On The Walking Dead season 7, episode 10, “New Best Friends,” Rick and the Alexandrians met a new group called The Scavengers. But can they be trusted?
When Rick and the group from Alexandria returned home from their trip to The Kingdom, they found that their pantry had been emptied and Father Gabriel was missing. Rick knew that Father Gabriel wouldn’t have just left them, and he was lucky to find a clue left behind. So they made their way back to the boat that Rick and Aaron had gone to for supplies.
From the boat they followed foot prints to what could only be described as an oversized junkyard. They were quickly surrounded by a group of people that dwelled there and seemed ready to kill to at any moment.
They explained to Rick that they had been waiting for someone to come along and get the supplies off the boat, and so the supplies belonged to them. Father Gabriel was taken hostage because Rick had taken the supplies, which the Scavengers considered to be theres. Gabriel and the group could go free, but only for a price.
Rick took the opportunity to try and strike a deal with the leader of the Scavengers. He then told Jadis that if anything happened to him or his group, that Negan and the Saviors would be coming for her. Because their lives belonged to him, and he was in debt to serve them. However, if Jadis wanted all of the supplies that Negan and the Saviors had all the Scavengers had to do was help in the war against them.
Although this intrigued Jadis, it’s not the groups way to help others without getting an immediate gratification. Jadis even told Rick, “want something now,” when he invited her to join them. She elaborated further that as the apocalypse went on the Scavengers just took whatever they wanted from survivors without any care about what happened to them. However, the more time that passes the harder it is for them to get what they need. Often finding food that’s already spoiled.
Without warning, Jadis pushed Rick into a pit of garbage with a walker they had fitted with spikes. If there’s anything worse that a regular walker, it’s a gladiator walker that’s impossible to stop without getting injured. Rick barely made it out of the fight alive, but didn’t leave unscathed. His hand was punctured by a spike, and his leg was cut open by another.
Only after Rick’s display of skill against the spiked walker did Jadis agree to help. But first, she demanded that he brings her a payment of guns and she wants lots of them. She also tried to get Rick to agree to let her have half of the items found at the Saviors base. They went back and forth about it for a while until Rick agreed to let her have half of the Savior’s items if he got to take back what was stolen from Alexandria.
With a deal made, Rick and the group are happy that they have the chance to beat Negan. Despite having the numbers needed, it seems like Rick is oblivious to the fact that he doesn’t really know the Scavengers. So far his experience with them has been that they steal, abduct, and cause danger without warning. Yet Rick is so desperate for help that he’s fine overlooking these things.
Having the numbers from the Scavengers could mean Rick is able to defeat the Saviors. But it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they were also detrimental to his preparations for war either. Not only does Rick have to find enough weapons for his people, he has to find them for another group as well. There’s nothing to stop the Scavengers from just taking the weapons and turning them back around on Rick. They’ve already been to Alexandria and seen he has barely anything there for his own group. It would be easier for them to take the weapons and go on with their own lives.
Unlike Hilltop and the Kingdom, the Scavengers have never had trouble with the Saviors. They hadn’t even heard of them until Rick came along. That means that they have no emotional involvement in the fight. It wouldn’t matter to them at all if Rick doesn’t defeat Negan. Even if they were worried about the Saviors eventually finding them, they would have the weapons taken from Rick to defend themselves.
Alternatively, Javis might decide it makes more sense to strike a deal with Negan. Perhaps they could sign up to help Negan keep an eye on the other communities in exchange for supplies? If all they want is to find a way to survive, and they don’t really care about other people, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to join along with someone of a similar mindset?
There’s also the issue that Rick has no idea how much ability these people even have to fight. They like to steal from people, but it’s not clear how much fighting ability they actually have. Even Father Gabriel, who is rarely seen as threatening, was able to trick them and pull a knife on them.
When it comes down to it, Rick needs to be better prepared to fight Negan. The way to beat Negan isn’t through random connections. He needs to know that the people he’s fighting next to are in it for the right reasons and will fight with the same amount of passion as his own people. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s going to take a lot of courage, so allies need to be chosen carefully. The choices Rick makes before heading to battle against Negan could decide whether he wins or loses.