11.24: The Walking Dead - Rest in Peace

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Our survivors must save their kids and the Commonwealth.

IMDB score: 9.0 Runtime: 90 minutes

 

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So it's finally here after 177 episodes, including this one. Some might have wondered how it will end. I don't know. I always knew it was going to be bad. This story has been for a long time a survival one, with the Dead always winning... meaning that to me this is a story of how we died.

Although, it might as well be of how the Alexandrians survived after their autocratic leader was kidnapped by the helicopter people. After all we know that at least a couple of them make it out live, who besides Daryl make it?

Let's see...

This is so untypical, resting in the middle of the zombie invasion. What is wrong with you people? Jokes besides, Judith did amazing job on getting up and barricading the hospital lobby while Daryl was out counting zetas. All while bleeding from the bullet wound.

In the meantime, Jules were lost to Dead, Luke almost went after her as the horde took her down. Having lost a leg afterwards, not a great prospect. Especially as he'd lost the will to live in the aftermath. There was nothing that could have been done to save him. Not even though he was in the hospital.

For saving Judith, the writers made a deus ex device by Daryl's universal blood type. Why wasn't it known before?

When Judith came back, she had no idea that she's saved both of them and Daryl didn't have the heart to tell her that they were effed. He's best idea was to barricade the corridors and block the access, just like it'd been done to her dad.

Inmate general, saved by Princess and Max. It didn't take them long to process Mercer, put him in a cell, and then abandon the facility. What's the point of using it, when everyone can just walk in and do things, rescue people or use them?

Maybe the bigger surprise afterwards was an armory access and nicking of a truck, with all of their stolen supplies, just as Rosita stormed the nursery and saved babies. Then she got stuck with one-eyed priest and Dr Evil in an ambulance outside the hospital.

What I don't get is why they decided to fight their way into the hospital, just at the same time as the rest of the group were trying to find a away out from it? Why they couldn't camp in the van, block the windows and then wait in the silence as the masses of dead have gone from the outside?

The boys saved themselves by climbing the world's strongest drainpipe, leaving Rosita behind to show her amazing fighting skills. The ferocity of a corned tiger mum, until she got rescued by the pipe as well.

Later in the evening, Eugene showed his heart, confessed to his old sins and asked forgiveness, but there was nothing to forgive, when Rosita knew she was on her way out, due to zombie bite. On her back.

Lydia and Aaron at the doctor's office. It bothered me in the last episode when I noticed the fake blood stuck on their clothes, but in this shot it's so obvious. Lydia looks fine, she even shampooed her hair before trying her luck at the outside. But at least they made it back to the main group.

"You okay?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah," Lydia nodded, even though there was something obviously messed with her mind. "Just... Luke and Jules..."

Aaron nodded. "I know."

"It's the same with Elijah. I know it. That's just what happens. People die, cities fall, and things just don't work out." Staring in the emptiness, Lydia continued. "People tell me they do, but they don't. Jerry's not coming back either, is he?"

Whispering, but still maintaining confidence, Aaron replied, "I haven't give up hope."

That's right. We never can give up hope. Not until there is knowledge.

I don't know what happened to the zombie groan, but thousands of them in the city, it should have been audible when Maggie caught Negan slinking away with a rifle and army bag.

"What is your angle?" Maggie asked.

"Angle?" There is no godd*amn angle, Maggie," Negan answered. "There is no angle. I am doing this for you. You take Pammy out with this thing, hell is going to rain down on you. And you ain't gonna come back and you have to come back. So, I'm gonna do it. Last night when I was on my knees, about to lose my wife... I was about to loose everything. And I finally understood what you must have felt. Look, I...."

That's redemption coming full circle, Mr Saviour. He asked forgiveness for all the pain he'd done over the years, and all Maggie could do was to take the rifle away from him and then ask, "Are you coming?"

That was so dark and beautiful. Bless them.

I could get why Maggie didn't pull the trigger when she had the governor on her sights, until I saw Mercer walking to Pamela by the estate gate and declared it's over. At there it felt so righteous when the general delivered the news and proceeded to stand strong in a Mexican stand-off, with everyone pointing loaded guns at each other.

