The Walking Dead Season 11 Preview
The Walking Dead returns on August 22 for its 11th and final season. Subscribers to AMC+ will have a chance to view the Season 11 premiere one week early on August 15th and until those dates arrive the speculation surrounding the highly anticipated and expanded 24-episode season will be intense.
Season 10 ended on a high note with perhaps the best episode in the series’ storied run with Here’s Negan. That brilliant episode not only humanized Negan but sets things up for his showdown with Maggie who seeks revenge for Glenn’s death. Six years have passed since Maggie left Alexandria but her hatred for Negan is no secret especially if you can recall the death stares, she sent his way upon her return to Alexandria. How their dynamic plays out will no doubt propel a great deal of the narrative in Season 11 and it should be interesting to see how things play out.
After viewing the first two episodes early courtesy of AMC it is safe to say that Season 11 will please fans by delivering tense, moody episodes filled with great characterization, some humor, new characters and some old faves from the comic books.
The Commonwealth gets some more of the spotlight this season with Mercer, portrayed by Michael James Shaw (Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame) playing a prominent role. Fans of the comics know Mercer as the co-leader of the Commonwealth Army, complete with his trademark orange armor. In the comics Mercer is a no-nonsense individual and ally of Rick Grimes who eventually strikes up a relationship with Princess. Since the TV show and the comics have taken different paths, it will be interesting to see how this version of the character is handled.
The Reapers, the mysterious group that were introduced last season, will be the big bads for Season 11. Not much is known about this group and since they haven’t appeared in the comics they remain a mystery. What we do know however is that they are formidable and dangerous enough to cause Maggie and her people to flee and go back to Alexandria. The encounter Daryl and Maggie had with one of them in Season 10’s Home Sweet Home came to an explosive end but not before their attacker whispered that they’d been marked by Pope.
It will be a long goodbye over the next 24 episodes and there’s a lot of ground to cover before we reach the end. Although any tension surrounding Carol and Daryl’s fate has been squashed somewhat since they are moving onto their own series following the conclusion of Season 11 the same can’t be said for everyone else. The Reapers are formidable and there will be a cost to taking them down. All the elements are in place for this final run to be a successful one and so far, The Walking Dead the season is off to a strong start.
The Walking Dead Season 11 debuts August 22 at 9 PM EST on AMC.
