Spoiler Warning for anyone who hasn't seen "Service," the most recent episode of The Walking Dead.
It's time for another unchaperoned trip down The Walking Dead Theory Alley, and today's adventure isn't all that far-fetched in the scheme of things. In Sunday night's episode, Negan showed up in Alexandria earlier than expected, and he was parading around a muted and weakened Daryl. Just because we didn't hear the captive survivor talking, however, doesn't mean he wasn't speaking volumes in other ways, and he might have passed on a very important secret message to Rick via Morse code. With his eyes!
There was one scene in "Service," when Daryl and Rick were in close proximity for the first time in a while, and Daryl went through a series of blinks that seemed strange for a person who wasn't cutting onions or standing in a dust storm. And, if at least this one Reddit user is to be believed, Daryl sent Rick the message "I East" through his measured blinking, which would be the quickest way for him to tell Rick where Negan's Sanctuary is. As the only protagonist who has gone to and from that Savior-filled location, he would be the only person who could share this information, and a general direction is better than nothing at this point.
For some visual evidence, just look at the way Daryl is blinking and tell me that isn't for a specific reason.
If you're still on the fence or not even to that point yet, I feel you. Theories can always sound dumb without the right element tying it all together, and this argument really would be closer to narrative gobbledygook if it wasn't for something that occurred earlier in the very same episode. When Michonne was heading out to go do her sharpshooting practice, she passed by a GIANT MORSE CODE CHART hanging on the wall. It's Chekov's Gun, just applied to coded language that people can apparently do with their eyes.
I know that it's technically just circumstantial evidence, but I mean, it can't be a coincidence. This is the best time for Morse code to get used on the show, as Rick and everyone else in Negan's lineup knows that communication is an obstacle when the bearded tyrant is stomping around. I have no trouble believing Rick and the Alexandria community would have taken to learning how to pass messages via dots and dashes, since electronic communication is an extreme rarity at this point. Makes sense to me. Do I think that Daryl definitely said "I East" to Rick? I don't discount the possibility in the least.
The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights on AMC. I just blinked out A-M-C, but nobody could tell...and I probably did it wrong anyway. What isn't wrong is checking out our fall premiere schedule and our midseason schedule to see what's coming in the future.
