The Walking Dead Remembers the 10 Best Moments of 2021

Warning: this story contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Seasons 10 and 11. The Walking Dead is looking back at the “best moments” of 2021 before the zombie drama returns February 20 on AMC. After the pandemic delayed Season 10 finale “A Certain Doom,” The Walking Dead came back to life — so to speak — with six bonus episodes extending the tenth season into 2021. Another eight, part one of the Final Season Trilogy concluding later in 2022, aired over the summer as Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and her Meridian-bound group of survivors went to war with the Reapers to start Season 11 of The Walking Dead. 

The nominees, according to AMC: 

• From “One More,” the madman Mays (guest star Robert Patrick) forces a captive Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) to play a shocking game of Russian roulette that puts all three men to the ultimate test.
• “Here’s Negan” reveals the untold origin story of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the death of his cancer-stricken wife, Lucille (guest star Hilarie Burton Morgan), in the earliest days of the zombie apocalypse.
• In “Acheron: Part 1,” Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and his group of traveling companions meet General Mercer (Michael James Shaw), the imposing and red-armored commander of the Commonwealth Army. 
• “Acheron: Part II” ends with Eugene, Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), and Princess (Paola Lazaro) being admitted into the Commonwealth, an advanced community led by the soon to be introduced Governor Pamela Milton (Laila Robins). 
• The group of ultra-lethal masked mercenaries led by Pope (Ritchie Coster) attack when the Reapers prey on Maggie’s group in “Hunted.”  
• “Rendition” reunites Daryl (Norman Reedus) with former flame Leah (Lynn Collins), who witnesses Daryl’s trial by fire when he’s forced to join Pope’s tight-knit unit of “Chosen Ones.”
• In “Out of the Ashes,” Carol (Melissa McBride) urges Aaron to show mercy when they find what’s left of the Whisperers squatting in a burned-down Hilltop. 
• “On the Inside” traps Connie (Lauren Ridloff) and Virgil (Kevin Carroll) inside a haunted house crawling with the nearly-inhuman Ferals.  
• To save a starving Alexandria, enemies Maggie and Negan join forces to fight the Reapers and take back Meridian after Negan’s greatest regret is revealed in “Promises Broken.” 
• Rosita (Christian Serratos) steps out into a violent storm to defend the survivors when walkers attack Alexandria in “For Blood.”

The Walking Dead Season 11 returns Sunday, February 20 on AMC. Follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter and ComicBook’s @NewsOfTheDead for TWD Universe coverage all season long.