THE WALKING DEAD Returns With a Satisfying Extended Season 10 Opener

Noetta Harjo

Maggie returns to the family in The Walking Dead extended season 10 return

The Walking Dead returns with six new episodes for season 10. This is the first time the series is offering additional episodes to their traditional 16 episode seasons. And the first episode picks up right where episode 16 left off.

Let’s back up a little. Team Family defeated the Whisperer leader Beta (Ryan Hurst). It was actually a team effort between Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) that took down Half Moon, Beta’s stage name. Maggie (Lauren Cohan) returned just in time to save Father Gabriel’s (Seth Gilliam) life. She had some help from a knife-wielding, masked man, who we now know is named Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari). Virgil (Kevin Carroll) returned to an empty Oceanside and found Connie (Lauren Ridloff)! And elsewhere, Eugene (Josh McDermitt) led his group to his rendezvous point with Stephanie only to be held at gunpoint by storm-super-troopers. 

HOME SWEET HOME

TWD has used the anthology style of storytelling before. It’s an opportunity to focus on one or a few characters to move a storyline forward or to tell a backstory. The anthology-style definitely works here. As much as I want to see what happened to Eugene and his group, I’m also very interested to see how the community reacts to Maggie’s return; especially Negan. Instead of switching back and forth between stories, we get a full story of Maggie’s return in “Home Sweet Home.”

“Home Sweet Home” is the 17th episode in season 10. We jump right into answering questions about Maggie’s return. Where has she been? Who has she been living/traveling with? And why did she finally decide to come home? What does Maggie’s return mean for Team Family? With Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) gone, will Maggie step into a leadership role again? There are a lot of questions to be answered. And we finally, get to meet Hershel Rhee (Kien Michael Spiller). The last time we saw Hershel he was just a baby. 

Negan faces Maggie again on The Walking Dead.
Lauren Cohan as Maggie, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 10 – Photo Credit: Eli Ade/AMC

Maggie’s return means a showdown with Negan. Will Maggie accept Negan is a free man? Or does she still harbor ill will towards the man who killed her husband Glenn (Steven Yeun)? Does Negan feel remorse for killing Glenn? Is there anything he can do or say to make things better with Maggie? Probably not. Maggie is a big believer that if you do something wrong, you have to pay for it. And for a while, Maggie thought Negan should pay with his life. In the trailer, she tells Daryl that Hershel asked about the man who killed his father? Did he get what he deserved? No, he didn’t. And that’s something Maggie will have to address with Hershel when … IF he meets Negan.

RELATED: Catch Up on All Things The Walking Dead Before the Season 10 Return

FAMILIAR FEELING

TWD fans will enjoy this return. If the other five episodes are anything like 1017, then we are in for a ride. This episode not only answers many questions, but it’s also intense. The Walking Dead doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to action and compelling story arcs. It’s a return to the days when safety was uncertain and the group worked together to keep each other safe. Of course, there are always new threats to Team Family. But Maggie’s return reminds us that the family survives with they are all together. 

It’s wonderful seeing Cohan back on TWD. There were few strong female characters left after Michonne left. It’s great to see a strong female lead return. Not that Daryl isn’t doing a good job leading the group, but he likes to take off and be alone a lot. The community needs someone who will stay put within the community and be available when trouble arises. Maggie is a proven leader and will do what’s best for the community, especially now that Hershel is home. Two thumbs up!

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on Sunday, February 28.

 

 

Noetta Harjo
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