That didn't stop until Daryl arrived to tell them all how effed they were in believing in the old world ideals. So the governor is getting arrested, and about a hundred brave souls saved in Commonwealth's last stronghold.

"There's only one enemy. And we ain't the Walking Dead."

Then it was time to play heavy metal... Man, I loved watching them preparing to set governor's mansion ablaze. What could possibly go wrong?

Why could they not let Pamela perish?

In the aftermath, Maggie came back to tell Negan, "I want to thank you. Couldn't stop wondering if you'll ever say those words. And if I can ever forgive you. Because I know now... I can't. Glenn was beautiful. I will never love someone like that ever again. I remember his smile. His goodness, the way he made me feel. But when I look at you, all I see is that bat coming down on his head. Blood running down his face. I hear him... I hear him calling me. And I hear you mocking him while he's dying! So... I can't forgive you..."

Finally she's healing, confessing to her pain, to her loss. She turned a new chapter in the same way Negan had redeemed his sin, after a long, hard road. There is a place for the bad boys in this world. You might not want to forgive them, but we cannot live in all goodness, no matter how much we want it. There is always going to be a dark and light side in the play. And a helluva lot of shades of grey.

One year later Ezekiel had made to Commonwealth governor and Mercer his right-hand man. Everyone was happier. They even had restored Alexandria to its former glory. Even Hilltop looked good. And all they wanted to talk about was the future.

I felt some much peace for seeing them in peace. And then Daryl went to look for Rick and Michonne. Bike, poncho, his stuff and a confession of his love to Carol. He had no extra fuel, but I guess we don't care about it at this point...

...because we are the ones who live. Loved seeing Rick and Michonne at the end.

-
9/10

 

[ctg]

One more thing, damn helicopter people for keeping Ricktator as their prisoner!

 

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The story (credited to Angela Kang) is familiar enough, but it’s done very well, and a lot of emotion from off-screen finds its way on-screen. After 12 years of writing and thinking about this show and various spin-off properties, even I’m a little emotional at the thought of seeing it come to an end, and I haven’t spent years of my life sweating through my clothes in Georgia to make it happen. It’s never about the end, it’s always been about the journey. Maybe the real walking dead have been the friends we’ve made along the way?

That’s certainly what the show has been suggesting. The details of the spin-off shows are interesting enough, but the hook isn’t more zombies, the hook is more Daryl, Maggie, Negan, Michonne, and Rick. Good zombie media is out there (I highly recommend Black Summer), but it’s the promise of further adventures with characters we like that will bring fans back to the trough for The Walking Dead: Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and whatever they end up calling the untitled Richonne series. If you love something, it’s never truly gone.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 24 Review: Rest In Peace

The Walking Dead finale brings the story to a close. But like any walker, it will rise again.

www.denofgeek.com

Folks who watched the finale live on AMC were treated to some additional former Walking Dead character cameos. The commercial blocks for The Walking Dead finale included four separate ads that all just happened to include the zombified version of deceased Walking Dead characters. These characters were original main cast member Andrea (Laurie Holden), season 3 Woodbury scientist Milton (Dallas Roberts), season 5 antagonist Gareth (Andrew J. West), and Hilltop youth Rodney (Joe Ando-Hirsh) in ads for Deloitte, MNTN, Autodesk, Ring, and DoorDash, respectively.

You can watch all the ads below. There are five in total, with Andrea appearing in two of them (and in the second of which she eats Ryan Reynolds’ brain).

The Walking Dead Series Finale's Biggest Easter Egg Wasn't What We Expected

The most unexpected surprise in The Walking Dead finale didn't even occur in the episode itself.

www.denofgeek.com

 

[REBerg]

One or more main character deaths in the finale seemed inevitable, but I didn't expect it to be Rosita.
My prime candidates were Judith and Carol. In retrospect, I suppose Judith was safe as a symbol of the future. Carol may have decided to bail on her sequel with Daryl after the final TWD chapter had been produced, and they wouldn't or couldn't kill her off.
I thought they wrapped things up pretty well, along with setting up the series character extensions to come. Negan and Maggie in New York doesn't seem like much of a stretch, but I wonder how Daryl gets to Paris.

