Who Are The Walking Dead's Reapers? And More Questions We Have After 'Home Sweet Home'

maggie's return to the walking dead
(Image credit: amc press)

Spoilers below for The Walking Dead's latest episode, "Home Sweet Home," so be warned!

With the big Whisperers War having officially concluded with Beta's death in the sixteenth episode of Season 10, in what was supposed to originally be the season finale, The Walking Dead returned to viewers for a six-episode epilogue for those events, while setting up bigger stories to come in Season 11 later this year. Before exploring Negan's backstory and showing fans what's happening with Eugene, Princess and the (presumed) Commonwealth soldiers, the zombie drama started off by catching everyone back up with Maggie's situation and what she was up to prior to returning.

With this latest episode, The Walking Dead introduced a new villainous faction, a few new characters from Maggie's recent past (that didn't all survive) and it fully brought Lauren Cohan's badass back into the fold for good. Naturally, though, everything we saw in the episode sparked a few questions, so let's run through those below while waiting to see next week's Daryl-centric episode.

the walking dead reapers

Who Are The Walking Dead's Reapers?

Unlike many of The Walking Dead's other villain groups, the Reapers didn't originate in Robert Kirkman's comic book series, and are an original creation for the TV show. Which means we unfortunately don't know much beyond the minimal details that Maggie and her crew offered up. We know that their M.O. apparently involves setting fire to buildings that others are staying in, and that they're formidable enough to have Maggie, Cole and others shaking in their shoes at the very idea of them being around. Assuming the dude who blew himself up was indeed a Reaper, we also know that they're apparently really into camouflage, hiding, and setting up traps for unsuspecting humans to get caught in.

the walking dead georgie hilda and midge outside their van

(Image credit: amc press)

What Happened To Georgie, Hilda, And Midge?

The Walking Dead finally gave audiences another update on Jayne Atkinson's one-and-done character Georgie, who first appeared in Season 8's "The Key" along with Kim Ormiston's Hilda and Misty Ormiston's Midge. Maggie told Daryl she hadn't seen Georgie in around two years, after having previously helped out several communities together. While they were around Knoxville, Georgie heard about a "city out west" that caught her attention, and Maggie hadn't heard from her since. Is Georgie still out there helping people, and will Atkinson (who is currently part of the Clarice cast) return to The Walking Dead at any point in the future?

When Will Connie Reconnect With Daryl, Kelly And The Others?

Thankfully, The Walking Dead revealed in Episode 1016 that Lauren Ridloff's character Connie is indeed still alive after going missing underground in the caves earlier in the season. However, it doesn't look like's she'll be quickly reunited with her sister Kelly, her buddy Daryl, or anyone else. In "Home Sweet Home," Kelly straight up put others in harm's way on the off-chance that Connie was hiding out nearby, but her search came up empty. I certainly hope we don't have to wait until Season 11 to witness that sibling reunion, but it's looking pretty likely.

the walking dead cole and elijah

Is Cole Now The Walking Dead's Newest Badass?

As portrayed by James Devoti, the new character Cole is clearly one of Maggie's more trustworthy compadres from her time away from Alexandria and Hilltop, and it looks like he might be The Walking Dead's newest badass for fans to get hyped about. It's an interesting update, considering the masked Elijah absolutely looked primed to take over that role when he first appeared. Cole has major walker-killing skills, he's a practical thinker, and he even got to show off a mini-sense of humor with Kelly. He's basically Daryl with much-cleaner hair and a more sensible weapon.

the walking dead elijah and a shipping container

(Image credit: amc press)

How Did Elijah's Sister Die?

After Maggie learned about Connie's disappearance, she revealed that Elijah's sister was recently killed. It probably doesn't matter that much to the plot what happened there, but it would certainly give the wordless character more development at some point down the line. Is it just me, or did it seem more relevant due to Maggie talking about Emily Kinney's long-gone Beth a couple of times? As well as Judith's role as a big sister.

the walking dead negan season 10

How Will Maggie Deal With Negan's Presence?

After witnessing that tense moment between Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan in the opening scene, The Walking Dead then gave the explicit reveal that Maggie left the Hilltop Colony because she didn't want Negan taking up more of her headspace as she raised Hershel. She brought Glenn's death up during her conversation with Daryl, driving home the fact that Negan's freedom and continued survival is not ideal for her. And to his credit, Daryl said that Negan's situation wasn't set in stone, so it's feasible that Negan might get ostracized in some way, setting up strange complications when the time is right.

We probably shouldn't expect to learn many or any of these answers soon, since each of these final Season 10 episodes of The Walking Dead is focusing on a different small group of characters, and we might not get much more Maggie until Season 11. Be sure and tune in every Sunday night on AMC to see what happens next for Daryl, Ezekiel, Gabriel, Carol and the rest.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.