The Walking Dead season 10 episode 17 callbacks and talking points: ‘Bethy’, Georgie and the Reapers

The Walking Dead is back for the first of six new episodes filmed during the pandemic – and its more nostalgic than ever.

Perhaps this is because the show now has an end date (2023) or maybe it’s because showrunner Angela Kang has some time to kill before the show comes to its conclusion; the series would have been midway through its eleventh season now had coronavirus not scuppered things.

While these episodes are an extension of season 10 (referred to officially as “season 10c”), they are best described as a mini season designed to whet fans’ appetites ahead of the elongated final season, which will begin this October.

The first episode of this muted return was elevated by several references and callbacks to storylines and characters of old.

Here are the five main takeaways from The Walking Dead season 10, episode 17, “Home Sweet Home”.

READ MORE:The10 greatest Walking Dead characters from season 1 to season 10, ranked

The Reapers

The dust has barely settled on the Whisperers, and viewers have now had yet another villainous clan with an ominous name thrown their way. This time it’s the turn of the Reapers, a mysterious group who are targeting the recently returned Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and her new friends. In this episode, we only meet one of their members who calmly – and rather inconveniently – blows himself up instead of being interrogated.

Georgie

So, where has Maggie been and why has she returned? It turns out it was the Reapers who wiped out her previous home – but, for now, she’s remaining tight-lipped on the reason. Daryl does enquire about Georgie, though. For those who don’t remember, Georgie was the suited character played by 24 and House of Cards star Jayne Atkinson, who came from a community of decent people who wanted to build a future in the apocalypse. During the time-jump after Rick’s deaprture, Maggie upped and left to join Georgie. Now their venture has failed, Georgie’s fate is up in the air.

“Bethy” and Connie

Maggie is swiftly introduced to Kelly (Angel Theory), who spends every waking minute fighting the urge to go looking for her missing (and, unbeknownst to her, very much alive) sister Connie (Lauren Ridloff). In a sweet moment near the end of the episode, Kelly correctly assumes that Maggie is an older sister. That this exchange comes shortly after Maggie reminisces about her younger sibling Beth (Emily Kinney), who she lovingly calls “Bethy”, brings tears to her eyes. It’s a touching moment that makes us remember what came before (Beth tragically died in season five).

Maggie vs Negan

The episode immediately teases the showdown fans are wanting – Maggie and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Five years have passed since Negan killed Glenn (Steven Yeun) in cold blood and, in that time, the former Saviours leader has turned over a new leaf. As Carol (Melissa McBride) tells Maggie, without Negan’s assistance in killing Alpha (Samantha Morton), the group would have lost a lot more than just the Hilltop. In other words, Negan is now one of the good guys. This is hard for Maggie to swallow, and with both characters now back in Alexandria, an awkward conversation is bound to occur sooner rather than later.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays in the US on AMC and is available to watch in the UK the following evening on FOX and NOW TV at 9pm