Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Favorite Walking Dead Episode Was The Show's Most Controversial Negan Change

Jeffrey Dean Morgan loved The Walking Dead’s “Here’s Negan” episode — and it is one of the best installments from the show’s later years — but its big change to the comic created the biggest controversy around the character. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the cast of The Walking Dead were asked to name their favorite memories from making the show.

Norman Reedus named Daryl’s final scene with Rick, locking eyes before the bridge explodes, which he said felt “extra special.” Melissa McBride named the notorious “The Grove,” in which Carol has to kill a mentally unstable young girl before she feeds Judith to a walker, because it had an “intensity,” but also gave the actors “space to breathe.”

"Here's Negan" Is Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Favorite Memory From The Walking Dead

Negan Took Center Stage & Morgan Got To Work With His Wife

When Morgan was asked to name his favorite Walking Dead episode, he named the season 10 finale — season 10, episode 22, “Here’s Negan” — and it’s easy to see why. This was the first episode that put Negan in the spotlight without showcasing his worst qualities as a villain. It goes back into Negan’s past to reveal his backstory.

Morgan felt that this episode was the “culmination” of his arc on the show. Negan had been “hated” since he first appeared on-screen (for very good reason), but this episode finally lent some “sympathy” to the character and showed how he became such a closed-off, psychopathic sadist. It was rare that Morgan got to play “introspective moments” as Negan.

On a more personal level, Morgan enjoyed shooting “Here’s Negan” because he got to work with his wife, Hilarie Burton. Burton plays Negan’s late wife, Lucille, in a series of flashbacks. As Carol takes Negan out of Alexandria to ease his tensions with Maggie, he reflects on when he lost his wife and how that led him to this point.

The Walking Dead's Negan Flashback Episode Made Big Changes To The Comic Book

It Changed The Tone, The Narrative Focus — Even The Ending

The “Here’s Negan” comic book arc is very different from its TV adaptation. Both storylines go back into Negan’s past to show his origin story, but they focus on different aspects of his backstory, and they have totally different endings. The comic focuses on how he formed the Saviors, but the TV show focuses on his relationship with his wife.

Perhaps the biggest divergence from the comic is that, at the end of the episode, Negan returns to Alexandria to live there full-time. In the comic, he takes off on his own to forge a new path. Not only did this radically change the trajectory of Negan’s storyline; it also made the TV version of the character more optimistic.

"Here's Negan" Set The Stage For Negan's Redemption Arc In The Walking Dead

Negan's Path To Redemption Was Extremely Controversial

By making Negan a little more sympathetic and showing his tragic backstory, “Here’s Negan” set up the biggest controversy surrounding the character. The episode itself wasn’t controversial; it received universal praise from both critics and audiences. But it opened the door to Negan’s redemption arc, and some audiences felt that Negan didn’t deserve even the potential for redemption.

“Here’s Negan” leaned heavily into Negan’s human side and set up the possibility that he could one day become an equal member of the Alexandria community. But when we first met Negan, he beat Glenn and Abraham to death with a grin on his face and almost forced Rick to cut off Carl’s hand. Should that guy really be redeemed?

Going into The Walking Dead season 11, the remainder of Rick’s group cautiously invited Negan into their inner circle and allowed him to become a part of the community. Rick only spared Negan’s life so he could rot in a jail cell and watch that community thrive. But now, after a bit of introspection, he was allowed to thrive with them.

This paved the way for Negan’s redemption arc to continue beyond The Walking Dead itself. In the spinoff Dead City, Negan becomes a de facto protagonist and forms an unlikely alliance with Maggie, the widow of the man he murdered. This can all be traced back to the humanization of Negan in the season 10 finale.

The Walking Dead's "Here's Negan" Was Arguably Better Than The Comic Book

Whether You Love Negan's Redemption Or Hate It, It Was A Great Episode Of Television

“Here’s Negan” has been hailed as one of The Walking Dead’s best episodes. Whether you love Negan’s redemption arc or hate it, this was a stellar episode of television. Morgan and Burton’s real-life chemistry instantly sells the characters’ deep love for each other and long-standing relationship. The narrative gives Negan a clear goal and builds to a heartbreaking twist.

The comic’s version of Negan’s backstory was very one-note and stuck to his initial characterization as a heartless monster. The Saviors are basically a cult; it’s no great mystery how Negan managed to amass such a fervent following. He targeted vulnerable, aimless men and used them to terrorize everyone else into falling in line. That didn’t need a whole episode.

The TV show doesn’t ask how Negan formed the Saviors; it begs a much more interesting question: how did Negan end up the way he is, and was there ever a time when he wasn’t a heartless monster? The Walking Dead set itself a huge storytelling challenge with that dramatic setup, and it managed to pull it off.