Lauren Cohan plays one of the most popular characters on The Walking Dead, and the best Maggie episodes show why she’s such a beloved presence. First introduced in The Walking Dead season 2, Maggie started the show as the sheltered yet capable daughter of the farmer, Hershel (Scott Wilson). She also immediately caught the eye of fellow fan-favorite, Glenn (Steven Yuen), and the pair’s journey to becoming a couple is still considered one of the best TWD romance arcs.
However, their relationship would be cut tragically short by the introduction of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). While losing her husband was traumatizing for Maggie, it also marked the start of the character arc that saw her become the fearless hero of the zombie apocalypse of The Walking Dead season 11 and spinoff The Walking Dead: Dead City. The best Maggie episodes featuring some pivotal points in her character development, and each helps explained why she’s considered one of the top The Walking Dead characters.
10 "Conquer" — Season 5, Episode 16
Maggie Reveals Her Resilience
There are many qualities Laren Cohan’s character has that make her such a popular presence on The Walking Dead, and each of the best Maggie episodes highlights at least one. When it comes to season 5’s “Conquer”, it remains a top Maggie installment due to showing how emotionally resilient she truly is. Few characters in The Walking Dead have experienced as much brutal loss as Maggie. While Glenn dying in the season 7 premiere is considered by many to be her most traumatic moment, the death of her father, Hershel, was just as much of a blow for Maggie.
This is why “Conquer” is one of the best Maggie episodes, because it showed that she wasn’t a character who could be broken by grief. Despite still reeling from her experiences in season 4, Maggie steps up in “Conquer” and protected the group from getting split up when the leaders of Alexandria are debating their fate. It’s the perfect example of both how willful Maggie is, and her fierce commitment to ensuring the safety of those she feels responsible for.
9 "Internment" — Season 4, Episode 5
Maggie Shows Her Leadership Potential
“Internment” in The Walking Dead season 4 gave viewers some of the earliest glimpses of her potential as a leader. She proved herself as one of the few members of the group who dared question Rick. Specifically, she pressed him into admitting that he’d banished Carol, something the others suspected but dared to ask him about. It’s not only viewers who saw the potential in Maggie here, but Rick too, as afterward he begins speaking to Maggie more like an equal than a follower.
Maggie isn’t only an incredibly popular The Walking Dead character because of her leadership abilities though. She’s also liked by so many in the fandom because she’s incredibly capable, dangerous, and can handle herself during the zombie apocalypse. This is also why “Internment” is one of the best Maggie episodes, because it has some of her best action scenes. She disposes of several Walkers with ease, saving both her dad, Hershel, and her then-boyfriend, Glenn (Steve Yuen).
8 "What Comes After" — Season 9, Episode 5
Maggie Has Glenn's Killer At Her Mercy
Many of the best Maggie episodes are important moments between her and Negan, The Walking Dead character she ended up paired with for the spinoff Dead City. Season 9’s “What Comes After” is incredibly important for Maggie and Negan, as it’s the moment she finally comes face-to-face with him alone following the death of Glenn. To say that “What Comes After” is filled with emotionally intense Maggie-Negan moments is an understatement.
Few conversations Maggie has in The Walking Dead are so important for her character development as when she finds Negan in his cell in Alexandria. The mental journey she takes between arriving with the intention of killing him and, instead, deciding to spare him out of pity is incredibly well-acted by Lauren Cohan. It’s one of the most important episodes for Maggie, even if it’s mostly remembered for being the final appearance of Rick Grimes until he returned for the season 11 finale and spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
7 "Acts of God" — Season 11, Episode 16
Maggie And Negan Reach An Uneasy Understanding
The Walking Dead’s final season may have been divisive among the fanbase, but it contains one of the best Maggie episodes in TWD. If there’s one character who’s come to define Maggie by the time the finale of The Walking Arrived, it’s Negan. From the moment season 7’s “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” revealed that Maggie’s husband, Glenn, had been the one at the other end of Negan’s spiked bat Lucille in the season 6 finale, it was clear that Negan and Maggie's fates were connected. Their relationship is fascinating, and one of the best episodes to explore it is season 11’s “Acts of God”.
This season 11 The Walking Dead episode marks the point that Maggie acknowledges to herself and Negan that she is starting to trust him. It’s one of the most important season 11 installments when it comes to laying the foundations for The Walking Dead: Dead City, and has of the best interactions between Maggie and Negan in the show. On top of this, there’s also a host of adrenaline-fueled action-hero moments for Maggie as she tries to take out Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) and gets in a violent brawl with Leah (Lynn Collins).
6 "Bloodletting" — Season 2, Episode 2
The Introduction Of Maggie
Maggie’s status as one of the best The Walking Dead characters by the time the show ended is hard to argue against. However, it’s also worth remembering she was just as endearing when she was introduced all the way back in season 2. It’s for this reason that season 2’s “Bloodletting” will always be considered one of the best Maggie episodes, as it was when Lauren Cohan made her TWD debut.
From the moment she appeared on-screen, several things about Maggie that remain her most endearing qualities were obvious. She was caring, calm in a crisis, compassionate, and - most importantly - incredibly courageous. From the moment she didn’t hesitate before setting out to fine Lori (who she’d never met), it was clear to viewers that Maggie was going to be an asset to Rick’s group.
