'The Walking Dead' season 7 episode 3 spoilers: Is Dwight gearing up to take Daryl's place?

After the brief break from the gruesome truths of the post-apocalyptic world provided by the mirage that is The Kingdom, the upcoming third episode of "The Walking Dead' picks up on one of the loose threads left by the devastating season 7 premiere: what is to become of Daryl (Norman Reedus)?

The fan favorite character's fate will be hanging in the balance as this season's big bad, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), attempts to recruit him to the Saviors. Dwight (Austin Amelio) is assigned the task of breaking one of Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) closest allies and make him pledge allegiance to Negan instead.

But while Daryl does not seem to be fighting back, he is also not saying much. In a phone interview with TV Guide, actor Reedus shed light on Daryl's motivation, or lack thereof, in the episode titled "The Cell."

"He thinks he deserves to be there," Reedus said, "and whatever is going to happen to him, he's just going to let it happen." He further shared that Daryl has already lost all will to fight back now that the optimistic member of their crew was gone.

Will this guilt-ridden trip over having indirectly caused Glenn's (Steven Yeun) death ultimately lead to Daryl's own demise?

On the other side of next week's narrative is Negan's right-hand man Dwight, who seems to have inherited all of Daryl's trademark stuff: the motorcycle, the crossbow and the winged vest. Is the show building him up to be an eventual replacement for Daryl, or is he feeling some kind of connection with his captive that could ultimately lead him to flip sides the same way he did in the comics?

Amelio told TV Guide that he did not view Dwight as a villain, but rather as a guy who has a backstory that's yet to unfold and reveal other layers of his mysterious personality.

"He's a little misunderstood," Amelio said.

In an official sneak peek for the upcoming episode, Dwight can be seen with an expression on his face that is almost akin to concern as he looks at a particular walker trying to free himself from being impaled. What could Dwight's real motivations be? Is he really bad news, or is Negan holding something over him to keep him in line?

Meanwhile, the fourth episode of "The Walking Dead" will reportedly be 85 minutes long and will feature a "sobering visit" to Rick's crew in Alexandria. Could this be referring to a visit from Negan coming to collect his tithes? Or will this be a fallout of whatever is going to happen in episode 3?

The next episode of "The Walking Dead" airs on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 9 p.m. EDT on AMC.