 

[nixie]

Judith coming round and barricading doors was more unbelievable than Daryl being a universal donor.
We lost fewer than I thought we would, only one of our core group. I didn't think of Luke as one of them.
Was a shame it was Rosita.
I was prepared to lose a lot more, I had visions at the end we'd have Carol, Daryl, Maggie, Negan, Aaron, Eugene and the kids.
I did have a little cheer when Jerry came through the gates.
Michonne's armour looked good.
The ship, why do I feel its going to play a major part in one of the spin-offs ?

 

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The Walking Dead series finale, “Rest in Peace,” had to confront some challenges that few other shows will ever face. In addition to wrapping up 11 seasons of storytelling, The Walking Dead‘s final episode had to also leave some room for the future.

AMC has made no attempt to hide the fact that The Walking Dead series finale wouldn’t really be the end. Though the flagship show is now over, the franchise will carry on in the form of several spinoffs – some pre-existing fare like Fear the Walking Dead, and even more brand new options like The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and The Walking Dead: Dead City. So how could one hour-plus episode of television satisfyingly respect the past while not scuttling plans for the future? Fairly effective as it turns out!

Though “Rest in Peace” didn’t feature as many character deaths as one might expect from a series final of a historically brutal show, it did at least settle on one departure with a decent emotional impact (R.I.P. Rosita). And in the process it also found a fairly complete note to go out on. The Commonwealth is saved and all of our heroes get to sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of their 11-season journey (literally in some cases as the Alexandria gardens appear to be churning out some beauties). Meanwhile a handful of spinoff-y characters prepare to set out on new journeys.

And then there’s that final sequence…

The Walking Dead Series Finale Ending Explained: How It Sets Up Rick and Michonne's Return

The Walking Dead finale sets up the future as it puts the past to bed. Here are those last few moments explained.

www.denofgeek.com

 

[svalbard]

As finales go it was pretty good. Got a bit emotional about Rosita, but at least she got the kick ass moment of the episode.

Was that New York are the end with Rick? Who is the voice in the copter? It sort seems we should know that voice.

Michonne riding into a herd of zombies is a great image.

 

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Was that New York are the end with Rick? Who is the voice in the copter? It sort seems we should know that voice.

It was the helicopter people AKA Civil Response Management or something like it. They are the American version of the government that actually survived and did their responsibility. The voice sounded pretty normal to me. The city can be anything, but the New York is related to Negan and Maggie own spinoff.

 

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The final episode of The Walking Dead set one last record. On Sunday night, the AMC zombie drama aired a 90-minute series finale that featured Daryl (Norman Reedus), Carol (Melissa McBride), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), and Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) last stand against the living and the dead at the Commonwealth. Wrapping up the series after 177 episodes across 11 seasons was a coda ending on Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who returned for the final minutes of the episode that was simulcast on AMC and AMC+ as part of the live Walking Dead Finale Event in Los Angeles.

All that and one last major death resulted in AMC+'s highest single day of viewership ever with The Walking Dead series finale, Variety reports. Titled "Rest in Peace," the series finale is also the most-watched episode of any show on the platform since AMC+ launched in October 2020.

Unlike previous episodes of Seasons 10 and 11, which were released one week early on AMC+, the series finale premiered on streaming at the same time the episode premiered on AMC's linear channel. On cable, The Walking Dead drew its largest audience in nearly two years with the much-anticipated series finale, coming in as the No. 2 cable drama in the 18-49 demographic (behind Paramount Network's Yellowstone Season 5).

According to Variety citing Nielsen's Live + 3 Day data, "Rest in Peace" averaged 3.1 million total viewers for a 36% increase over the "Family" penultimate episode that left off on a huge cliffhanger. The finale drew 1.5 million viewers in adults 25-54 (+53%) and 1.2 million adults among the 18-49 crowd (+75%), Variety reports.

"What a great conclusion to the 'zombie show' that kicked off on Halloween night in 2010 and went on to become the most successful series in the history of cable television," said Dan McDermott, AMC's president of entertainment and AMC Studios. "To celebrate this extraordinary series for more than three hours at a live event with thousands of the fans who have driven this series since the beginning was a perfect way to end the flagship series while, at the same time, sharing our collective excitement for the stories and worlds yet to be explored in this growing and vibrant franchise."

