The Walking Dead's Lauren Cohan wants the show to end with a time jump. The post-apocalyptic horror series follows various protagonists as they navigate a world overrun by zombies. Since The Walking Dead's debut in 2010, the franchise has both thrilled and horrified fans; its sustained popularity has led to over 140 episodes, as well as multiple zombie-filled spin-offs.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and delays surrounding post-production, AMC was forced to move The Walking Dead's season 10 finale from April to October. In addition, season 10 will have an extra six episodes, which will follow the aftermath of the original finale, entitled "A Certain Doom." Even though this means season 11 won't air for quite some time, the additional season 10 episodes will help wrap up multiple loose ends, as well as potentially explore Maggie Rhee's return.
In an interview with NME, Cohan, who plays Maggie, reveals that she would love The Walking Dead to conclude with a "40-year time jump." Cohan describes her ideal final scene for Maggie, stating that she would love a close-up of "elderly hands," before a shot zooming out shows a wizened Maggie and the world she lives in. You can see Cohan's full quote about her dream ending for her character below:
“It would be really, really fun if we got to do a 40-year time jump. You sort of peel back and start on a close-up of some very elderly hands and it takes a minute to figure out whose they are. Once you realise whose [hands] they are, where they are and where the world is now and what that means and who’s with her… maybe it’s her final days. Maybe she doesn’t die by a zombie? That’s an idea.”
Maggie's return is arguably one of the biggest reasons why fans are excited for the rest of season 10. Maggie left the show in season 9 to join Georgie in her mysterious settlement. Yet in a preview for "A Certain Doom," Maggie is shown reading a letter from Carol, who writes about the dire straits that her friends are in. As a result, this prompts Maggie to action, where it's revealed in the episode that she swoops in to save Gabe from a horrific end in the Whisperer War. For many viewers, Maggie's return is a sigh of relief, especially considering the clunky, heavy-handed way she was written off. While it's unclear how large of a role Maggie will play in the remaining episodes of season 10, her presence alone is enough to hype up fans.
That being said, Maggie Rhee wasn't written out of The Walking Dead on a whim. Instead, pay disputes between Cohan and producers, as well as Cohan's role on ABC show Whiskey Cavalier, likely played a part in her exit too. Still, with payment issues supposedly resolved and Whiskey Cavalier canceled after just 13 episodes, it appears Cohan decided to return to her second home of The Walking Dead. While it remains to be seen if Cohan will get her desired ending of a massive time jump, it's fair to assume that fans are more than happy seeing Maggie back in action in the present day.
Source: NME