Why Walking Deads Bonus Episodes Began & Ended With Negan & Maggie

The Walking Dead season 10's bonus episodes started and ended with tension-filled scenes featuring Negan and Maggie, hinting at a season 11 subplot.

The Walking Dead season 10 bonus episodes purposely started and ended with tense confrontations between Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). Both core figures played pivotal roles in what was originally meant to be the season 10 finale, "A Certain Doom." Whereas Carol (Melissa McBride) enlisted Negan to infiltrate the Whisperers to take them down from the inside, Maggie arrived to help her former community in the midst of a full-blown assault. Now back in Alexandria with her son and surviving group members, Maggie will need to come to terms with the fact that Negan has been released.

With the news of Cohan's return, there was an anticipation in seeing how Maggie would react to the revelation that Negan walks freely among the community. Though he will never reach full redemption, he seems to be accepted by the majority for his efforts in helping Alexandria. One of the primary reasons Maggie left Hilltop was because she couldn't live in Alexandria's proximity knowing Negan was being kept alive by her allies. It's safe to say Maggie will never get over the fact Negan murdered Glenn (Steven Yeun), the love of her life and father of her child. The conflict between the two will surely be a major focus throughout the rest of The Walking Dead unless one or both characters are killed.

"A Certain Doom" bypassed the inevitable reunion between Negan and Maggie following the defeat of the Whisperers. However, the moment was used to begin the first of six bonus episodes to round out The Walking Dead season 10. "Home Sweet Home," which served as a Maggie-centric episode, saw Negan approach Maggie, explaining that he had been released. Rather than presenting a rage-fueled emotion from Maggie, the character walked away, putting a swift end to the encounter. When the sixth bonus episodes came around, it was Negan's turned to serve as the focus. "Here's Negan" provided insight into his past, but the episode also ended with Negan embracing his place as an Alexandria resident as Maggie looked at him with disdain. Though it wasn't a face-to-face encounter, the move to end the bonus episodes with the two characters who launched the extra installments was a calculated move.

At the start of "Here's Negan," Negan stated, "some things can't be forgotten." Glenn's brutal death and the terror Negan and the Saviors brought upon Maggie's group can never be forgiven in Maggie's eyes. Despite the good he's done after being released as a prisoner, the conflict between Negan and Maggie will continue being a crux for The Walking Dead. Sure, the Commonwealth storyline will be a big pull in season 11, but the tension between these characters will serve as a major focal point. Seeing as they're now living in the same community, the outcome of Maggie's hatred of Negan is set to be a big draw for the show's final season.

Leaving Hilltop didn't fully work out as planned, so it's unlikely Maggie will seek refuge elsewhere yet again. Negan is also set on calling Alexandria his home, but it could very well lead to his death at the hands of Maggie. The Walking Dead season 10's bonus episodes tied up Negan and Maggie's initial encounters thematically, but there's still plenty more to come with the two figures. Maggie will either need to learn to live in harmony with the man who killed Glenn and others, or she will need to solve the problem by eliminating the source.