It’s finally over.
After eleven seasons, so many heartbreaking deaths, and painstakingly annoying time jumps, The Walking Dead has finally come to an end. I have watched it all, seen the rise and fall of certain villains, witnessed characters become fan-favorites, and became fans of relationships that I’ll truly miss. Then again, watching the show felt a little anticlimactic because I knew about half of my favorites were going to be getting their own TV spin-offs after the show ended.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that this show finally ended. When The Walking Dead started, I was still in middle school, and now, I’m a full-blown adult living in an apartment and have a full-time job, so I was feeling the emotions last night. So in honor of The Walking Dead’s series finale, I’m going to go over the times in this last episode that truly got me feeling emotional.
As you can imagine, this article is full of spoilers from The Walking Dead finale.
When I Truly Thought Judith Was A Goner
I already watched one Grimes sibling die – I didn’t need to watch another.
Granted, when Judith was shot in the penultimate episode, I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to end up with her actually dying. She was the future of this show and basically took over the role that Carl had, and I didn’t want to think that The Walking Dead would be so cruel as to kill off the child before she was reunited with her mom and dad again.
But boy, that moment had me biting my nails. When she passed out from the blood loss and there was literally no one there to help her medically other than Daryl and Carol – who are not doctors – it was a moment of suspense that made me think ‘are they really going to kill her off?’ But nope, still alive, thankfully. My 'lil asskicker.
When Luke Was Sadly Bitten – And His Emotional Farewell
You know, I have to admit, at first I was never the biggest fan of the group that came in after the big time-jump in The Walking Dead in Season 9, but over time, I came to like them, and Luke was one of my favorites from that group.
It was the series finale, so I was expecting deaths, but his death was pretty hard on me because I loved how he always kept the music alive, and the fact that those were symbolically his last words in the show made it all the more painful. May you rest in peace.
When Negan Apologized To Maggie
For the longest time I wondered how they were going to set up Dead City where Negan and Maggie worked together on something – and after The Walking Dead finale, I’m still wondering exactly how they are going to do that since NYC was not mentioned at all. But, what they did seem to set up is potential trust between Maggie and Negan.
Negan openly apologizing to Maggie for how horrible he was after he realizes what she must have felt that night was the ultimate step in his character development, and showed that he truly was trying. And the fact that Maggie doesn’t actually forgive him but is honest with him in saying that she wants to try and stop hating him so they can push forward in the future was a great moment, and makes me excited to see them work together again in Dead City.
When Rosita Was Bitten – And Her Goodbye To Eugene
Man… this one hurt.
I loved Rosita in The Walking Dead. There wasn't a lot of Latino representation on the show, among which were Rosita and of course, Morales – and we all know how his story ended. But she was just this badass Latina that was just the epitome of a warrior. And her death hurt the most in this episode.
What really got to me was her goodbye to Eugene. These two have had so many ups and downs throughout the course of The Walking Dead timeline, but in the end, she openly told him that she was “glad” he was the one there with her. It was so sweet and sad at the same time and it had tears running down my cheeks. Again, may she rest in peace.
Seeing Ezekiel Become The Governor Of The Commonwealth
My man. I was so glad that one of the comic book changes that the show made was that Ezekiel is still very much alive at the end of the series – and better yet, he took over Pamela’s job and became Governor of the Commonwealth. This man was born to lead. You could tell from the moment he stepped on screen in Season 7 of The Walking Dead.
While I’m still sad that his relationship with Carol didn’t work out, I can take solace knowing that he is still leading and inspiring people every day in the Commonwealth as they build a new world.
When Carol Said Daryl Was Her Best Friend
God, the tears, the tears.
I’ve already gone over how much I love Carol and Daryl and their friendship moments throughout the show, but only during the finale did I realize how precious that friendship really was now that they were really separating. And Carol openly tells that to Daryl in the last minutes of the show before he sets out on his journey to find Rick. It’s so refreshingly sweet.
And When They Said I Love You To Each Other
Yeah, the tears kept coming with this one.
I’ll be honest, I was never a huge fan of the possibility of a romantic relationship between them. I always saw them as close friends and I’m glad that the show went in that direction instead of pushing a romance there. But this type of platonic love is something we so rarely see in the show, and having it close off with Daryl saying to Carol that he loves her, and she loves him, was the icing on top of the cake.
They are the last two people from the first season who were still starring on this show, and it was fitting for The Walking Dead’s main series to end on their love for each other after everything that had happened. And honestly, it actually makes me excited for the Daryl spinoff there is going to be, even if Carol won’t be there anymore.
Seeing RICK AND MICHONNE
I will be completely transparent with y'all, I didn’t think they were going to do it, but wow, those last scenes with Rick and Michonne, holy s***.
I have been waiting for the continuation of Rick and Michonne’s story for ages and seeing them writing these letters, both looking for the other, Rick literally being wanted, is something I needed to see in those last minutes. I am so excited to see where their story goes in their spinoff.
And Watching Michonne Ride Into That Herd
This is really random, but like, does anyone else miss Danai Gurira just being a badass as Michonne? Watching her character ride towards that giant herd in The Walking Dead was something that I didn’t know I needed until it happened. Now all I need is to see her slice up some walker heads.
That Very Last Scene With Judith And R.J.
It was at this moment that it really hit me.
This show is over. While we may be getting spinoffs and continuations of certain stories, there are some that we will never see again. Judith and R.J. are the next generation of survivors and are bright pillars of the future of The Walking Dead, and even if for some reason we never see them again, I’d be content with how their story ended – and how everyone else’s story ended.
I have watched this show through high school, my college years, and now into my young adult years, and yet it doesn’t feel like I’m saying goodbye. It feels more like a “see you later,” because these stories never truly die. After all this time, and all the devotion I’ve given this show, I’m glad to say that it’s over and I was there through the whole thing, as bittersweet as it is.
Thank you, The Walking Dead, for making my younger years a heck of a good time – and now I can’t wait to see what you do for the stories we get to see continue.