On Halloween night 2010, The Walking Dead's "Days Gone Bye" pilot premiered as the #1 cable series launch of all time. According to numbers provided by AMC, 6.3 million total viewers and 4.3 million adults 18-49 watched the premiere in Nielsen Live+3 ratings. In 2022 to date, The Walking Dead ranks as the #2 scripted cable program, behind only Yellowstone, and has stood as the #1 or #2 scripted cable program every year since 2010.

The third part of The Walking Dead's extended eleventh and final season ranked as the #1 most viewed series in the history of AMC+, according to AMC, topping its own record from the second part earlier in 2022. Since AMC's premiere streaming service launched with the flagship show's Season 10 finale in October 2020, The Walking Dead has remained the most-viewed franchise on the platform, and streaming viewership has grown every season since then.
The final episode of The Walking Dead set one last record. On Sunday night, the AMC zombie drama aired a 90-minute series finale that featured Daryl (Norman Reedus), Carol (Melissa McBride), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), and Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) last stand against the living and the dead at the Commonwealth. Wrapping up the series after 177 episodes across 11 seasons was a coda ending on Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who returned for the final minutes of the episode that was simulcast on AMC and AMC+ as part of the live Walking Dead Finale Event in Los Angeles.

All that and one last major death resulted in AMC+'s highest single day of viewership ever with The Walking Dead series finale, Variety reports. Titled "Rest in Peace," the series finale is also the most-watched episode of any show on the platform since AMC+ launched in October 2020.

Unlike previous episodes of Seasons 10 and 11, which were released one week early on AMC+, the series finale premiered on streaming at the same time the episode premiered on AMC's linear channel. On cable, The Walking Dead drew its largest audience in nearly two years with the much-anticipated series finale, coming in as the No. 2 cable drama in the 18-49 demographic (behind Paramount Network's Yellowstone Season 5).

According to Variety citing Nielsen's Live + 3 Day data, "Rest in Peace" averaged 3.1 million total viewers for a 36% increase over the "Family" penultimate episode that left off on a huge cliffhanger. The finale drew 1.5 million viewers in adults 25-54 (+53%) and 1.2 million adults among the 18-49 crowd (+75%), Variety reports.

"What a great conclusion to the 'zombie show' that kicked off on Halloween night in 2010 and went on to become the most successful series in the history of cable television," said Dan McDermott, AMC's president of entertainment and AMC Studios. "To celebrate this extraordinary series for more than three hours at a live event with thousands of the fans who have driven this series since the beginning was a perfect way to end the flagship series while, at the same time, sharing our collective excitement for the stories and worlds yet to be explored in this growing and vibrant franchise."

On Halloween night 2010, The Walking Dead's "Days Gone Bye" pilot premiered as the #1 cable series launch of all time. According to numbers provided by AMC, 6.3 million total viewers and 4.3 million adults 18-49 watched the premiere in Nielsen Live+3 ratings. In 2022 to date, The Walking Dead ranks as the #2 scripted cable program, behind only Yellowstone, and has stood as the #1 or #2 scripted cable program every year since 2010.

The third part of The Walking Dead's extended eleventh and final season ranked as the #1 most viewed series in the history of AMC+, according to AMC, topping its own record from the second part earlier in 2022. Since AMC's premiere streaming service launched with the flagship show's Season 10 finale in October 2020, The Walking Dead has remained the most-viewed franchise on the platform, and streaming viewership has grown every season since then.

The Walking Dead Ratings: Series Finale Is Most-Watched Episode Ever on AMC+

The final episode of The Walking Dead set one last record. On Sunday night, the AMC zombie drama [...]

comicbook.com

 

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[Jeffbert]

Interesting finale; but more to come. Really enjoyed the TALKING DEAD, also.

 

[ctg]

Interesting finale;

What made it so interesting?

 

[paeng]

It's good to see this continuing and now to be completed because I thought that they were going to run this to the ground, like other TV shows. I stopped with Glenn in Season 7. The series did well for the first few seasons and then declined due to drawn-out stories, too much violence, and even "ninja" zombies.