WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 1, “Acheron: Part 1,” which aired Sunday on AMC.
The Walking Dead Season 11 premiere picks up with the group dealing with the aftermath of the Whisperer War and Alexandria’s destruction. Without enough food, Maggie and others set out in search of supplies. However, on the way, Maggie and Negan — the group’s designated guide — butt heads once again as Maggie struggles to contain her hatred of the former Savior leader, setting her up to follow a rocky path similar to Carol in Season 10.
Most of TWD Season 10 spotlighted Carol’s revenge mission against Alpha for killing her adoptive son Henry in late Season 9. Driven by grief and anger, Carol’s reckless pursuit of Alpha put the group in danger more than once and even resulted in a cave-in that seemingly killed Connie, even though the audience knows she’s still alive. Carol’s preoccupation with vengeance also caused her to abuse stimulants to keep herself awake, further clouding her judgment. Despite Daryl’s frequent warnings to let things play out, Carol, unfortunately, had to learn things the hard way. As a result, Carol fractured a few important relationships, specifically with her long-time best friend, Daryl.
Now, in Season 11, Carol’s overcome the majority of her past misdoings regarding the Alpha situation. However, the premiere episode, “Acheron: Part 1,” sets Maggie up to follow Carol’s misguided footsteps with Negan. Negan and Maggie’s first encounter ended in tragedy. In one of the most shocking episodes in TWD history, Negan brutally killed Maggie’s husband Glenn and Abraham as “retribution” for Rick’s disobedience. Unsurprisingly, Maggie never forgave Negan for Glenn’s needless death.
With Negan allowed to ride out his punishment imprisoned in Alexandria, Maggie moved to Hilltop. However, even that wasn’t enough distance, and Season 9 saw Maggie depart with Georgie. Not only did she miss Negan’s vast character arc from villain to unlikely hero, but she also failed to witness the pain Carol’s dangerous hunt for Alpha put the group through. As such, when she returns in Season 10, Maggie’s struck by a fresh hatred for Negan, now free and roaming about Alexandria.
For a moment, it seems Maggie trumps her contempt for Negan by having him accompany them as their guide back to Meridian (Maggie’s former settlement). However, it’s not long into the mission that tempers boil over, and Negan accuses Maggie of bringing him along to kill him. While Maggie confirms killing him is always on her mind, she plans to show restraint unless he “keeps pushing her.” Before their confrontation, Negan made some solid observations and expressed concern about flooding in the tunnel and a mass grave of bagged walkers. When his warnings fell on deaf ears, he accused Maggie of being the Pied Piper leading them on a deathmatch.
While the comment sparked Maggie and Negan’s disagreement in the first place, he isn’t necessarily wrong. Maggie’s refusal to listen to Negan because of her hatred prevents her from seeing the bigger picture and the danger in which she’s put the group. While Season 11’s trailer teased a possible team-up between the two, it doesn’t seem to be on the horizon anytime soon, especially with Negan failing to save Maggie in the premiere’s cliffhanger ending. That said, Negan’s presence will likely continue to distract Maggie for as long as he’s alive. However, hopefully, it won’t send her own a Carol-inspired revenge plot for the group’s sake.
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