Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Episode 5 ofThe Walking Dead: The Ones Who Livebrought about the death of a character that unexpectedly became one of the strongest parts of the show.Pollyanna McIntoshstrode confidently onto the Season 7 set ofThe Walking Deadas Jadis, the leader of the peculiar Scavenger’s community. She immediately portrays herself as an untrustworthy character, and further proves it as her alliances constantly shift. Switching between the roles of a villain and an ally, it is clear thather paramount concern is always self-preservation,and no matter how unwilling we are, it is hard not to respect how much she excels at it.
Apart from her insanely gutsy decisions, her unanticipatedromantic relationship with Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam)also enhances her likability. This is especially true during her slightly redeeming arc inThe Ones Who Live’s penultimate episode, which digs into themes of forgiveness and regret. We are reminded that she is still an artist at heart, and like every other character in the show, is trying to work for what comesafterthe apocalypse. Theprofound loss of her morally gray character and invaluable role as a redeemable villain in the spin-off is a massive blowto fans and the show alike.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
The love story between Rick and Michonne. Changed by a world that is constantly changing, will they find themselves in a war against the living or will they discover that they too are The Walking Dead?
WhileThe Walking Deadexcels at constructing characters that toe the line between humanity and brutality, there were very few that we struggled to like, but also struggled to hate as much as Jadis.Constantly positioned as the villain against the main group, Jadis is primed to be an unlikable character, yet we instinctively respect her fierce self-preservation skills and her impeccable survival ones. Introduced as the leader of the junkyard-residing Scavengers with a jarring speech and an unblinking gaze, Jadis instantly comes off as calculating and cold. As she deceives Alexandria by siding with the Saviors and then later joins Alexandria once they are the winning team, Jadis reveals that manipulation and wit are how she survived for so long.
However, it is her ballsy move tosave Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)and trade him to the Civic Republic Military (CRM) for a better life that makes her noticed. With Rick being the closest thing to a celebrity in the apocalyptic world, essentially abducting him is only something Jadis could pull off. Her powerful position in the CRM only exemplifies this, as she once again uses threats and shadows to ensure her survival and safety, especially against Rick.Jadis' characterization consists of traits that are usually at opposite ends of the spectrum. Her conniving and bold behavior made her such an intriguing asset to the spin-off, and her loss will certainly be felt.
Jadis Shows an Emotional Side in ‘The Ones Who Live’
As cutthroat and selfish as she is portrayed to be, Jadis actually has a softer counterpart, embodied by her other alias, Anne.During her time as an Alexandrian, Jadis took on the identity of Anne, who was in a loving (yet rocky) relationship with Gabriel and participated in more mundane activities. However, when she decided she needed to go fast and go alone, we were led to believe that she had also left Anne — her humanity and compassion — behind. The most recentThe Ones Who Liveepisode reveals that she had taken annual breaks from being the merciless Officer Jadis andsecretly returned to the woods near Alexandria to reconnect with Gabriel as Anne.While this illicit affair revolved around discussions of forgiveness and sin, it also exposed the internal conflict she was having with her dual identities.
‘The Walking Dead’ Never Did Enough With Terminus
“Hunt or be hunted.”
Jadis is the leader of the Scavengersand the officer that diligently serves her community while also being a meticulous strategist who creates contingency plans that ensure her own survival. However,Anne is a free-spirited artistthat molds beautiful sculptures among piles of trash and appreciates the simpler things in life. Together, they mesh into a character that can picture an idealistic world after an apocalypse and also ruthlessly fight for it too. But, each side is also constantly warring against each other, asJadis' repression and Anne’s intensified emotions create a harrowing internal experience for this character.
These perfect nuances in her characterization make her lack of a solidified redemption that much bittersweet. Anne offers justifications for Jadis' behavior, revealing her fear and guilt about causing the ruin of the Scavenger group and further insinuating that Jadis' fidelity to the CRM is driven by her need for a sense of community again. Though Jadis divulges the location of the Alexandria dossier toRick and Michonne (Danai Gurira), her lack of closure with Gabriel is beyond heart-breaking, especially sincehe was a vital contributor to her slow-forming redemption arc. While Jadis' death is as morally ambiguous as her life was, robbing us of that closure and her potential redemption was a crime.
How Will Jadis' Death Affect ‘The Ones Who Live?’
Playing a prominent part in the spinoff’s narrative, Jadis' death also raises other more pragmatic questions about the future ofThe Ones Who Live. So far in the series, the only original characters that have appeared in the contemporary timeline are Rick, Michonne and Jadis – and the only one who has died is Jadis.Her role as the villain worked so well due to the gravity of the three’s history together.They had fought against and alongside each other and had also saved each other’s lives. Jadis had even once called Rick a friend, yet was still able to disregard this connection to try and eliminate them. Their personal and long-standing history made Jadis a unique villain inThe Walking Deaduniverse.
With the CRM being the inherent “big bad” of the show, there is no one that can quite fill the personal role that Jadis played. While General Beale (Terry O’Quinn) or even Thorne (Lesley Ann-Brandt) are likely contenders for Jadis' replacement, the impact will not be as impactful. Now that theoriginal cast has been reduced to just Rick and Michonne, the show may struggle to set itself apart from the otherThe Walking Deadspin-offs. Being haunted by a remnant of their past made the spinoff feel more dangerous. With all the setting up and effortThe Ones Who Liveput into Jadis' complex characterization and villainous role,her death feels almost like wasted potential.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Liveis available to watch Sundays at 9 PM EST on AMC and AMC+ in the U.S.
