Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead‘s “No Other Way.”
As The Walking Dead resumes for part two of the final chapter, fans expect to be dealt a series of blows, but in the last moments of “No Other Way,” hearts broke in a way no one was prepared for — both on and off-screen.
Lauren Cohan, TWD’s Maggie, had a hard time saying goodbye to a character we all hoped to have more time with. Aiden, played by Callan Mcauliffe, was a fan favorite and brought a lot of heart to the series. Cohan’s tearful goodbye post on Instagram sums up his spirit as a character and a friend.
“Callan, you made it easy to be gutted by losing Alden.”
Maggie is no stranger to loss, having dealt with the painful deaths of her father, husband, and sister alongside countless friends that have passed on along the way. As she cradled Aiden in the moments after she ended his suffering as a walker, the tears she let out were undeniably for him, but maybe for herself too.
Of course, she is strong and resilient — she has to be, and we’ve seen a side of Maggie lately that is more ruthless than ever before — but she’s still human, and the goodbyes never get easier. As we get sneak peeks into the future of The Walking Dead show, more goodbyes exist on the horizon, and they’re going to hurt all of us.