The Walking Dead Showrunner Wasn’t Sure “Weird” Alpha and Negan Sex Scene Could Air

The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang admits she was unsure a "weird" sex scene between Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Alpha (Samantha Morton) could air as part of the Season 10 midseason premiere, "Squeeze." The unexpected romantic encounter earned the episode a rare sexual content rating and elicited as much horror as it did hoots and hollers — including from Morgan's wife, Hilarie Burton Morgan — when Negan and Alpha broke away for some "freaky deaky." Wearing nothing but the fleshy mask made from walker skin, a nude Alpha offered herself to Negan as a crass reward for a crass man, making for something weird.

"We've been talking in the [writers'] room about, 'It feels like we've got to get to some sort of weird sex scene with them,'" Kang told EW. "But David Johnson, who wrote the script, he was like, 'Okay, here's my take on it.' And I was like, 'This is so weird. I don't know if I can air this. You know what? We kind of have to do this.'"

The scene, inspired by a key issue of the comic book with a twist, really "tracks with who Alpha is."

"She's very survival of the fittest and nature's way is the right way. There is some hypocrisy in the things that she says sometimes, but I think that for the most part, she is a cult leader who's a true believer of her own word," Kang explained. "To her, I don't know, animals have sex. She probably has had sex with people over the years and it's just sort of like this transactional thing, but I do think that she's drawn to Negan and his strength. He was very helpful to her at a time when she feels a little bit under siege. So there's that.

"And then for Negan, she has him pinned, he's a crass man," Kang continued. "He says himself, 'It's been a long time.' Their weirdness is something that we really have enjoyed exploring."

Asked if Negan was being truthful when telling Alpha the mask was a turn on, Kang answered, "I do think so! I think Negan's into some funky stuff."

During a segment on Talking Dead aired after the midseason return, Morton said the scene marked the first time Alpha ever slept with another Whisperer. There are "multi layers" to the attraction, but most of all, Negan is nothing like Frank (Steve Kazee), Alpha's once husband and father to Lydia (Cassady McClincy).

"He seems strong, confident, feisty," Morton said when explaining Alpha's attraction to Negan. "He's got a sting in his tail, he doesn't seem afraid of anything. He has balls, and he's not afraid to use them."

Another hookup is unlikely, however.

"I don't think she's there thinking, 'I'm going to have a relationship with this guy.' She's still the leader of the Whisperers," Morton said. "But there's something about him that's just different, and it's almost like he wakes up an old part of her that's been laying dormant for a while."

New episodes of The Walking Dead Season 10 premiere Sundays on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.