Aaron has been a fan-favorite character for a while now on The Walking Dead. What are his top 5 moments that stand out from season 10?
Aaron, played by the talented Ross Marquand, has had a big presence on The Walking Dead since his introduction in season 5. Originally portrayed as one of the most consistently kind characters on the show, season 10 represented a big turn for Aaron, which resulted in some noteworthy moments throughout the season.
As someone who has been around for over five seasons now, Aaron has watched countless loved ones die over the years. In the Whisperer conflict alone, Aaron saw some of his closest friends, including Jesus and Enid, fall at the hands of Alpha’s evil group. This finally pushed Aaron over the edge, and his status as the resident nice guy of the group was definitely in question in season 10.
That is not to say that Aaron completely lost what made him so lovable. As much as he hates the Whisperers, the same guy who cares for his friends and family remains, even if it is hard to see at times during season 10.
Let’s take a look at some of the moments that played a big part in Aaron’s dynamic arc throughout season 10!
No more Mr. Nice Guy
Since we were first introduced to Aaron, he has been known as the quintessential nice guy, always trying to make everyone happy.
In the first episode of season 10, Aaron spends time with Michonne, contemplating the state of things after the pike massacre at the hand of the Whisperers. During the conversation, he says the following:
"“I’ve been keeping my cool my whole life. I’ve always been the nice guy. The Good Samaritan. The thing is, Eric is dead. Jesus is dead. And I’m goddamn sick of being nice.”"
Like he says in the quote, Aaron has always been known as the optimistic guy who gave everyone a chance. After all that he had lost, something finally broke in Aaron, and he is done trying to be kind to everyone. He hates the Whisperers and will make sure that every last one of them pays for what they did to his friends. This moment sets up the trajectory for Aaron’s season 10 journey, where he grapples with his humanity when it comes to getting revenge against Alpha and the Whisperers.
A caring father
While Aaron has lost a whole lot of people in his time on the show, one of the few loved ones he still has left is his adopted daughter, Gracie.
In the midseason finale of season 10, there is a small scene in which Aaron plays a game with Gracie; she has to tell Aaron the capital of the state on the license plate that he points to in exchange for a story from her adopted father. Longtime fans will remember Aaron’s license plate collection from earlier seasons, as it was something he shared with his former partner, Eric. This gave us both a glimpse into Aaron’s past before the apocalypse and a look at the wholesome father-daughter relationship that Aaron and Gracie share.
Having just lost Siddiq and seen Lydia driven away by Carol’s antics, this was a refreshing scene that added a small amount of light in the darkness of the Whisperer War. The moment proved to us that while Aaron has changed his mindset significantly, deep down he is still the caring, loving man that fans came to adore in the first place.
A narrow escape
In one of the tensest episodes of season 10, “Squeeze” saw Aaron as one of the survivors who found themselves trapped in a cave full of thousands of walkers from the Whisperer horde.
Throughout the episode, Aaron remained one of the cool heads of the group, reminding the others that there is no time to blame each other for how they got into the situation, but that they should instead focus on trying to get everyone out safely first.
Aaron is understandably devastated when he realizes that Connie and Magna were trapped in the cave after it collapses, however. Even as he cries in sadness, he is able to maintain his composure when Kelly reminds them that they need to leave if they want to have a chance to save their friends. That isn’t to say that he was completely okay with what happened, as him walking right past a sobbing Carol shows that he applied at least some of the blame to her.
It is clear that Aaron’s kind heart makes him feel guilty for surviving when it seems like two of his friends did not. The group was investigating the area based on information he managed to get out of Gamma, so even though he is not responsible for what happened, he bears the weight of the outcome on his shoulders.
Confronting the past
Aaron hates Negan just as much, if not more, than the Whisperers.
Suffice to say, when Gabriel assigned Negan to fight alongside Aaron in the militia, Aaron was far from pleased. War with Negan’s Saviors led to the death of his former boyfriend Eric, among many other people he cared about. Throughout the episode, Aaron refused to just accept Negan’s help as an act of kindness, constantly looking behind his back to make sure that Negan wasn’t going to do something to hurt him.
The two get into a war of words about what happened in the past, with both making jabs at the other about losing their loved ones. When Aaron is temporarily blinded by plants in the area when fighting off walkers, Negan watches over him until his eyesight returns. This didn’t make Aaron trust Negan any more than before, however, as the two continued to be at odds for the rest of the season.
Aaron refused to bow down to Negan and act like everything is forgiven. Negan did some really horrible things in the past that hurt both Aaron and the people he cares about, so props to Aaron for sticking by his beliefs and not backing down after Negan does one nice thing.
Episode 12 of season 10 shows us that his hatred for Negan is still present when he runs into him following the Battle for Hilltop. This tension will likely continue into the season finale and season 11.
Working with the enemy
Having fought the Saviors during All Out War and surviving the apocalypse for quite a few years at this point, Aaron knows how to navigate conflict.
We see this on display in what is likely the biggest part of Aaron’s arc – using Gamma to get information on the Whisperers. To do this, Aaron relied on his kindness and charisma, two of his most redeeming qualities. By engaging in multiple conversations with the Whisperer and showing his humanity, Aaron managed to slowly convince Gamma to join the survivors. While he had every reason to just take out Gamma on the spot, Aaron instead offered her medical supplies and showed her that the Whisperer way of life is not the only way in the apocalyptic world.
We know that Aaron was furious with the Whisperers for killing many people that he cared deeply about. The fact that he was still able to remain calm and try to convince Gamma to give the communities intel on the Whisperers shows that he has a keen mind for strategy and how to be a leader.
Aaron’s interactions with Gamma also helped save Aaron in some ways. While he was spiraling out of control with his anger earlier in the season, being able to see a Whisperer as human and convincing her to recognize the faults in her group’s logic reminded Aaron that violence is not the only way to achieve your goals, even in the apocalypse.
Aaron wound up trying to convince the people at Hilltop to let Gamma see her nephew Adam, despite knowing that she didn’t save him when the Whisperers first showed up to get Lydia back. This forgiveness is a key reminder of the kindness and heart at the core of Aaron’s character.
What was your favorite Aaron moment in season 10? Let us know by leaving a comment or tweeting @labrosse_joe!