The first half of The Walking Dead season 7 has drawn to a close with a chaotic midseason finale which - as expected - was something of a bloodbath.
'Hearts Still Beating' caught up with all the characters across varying locations including Carol (Melissa McBride) and Morgan (Lennie James) at the Kingdom as well as Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) at the Hilltop Colony.
Of course, while the episode's main events took place at Alexandria - where Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) continued to make his mark - earlier scenes saw Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Aaron (Ross Marquand) make their way across walker-infested waters to reach an island while out on a scavenging hunt for the Saviours.
As they were leaving, however, an ominous shot saw an unknown figure watching them from afar, the camera only opting to show the unseen person's patterned boots.
This character returned in a chilling post-credits scene which saw them just outside the walls of Alexandria having presumably followed Rick and Aaron back. Again, we don't see the character's face - instead, we see them holding binoculars up to their face, observing Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) on his night watch from afar before disappearing into the woods.
So, who could this be?
The common thought that immediately sprung to fans' minds is a member of a group known as the Whisperers. A prevalent force in the comic book series, writer Robert Kirkman has teased their eventual appearance although introducing them while the Saviours' storyline is in full swing would be an unexpected move.
Other fans are guessing it could be Dwight (Austin Amelio) or Simon (Steven Ogg), Negan's aides who were absent from the finale; while it seems the latter is loyal to his leader, Dwight has been showcasing some subtle hints of rebellion over the preceding seven episodes - with Negan absent from the Sanctuary, perhaps Dwight's working out a plan of action surrounding his possible betrayal.
A more out-there shout is Cyndie (Sydney Park), the member of Oceanside that set Tara (Alanna Masterson) free in episode six. It would make sense for her character to want to chase her up to see if her group posed any kind of threat. With the all-out-war story strand now in motion, it could be a move to present the community as another force to assist in overcoming Negan.
Other outside bets include Heath, the character whose fate was left open-ended following actor Corey Hawkins' appointment in upcoming series 24: Legacy, or even Carol who may be on some rogue mission of her own (the character's get-up has a striking resemblance to the outfit she wore while slaying Wolves in Alexandria).
This being The Walking Dead, we probably won't find out until at least the end of this season which will return to television screens in February; these were the episode's five major talking points which lists the characters that didn't make it out alive.
The midseason finale airs in the UK on FOX, Monday at 9pm.
