Maggie lost her dad Hershel. And her sister Beth. And her husband Glenn. All in brutal fashion. She could have been broken by these losses, but she survived it all somehow. In fact, she's done more than survive. She's become a strong leader, one who stands up for her people and is willing to do the hard things. When last seen on The Walking Dead, she was in charge of Hilltop and had arrived at an uneasy understanding with Negan. Watch as her journey with Negan continues on The Walking Dead: Dead City, which premieres June 18th.
To catch up on everything Maggie's been through ahead of the debut of The Walking Dead: Dead City, check out AMC+ for The Walking Dead: Best of Maggie. It includes a retrospective look at Maggie's story, as narrated by Lauren Cohan herself, plus four episodes that shaped Maggie into who she is now.
The first episode in the collection is Season 2's "Cherokee Rose," which is only Cohan's third episode in the series. It takes us back to the beginning of her romance with Glenn and is perhaps the most lighthearted Maggie's ever been. She's leaving the farm to look for supplies and drafts a bewildered Glenn to go with her, asking, "I hear you're fast on your feet and know how to get in and out. Got a pharmacy run. You in?" They go on what is essentially their first date to the pharmacy. Maggie catches Glenn with a pack of condoms and tells him, "I'll have sex with you," although she qualifies the offer by noting she doesn't have a lot of options these days. The camera cuts away as they start kissing. Later, on their way back to the farm, Glenn is grinning, but the grin is gone as soon as Maggie tells him, "It was a one-time thing." As longtime viewers know, it definitely wasn't.
"Killer Within" is the next episode in the Best of Maggie and it's the one from Season 3, when Lori dies and Judith is born. It is intense. When walkers overrun the prison yard, everyone, including Maggie, is battling for their lives. Maggie finds refuge for Carl and a heavily pregnant Lori, who goes into labor. Maggie realizes that Lori has to give birth right then and there. Maggie takes charge, examining Lori to see if she's fully dilated, but then they realize that Lori is bleeding. Lori knows she won't be able to survive but she wants her baby to survive and implores Maggie to cut her open — and to finish her off before she turns. "I can't," Maggie cries out. She does it though and it's a testament to her strength. "I'm sorry, Lori," she says before cutting her open and pulling the baby out of Lori, who's now dead. It’s Carl who ultimately shoots her before she becomes a walker. A stricken Maggie then walks into the cleared prison yard holding the baby, with Carl behind her. Rick realizes from their faces that Lori is gone, and he yells in anguish.
Next up in the Maggie miniseries is "Too Far Gone." This episode, the Season 4 midseason finale, may start out with Maggie and Glenn in good spirits, but things take a turn very quickly. By the episode’s end Maggie has lost one of the most important people in her life. The Governor and his people have amassed in front of the prison with a tank. He demands they evacuate the prison and give it up to him. Maggie is shocked to see that Hershel has been taken prisoner by the Governor. Rick insists they won't leave, so the enraged Governor puts Michonne's katana to Hershel's neck as Maggie and Beth look on in despair. Rick makes an impassioned speech saying they can all still survive and live together. In response, the Governor whispers, "Liar," and slices at Hershel's throat. We see Maggie's silent scream, and then the shooting starts and Maggie joins in. Maggie watches as the Governor brutally chops at Hershel's throat and cuts off his head. The Governor's tank mows down the prison fence and Maggie rushes in to get Glenn and shepherd him onto a bus. Not seeing Beth, she runs off to find her sister, but the bus leaves before she can get back to it. Now, not only is her father gone for good, but Maggie is separated from the love of her life.
A lot has happened to Maggie by the time we get to "A New Beginning," the final installment of the Best of Maggie and the Season 9 premiere. Beth is dead. Glenn is dead, at the hands of Negan and Lucille. The Saviors have been defeated but Negan is alive (although imprisoned in Alexandria) because Rick decided not to kill him, much to Maggie's dismay. Maggie is now a mother, having given birth to Hershel during the time jump between Seasons 8 and 9. In this episode, Maggie asserts herself as a leader. She goes with the group to a Washington, D.C. museum to search for artifacts to build a new civilization. While there, she has a rare heart-to-heart with her fellow powerful women, Michonne and Carol, about defeating Gregory in an election to lead Hilltop. On the way back, Ken, a young Hilltop resident, is devoured by walkers. Maggie has to break the bad news to his parents, and they do not take it well, lashing out at Maggie for the way Hilltop is run. Gregory takes this opportunity to criticize Maggie's leadership and convinces Ken's father to murder Maggie. She escapes and confronts Gregory, who unsuccessfully attacks her with a knife. A conversation with Rick the next day strengthens Maggie's conviction to go her own way and she resolves to have Gregory hanged. "I don't want to do this," she tells the assembled crowd. "But at Hilltop people need to understand that the punishment fits the crime."
Maggie has indeed grown into a powerful leader, one who is firm in her convictions. After all, she's one of the few people who stood firm in Season 11 against the Commonwealth because she was skeptical of Pamela and Lance's intentions, no matter how much they tried to talk her into joining their community. To understand who Maggie is, the losses she's suffered, and how she got where she is, track her progress across the years in this celebration on AMC+ of Maggie's essential moments in the iconic episodes detailed above. And discover what happens next for Maggie when The Walking Dead: Dead City, the newest series in The Walking Dead Universe, premieres on Sunday, June 18 at 10/9c on AMC and AMC+, with subsequent episodes airing at 9/8c. AMC+ subscribers will get early access to every episode on Thursdays, beginning June 15. Try AMC+ for free here.