The Walking Dead: Was Negan’s intuition correct?

Season 11 of The Walking Dead has begun, and what a start it was! We were taken into the walls of the Commonwealth as we saw them begin their intense interrogation process. We also heard the first words of the badass Mercer (Michael James Shaw) as he told Ezekiel (Khary Payton) he was “in charge.”. But this was not all that graced the screens of fans during episode 1.

We followed the journey of some of our favorite Alexandrians and the new group, The Wardens. After a small meeting discussing who was going on the scavenge, the mood quickly changed to a dark storm. Storms always reflect an eerie setting and suspenseful events, and in The Walking Dead, this is no exception.

In particular, fans were talking about the tension between Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). They wound up having to take shelter from the storm with their group and walk underground to Meridian. What a way for their arc to continue. But throughout the episode, Negan was voicing his safety concerns, but did he have a point?

The Walking Dead, Negan’s words of caution

The group needs to look for supplies, and they have gone through a lot to get them previously. This time felt different as there were many great fighters from across the communities who were plunged into the dark depths of the metro.

We saw Carol, Aaron and Rosita decide to stay within the walls of Alexandria before their comrades left, as they had their own worries about how dangerous this task is. They weren’t willing to step right into danger. If Negan would have initially known they would be entering the subway filled with walkers, I am sure he wouldn’t have wanted to go either and would have put up more of a fight against it. As he said, he was really only there to be a map and navigate the way around the city.

Negan clearly looked uncomfortable in the subway, and he really tried to warn everyone about the issues it could cause. It’s not ideal to be on your search for food and then come across a huge number of walkers in body bags in a subway tunnel marked with flood lines. Plus, the spooky sound of those pipes expanding really didn’t help the situation – just when you thought it couldn’t get scarier! It is clear why he had doubts as it wasn’t just dangerous for him, but the whole group.

Negan began by warning Maggie (who was leading the search) that whoever put those body bags down there would still be and could attack or even kill them at any point. He knew from the appearance of how things were left they were fresh, despite Maggie thinking they could have been from the fall. After numerous attempts at telling her this wasn’t safe and that he wasn’t the only one, his fair points were broken with a horrific comment about Glenn – low blow Negan, you were making sense!

We did see a minor redemption from Negan as he did save Gage’s skin as a walker attacked him. And the group didn’t even fully recognize his care for Gage, as they still feel he is emotionally distanced from everyone around and doesn’t truly care about anyone but himself. After a few remarks from Daryl, Alden, Maggie and, well, pretty much everyone else (apart from Roy and Gage), Negan did walk in silence for a moment before speaking up again on why this whole plan was a bad idea. I think it’s a difficult position as they are all scared, but as Daryl pointed out, upon leaving to go on the scavenge, if they don’t go, people will starve anyway, and they have no choice.

But in the final moments of the premiere episode, the topic of whether turning back or moving forward is best was very prominent; then fans were given a big shocking twist and left asking ‘Why?’ during the closing scene. As a herd approaches, the group runs for safety inside the trains and on top of them. Negan manages to climb up to the top of the carriage and is followed by Maggie, who wants to get to safety. But this doesn’t go fully to plan as she finds herself clinging on for her life, struggling to pull herself up, and pleading with Negan for help as the walkers approach her, and he just looks down at her. In the end, he leaves her, and she appears to fall.

This was a bad move from Negan, he is on a slippery slope with Maggie, and this is undoubtedly not going to go down well with her. Maggie may also feel that she knows Negan is correct with his bad vibe about what could happen but never wants to voice her agreement. On the other hand, it can be argued she does want him dead, and if the roles were reversed, would she have saved Negan? Strangely, I think maybe she might have after deliberation.

But was Negan’s intuition correct? I think so. We saw Dog run into danger. Clearly, those walkers were not there since the fall, and they all nearly got overrun by the large volume of the undead who were roaming the tunnels. It was a really dangerous move that could now have Maggie in serious trouble and everyone else in extreme danger. Plus, being in a flood area during a storm, I think that speaks for itself. If Negan wasn’t the bad guy he was in the past, I am sure the group would have been more lenient to turning back and waiting for the storm to pass, as he called all of what happened.

Questions also surround the reasoning as to why he didn’t help Maggie. Does he have the feeling that she wouldn’t have done the same if the roles were reversed, is it a higher plan and he will save her, or is it simply that without Maggie (who wouldn’t care too much if he was dead), he could turn away from whatever hell the rest of the tunnel holds and walk back home to Alexandria? Thankfully we will find out soon.

Negan is intelligent, and whether you love him or hate him, he held a very valid argument in this instance. Risking a lot of people could end very badly and especially at night. With human threats also on the table, no one is safe. Although Maggie just wants to help people and her heart is in the right place, sometimes this can be a little too risky. After all, we just want everyone back home safe and sound with a bag full of Big Cats!

One thing is for sure, this was an epic start to the season, and if there are going to be twists and turns like this across the other 23 episodes, then we are in for a wild ride full of cliff-hangers… maybe even more literal ones! How will Maggie react to Negan walking away? Probably with a few strong words, glares and maybe a few punches thrown. But I am sure what lies ahead will be very thrilling!

The Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC. Mondays for UK Viewers on Star with Disney Plus.