'Walking Dead' Aftermath: Who Should Die Next, And Who Probably Will Instead

Morales' only purpose was to force Rick (Andrew Lincoln) to face himself and really question if he's any different or better than Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

The "goodness" or "badness" of the characters' choices in this hellish world has been a well we've gone to creatively over and over again, from Carol's (Melissa McBride) pacifist streak to Morgan's pacifist streak to Jesus' (Tom Payne) new pacifist streak. Jesus argues that there is a difference between war and peace, but what if you're at war with the very world itself?

This week, the violence slowed down long enough to mix in some actual character moments, even if most of those were opportunities for the characters to face their greatest question: to kill or not to kill. Your answers may vary, but one thing's for certain. This is "The Walking Dead" and people will die. Plenty of them died this week, and not all of them on the side of evil.

Eric's (Jordan Woods-Robinson) death was about as obvious as they come, while Morales' whole point was apparently to die at Daryl's (Norman Reedus) hands. The "good" Mr. Dixon killed again at the end even after Rick had given his word, once again raising that question of right and wrong and morality in a world gone mad.

But with all those people gone, and weaselly Gregory (Xander Berkeley) alive, the question remains. Who will die next? And who should?

Gregory continues to make a pretty strong case for himself -- sniveling and lying his way back into the Hilltop after abandoning Gabriel to die -- but one other personality emerged as even more annoying and deserving of death. Standing as a living argument against Jesus' idea that the Saviors can be redeemed after war is over, Jared (Joshua Mikel) taunted Morgan relentlessly during their long march to the Hilltop, and then convinced his chain-gang brethren to make a break for it when walkers started literally pouring out of the woods. More trouble than he's worth, Jared is just looking for a way to betray Jesus and anyone else who has shown him kindness, because he believes in this world that kindness is probably weakness.

We still haven't checked in on Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), so they're dragging out his fate the way they did Glen's (Steven Yeun) a few seasons back. We're afraid that the surprise ambush on King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and his men, after they surprisingly lost no one in their initial assaults, will cost him a high casualty. His faithful tiger Shiva may die, but he may yet lose another of his staunchest allies, and a fan-favorite since his first appearance. Jerry's (Cooper Andrew) smile may be more infectious than Ezekiel's, and he's been a strong ally and loyal subject in The Kingdom. He is in many ways the heart of The Kingdom. Victory will surely come at a high price, and we suspect that price may be his heart.

The body count can only rise on "The Walking Dead," Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.