The Walking Dead Season 9 Premiere: 6 Ups & 3 Downs From 'A New Beginning'

2. Conflict Within The Group

The Walking Dead's biggest antagonist over the years has been its writers, as they've felt the need to force conflict instead of allowing it to arise naturally - a sin committed quite often in long-running drama series'. This doesn't appear to be a problem for Kang, however, as A New Beginning is rife with conflict - and for once none of it is contrived.

The disagreement between Rick and Daryl provides the show with some melancholia, but it's the tension between Rick and Maggie that deserves to be applauded. The writers could've easily wrapped up Maggie and Rick's feud at the beginning of the season, but they've chosen not to do this. Instead, the young widow is conveyed as a force to be reckoned with. Maggie refuses to take any prisoners, and she's definitely not willing to take any sh*t from Rick. Regardless of the time-jump, Maggie is sticking to her guns, and refusing to forgive her former leader for saving the life of her husband's killer. Conflict galore.

As both Lauren Cohan and Andrew Lincoln are departing the show during this season, one can't help but wonder if Maggie and Rick will be the downfall of one another.