So, what was the point of Georgie in The Walking Dead? Rick Grimes and friends were still in the midst of "All Out War" in The Walking Dead season 8, but finally caught a break when Maggie and Michonne encountered Jayne Atkinson's Georgie. A politically astute and fair-minded leader, Georgie hailed from a community seeking friendly trade, and she saw great potential in Hilltop/Alexandria. Using Georgie's instruction manual, both communities were able to become self-sufficient havens during The Walking Dead's season 9 time skip. The mysterious do-gooder promised to keep in touch, and Maggie even joined Georgie's community when Lauren Cohan (Maggie actress) took a Walking Dead vacation.
As soon as Georgie appeared in The Walking Dead, viewers drew comparisons to the Commonwealth's Pamela Milton, who had already made her comic book bow by this point. Close physical resemblance aside, the characterization of Georgie and Pamela felt eerily similar, and some theorized The Walking Dead was foreshadowing the Commonwealth before it became a sprawling powerhouse (and Pamela before she became a corrupt leader). We now know those theories were wide of the mark, with Laila Robins making her official Pamela Milton debut in The Walking Dead season 11.
When Georgie first appeared in The Walking Dead, she carried the aura of an important character, and Maggie's constant references speak to her narrative significance. But Jayne Atkinson only played Georgie in a single episode, after which The Walking Dead abandoned the character entirely, strictly limiting her to an off-screen presence. The introduction of Georgie looks especially odd now that Maggie and Pamela Milton have finally had their first encounter in The Walking Dead. Here we have an older, more experienced politician the same age and gender as Georgie, sharing broadly the same physical appearance. She's offering Maggie the benefit of her wisdom, preaching Hilltop's vast potential while offering something better, and vying for friendship - all of which we saw previously with Georgie. The Walking Dead season 11's Maggie-Milton meeting begs the obvious question - why create a character who's Pamela Milton in all but name... only to not make her Pamela Milton?
Some might argue Georgie's purpose was merely handing over her "key to the future" pamphlet to explain how Alexandria and Hilltop advance so far during the time skip. But the comics survived without such a mechanic, and audiences probably would've accepted windmills and irrigation popping up without a magic woman handing over her apocalyptic cheat sheets. Perhaps Georgie was intended as a stepping stone in Maggie's political development... but then didn't Deanna Monroe fulfill that purpose?
Maybe Georgie was initially intended as The Walking Dead's live-action Pamela Milton, but plans changed in favor of the real deal. Perhaps there were unavoidable behind-the-scenes circumstances that meant Jayne Atkinson wasn't available, rendering any criticism of Georgie's absence invalid. Assuming the decision is purely creative, however, it's a shame to see a character harboring such great untapped potential go to waste. Atkinson immediately drew intrigue as Georgie, and the actress has proved her dramatic chops in countless TV shows, movies and theater productions. Her character felt integral to The Walking Dead's future (if she wasn't, why does Maggie keep dropping her name), and Georgie has become something of an elephant in the room since season 8.
Is Georgie's absence all part of a grander plan? The Walking Dead has implied (albeit not stated outright) that Georgie is still alive, and was last seen approaching a community to the west. Maybe Georgie - along with whichever group she's currently rolling with - has a role to play in The Walking Dead's forthcoming CRM business, or even the current Commonwealth arc as backup to Maggie, riding in like Gandalf at the Battle of Helm's Deep. The blatant parallels to Pamela Milton would still be strange, but if Jayne Atkinson's Georgie returned to The Walking Dead someday, her one-off credit might not have been for naught.
The Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC.