Despite being an action-packed, gory zombie show, relationships have a heavy presence on The Walking Dead. The show has been on the air since 2010, and is now nearing its 10th season. Though the ratings have taken a huge hit in recent years, The Walking Dead is still one of the most-watched shows on TV.
A big reason for this is the cast of multidimensional, complex characters the show presents. The fanbase may be dwindling, but it is still quite significant compared to many other shows currently on the air. Many long-time fans have continued watching The Walking Dead due to their love of the characters. The show may frequently feature battles and bloody zombie kills, but the characters and their relationships with each other are truly the most important part of the series. Let’s review 5 of the best couples in TWD history, and 5 of the worst.
10. RICK AND JESSIE – WORST
Shortly after arriving in Alexandria, Rick struck up a contrived romance with Jessie Anderson. Nothing about this relationship really made much sense. The whole storyline failed to satisfy the audience, despite the fact that is was very obvious how much TWD writers wanted it to sell.
Not only was this relationship standing in the way of the much anticipated “Richonne” (Rick and Michonne), Rick’s fledgling crush on Jessie brought out the worst in him. He acted like a love-struck, immature teenager in many ways. Seemingly forgetting all about his responsibilities as a father and leader, Rick had a brawl with Jessie’s abusive husband, Pete, in the middle of Alexandria. This relationship and the entire storyline is certainly one most fans would rather forget.
9. JERRY AND NABILA – BEST
These two don’t get much screen time, but from what is shown, they’re adorable. It was revealed that Jerry and Nabila were in a relationship early in season 9. Over the course of the years that passed during the ninth season, Jerry and Nabila had three kids.
Although relationships developed offscreen are often unsuccessful in the TWD-verse, Jerry and Nabila are a rare exception. They are both fairly minor characters, but what viewers do see of their relationship, they love. Because let’s face it: Jerry himself is great, and Jerry in a relationship and being a father to several young kids is completely adorable.
8. CAROL AND EZEKIEL – WORST
In typical Walking Dead fashion, Carol and Ezekiel’s relationship was poorly written. The set-up was messy, and before fans were ever given a chance to enjoy this new bond, a six-year time jump occurred. This is a common tactic TWD writers use to seemingly have the plot move along without that pesky character development standing in the way.
In Carol and Ezekiel’s case, season 9’s six-year time jump did not do them any favors. Not many fans were loving this relationship when it was revealed the two were dating in the season 9 premiere, and a notable reason for that was because this romance had developed offscreen, at some ambiguous time during the year-long time jump between season 8 and 9. With this lack of development, chemistry, and the fact that Carol’s character appeared to be swept onto the sidelines due to this relationship, most viewers were thankful for Carol and Ezekiel’s break up in the season 9 finale.
7. AARON AND ERIC – BEST
Since most graphic novel readers were prepared for Aaron and Jesus to have a romance, Aaron and Eric’s relationship is often overlooked.
Despite Eric’s emotional death early in season 8, his relationship with Aaron was completely endearing and beautiful. The two met and began dating before the apocalypse, and were one of the few couples in Walking Dead history who were shown to have stayed together after the apocalypse. They worked as recruiters for Alexandria. Eric’s death in season 8 was tragic, and it was painful to watch Aaron endure this. While Aaron raises Gracie alone, whom he adopted shortly after Eric’s death, it would have been beautiful to see him raise her with Eric.
6. RICK AND MICHONNE – WORST
Even though Rick and Michonne had been The Walking Dead’s power couple for some time, the dynamic lacked charm and pull.
Having the two get together almost directly following Jessie Anderson’s death was definitely not a wise move. Rick and Michonne’s romance happened suddenly, even despite having been built up for a few seasons. Their relationship has been a major part of the series since season 6, but many aspects of it come across as contrived, and their interactions are frequently written in a heavy-handed manner. Rick and Michonne may have been known as The Walking Dead‘s power couple, but whether they deserved that title or not remains questionable.
5. SASHA AND BOB – BEST
While Sasha and Bob’s relationship was very short-lived, it was nonetheless adorable. Bob was an ex-army medic and Sasha was a firefighter. Having met at the Prison, Bob was attracted to Sasha’s strong, stubborn personality.
For Sasha, it took her a bit longer to come around, after the fall of the Prison resulted in her being stranded with Bob and Maggie. During this time, Bob and Sasha formed a close bond. Early in season 5, Bob met his unfortunate demise. His death weighed on Sasha heavily, but even now, with both characters gone, the relationship remains adorable.
4. HENRY AND LYDIA – WORST
After Carl died, it seemed that The Walking Dead was heavily alluding to Henry being his replacement. Theories circulated that Henry would be the next Carl, especially after he met Lydia late in season 9.
But it wasn’t long until Henry’s naive personality came to light. Although he appeared to have big aspirations, such as being a blacksmith apprentice during his stay at Hilltop, all that changed when Henry met Lydia. The two began talking while sharing adjoining cells at Hilltop, and in these roughly five minutes of knowing each other, apparently struck up an epic romance. Of course, this ended in Henry getting killed by the Whisperers in the penultimate episode of season 9. Everything about this relationship was drenched in sheer stupidity and absurdity.
3. DENISE AND TARA – BEST
It’s often forgotten that Tara was the first LGTBQ+ character to be introduced on The Walking Dead. Her romantic relationships are also often overlooked.
What was probably Tara’s best romance was her relationship with Denise. The two were only together for a few months, but were shown to be very in love. Denise’s tragic death occurred late in season 6, and since then, Tara has not had any other romantic relationship. Tara was Denise’s last love, as Denise was Tara’s. And it is a shame that this beautiful relationship is often forgotten.
2. ROSITA/FATHER GABRIEL/SIDDIQ/EUGENE – WORST
Not as relationship-focused as it once was, it was somewhat surprising when The Walking Dead attempted a love quadrangle in season 9.
Even despite the fact that this entire relationship is absolutely ridiculous, it is terribly written as well. The fact that Rosita has three men who are in love with her, two of which have never had any interactions with her before the six-year time jump in season 9, is a ludicrous concept. Eugene’s unrequited infatuation with Rosita is about the only realistic aspect of this quadrangle. Rosita being pregnant with Siddiq’s child while being in a relationship with Father Gabriel is probably one of the most absurd, random, nonsensical arcs ever to appear on The Walking Dead.
1. GLENN AND MAGGIE – BEST
Glenn and Maggie were definitely the most iconic couple on The Walking Dead. Being one of the most long-term couples on the show, Glenn and Maggie were loved by the majority of the audience. They quickly struck up a romance early in season 2, and ever since, have portrayed one of the most sincere relationships on The Walking Dead.
They stuck together through everything, and even after Glenn’s death in season 7, their relationship remained a major part of the show. Though there were many relationships on TWD after Glenn and Maggie, these two will never be replaced, and will forever be an unforgettable aspect of the series.