5 "Home" — Season 3, Episode 10
Maggie At Her Action-Hero Best
Maggie and Negan’s stories are so closely linked that it’s easy to forget he’s not the only The Walking Dead villain to have left their mark on her. In seasons 3 and 4, it was The Governor (David Morrissey) tormenting Rick and his survivors. Season 3’s “Home” is one of the best Maggie episodes for several reasons, one being that it gave viewers their first glimpse of how she can channel rage into fearless heroism. Just as Negan would eventually do after Glenn’s death in season 6, the Governor’s interrogation triggered a fury in Maggie that he’d soon come to regret.
This is why “Home” is filled with so many great Maggie moments compared to most The Walking Dead moments. It’s Lauren Cohan’s character at her movee-hero best when it comes to action sequences. She breaks out of prison and takes part in a group skirmish against the Saviors, personally taking out several guards (including one in a guard tower who could have turned the tide of the battle). “Home” shows just why Maggie is such a popular The Walking Dead characters, and one of several pre-Glenn death installments that show how integral to the show she was even before the introduction of Negan.
4 "Killer Within" — Season 3, Episode 4
Maggie Deliver’s Rick’s Daughter
Maggie has always been able to handle herself against Walkers, but few episodes showcase this better than The Walking Dead season 3’s “Killer Within”. It’s also one of the first times Maggie had to choose between taking one life to save another, and her decision-making foreshadowed the effective head-strong leader she’d become by the time The Walking Dead finished. Taking place while Rick and his group are still settled in the abandoned prison, “Killer Within” is the episode of TWD when Lori dies, and Maggie is right at the center of the story.
Lori goes into labor in “Killer Within”. Only Maggie and Carl are with her since the prison has become overrun with Walkers following a flu outbreak. Maggie is forced to give Lori a c-section. This kills Lori and traumatizes Maggie, with the emotional ramifications still present throughout the rest of season 3. Being present for the birth of Judith Grimes was also an incredibly memorable Maggie moment, ensuring this emotional episode of TWD ranks among the character’s best.
3 "The Same Boat" — Season 6, Episode 13
Maggie And Carol Show Their Ruthless Side
The death of Glenn hardened Maggie into the dangerous, fearless hero she becomes by the end of The Walking Dead, but she was an incredibly capable character from the moment she was introduced. What’s more, her character growth when it came to becoming a Walker-slaying hero of the zombie apocalypse started before the fateful first encounter with Negan. “The Same Boat” ranks among the best Maggie episodes as it shows just how awesome a character she is in her own right without any ties to Negan or Glenn.
In season 6’s “The Same Boat”, Maggie and Carol fight their way out of a Saviors compound after they’re caught and taken in for questioning. Maggie is unflinching when interrogated by the Saviors, and both she and Carol take out their captors with brutal efficiency. It’s an especially important Maggie episode when considering The Walking Dead retrospectively, as it puts to bed all arguments that Maggie wouldn’t be the hero she became if Negan hadn’t killed Glenn. She was already well on her way to being one of the best characters in The Walking Dead - and she’d still have become just as capable if Glenn had survived.
2 "Go Getters" — Season 7, Episode 5
Maggie’s Defiant Return
Given that they both lead the cast of TWD spinoff The Walking Dead: Dead City and that Negan killed her husband, it’s little surprise that episodes that put Maggie up against Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s violent killer rank among her best. Season 7’s “Go Getters” is one of the best The Walking Dead Maggie episodes because it marks the start of her vendetta against Negan. “Go Getters” doesn’t put them face-to-face just yet, but as Maggie’s first episode since the infamous baseball bat tribunal at the end of season 6, it’s the beginning of one of the most shared character arcs in The Walking Dead.
That’s not the only reason though. The other reason it’s such a great TWD Maggie episode is that it shows how self-reliant and dangerous she truly is. Maggie came back with a bang after Glenn’s death, and “Go Getters” showed viewers that Negan destroying Glenn’s head with Lucille had only empowered her. In the episode Maggie is pregnant, and she still successfully leads Hilltop against an attack from the Walkers. She takes charge and fights on the frontlines, downing multiple Walkers. Few TWD episodes showcase just how much of an indomitable will Maggie has quite like this one.
1 "A New Beginning" — Season 9, Episode 1
Maggie Emerges As A Fearless Leader
The reason Maggie has one of the best character arcs in The Walking Dead is that viewers watched her evolve from the low point of Glenn’s death to becoming a leader with just as much influence and authority as Rick Grimes. Few installments showcase this character development quite as well as season 9’s “A New Beginning”, which is the best Maggie episode of TWD overall. “A New Beginning” is The Walking Dead episode when Maggie becomes leader of Hilltop, and by the time the credits roll, it’s clear she’s the best character for the job.
While comparisons to Rick Grimes were inevitable once Maggie was in charge of Hilltop, “A New Beginning” also has plenty of moments that distinguish her from the show’s original group leader. Maggie and Rick instantly disagree over several key issues, especially whether or not to execute Gregory (which Maggie went ahead and did, much to the delight of many fans). Her approach to leadership is undeniably different from Rick’s, and this serves to make Maggie an even more endearing character. There’s also some great emotional exploration of her hatred for Negan too, making “A New Beginning” the best episode of The Walking Dead when it comes to Maggie.
