Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie on The Walking Dead and Dead City, has a favorite episode from the main show, and it shows AMC’s biggest spinoff flaw.

Custom image of Maggie, Rick, and Daryl from the Walking Dead looking to the side with a red background

Franchise veteran, Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie, shares her favorite episode in The Walking Dead, which highlights the biggest flaw with AMC’s spinoff plan. The Walking Dead franchise has grown exponentially since its start in 2010. With seven Walking Dead spinoffs and counting, the franchise has taken its characters across borders, into different organizations, and through masses of unique zombies.

Lauren Cohan, who first joined the main show in season 2, deems a fairly early series episode as her favorite, namely season 3, episode 8, “Made to Suffer.” This episode takes place during the Governor’s era, the main show’s first major villain. While Cohan’s Maggie went on to appear throughout numerous seasons after and co-leads the spinoff, The Walking Dead: Dead City, her choice for top episode reveals a core shift in the franchise’s focus.

Lauren Cohan’s Favorite Walking Dead Episode Is All About TWD’s Ensemble Cast

Glenn bloody and Maggie crying in The Walking Dead season 3 episode 8

When explaining why “Made to Suffer” is ranked so highly by Cohan, she says, “that just felt like the essence of the show to me. Like, somehow our gang found us, and we all broke out and nothing can keep us down. And that to me is the essence of our band.” These events follow an upsetting display by the Governor in the previous episode where he clearly intends to rape Maggie. Having Maggie and Glenn rescued by Rick and his group perfectly highlights how the key to survival in the show was numbers.

Moreover, the unity and care “Made to Suffer” speaks to is evident in the fact that Michonne is still essentially an outsider at this time, yet she helps them.

While this has exceptions, like the mass casualties at Alexandria during the herd infiltration or Negan’s reign of terror, when Rick’s group works together, it often leads to forward progression, however big or small. Moreover, the unity and care “Made to Suffer” speaks to is evident in the fact that Michonne is still essentially an outsider at this time, yet she helps them. Although this “essence” varies throughout the remainder of the show, with groups splitting up and characters leaving, the collective efforts toward one goal bookends the show when the main survivor group works together to thwart the Commonwealth.

How AMC’s Walking Dead Spinoffs Can Still Continue The Spirit Of TWD

The three main upcoming Walking Dead spinoff characters: Rick & Michonne, Daryl Dixon, and Negan & Maggie.

While The Walking Dead could latch onto the bond Cohan attributes to her favorite episode, the spinoffs don’t continue this. In fact, Fear The Walking Dead constantly has its characters on-the-go or separated by some or other disaster. Cohan’s spinoff, Dead City, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon break up the ensemble by moving the main characters to different cities and countries. To draw on the perfect Walking Dead essence that Cohan mentions, the franchise would ultimately need to introduce a crossover, which has been hinted at before.

Clues point to a Walking Dead crossover, such as Morgan mentioning in his Fear The Walking Dead exit that he’s going to look for Rick. Tying together Dead City, Fear The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon, and The Ones Who Live would directly call back to what Cohan loves about her favorite Walking Dead episode – the group coming together to save each other. Whether at the tail-end of an existing spinoff or as a new standalone project, The Walking Dead crossover can address any loose ends between characters now scattered across various spinoffs and include the franchise’s core spirit.