I’m sure that at this point, it’s not that big of a surprise that I like The Walking Dead. It’s pretty much become a character trait of mine - the “zombie girl” who was a little too obsessed with Daryl back in 2013 for a high-school girl. Still cringe about those days.
However, it’s happening. The original The Walking Dead series is finally coming to an end - before the plethora of spinoffs that are coming within the next year or so. And while there are several things I’m excited for with the upcoming last episodes that will close out a huge part of my life, there are certain things that you should also remember before the last eight episodes begin on October 2nd.
So, for fans of the show who need a bit of a refresher, here are seven things you should remember about The Walking Dead Season 11 before it returns.
Leah Is Dead
Ding-dong, the witch is dead.
Okay, that might be a little mean, but I never really connected with Leah’s character that much and the whole storyline that she had with the Reapers just didn’t sit will with me, so I wasn't the hugest fan of her being a villain and an ex-love interest of Daryl’s.
However, we don’t need to worry about that any more, because Leah was taken out by Daryl himself. Leah had lured Maggie into her old cabin, where she planned to kill her, but Daryl came out of nowhere and was forced to kill Leah to save Maggie, so she’s completely gone. While I know lots of people die in The Walking Dead, it was still surprising to see her killed so quickly.
Alexandria, Hilltop, And The Other Communities Are Being Held Hostage By The Commonwealth
These poor communities just can’t seem to catch a break, can they?
If you remember, in the final scenes of Episode 16 of Season 11, we could see that the Commonwealth soldiers were taking over all the communities that we have gotten used to over the last several seasons. They are putting up banners and having soldiers walk around guarding them.
We see it with both Alexandria and Hilltop, since their respective leaders are both away, and near the end, we can see the same happening with Oceanside, as much as we don’t see this community as often.
Lance Is Deciding Survivors' Fate Through Coin Flips
Another thing that was talked about in the latest episode of The Walking Dead was that Lance was starting to lose it a little bit and decided to use a coin flip to decide people’s fates - which, in all honesty, is quite twisted and good villainy for someone who really likes the antagonists of this show.
It was a good cliffhanger for us to see Lance flip that coin and not see where it landed to decide what he should do with the residents of Oceanside. But, I have a feeling that this new method is going to end up getting him in more trouble than he thinks it will. Leaving things up to fate has never really worked out that much for villains of the past, so we’ll see what happens there.
Maggie And Negan Are In Phase 1 Of Their Eventual Spinoff Team-Up
If you’ve been living under a The Walking Dead rock, it was confirmed earlier this year that a new spinoff featuring Maggie and Negan traveling to Manhattan for an unknown reason was announced, originally called Isle of the Dead. However, it was recently changed to Dead City.
For fans who haven’t kept up with the show, one might be wondering how a spinoff featuring two characters who pretty much despised each other a few seasons ago could work. But in Episode 16 of Season 11 of The Walking Dead, Maggie even says to Negan that she’s beginning to learn to trust him, despite everything that’s happened.
It’s almost the beginning of their spinoff, showing that their partnership is starting to grow a little more. It makes me wonder what sends them out to New York City of all things. Maybe the last episodes are going to answer that for me. Is Dead City going to be the next addition to the best shows that take place in New York City? Only time will tell.
Connie's Group Is Setting Up A Revolt Against Pamela From Within The Commonwealth
Admittedly, the group that has stayed within the Commonwealth has been kind of uneventful in terms of what’s happening on the outside, but it’s important to note that Connie and her group are inciting a revolt against Pamela from inside the walls.
In her job as the reporter for the newspaper, she and a group of other people have been working together to expose Pamela’s lies to the residents, and in the last minutes of Episode 16, we see Pamela herself get the very newspaper that talks about it. It’s a big moment that is sure to cause a lot of problems in these last eight episodes.
Meanwhile, Daryl, Aaron, And Others Are Planning For War From The Outside
War seems to be something that happens quite regularly for this group, and the last eight episodes are going to dive right into that. In the last moments of Episode 16 of The Walking Dead Season 11, when Maggie, Aaron, Daryl, and everyone else just barely make it out alive after being hunted down by Commonwealth soldiers after their betrayal, it’s now time to plan for war.
The Commonwealth storyline in The Walking Dead comics is quite different than what is currently happening in the show, with some characters that are supposed to be dead being alive, and vice versa, but it’s still just as entertaining, and I can’t wait to see the war come soon.
Michonne Is Still Out There Looking For Rick
No, Michonne is probably not going to show up again in Season 11. I’d be pretty surprised if they ended up bringing her back at this point in the show. The character went off on a search for Rick in Season 10 after she was given info about where he might be and hasn’t been seen since, and Danai Gurira hasn’t been on the show since.
While you might think it wouldn't be right to not bring her back, it’s been announced that both Michonne and Rick are going to return in a spinoff in 2023 at some point, so it’s not like we’re never going to see them again. But, it still stinks, because I don’t think they’re going to come back for the last eight episodes, which is a bummer.
The Walking Dead is finally coming to an end as part of the 2022 fall TV schedule and yeah, I am a little sad, but all good things must end and this was one heck of a ride. Now we wait until October 2nd.
