By [ad_1]
The opening episode of The Walking Dead Season 11 shows Negan’s redemption arc come to a screeching halt.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 1, “Acheron: Part 1,” which aired Sunday on AMC.
Negan has turned out to be one of the more complicated villains on The Walking Dead. When he debuted in the Season 6 finale, he was about as deep as a kiddie pool. All he wanted to do was bash people’s heads in with a baseball bat while making crude jokes, but he has grown since then. In fact, he was on a redemption arc for the first two-thirds of Season 10.
With that said, Season 10’s bonus episodes changed everything for Negan. Maggie returned, and all of the redemption work that Negan had done flew out the window. Just from those few episodes, it was clear that the conflict between them was just about to heat up. Now, in Season 11 opening episode, it’s clear that there has been no love lost between the two of them.
“Acheron: Part 1” features Maggie and a group of fighters on the road to Meridian — Maggie’s former settlement — to retake it from the Reapers. A bad storm hits, forcing the group into a subway tunnel, and that’s when the trouble starts. The whole time, everyone treats Negan poorly. He’s ignored and insulted constantly. So, when they run into trouble, he has a bit of an “I told you so” moment with Maggie. He tells her that she was being reckless and that they should never have gone underground.
He doesn’t stop there, though, because he also insults Glenn to Maggie’s face. Later on, he has the chance to save Maggie from some walkers but chooses not to help. This seems like a total reversal of Negan’s current character. He spent all of Season 10 trying to make good for his horrid past and was making progress. So, why do a snap-turn back to his old ways in this episode?
To understand Negan’s current mindset, fans have to remember his storied past. When he lost the war, he ended up spending a few seasons in jail because Rick slit his throat. Eventually, he made his way out of the cell and was crucial in defeating the Whisperers. After all, he killed Alpha. Unfortunately for him, though, Maggie wasn’t around for all of that, and she didn’t see his growth. So, when she showed back up, she was rude and spiteful (and with good reason). Since she gave him the cold shoulder, everyone else has done the same thing. By “Acheron: Part 1,” it’s clear that Negan was kind of fed up with the whole thing.
Negan was getting close to losing the villain label before his outburst in the Season 11 premiere, but honestly, it was warranted. He has worked hard for his redemption arc. Now, Maggie is testing his limits. At this point, his ambitions are kind of confused. He just wanted to be part of the group, but that seems like less and less of an option since Maggie hates him. So, at this point, Negan probably doesn’t know what he wants anymore because he’s tried so hard to make good, and Maggie has neglected all of his progress. The question going forward is whether Negan will continue his drive toward redemption by finding a way to make peace with Maggie or whether he will embrace his villainous ways again.
New episodes of The Walking Dead’s eleventh and final season air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and is available to stream early on AMC+.
About The Author
[ad_2]
