Anything can happen in the world of the Walking Dead. When the dead rise from the grave, all normal forms of logic go out the window. And because of that, we have seen kings with giant tigers, trash-dwelling survivors, and a beer-shaped hot air balloon. Yep, anything can happen in The Walking Dead and the shows that it has spun off over the years.
It's also not afraid of bringing characters back from the dead. Madison Clark returned to save spinoff Fear The Walking Dead after the show bafflingly killed her off, while Rick Grimes finally reunited with his family years after they all thought he had died on the bridge explosion (although viewers knew he was alive). And now, one of the ongoing TWD Universe spinoffs will be bringing back another beloved character "from the dead" in what looks to be one of the most unique ways yet. Furthermore, it gives the franchise a chance to right a 12-year wrong.
Beth Greene's return from the dead in Dead City gives TWD a chance to resolve a 12-year storyline
As we reported recently, new set photos from The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 have confirmed that Emily Kinney is set to reprise her TWD role as Beth Greene - a role that she hasn't played in 12 years. Kinney was spotted on set of the spinoff, alongside stars Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, filming what appears to be either a flashback or a fantasy sequence in which the world didn't go to hell, and Beth didn't die.
Now, if you've been a longtime Walking Dead viewer like me, you'll know that this is a big deal. Beth was a major part of the series from seasons 2 - 5, serving in some of the show's biggest storylines. The daughter of Hershel Greene, she went on to play a pivotal role in those early days, supporting her big sister Maggie (Cohan) through the apocalypse itself. She really came to the forefront of the show in the second half of its fourth season and the first half of its fifth - the latter of which led to her demise.
After the Governor's heinous war on the prison, Beth and Maggie were separated. The young Greene sibling ended up with Daryl Dixon, with the pair eventually finding their way to Grady Memorial Hospital - which was under the leadership of corrupt, unstable police officer Dawn Lerner. Eventually, Rick and the gang arrived to aid them, but in a final parting blow to Dawn, Beth stabbed her with scissors, triggering Dawn into accidentally shooting her in the head. As Maggie arrived at the hospital, she broke down upon seeing her sister's body in Daryl's arms.
Over a decade later, and Beth's death still results in powerful emotions from the fans, who widely consider it one of the most tragic moments in the show's 11-season run. It broke the core fandom, with many feeling that it was the wrong approach to take as Maggie had already lost so much. Regardless of that, it still stands out all these years later.
Taking all of that into account, Kinney's return to the role in Dead City is surprising to say the least. While we know that Beth will not actually be returning from the dead, the idea of seeing her again is just so exciting. Up until this point, Dead City hasn't featured any other TWD character outside of Maggie and Negan, so to see that it will be pulling from the archives for its first cameo is, again, surprising - but pleasantly so!
Maggie never got closure as she arrived at the hospital just moments after Beth had been killed; there was no goodbye, no fond farewell, nothing. And although Dead City's apparent dream sequence promises to be one of the more unique moments in the TWD Universe franchise, it does present the show with an opportunity to at least offer some kind of satisfying conclusion to this arc. It might not be "real" per se, but it could be incredibly touching.
Maggie deserves some closure after facing so much loss in her life and a reunion with her sister - dream sequence or not - could go a long way in making that happen. It's also just going to be wonderful to see Cohan and Kinney share the screen once again after all these years - giving us an idea of what Maggie and Beth's lives could have looked like in another world, timeline, or future.