Secrets, secrets are no fun… Secrets, secrets hurt someone.
Maggie’s back! The Whisperers have been silenced! But now a new menace is terrorizing the survivors, as The Walking Dead returned with a continuation of Season 10 (affectionately labeled as 10-C) and the remnants of Rick’s Gang have gotten themselves into even more trouble…
Thankfully, The Whisperer War has finally ended. First Alpha was taken out, then Beta and eventually, the mega herd. Maggie and baby Hershel have returned with some new friends and Eugene’s hormones may have endangered more than just Alexandria. But who are The Reapers?
The third part of Season 10 wasn’t originally supposed to be. The end of The Whisperers was supposed to nicely wrap everything up. And then the global pandemic created the possibility for six more episodes to feature various character studies. I suppose that’s a good thing, although something kinda similar happened not too long ago on Fear (the Big Bad was killed half-way through the season and the second “powerful” menace was then taken out way too quickly), so I’ve got my doubts.
The white elephant in the room involves the terribly obvious tension between Negan and Maggie, and deservedly so. He previously killed her husband and raised some major hell for Rick’s Gang (and others). She wanted revenge but cooler heads prevailed and his character spent years behind bars, which is when Maggie bailed. Only recently did he escape his jail, killing Alpha and saving the others in the process. Now the two have got to somehow work through their problems.
But first, what secrets won’t Maggie spill? What is she withholding, not sharing with the others? Why can’t she reveal the source of her pain? Those secrets will probably lead to more drama until they are addressed. That leads us back to Eugene.
Being on radio patrol, he made a new friend, albeit a faceless female one. The two did their best to not reveal their actual locations while flirting, eventually breaking protocols by agreeing to meet up at a specified location. Eugene’s actions allowed his small group to make a new friend, but in true cliffhanger fashion, they’re all captured by a new well-armed group. With so many unanswered questions, how many will actually get resolved within the remaining five episodes?
Lauren Cohan’s return after a two-year hiatus and a different attitude makes her character feel like she’s all new, even though she brings a familiarity from the original crew. It feels like there’s so many ongoing plots separating the good guys that Maggie may not get the opportunity to fully introduce herself before the season ends (and it may be too late for some).
I am interested in the upcoming Maggie-Negan confrontations, although I’m afraid they’re the only ones I really care about. The ongoing symmetry between TWD and Fear is also an interesting concept, as both shows have recently featured returning characters. Hopefully, these crossover characters will bring something new and interesting to the Walking Dead Universe.
Enjoy, for The Walking Dead is back!