The forces of Alexandria, Hilltop, Kingdom, and Oceanside put an end to Beta and the Whisperer threat in “A Certain Doom” but that doesn’t mean that The Walking Dead season 10 is over. AMC has extended the season, adding six more episodes that will explore new mysteries set up in the original finale. The extra episodes will also bridge the gap between season 10 and 11, a two-year 24-episode season that will be the show’s last. So, with 30 episodes left in The Walking Dead story, what do we know about those first six? AMC has released the titles and synopses for the remaining episodes, which give us some clues as to what to expect:
Maggie’s Past Will Come into Focus
One of the biggest moments from “A Certain Doom” was the return of Maggie. After joining Georgie’s mysterious group at some point during the six-year time jump in The Walking Dead season 9, Maggie showed back up just in time to save Gabriel from a gruesome death during the final battle with the Whisperers. It was quite the entrance. The first of the extra episodes, suitably titled “Home Sweet Home,” will focus on Maggie, as she “fights an unseen and unknown threat” with Daryl, all while “her past catches up with her.” The synopsis for the episode also mentions that Negan’s “safety is at stake again.” While it’s unclear who the “unseen threat” might be, it’s safe to assume that Maggie will clash with Negan at some point in this episode. After all, Maggie did try to kill him before she left the settlements in season 9. Does she still harbor a deep hatred for the reformed villain or has she found some peace in the last few years? “Home Sweet Home” will very likely answer that question.
Each Episode Will Focus on Just a Few Characters
Since these next six episodes are being filmed in the middle of a pandemic, it should come as absolutely no surprise that each episode seems to only focus on a few characters at a time. While Maggie is the focus of “Home Sweet Home,” Daryl and Carol will take center stage in the follow-up episode “Find Me.” Gabriel and Aaron go on a supply run in “One More,” while Princess finds herself alone once again in “Splinter.” “Diverged” is another Daryl and Carol episode that seems to lead into the final episode, “Here’s Negan.” Social distancing was undoubtedly a factor when developing and writing these episodes, and it’ll be very interesting to see how showrunner Angela Kang and her writers’ room have adapted the stories to compensate for a real-world health crisis. If nothing else, the structure of these episodes should allow the show to focus in on characters of interest and tell personal stories about them. And no, you shouldn’t expect any walker hordes this time around.
Lots of Flashbacks
Speaking of personal stories, it sounds like the rest of season 10 will feature quite a few flashbacks. Not only will “Home Sweet Home” tackle Maggie’s past in some way, but Daryl will also have to reckon with his years in isolation in the aftermath of Rick’s death. We know that he spent years living in the woods with only Dog as a companion, but we don’t know much about what he got up to in that time. “Find Me” will see Daryl “relive a time that only the apocalypse could manifest.” “Here’s Negan” will also feature flashbacks to the reformed villain’s life before the apocalypse turned him into the ruthless leader of the Saviors. But we’ll get to this in a minute.
Don’t Expect to Learn Much About the Commonwealth
Covid-19 restrictions also mean that there’s not much of a chance that you’ll learn anything more about the Commonwealth, the group that captured Eugene, Princess, Yumiko, and Ezekiel at the end of “A Certain Doom.” The characters definitely won’t visit the massive walled city-state that is the post-apocalyptic home of thousands of survivors. You likely won’t even see a full platoon of those armored soldiers at any point. “Splinter” is the episode that is most likely to follow up on that big cliffhanger, but since the main focus is Princess and the synopsis reveals that all four characters have been captured and separated, it sounds like anything that happens in the present will take place in cells. Sounds like a pseudo-bottle episode to me.
Daryl and Carol Are at Odds
While “Find Me” will send Daryl and Carol on an adventure, “Diverged” sounds like the more interesting part of their arc. The episode synopsis teases that the beloved duo will “come to a fork in the road and head their separate ways. Each going into their own type of survival mode, the easiest of challenges become much harder. Will their individual journeys be the tipping point needed to mend their friendship or is the distance between them permanent?” While their potential “breakup” sounds serious, this is very likely a red herring. Daryl and Carol’s friendship has been rocky ever since Henry was decapitated and Carol set out to get revenge on Alpha, but they seemed on the mend at the end of “A Certain Doom.”
“Here’s Negan” Will Explore the Villain’s Origin Story
“Here’s Negan” really feels like the headliner of the final six episodes of season 10. The title of the episode is a reference to the standalone comic book miniseries that told Negan’s origin story. The synopsis teases that Negan “reflects on the events that led him to this point and comes to a conclusion about his future.” If this “conclusion about his future” turns out to be anything like Negan’s ending in the comics, it’s possible that this could be Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s final episode on the show — at least for the time being. One important detail about “Here’s Negan” is that it’s set to introduce us to the real Lucille, Negan’s wife who died before the events of the comic series and the show. Hilarie Burton Morgan, the One Tree Hill star who also happens to be Morgan’s wife in real life, is set to play Negan’s beloved in the episode.
