Most of The Walking Dead's lingering mysteries have been resolved. We know where Father Gabriel went. We know who surrounded Rick's group. We even know what Fat Joey was doing with the herd. However, we still don't know who freed Daryl Dixon from his imprisonment at Negan's Sanctuary.
Soon, that will change.
Speaking to one of the actors who plays a candidate to have freed Daryl from his cell, ComicBook.com asked Paul "Jesus" Rovia actor Tom Payne whether or not it was his character who provided Daryl with a key. While Payne couldn't spoil all of the fun of finding out who freed the little Dixon outright, he does promise that it will be revealed eventually.
"You'll discover who helped Daryl come out, that will be explained," Payne said.
Whether or not Jesus supplied the key to Daryl, his opinion of the character may have been altered in the following moments which saw Fat Joey dying by pipe to the head. However, the level-headed character isn't about to hold anything against Daryl.
"I think that Fat Joey, that scene as we filmed was a bit longer, with me coming around the corner and we have a little bit more of a longer look and stuff 'cause its kind of a big moment," Payne said. "It was a big moment for Daryl, obviously, and for Jesus to really see the pain and the suffering that he's gone through, and how he took that out on another human being. It was kind of a tough moment. You see in the scene where everyone arrives back to the Hilltop and Jesus just hung back from that whole thing and just allowed everyone to have their moment with each other because he realized that it's such a big ordeal that they'd all been through and what a big moment it was when they all get back together. He's not a guy who's gonna judge people too harshly. He just allows people whatever their journey is and whatever they need to get through it."
On the following slides, we run through the most likely candidates to have freed Daryl Dixon from his Sanctuary lock up.
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Jesus
Jesus seems like the most likely to free Daryl from his cell in the Sanctuary but a stronger argument can be made against this.
If Jesus were to have freed Daryl, the two would have likely conversed about it at some point. Jesus also had no knowledge of where Daryl was being held, let alone where to find the correct key to the door which kept him locked away.
While Jesus was present for Daryl's escape, he may not have been behind it.
Dwight has had a hard time working with Negan. The man has stolen his girlfriend, forced him into submission, and burnt his face horrendously.
Given our expectations of Dwight based on knowledge of The Walking Dead comics, hardcore fans were expecting the character to have a played a part in helping Daryl escape. That might be just it -- he may have played a part, at best. In the preview for Episode 7x11, Hostiles and Calamities, Dwight's discovery of Daryl's escape is revealed and he seems genuinely frustrated upon finding an empty cell.
Often by Dwight's side is Sherry, despite often showing a touch of disdain for her ex-boyfriend for some unclear reason.
Sherry has shown shades of sympathy towards Daryl during his time at the Sanctuary. She offered advice to him when he was checked up on by the doctor and insisted he cooperate to help facilitate an easier experience.
Sherry has the knowledge of Daryl's cell, can figure out where to find a key, and an apparent soft spot for the Alexandrian character. Might she have done the job of providing Daryl with they key to escape?
The Sanctuary's doctor has not appeared to play an incredibly important role in the AMC series, so far. However, in the comics, it is Dr. Carson who helps free Eugene from his hostage scenario under Negan's rule.
If Dr. Carson is going to stay true to his comic book counterpart, it's entirely possible he stepped up earlier than expected and slipped Daryl an escape key. As a doctor, he may have done simply as an advocate for humanity and health.
