Here’s When Negan Will Meet The Whisperers on The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead will soon introduce Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to the Whisperers when he comes across Alpha (Samantha Morton) and Beta (Ryan Hurst). Freshly escaped from jail with the help of an unexpected accomplice, the fugitive Negan could end up crossing into Whisperer territory to avoid facing an angry mob. As the the council debates executing Negan over the accidental slaying of Margo (Jerri Tubbs), killed when Negan rescued ex-Whisperer Lydia (Cassady McClincy) from a violent ambush, episode 10x05, "What It Always Is," will follow Negan and Brandon (Blaine Kern III) outside Alexandria's walls.

According to the synopsis for Season 10 episode 7, "Open Your Eyes," airing Nov. 17, "Carol pushes boundaries that make Daryl uneasy; Alpha and Beta have reservations about someone."

This could be referring to rank-climbing Whisperer Gamma (Thora Birch), but the synopsis hints episode 10x07 will be an adaptation of The Walking Dead issue #156. Major spoilers from the comic books follow.

In The Walking Dead #154, Michonne and Aaron discover Brandon's corpse at the Whisperer border when hunting Negan. Inside Whisperer territory, Negan encounters the Whisperers for the first time when he's surrounded by a pack of ten commanded by Beta. Negan denies being sent, saying instead he's a lone traveler passing through. He then pledges to join the Whisperers.

When Negan is first introduced to Alpha at a Whisperer camp, he says it's love at first sight. Beta immediately disapproves of the loud and foul-mouthed Negan, who says he's interested in learning the Whisperers' ways.

Despite Beta's misgivings, Alpha allows Negan to stay among the Whisperers if he can learn and then follow their rules. When he asks for a skin suit, Alpha sharply says it must be earned.

Negan spends one week with the Whisperers, quickly proving an asset to Alpha, gaining both her respect and her trust. That's nearly jeopardized when Negan rescues a female Whisperer from being raped by two male members, a heinous action defended by Alpha: "I know what you were trying to do. But it is not our way." Negan tells Alpha she should be ashamed over her approval of the Whisperers' "vile" actions.

"She was weak," Alpha says. "If you protect the weak, they never become strong."

Negan says protecting the weak is the "whole f—king basis for civilization." The unspeakable acts he committed as leader of the Saviors, he says, were always for the "greater good."

When Alpha begins to cry, Negan calls out Alpha's hypocrisy: she believes only the strong survive but relies on Beta for protection.

Alpha breaks down, admitting she misses daughter Lydia. "I'm not strong," Alpha says. "I'm not." The Whisperers are only pretending to be animals, Negan says. When Alpha tells Negan he does belong among her clan, he smiles. "Maybe. But I don't want to be here."

Negan then murders and decapitates Alpha. Holding up his prize, Negan says, "Wait until Rick gets a look at you." He'll next use Alpha's head as a bargaining chip to arrange his release from prison.

Morton's Alpha might not meet her end at Negan's hand, however. The kill might be claimed by Carol (Melissa McBride), who is obsessed with getting revenge against Alpha over the murder of son Henry (Matt Lintz). Both showrunner Angela Kang and director-producer Greg Nicotero have teased a future Carol versus Alpha confrontation, suggesting the Whisperer leader survives beyond 10x07.

In the meantime, star Ryan Hurst revealed what to expect when Beta meets Negan:

"Beta and Negan, they couldn't be more diametrically opposite than anything. It's this stone-faced immovable person and then you have his mouthpiece who just will not shut up," Hurst previously told Insider. "The first episode that you see Beta and Negan together is one of the funniest episodes of Walking Dead that you've ever seen. It's still very bloody, still very Walking Dead, but there's more levity in that episode than in any that I've ever seen of the show."

New episodes of The Walking Dead Season 10 premiere Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. For more TWD intel, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.