The Walking Dead: "Maggie Rhee" Is the Hero Rick's Group Needs

In an otherwise uneventful episode of The Walking Dead -- unless you really enjoy horny cowards in a position of authority being awful -- there was one moment that stood out from the rest. This:

Maggie (Lauren Cohan) telling Gregory (Xander Berkeley) that she was Maggie Rhee -- taking Glenn's (Steven Yeun) name, not referring to herself by her maiden name Maggie Greene -- was a chest-thumping moment for The Walking Dead's most likable heroine, not just because she put that old wretch in his place (seriously, what is that dude's problem?), but because it was indicative of her drive moving forward. It was indicative of her motive this whole time.

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Not that any of us expected Maggie to retreat into despair after Glenn's tragic passing, despite the emotional devastation from the events of the Season 7 premiere. Maggie is a survivor, and in this world, survivors need something to hang on to.

For five seasons, Maggie's drive to survive was the love she shared with Glenn. It was one of the few relics from the old world that still existed in this twisted new reality, and while the world burned around them, they shared some of the most "normal" human moments of the series. Their quick courtship, their engagement, Maggie's pregnancy, their frickin' adorable picture-taking scene in the watchtower; in a show with so much misery, it was Maggie and Glenn who provided the greatest sense of hope that everything we took for granted, the simple things, could return.

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Maggie's proclamation that she was Maggie Rhee clearly showed us that her headspace is to keep fighting for Glenn. The anger that backed it -- and the smack she laid on Gregory -- means she isn't scared, and while Rick (Andrew Lincoln) hands over everything he can and more to Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) (did he really have to give up that awesome gun Negan didn't know about?) and watches his leadership credibility evaporate, Maggie is showing the fortitude to press forward.

She ran over the car with a tractor! Which isn't the first time she's run over a car with a tractor, she noted. That's the kind of action that gets noticed, that people who are lost look up to. Even Jesus (Tom Payne) took note, saying he couldn't see someone else taking Gregory's place until now and heavily implying that Maggie was his choice to take power. And with Gregory moments away from being ousted as leader of Hilltop -- the incompetent buffoon has to be on his way out, right? -- that opportunity has a real chance to come to fruition. Maybe Maggie takes over Hilltop, maybe she unifies Hilltop with Alexandria -- since people power will be key to battling Negan. Maybe she provides the spark that snaps Rick out of his funk and back into badass Rick.

No matter what direction this arc takes, it's best to step aside and not get in Maggie Rhee's way.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.