Jeffrey Dean Morgan on This Celeb’s Stunning Return to The Strolling Lifeless Universe (Unique)

Warning: This submit incorporates spoilers for The Strolling Lifeless: Lifeless Metropolis season 2, episode 7.

Sizzling diggity canine. Lucille is again! Form of.

One Tree Hill alum Hilarie Burton, 42, made a shock return to The Strolling Lifeless universe as Negan’s spouse, Lucille. Within the June 15 episode of The Strolling Lifeless: Lifeless Metropolis, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) hallucinates his useless spouse as he grapples with a sick Ginny (Mahina Anne Marie Napoleon) and displays on previous misgivings.

Morgan, additionally Burton’s real-life husband, was thrilled to reunite on display.

“We have been making an attempt to determine a method to deliver her again into the present since she got here on the primary time,” Morgan, 59, solely tells PEOPLE of Burton’s sudden cameo on Lifeless Metropolis. “I at all times needed her again.”

“Eli discovered a method to deliver her again, and we did,” Morgan provides of Lifeless Metropolis showrunner Eli Jorné.

Burton first appeared in The Strolling Lifeless season 10 finale, entitled “This is Negan,” through flashbacks as Lucille, the namesake of Negan’s iconic apocalyptic homicide bat.

All through TWD finale, the previous gymnasium instructor mirrored on the occasions that led him to an remoted dwelling scenario, together with his makes an attempt to maintain Lucille alive after a most cancers prognosis in the course of the early months of humanity’s downfall. By its finish, Lucille took her personal life so Negan might transfer ahead.

On Sunday’s episode of Lifeless Metropolis, “Novi Dan Novi Pocetak,” which Mile (Željko Ivanek) interprets to “New Day, New Starting” from Croatian, Negan finds himself at the same low level. Believing he has failed all of the folks in his life — Lucille, his present spouse Annie, their son Joshua, and Ginny — Negan stumbles throughout a walker encounter, banging his head on the nook of a sink.

Doubtless concussed and bleeding from the again of his head, Negan begins hallucinating that he’s chasing a thief within the hospital. Negan then tackles the theif and divulges the thriller particular person is none aside from Lucille.

Within the transient encounter, which lasts simply over a minute, Negan apologizes for failing to maintain her alive.

Lucille affords solely compassion and love, shaking her head no and responding teary-eyed, “You bought me up each morning. You washed me.”

And whereas Negan retains asserting “it wasn’t sufficient,” Lucille continues unwavering.

“You bought me dressed. You undressed me,” she provides with a realizing snort.

“I believe that it does a lot for my character having her round so you’ll be able to see behind the door of why Negan is Negan,” Morgan says of their transient scene.

When Lucille disappears, Morgan is visited briefly by visions of his present spouse and little one, in addition to Ginny. It leads him to discover a ventilator to assist maintain Ginny alive, at the very least in the interim.

You may watch a part of Burton’s return as Lucille from Sunday’s episode beneath:

The Strolling Lifeless: Lifeless Metropolis‘s season 2 finale will air subsequent Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.