Will Jadis Help Rick Win ‘The Walking Dead’ War?

The Walking Dead is getting dirty with the return of Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and the […]

November 26, 2017, 6:30pm

The Walking Dead is getting dirty with the return of Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and the Scavengers.

As shown in the preview for episode 8×06, “The King, the Widow, and Rick,” Rick ventures to the junkyard — unaccompanied — after parting ways with Daryl following their moral disagreement that quickly devolved into a fistfight. Rick wants the same thing as before: a deal. Work with us, Rick says, or be destroyed.

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Audiences first met Jadis and her society of black-clad trash people in 7×10, “New Best Friends,” after Father Gabriel was kidnapped from Alexandria and taken to the junkyard. There to reclaim him, Rick saw the Scavengers’ numbers and proposed Jadis and her people join a then-growing revolution against Negan and the Saviors — an offer succinctly rejected by Jadis, whose philosophy is, “we take, we don’t bother.”

Dumped into a pit and forced to combat spiky walker gladiator Winslow, Rick bested his opponent, proving his worth to Jadis. The opportunistic Jadis — whose dealings were made clear to Rick when she told him they’re like vultures who pick off what is left behind by others — eventually forges a deal with a more flexible than usual Rick: after the Saviors are defeated, the Scavengers will take claim of many guns and half the Saviors’ supplies.

Rick and Jadis’ deal came to fruition in the season 7 finale, with the Scavengers lying in wait within Alexandria’s walls to take part in an ambush launched against Negan — a ploy that was sabotaged by the Scavengers, who turned the guns given to them by Rick and company against the Alexandrians.

Jadis would turn Rick over to Negan herself, coming to claim their agreed upon amount of a dozen people — a deal knocked down to ten by Negan, who says people are a resource — an offer struck, presumably, to award the Scavengers with freaky sex cult slaves.

Rick has spent the entirety of season 8 leading the forces of Alexandria, the Hilltop and the Kingdom in all out war against Negan and the Saviors, successfully decimating multiple Savior outposts and laying waste to a good number of Negan’s forces. Jadis, meanwhile, is an untrustworthy and cunning opportunist who selfishly claims rewards without any of the effort — no matter who has to die or be betrayed.

The Scavengers have already shown an aversion to teamwork, and would have contributed to Rick, Carl and Michonne’s deaths were it not for the timely arrival of Maggie and Ezekiel, each leading their respective cavalries to help turn the tide and save the day. Were it not for the recent devastating loss of the Kingdom’s much-needed forces — the Alexandria, Hilltop and Kingdom alliance is already outmanned and outgunned — Rick wouldn’t need to turn to the Scavengers at all, but the alliance already has a handful of concurrent victories under their belt.

Attempting any kind of deal with Jadis isn’t a good move for Rick, as she’s likely aware that Negan views the king (Ezekiel), the widow (Maggie) and Rick as prizes — prizes that Negan would pay handsomely to obtain. Striking a deal with the Scavengers doesn’t mean he has to trust them, but Rick should have learned his lesson from last time — and should be able to see that Jadis views him as nothing more than a cartoonish turkey leg that she can dangle in front of Negan to barter for goods and supplies.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.