Every Walking Dead fan knew that season 7 would open with the death of one, possibly two, major characters. With the deaths of Glenn and Abraham, that is exactly what happened in the season premiere. Though The Walking Dead season 7 has gone on for five episodes, the show has not really justified why Glenn and Abraham had to die.
Right now the deaths have only served to make the season a little bit drearier than usual and introduce us to Negan, who is a divisive character at best. In “Go Getters,” The Walking Dead finally gave us a reason in why Abraham and Glenn had to die and it has to do with the women they left behind. Even considering the dark way we arrived at the story, it is very exciting. Maggie and Sasha should absolutely become the new leaders of Hilltop.
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The “rule” set up in “Go Getters” is that Maggie and Sasha have to stay in Hilltop as long as Maggie is pregnant. Given the weird and often inconsistent way that The Walking Dead deals with the passage of time, that could last as long as a few episodes or a couple more seasons. At the same time, Jesus strongly hinted that Maggie and/or Sasha should replace Gregory as the permanent leader of Hilltop and it is an absolutely fantastic idea.
Anyone Is Better Than Gregory
The Walking Dead has proved that a community is only as good as the leader. However you feel about The Kingdom or The Saviors, it is likely your opinion is formed directly from who is in charge of that group. The same thing holds true for Hilltop with Gregory. Gregory is why Hilltop has been such a boring fixture on the show since it was introduced in season 6. Hilltop seemed to have a lot of potential because of a character like Jesus but Gregory is a stone cold bummer.
Actor Xander Berkeley is trying his best but Gregory has the classic problem of a lot of bad Walking Dead characters. Gregory is stubbornly holds to one characteristic and that characteristic is his whole character. In Gregory’s case he is a coward and everything he says or does is defined by him being a coward. While this might be an accurate portrayal of some people it makes for boring TV viewing. Gregory has only appeared in a few episodes of The Walking Dead but already his annoying shtick of forgetting people’s names and being wide-eyed and horrified has grown very stale. If The Walking Dead wants us to care about Hilltop, Gregory needs to go.
Maggie and Sasha Don’t Get Their Due in Alexandria
Maggie and Sasha are among some of the best characters on The Walking Dead. After somewhat disappointing beginnings, they are also easily among the two strongest female characters in the cast, if not two of the strongest characters period. Among the larger Alexandria group, though, Maggie and Sasha have often been lost in the shuffle. It is an issue that has plagued Sasha more than Maggie but it is still present with both. With so many other characters in Alexandria and so many other people that Rick is closer to, Maggie and Sasha are not really on the top tier of survivors.
In Hilltop, Maggie and Sasha are the stars. It helps that we don’t know anyone who lives in Hilltop beyond Gregory or Jesus. Yet the scene where Maggie and Sasha take control of the zombie attack in “Go Getters” is something that could have never happened on The Walking Dead if the two had stayed in Alexandria. Following the deaths of Abraham and Glenn, Maggie and Sasha need new starts. They’ve been soldiers for far too long and it has only led to them experiencing heartbreak. They need to become leaders in charge of their own destinies.
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Time for a Little Bit of Girl Power
Maggie and Sasha won’t be the first time we see a female character in a charge of a community on The Walking Dead. Deanna Monroe, Alexandria’s first leader, has that distinction. Still, considering how quickly The Walking Dead got rid of Deanna, she barely counts as the first female leader of The Walking Dead. Even if you do want to count Deanna, leaders on The Walking Dead have been predominantly male. The second-to-last scene of “Go Getters,” with Maggie, Sasha and Enid sharing a meal, promised a much more female-centric future for The Walking Dead and Hilltop.
Having a female-led community would not only add something different to The Walking Dead, it would prove that the show is able to write strong female characters. It’s an impression that the show has been continually fighting since they introduced (and so badly mangled) Andrea and Lori in the early seasons. It’s already been covered how Maggie and Sasha becoming leaders could help their characters but it could have some trickle-down effects too.
Enid joining Maggie and Sasha at Hilltop has already made her character about 10 times more interesting. Granted, she can only go up from the very bottom, but it is still an improvement. Hilltop should become The Walking Dead‘s refugee for female characters that the show doesn’t know what to do with any more, with Maggie, Sasha and Enid being the start of the movement.
But what do you think? Should Sasha and Maggie become the leaders of Hilltop? Do you like where their story is headed? Does this make up for the deaths of Abraham and Glenn? Do you hate Gregory?
The Walking Dead season 7 airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. Want more news? Like our Walking Dead Facebook page!
(Image courtesy of AMC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
