The midseason premiere of "The Walking Dead" Season 7 featured several story developments that included Father Gabriel's (Seth Gilliam) shocking departure from Alexandria with a car filled with food and other supplies. However, the priest's actions may have been spurred by a new threat from the mysterious figure watching over the community, according to showrunner Greg Nicotero.
"The Walking Dead" Season 7 episode 9 featured what appears to be Gabriel's selfish act of raiding Alexandria's pantry and hightailing it out of the said community. Titled "Rock in the Road," the action may seem like a cowardly move but something may have happened that pushed the priest to react that way.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nicotero advised fans of the AMC series to view the said scene for the second time. Doing so will unveil a vital clue that could explain Gabriel's actions, according to the showrunner.
Nicotero also highlighted that Gabriel was not alone when left Alexandria. A figure of a mystery person appeared on the passenger shortly after the priest drove off and the shadow of the said person was even reflected on the side of the car while Gabriel was filling it with gas.
However, the showrunner did not disclose the said person's identity although he mentioned that "something must have happened" and it could be linked to the mysterious person watching Alexandria. He added, "Gabriel's clue [near the boat] sort of leads them to believe that whoever was essentially watching them may have made a move."
Meanwhile, the midseason premiere of "The Walking Dead" Season 7 ended in a cliffhanger that introduced the members of another community. Nicotero shared in an interview with Comic Book that Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is already considering the said community as potential members of his army against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors.
"The Walking Dead" Season 7 airs every Sunday on AMC. Watch the teaser clip for the upcoming episode below: