at least in the legends I’ve looked at, although IANAH*.

Ok, so anyway, the trail is marked. Maybe for Morgan, maybe not. And Hobo markings or no, here is what you, the Internet, have been guessing:
1) Rick is leaving them for Morgan. Because it matches the X’s Morgan was putting on the map on his wall in “Clear”.
2) Gareth is leaving them. (Not sure why).
3) Tyreese’s hostage that he beat the stuffing out of, but whom we never see dead is leaving them for Gareth.
4) Father Gabriel is marking the path to his church, as they look a bit like crosses (although not really).
5) The tattooed face guy left them because it matches the tattoo on his temple.

I will say this: they look awfully fresh if Morgan is weeks or months behind, but maybe that’s a production issue. Another thing that bugs me, there’s like 3 all REALLY close together (like every other tree).

more-markings

Doesn’t it take a good amount of time to carve a circle? I think whoever is carving these could space them out. Or maybe it’s just some Hobo with OCD.

UNKNOWN.

Hope you enjoyed this! Tell us what we missed in the comments!

*I Am Not A Hobo

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Tags: ConjectureEaster EggsEpisode 501NeganSpeculationTWD

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Comments 20

  1. ronnyhaze says:
    9 years ago

    Damn I just can’t figure out the tree markings!! Lol

    Reply
    • ib2n10se4u says:
      9 years ago

      A speculation that I’ve read is that Morgan is the one leaving “clear” marks on the trees. I have to laugh because would Morgan stop to look at a mark he left? Would he have to do much “clearing” after all the destruction left in the WAKE OF CAROL? My first thought about the markings is that they indicate the boundaries to Terminus. Gareth had his people out in those woods…I would think that they’d have to mark the area. Trail marks are close together like that and that’s some thick bush.

      Reply
    • buba246 says:
      9 years ago

      The best part was the reuniting of Daryl and Carol and Carl, Rick and Judith! Can’t wait to see if Morgan is still “crazy” and why he was going to terminus! This seasons definitely going to be a good one!!

      Reply
  2. klown07 says:
    9 years ago

    I also came across a rumor that Morgan Jones is working with Gareth & Friends because he is wearing the same gas mask that they do. I don’t believe it’s a gas mask…but never mind that. It’s the same mask that Morgan wore in the Season 3 Episode titled “Clear” Either way, I’m glad he’s back, because he is cool, awesome, and he’s a survivor dang it. Plus, bonus is that he and Rick have amazing chemistry when they occupy the same scenes.

    Reply
  3. Neutral-Grey says:
    9 years ago

    “If the guy was left handed Rick and co. would be dead.”

    Um, you really can’t call false on this one. Because if his left hand was dominant his swing would be reverse and he’d likely have to start from the other side for it to feel natural. Furthermore, Gareth didn’t NEED Rick to tell him about the weapons. He made it clear they’d scour for the bag later. Knowing what was inside was of little consequence. They’d find out when they found it. And as a last note: Saying the series would be over about now if he was left handed was more of a joke than anything else. It wasn’t something to be taken seriously. Just a humorous observation.

    So false to your false.

    Reply
    • kickinwing420 says:
      9 years ago

      Nice try…
      But Gareth did NEED Rick to tell him about the weapons. Gareth isn’t going to go out and scout for it himself, he’s going to make other people do it for him. But he doesn’t want any of his people keeping weapons for themselves…
      If you force an entire community into cannibalism then you pretty much HAVE to plan for people to revolt. If he keeps tabs on ALL the weapons and ammo that comes thru Terminus, then nobody will have the guns Or ammo for a “mutiny”

      You think he wants the rounds counted just for fun? Nope…He wants to make sure nobody’s stocking up.

      Reply
    • Sunhammer says:
      9 years ago

      Yea, I was thinking the same. You cannot call this “false”

      A Lefty “might” feel more comfortable working from the other end, and the way the guy limbered up, and took some practice swings comfort was important.

      Also agree Gareth made it totally clear to anyone paying attention he really didn’t need Rick, he just wanted to save time. “What is your shell count?”

      Reply
  4. carlyyougoonie says:
    9 years ago

    Regarding the Andrea Walker–while I will agree that when this walker lurched out of the woods she did feel significant in some way–the handcuff, that particular wound. I never thought Andrea though! Unless Andres sat down and put her boots back on after Milton nibbled on her, it wasn’t her. She kicked her boots off to try to get the pliers. Also, no–just no. The speculation did make me laugh though so cheers!

