The setup for Maggie and Negan's The Walking Dead spinoff series has begun. Anyone who thought The Walking Dead ending would mean no more zombie apocalypse madness is rapidly being proven wrong by AMC. Among the veritable horde of announced projects includes a movie starring Rick Grimes, an anthology called Tales of The Walking Dead, and a spinoff starring Daryl and Carol from the main cast. AMC's latest addition is Isle of the Dead, which sees Lauren Cohan's Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan trek up to Manhattan, New York... for reasons no one can quite figure out.
Isle of the Dead's curious premise poses many a question. Why do the survivors visit Manhattan in the first place if the borough has already fallen to undead? And even if there is a good reason, why specifically are Maggie and Negan - who aren't exactly best pals, lest we forget - making this journey together? Presently in The Walking Dead season 11, Maggie is back leading Hilltop and rejecting the Commonwealth's advances, while Negan split off from the main gang several episodes (several months in-universe) prior to "Warlords," which reintroduces the former Savior leader into The Walking Dead's narrative.
Firstly, The Walking Dead facilitates Isle of the Dead by integrating Negan back with the main cast. When Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character struck out alone following the Reaper incident, the split looked pretty permanent. Negan's future could've quite easily branched off into a new direction away from Maggie and Alexandria, which would've mirrored the comic books. Just like Michael Corleone, however, every time Negan walks away, The Walking Dead pulls him right back in. Hilltop and Alexandria now have an uneasy alliance with Negan's new community - a first step toward the trip to New York. Second - and more importantly - Negan is joining Maggie against the Commonwealth. Thus far, Maggie has struggled convincing others that Pamela Milton's mob are bad news, and even her own Hilltop-ians are flying the nest seeking old-world comforts of ice cream and capitalism. By virtue of their soldiers currently slaughtering his people, Negan is not the Commonwealth's biggest fan either, and that common ground fosters a bond of trust that could help explain why he and Maggie travel to New York together.
Third is how Negan tells young Jesse to ask only for Maggie when he reaches Hilltop. At this point, Negan has no way of knowing who among his old companions might be aligned to the Commonwealth, aside from Gabriel and Aaron, so could've pointed the boy toward Carol (who he conspired with to assassinate Alpha), Lydia (one of few people who actually likes him), or anyone else. Instead, Negan's strict instruction is to find Maggie. This means either she's the only person Negan trusts in a life-or-death scenario, or he knows Maggie intimately enough to immediately predict she'd never join the Commonwealth. Again, this helps us understand how Negan and Maggie might soon put their differences aside in the Big Apple.
Finally, The Walking Dead fans might be wondering what'll become of young Hershel in Isle of the Dead, since Maggie is unlikely to walk her son into certain peril. Season 11's "Warlords" lays these foundations when Maggie says goodbye before heading off to investigate the Jesse mystery. Hershel asks, "How long this time?" Maggie replies, "What do I always tell you?" Hershel finishes with, "As long as it takes." The cute mother-son exchange confirms Hershel is accustomed to his mother leaving, how she's done so plenty of times before, and proves the youngster (reluctantly) understands. Here, The Walking Dead might be trying to preempt the "what about Hershel?" questions when Maggie inevitably begins Isle of the Dead without him, trying to assuage any audience guilt - especially after Michonne weirdly leaving Judith and RJ back in season 10.
The Walking Dead still faces a long road before Isle of the Dead makes any kind of sense, but season 11's "Warlords" at least nudges Maggie and Negan in the right direction. They're brought back into each other's lives, and given a shared enemy in the Commonwealth. Negan showcases his innate trust, while Maggie lets viewers know that leaving Hershel is no obstacle.
The Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC.