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Glenn’s Flare Gun May Hold 'Walking Dead' Clues

There are two episodes to go until The Walking Dead midseason finale, and I haven't given up hope about Glenn and "the dumpster incident" yet. I wasn't raised in Alexandria, I know how to cling to details and fight for hope. In that spirit, let's talk about Glenn's flare gun on The Walking Dead and how it could play a role in when we see him next.

Because we will see Glenn Rhee again. Even if it's as a walker; I refuse to believe otherwise. I know it's been a while and the show is going out of its way to avoid resolution, so let me recap. Nicholas panicked and shot himself in the head. His body fell on top of Glenn, knocking him into a horde of walkers. Since then, we have heard two unidentifiable sounds on the walkie talkies that may or may not have been Glenn. Rick heard the static response first while trapped in the RV. Then, on their way back to Alexandria, survivors Sasha, Abe, and Daryl received a "help" message. Maybe it was Glenn, maybe it wasn't, but I'd like to focus on the other essential object that he had on his person and could help with survival — the flare gun.

Presumably, the flare is still in Glenn's pocket when he The fact that Glenn hasn't shot it into the sky to signal for help could indicate that he didn't make it out alive. Dead Glenns fire no flares, and all that. However, in a sticky situation, it might make more sense to fire the flare closer to the ground and get walkers off him. If you remember the episode, the plan was to use the flare gun to set a building on fire and escape. That's not impossible from where he ended up, just more difficult. Even the sound of the flare could distract the walkers, as MoviePilot's Allanah Faherty theorized.

We haven't seen concrete evidence that Glenn is dead yet. Maggie and Aaron haven't given up hope. Truly, with all of the flashbacks and parallel action, not that much time has passed. It's possible that the dumpster was over a sewer grate. Maybe it was a dream, and we're being strung along so that we ultimately accept that twist out of relief. It would be super rude for Glenn to survive this fall on The Walking Dead and be killed by Negan moments later — so if the show were going to go for the meanest route, he definitely survived the dumpster.

The International Business Times points out that Glenn also removed Hershel Greene's pocket watch from his bag along with the flare gun and the walkie talkie for this mission. Considering Maggie's condition, I think this is positive evidence as well. That flare gun is going to go off at some point, it's the rules, and since we the audience haven't seen or heard it yet, that just means more tools for Glenn to work with, and therefore hope.

Image: Gene Page/AMC