Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan and Lauren Cohan's Maggie, and an untitled Europe-based show originally set to feature Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Melissa McBride as Carol, but now starring Daryl alone.
These arrangements always seemed a little strange. Negan and Maggie are mortal enemies who only recently figured out how to tolerate each other. The idea of them bickering all the way to New York City sounds... odd. Daryl and Carol are the exact opposite - two of the closest pairs you'll find in the zombie apocalypse. They're not exactly great conversationalists, however, and the idea of them silently wandering around various forests also sounds odd, albeit perhaps not as odd as Daryl on his lonesome. The Walking Dead season 11, episode 17 proves the solution was there all along: Maggie should accompany Daryl in Europe, while Carol and Negan should go to New York.
Why Maggie Should Team With Daryl, Not Negan
The Walking Dead season 11's "Lockdown" finds Maggie Rhee and Daryl Dixon hunkered down hiding from Lance Hornsby's Commonwealth troops. The longtime friends share a tender moment ing Glenn, and Daryl reaffirms his determination to keep Maggie safe in her late husband's honor. Immediately, then, Maggie makes a more logical travel companion for Daryl's spinoff. Why spend months trekking with the man who killed Glenn when she can trek with the man determined to honor Glenn's memory?
And while Maggie may not be as close to Daryl as Carol is, The Walking Dead season 11, episode 17 confirms their relationship would make for great chemistry in a spinoff series. Daryl is a natural introvert who keeps his guard raised and rarely speaks his mind unless absolutely necessary. Maggie is an extrovert, a natural leader, and more emotionally open. Her presence would both compliment and counterbalance Daryl's natural reticence, rather than Daryl by himself or alongside the equally-reticent Carol.
Why Negan Should Team With Carol, Not Maggie
That Walking Dead spinoff casting cake cuts both ways. You'd be hard-pressed to describe them as "friends," but since Negan began integrating with the wider Walking Dead citizens, Carol has accepted him more readily than most. If Negan had to choose a traveling companion, he'd surely pick the like-minded Carol over the woman who, until very recently, would've killed him given half a chance. And exactly like Daryl with Maggie, The Walking Dead season 11's "Lockdown" shows how effective the chemistry between Negan and Carol can be. As the apocalypse's most ruthless duo search the Commonwealth for Sebastian Milton, Negan and Carol prove an effective and endearing combination. Carol's natural severity contrasts hilariously with Negan's compulsion to crack wise at any given opportunity.
Sending Negan and Carol off to New York would also solve the wholly separate problem of Melissa McBride departing The Walking Dead's Daryl spinoff. AMC's official statement confirmed the decision to film in Europe made the actress' involvement logistically untenable. Were Carol to Negan on the road to the Big Apple instead, Melissa McBride's involvement may rapidly become logistically tenable again, allowing Carol to re the spinoff fun.
The Walking Dead continues Sunday on AMC.