Ironically, Negan and Olivia had a little back and forth on a few occasions during AOW. That's some serious continuity right there; having her be the one responsible for Negan's hygiene(especially since she was Rick's hair stylist in issue #70).

Anyway; the notion of this "accident" being much more than it seems had crossed my mind. The first reason for Olivia's actions that came to mind was that maybe she had developed a sexual attraction, or possibly even deeper feeling for Negan over the past few years. Maybe she's in love with him, or maybe she's bursting with lust. Now, I know that may seem sexist, and you could argue that Olivia could have simply hooked-up with a number of residents in the community. But think about; I see that as a similar opportunistic relationship just like the purely sexual arrangement between Axel and Patricia back at the prison. They both knew they were mediocre, lackluster types of people; and through their similarities they saw an opportunity to be of service to one another. Now, I know Negan's not lackluster and mediocre; but in his current status and position in life--he's been relegated to the level of such a person. An "untouchable" of sorts; if there were a caste system in ASZ. Another thing we know for a fact is that Negan is a man who has needs, and we all know he loves to satisfy those needs. We also know he's extremely charming, convincing and manipulative. Simply being behind those bars would not quell Negan's raging sociopathic libido. Knowing Andrea is impervious to his manipulations; he targets the only other woman who venture down into his own personal hell; Olivia.

Now, we move onto Olivia. We've known since issue #70 that she's always be sort of on the "outside" of the community in a social aspect. She was overweight; and while it was never directly addressed--it was obvious that she struggled with self-esteem issues. She was shy, lacked confidence, and was easily used and pushed over. Now, although she's dropped a good bit of weight and become a somewhat integral part of the community(or atleast a fixture of sorts), I believe she still struggles with her self-esteem issues as well as finding her niche in the community. On top of that; we know she had not only met but had a few back-and-forth encounters with Negan before and during AOW. Despite her low self-esteem; she even argued with Negan in a similar manner to her banter in issue #140. This undoubtedly amused Negan; and I can promise you when he realized who would be bathing and grooming him he immediately remembered those encounters and who this woman was. So, it could be he was able to sense her insecurities and took advantage of them using his top-notch charm and manipulative abilities. He could have sweet talked her, romanced her, convinced her of his rehabilitation and pour his heart out to her about his new dreams and ideals and goals for the future. Explaining to her how he yearns to be a productive member of the community and he has so many ideas for a better future. After quite sometime, and many visits and conversations she finds herself harboring feelings for Negan and yearning for his touch(I'd imagine that monthly bath and haircut isn't the her only visit to the jail. I'm sure she stops in regularly for various reason--e.g. bringing him dental products each day, bringing his food when Rick is too busy, bringing him laundered clothes and retrieving the soiled ones, sweeping and cleaning up etc.) But this is more of a passionate, lust-fueled revelation than is it a planned escape attempt. Hence the reason why Negan didn't immediately go for the door, and why he was so shocked when it fell open. Basically; under the influence of her overwhelming lust Olivia decided to leave the cell door unlocked,in the hopes that the first thing Negan would do would obviously be come to visit, and be with her.


But all that being said it still seems a little far-fetched. I couldn't see Olivia genuinely having feelings for Negan; especially after witnessing first hand his personal brand of terrifyingly brutal violence and leadership. She would have absolutely nothing to gain, and no reason to cut him loose. There's only one other thing that I see as a potential possibility; which would be Olivia reluctantly performing these actions at the behest and under the direct orders of someone else. We do know from what Rick said that Dwight should currently be at ASZ awaiting his return from the coast. But, I'm not so sure it would be Dwight giving the orders; as he and Negan have complex past(hinted at in #125) and it's clear that Dwight has no love for Negan--and Negan most likely views Dwight as a traitorous bastard. But, Dwight being present at ASZ undoubtedly means that there is possibly a large group of Saviors there as well. Knowing Negan and his breed of followers; I could definitely see some long-term, covert plan being played out over the past few years and finally coming to fruition and being realized at the fair. Just like with any coup-d'etat or hostile takeover there are going to be loyalists who swear false fealty to a new leader in the interest of staying alive. They then embed themselves deep enough to go unnoticed and proceed to dedicate their life to freeing their fearless leader and taking back what is their's. It could be there are many Saviors still secretly loyal to Negan and they've been plotting and planning, recruiting and handling assets and agents on the inside just waiting for their perfect opportunity to activate.

