Well, the time has finally come.
The very last episode ever of The Walking Dead.
Well, until the two new spinoffs and the limited series featuring Rick and Michonne’s story debut.
And can AMC really satisfactorily wrap up a show that has been running for 11 seasons?
With so much conflict going on presently at the Commonwealth, it seemed like a hard ask to both resolve that and give viewers a rundown on where the show came from and where it finished up.
On top of all that, fans were also expecting a hefty body count and the likely loss of some much-loved characters. So, let’s take a look at what went down — and who died — in Episode 24 of The Walking Dead.
Is Judith okay?
Episode 23 ended on a massive cliffhanger after Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) accidentally shot Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming).
So, after a whole week (two for members of AMC+), we finally discover the fate of Judith.
The episode opens to reveal Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) rushing into the deserted hospital with Judith in his arms. The undead are close on their heels, though, and when Daryl gets knocked out, it is up to Judith to try and stop them from entering the building.
Unfortunately, a walker with a rock — which is totally reminiscent of the one that tried to break into a department store back in Season 1 of The Walking Dead — managed to bash through the glass, and it is absolute chaos.
Judith gets worse after that, and it is time for everyone else to pick up their heels and try to get the injured girl to some sort of safety. Which they do, and then Daryl gives her a blood transfusion with his fancy universal blood while Luke (Dan Fogler), who got bitten, is dying from blood loss in the bed right next to her.
It’s all terribly sad.
Meanwhile, Judith finally gives up that big secret about her dad and Michonne (Danai Gurira) still being alive.
Coco is finally found
While all of the children were previously located in Alexandria, Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Father Gabriel’s (Seth Gilliam) daughter, Coco, was still unaccounted for.
Luckily, she is tracked down fairly quickly in the Season 11 finale, but Rosita, Gabriel, and Eugene (Josh McDermitt) have a hard time escaping the horde outside.
Eventually, they manage to get free, with Rosita showing off just how far she will go to protect Coco from the undead by killing a huge group of walkers after she appears to succumb to them.
Unfortunately for her, though, she is bitten on her shoulder, so she can’t be saved. This means we’re all crying now as everyone gets a chance to say goodbye to her before she turns.
Honestly, everything involving Rosita’s death punches you right in the feels. From Rosita being stoic but terribly sad through it all, to Eugene being the one to work out something is up and also the one with her at the end, to Gabriel finally working out what is going on, it all packs a hardcore punch.
Pamela is dealt with
With all the bad that Pamela has done of late in her effort to be the worst, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is determined to take her out.
Maggie (Lauren Cohan) winds up helping him because she realizes he is a changed person. Sure, she can’t forgive him for what he did to Glenn (Steven Yeun), but she is willing to try to get along with him.
And it is at this point that we get another emotion-charged scene where Negan truly apologizes to Maggie for what he did to Glenn and Maggie admits she wants to move on but realizes things aren’t black and white when it comes to their situation.
This means they will have more to work through in their spinoff show, The Walking Dead: Dead City.
Before the pair can kill Pamela, the horde has approached the gates as a group of the lower class tries to convince the Commonwealth guards to let them through to safety.
Pamela is not budging, though, because she is a baddie god d**n it!
Then Mercer (Michael James Shaw) turns up with the rest of the group she expelled and arrests Pamela for being the worst leader ever.
And, as Negan points out to Maggie, who is ready to take the leader out, this is actually a fate worse than death — and he should know.
Everything pretty much falls into line easily after that, which falls pretty flat considering Pamela and the Commonwealth have been billed as the huge antagonists for Season 11.
The people outside the gate are then allowed in, and a plan is hatched to get rid of the undead that are still swarming.
Of course, an explosion is involved
The one good thing Pamela did was segregate the upper and lower classes — and I can’t even believe I’m saying that.
However, thanks to her being such a horrible person, the undead are now in one section of the Commonwealth and not all over it.
So, using some loud music and way more fuel than is necessary, the undead are destroyed quickly and cleanly with a massive explosion.
One year later
Now that everything has been resolved in relation to the Commonwealth, it’s time for a time jump in order to conclude the series.
Here, everyone’s stories are tied up neatly. Ezekiel (Khary Payton) gets to run a community again, having been made the new governor of the Commonwealth. He appoints Mercer as his lieutenant governor.
We get a chance to see all the kids happy and a new child welcomed, thanks to Eugene and Max (Margot Bingham). Although, I am wondering how they managed to get jiggy and have Max give birth to a baby who is obviously not a newborn in the span of only 12 months.
All the communities are thriving at this point, and everything looks peaches.
Daryl, however, is determined to find Rick now that he knows he’s still alive. This time, he’s not taking Judith with him because he learned his lesson well by letting her join in on the action regarding the Commonwealth.
He has a poignant moment with Carol (Melissa McBride), who has — thankfully — cut off her ridiculously long locks.
They share some “I love yous,” and AMC teases fans with the possibility of the pair finally becoming Caryl, but then they part ways, still friends and Daryl drives off on his quest to find Rick, which is how I suppose the network will segue into his spinoff series.
Funnily enough, there is no hint of how Negan and Maggie will wind up in Manhattan together, so viewers will just have to wait for further news from AMC regarding that.
Surprise! Rick and Michonne are back
What was teased substantially at the end of Episode 24 was Rick and Michonne.
Using a bunch of flashbacks and voiceovers, viewers are reminded of what these characters mean to the show before finally introducing some new footage.
We learn that Michonne is apparently alone with just a leather-armored horse for company as she searches for Rick.
Meanwhile, Rick appears to be an escapee from the CRM. However, a helicopter does manage to track him down, and I am unsure why he seems happy about his imminent capture. Once again, we will likely all have to wait until their limited series drops next year in order to find out more here.
All seasons of The Walking Dead are now available on AMC and AMC+.