The Walking Dead review, Episode 1022: “Here’s Negan”

The Walking Dead fans have been dying to see an origin story for Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) for years. And it more than lives up to the hype!

The Walking Dead fans have long wanted to see an origin story for Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), one of the show’s most iconic villains. There were so many unanswered questions. Who was his wife? How did he acquire his signature barbed wire-covered baseball bat and leather jacket? All of this and more are answered in “Here’s Negan,” the heartbreaking origin story that concludes the six-episode extension to The Walking Dead season 10.

Of all the six additional season 10 episodes, “Here’s Negan” is the one fans have been looking forward to the most. In fact, they’ve wanted it since he was first introduced way back in season 6. You’ll be glad to know the episode delivers on everything you want it to.

This episode is loosely based on the 2017 graphic novel of the same name by Robert Kirkman alongside artists Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn. And when I say “loosely,” I mean it. Some things don’t change, like the fact that Negan’s wife Lucille (Hilarie Burton) is battling cancer, but overall, this is a very different experience. The writers of the show took the idea and ran with it.

As always, here’s your SPOILER warning.

The Present

One thing that stuck out to me throughout the episode was the structure. It begins in the present as Carol takes Negan outside Alexandria, telling him to stay in a remote location outside the town. With Maggie (Lauren Cohan) returned to the community, they need to minimize tension.

While living on his own, it’s the perfect time for Negan to sit back and reminisce on his past. We get a number of different flashbacks laid out in a tricky order order: from 12 years earlier, then two or three days before that, then six weeks before that, and finally seven months before that. It’s hardly Inception, but it does occasionally get confusing.

Something I’ve enjoyed about these extra season 10 episodes is how they’ve give us deeper looks into the characters’ minds. This episode is no exception. During his period of isolation, Negan has time to reflect. He sees a vision of his past self who scolds him for what he has become. “You’re a clown,” he tells himself.

Clearly tormented by his past and missing Lucille, Negan returns to where his bat was buried and digs it up. I like how we instantly see Lucille (the bat) in a different way. It’s more than a deadly weapon now. We can feel Negan’s emotional connection to it, something that would have felt very strange in the season 7 premiere when he used it to kill Abraham and Glenn.

And this kicks off our first flashback.

The Past

First, we’re flash back to 12 years earlier. Right from the off, viewers will notice how differently Negan is acting: he’s more innocent, shy, and way less arrogant. We find him tied up to a chair with a dangerous gang — led by Baxter (Rodney Rowland) — interrogating him on how he came to acquire Chemo drugs. Of course, he needs these drugs to provide treatment for his wife, Lucille. Negan begs them to set him free. It really is a different side to him.

As intended, this flashback asks more questions than it answers. We get some in another flashback that takes us back to two or three days before the first flashback. Negan locates a medical stockpile with drugs he needs. After a failed attempt to rob the doctors at gunpoint, he instead explains to the leader Franklin (Miles Mussenden) why he so desperately needs the medicine. We also learn that Negan used to be a high school gym teacher.

Now, we jump back another six weeks. This is our formal introduction to Lucille the human being, rather than the baseball bat. Fun fact: the actress who plays her, Hilarie Burton, is Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s real-life wife.

Lucille is undergoing chemotherapy and Negan is just about as loving and caring as a husband can be. Their scenes are endearing and heartfelt. His admiration of her mirrors how we’ve seen him treat the bat in past seasons.

Even Negan’s signature leather jacket gets an origin! After he bought it, Lucille wanted him to return it because it was too expensive. Obviously you can’t return items during a zombie apocalypse, so Lucille later gifts it to him as an anniversary present.

The two are living alone in a small, desolate home. Presumably it’s very early on in the apocalypse because when Negan is called into action to take down one walker, he struggles. Lucille has to kill the thing for him.

Their supplies are slowly diminishing. What’s more, after the fridge breaks down, some of Lucille’s drugs are destroyed, hence why Negan is later out scavenging more.

Another flashback? Absolutely! This is the final one. This time, we go back a further seven months. I particularly enjoyed this one. We see how, before the zombie apocalypse, Negan wasn’t anywhere near as caring towards Lucille. He ignores her and spends most of his time playing video games. She also berates him for losing his job after assaulting a student.

Essentially, it’s showing us that Negan wasn’t a perfect guy back in the day. She tells Negan she has a doctor’s appointment, but he doesn’t seem to give it much thought. In fact, he’s cheating on Lucille with her best friend. And then, of course, Lucille is diagnosed with cancer.

The Turning Point

Once Negan recounts his story to Franklin, the doctor gives him the medication he needs and asks for nothing in return. That’s not the only thing he gets, though. One of Franklin’s group hands Negan a baseball bat — yeah, that baseball bat — to defend himself with.

As Negan returns home with the drugs, he finds a note on the door: “Please don’t leave me like this,” it reads. When he walks into the room, he finds that Lucille has killed herself and turned into a walker. This scene is a turning point for Negan. After the death of his beloved Lucille, he has nothing left to fight for anymore… except vengeance.

He says his goodbyes to Lucille and burns the house down. Then we see the creation of his terrifying weapon which later becomes known as Lucille.

Here’s Negan

Once Negan leaves home, he’s a completely changed man. Lucille is gone. Traveling on his own, he comes across the same gang that tortured him now doing the same thing to Franklin. Thankfully, the brutal Negan we remember is now on the case. With Lucille in hand, he takes down the members of the gang. He ties Baxter up. The tables have turned.

There are a few nice callbacks to the season 7 premiere when he kills Glenn and Abraham. He points the bat at the victim in the same way; we even get the same background noise.

Negan takes his revenge on Baxter, killing him with Lucille.

Back to the present

Negan returns his broken bat back to his home. “I am sorry that I left you,” he says before burning it in the fireplace. Lucille is gone now, forever. He apologizes for naming a baseball bat after her. For reference, the bat meets an extremely similar fate in the comics.

This feels really important. Has Negan let go of his past? Going into season 11, we could be about to see a very different Negan.

We’re back in Alexandria for the finale scene. Negan wants to stay there, preferring it to exile. Carol warns him that Maggie will kill him should he stay, but he seems happy to take the risk.

Sadly, we never got the inevitable Negan-Maggie face-off this season. I’m sure we’ll see a final showdown in season 11!

Verdict

“Here’s Negan” is the origin story for the villain we’ve always wanted. Not only is it easily the best episode of the season 10 extension, it may be the best of season 10. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is outstanding throughout. Everyone is. Hilarie Burton is brilliant in the role, but the way Morgan nails every emotion was very special.

My biggest complaint, which is still kind of compliment, is that we only got one episode of this. There were some interesting characters who were only around for a few minutes. Perhaps this story would’ve worked better as a more linear miniseries. Regardless, I’m so happy we finally have an origin story for Negan. And I’m even happier they didn’t mess it up.

Grade: A

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