This sort of mirrors the current situation going on at the Hilltop. Because; while we all loved to think that Maggie was a great leader who was loved by her people and completely and unquestionably in charge, we've known for a while that wasn't the case. And it was confirmed in this issue. Maggie is literally surrounded on all side by potential traitors and defectors. The entire population of the Hilltop(numbering in the hundreds) were once the loyal constituents of Gregory until Maggie performed her semi-hostile takeover. Now that they've had time to relax, settle in and become comfortable in their lives and relative safety they begin to think; they begin to form opinions not motivated by fear, they become selfish, picky, dissatisfied, etc. This leads to increasingly defiant and rebellious behaviors and murmurs of revolt/mutiny. This is the main reason why I think Kirkman has employed the plot device of temporarily stationing Jesus at the Hilltop. Jesus is technically Rick's right hand man and captain of the guard and he lives at ASZ. But, he's originally from the Hilltop so the people there know, like, and trust him--and Maggie is utterly alone in the community when you think about it. She's got no truly loyal supporters who she knows can be unquestionably trusted(I know Dante is there and he seems like a good guy; but I think his loyalty to Maggie can be directly measured by the length of his erection at any given time). So, it's good that Jesus was strategically moved to the Hilltop for the time being. Not only as a protector of Maggie, but as a potential voice of reason to the people of the Hilltop. But, as it appears that the White Trash Clan is unwilling to back down, and their numbers are most likely growing by the day this could still turn ugly.I have a feeling; that if Maggie does go through with the execution of Gregory it could work against her. Rather than eliminating a threat, and a criminal--she would be effectively martyring him to all his supporters. It would be Gregory's death at Maggie's hands that would galvanize them to organize and attack. That could turn out a number of ways; it would undoubtedly put Maggie, Jesus, Sophia and Hershel on the run and could possibly crash into the Whisperers(who could be on their way back with Carl), or the Fair, or both.

There's a part of me that hopes things turn out in some way similar to this. Because I've been hoping for a "Cold War" type story arc with lots of mistrust, espionage, double and triple agents, tradecraft, all that fun stuff. It could be really interesting.

But nonetheless; I think at the end of the day as far as Negan's escape is concerned--it was nothing more than a mistake, an unfortunate accident. That's the absolute beauty of it, none of us saw that coming or considered something like that as a possibility for even one second; that's what makes it so great and an even greater plot twist in the narrative. I hope it remains that way; because if it becomes some more complex, I'll be sort of disappointed.

With that being said though; part of me feels like Negan might not immediately turn malicious at the discovery of his freedom. I mean, he was plotting escape, he had no intentions of violence, or plans for rampage or takeover. He's essentially just been "hanging out"; this and his accompanying attitude was made clear through his dialogue in this issue. It was light, humorous, he didn't seem angry, worried, or excited about anything. He even said--"I've got all the time in the world"-- it seemed like escape couldn't be farther from his mind. Not to mention; his shock seemed very genuine. I have a feeling he may be kind of stupified or confused by the open door; as if he'll just stand there for a while, unsure of how to proceed. He may even think it's a trap or a test of sorts. Some kind of trick to goad him into doing something stupid. Maybe he doesn't even leave? Maybe he just pulls the door shut and goes on with his day. Maybe when Rick returns from the coast; he comes down to check on Negan and Negan says--"Hey Rick, check this out.."-- and opens the door but does not attack. Maybe this could lead to Rick actually considering some type of parole? Who knows.

I know it sounds hokey to some people; but I really think/hope that there's a possibility for real reform with Negan. As well as a possibility for him to rejoin the community and become a productive and pivotal member of the community. I mean, he is undoubtedly an incredible asset if he has the right ideals, principles and intentions--he's an extremely smart and capable man. There's a part of me that believes that there was some genuine authenticity in his epiphany in issue #126. I mean, there have been countless instances in history where enemies have become allies; and sometimes even close friends. I mean, who knows each other more intimately than enemies? It could be the passing of this sort of "test" with the cell door, coupled with them finding a common enemy in the Whisperers, or possibly even the mutinous population of the Hilltop, could be the thing that bonds them together and causes Rick to change his mind. The enemy of my enemy if my friend. After all; we know that if Rick were to ever accept Negan in such a way he would have to prove himself through unbelievably righteous actions(e.g. the saving of lives or the defending of the safe zone)--because is no amount of words in the world that could convince Rick.