    Reply
    • ib2n10se4u says:
      9 years ago

      I don’t think Andrea would’ve shot herself somewhere other than her head & I don’t believe Michonne would’ve let her turn. Are people really debating & taking up Nicotero’s time on such nonsense? Really?!

      Reply
      • carlyyougoonie says:
        9 years ago

        Yeah, I had to laugh when I saw this debate earlier in the week. I almost posted it to our OG+ group.

        Reply
  5. carlyyougoonie says:
    9 years ago

    People are so hard for Negan that anyone with a baseball bat or a thick neck and surly attitude raises speculation. Calm down people. It will happen, just for damn sure not until we are done with the hunters!

    Also, did you notice Glenn’s weapon of choice this episode?! Baseball bat! Gimple, you’re fucking with us aren’t you?

    Reply
    • ib2n10se4u says:
      9 years ago

      I’m reading fan speculation that Alexandra Breckenridge, who’s just been added to the cast as an upcoming character, may be a female version of Negan for the show. WTF?!

      Reply
      • carlyyougoonie says:
        9 years ago

        Like I said, people have such a hardon for Negan they see him wherever they look. Silly.

        Reply
      • carlyyougoonie says:
        9 years ago

        Also, I just realized she’s the sexy maid from AHS!! She was badass on that show!

        Reply
  6. carlyyougoonie says:
    9 years ago

    Hey Hobo Brian! Can you hook us up with some kind of notification when someone replies to our comments on here? Thanks, brother!

    Reply
  7. jwcoombs says:
    9 years ago

    Ok. Here’s my two-cents that I think you may find enlightening.

    Martin is alive; Tyreese didn’t finish him as he truly believes that-“No one has to die today”. Martin will be hell bent on vengeance, and proving his point to Tyreese, that heroes lose, and you have to be a killer.–Martin will then join Gareth and a small number of other Terminus survivors to form the Hunters.

    Obviously; Rick and the gang got a decent head start on the Hunters; so it’s safe to assume that they will have a good bit of tracking to do before they can find the group and exact their vengeance. That’s what the X’s on the trees are. After regrouping, and forming the Hunters, Gareth begins tracking Rick, starting in Terminus. He easily tracks him to the tracks; and that’s when he see the sing Rick altered. It is the only sign Rick marked; and Gareth notices the tracks now deviating from the railroad and into the adjacent woods. He proceeds to track the group, but there are a great many dead-ends,false trails, and wild-goose-chases. In order to avoid confusion; he marks the various trails for process of elimination. Once he finally pieces together the trail that leads to their locations; he finds Gabriel’s church. Once he has pinned down their location; he permanently marks the trail that leads to the church; thereby giving the Hunters a type of “road” to follow that leads straight to their target victims. This way, they can traverse the road quickly and easily; and also keeps them from getting lost while stalking at night, kidnapping stragglers and having to make a quick getaway. Without the trail blazes, it would be easy to get lost. They will be using this trail to watch, stalk, kidnap, and terrorize.

    One more thing concerning Morgan’s scene. Although there is various speculation as to how far behind the group he is; there is a legitimate, confirmed answer on the AMC website. In the official 501 summary on the AMC website it says this–“Months after Rick’s escape from Terminus, a masked stranger marches down the railroad tracks. He stops to see the Terminus sign Rick modified, and hangs his head. He removes his mask. It’s Morgan.” Here is the link so you can see for yourselves-http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead/episodes/season-5/no-sanctuary

    So it is confirmed, by AMC that Morgan is several MONTHS behind Rick. This leads me to believe not only are Rick and the gang well on their way to D.C. at this point; but the Hunters are long dead as well; and the markings on the tree are no longer in use; just remnants of a terrible series of events that took place in the area.

    Reply
  8. Toni2na says:
    9 years ago

    Patience people, patience. Negan is viciously opposed to rape; openly admitting it and killing his own man who threatened to rape Holly. He may be a crazed psycho, but he’s got morals.
    We just started dipping into compendium 2. We still got a helluva long ways until The Saviors even begin to flex, and even longer until Rick’s crew forces Negan to actually show his face. I wouldn’t be surprised if the real Negan didn”t show his face till mid-season 6.

    Reply
  9. Adrian Martz says:
    9 years ago

    that guy are negan see the comic #130

    Reply
  10. Adrian Martz says:
    9 years ago

    look and Compare the similarities between the two characters

    Reply
  11. Sunhammer says:
    9 years ago

    Come on man, that ain’t Andrea.
    Look close at the stripe pattern on her shirt. No gaps.

    Morgan is months behind Rick?
    No, that was just a missed prop goof.
    Why the hell would they show Morgan if he is so far behind Rick there is no chance to catch up?

    Reply

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