The Walking Dead: Top 100 Moments

71. Hershel Gives Glenn his Heirloom Pocket Watch

Episode 211 “Judge, Jury, Executioner”

Original Airdate: 3/4/2012

Submitted By: Sonya Iryna

Looking back now this scene is even more poignant because both Glenn and Hershel are gone. But Maggie still has the watch and the watch has come to symbolize not just Glenn and Hershel but the spirit of humanity within the group. It’s so much more than a legacy.

In this scene the survivors are trying to recover from the slaughter of the walkers in the barn. And they’re trying to decide whether or not to kill Randall. Hershel and Glenn share a simple moment where Hershel tells Glenn, “If you become a father someday you’ll understand. No man is good enough for your little girl. Until one is.”

Hershel’s acceptance of Glenn and Maggie’s relationship showed how much he had changed after the incident at the barn. When Rick and the other survivors ended up at the farm Hershel was confident that a cure would be found for whatever had caused the outbreak. He was confident that he could keep his family and his farm going until that point.

But after the events at the barn unfolded he had to accept that the world wasn’t at all the way he thought it was. And as he came to accept that he realized that Glenn would be someone Maggie could depend on. Someone who would take care of her and protect her. So he gave Glenn his blessing to be with Maggie and embraced him as a son by giving him the watch.

Glenn and Maggie may not have actually gotten married until season 3, but really the relationship went canon when Hershel gave Glenn the watch. Even though it’s bittersweet to watch that scene now it’s a powerful reminder of how the survivors that have fallen over the seasons still have a powerful influence on the show and the remaining survivors.