The Walking Dead S9 Finale Review: Winter is Here


Last time on The Walking Dead, we were treated to an iconic moment from the comics finally brought to the screen with surprising deaths and a surprisingly well-executed scene.

Alpha’s message will surely go down as one of the greatest scenes of the show. It rightfully took its place with Hershel’s execution, Sophia walking out of the barn, and other iconic moments.

Part of me wished that last episode was the season finale because I was so satisfied and surprised at the ending. The next episode obviously had a lot to live up. Unfortunately, the season 9 finale was a little underwhelming, but the episode had me hooked with the introduction of winter and all the challenges that brought - and I don't mean for the characters. The production crew had a lot of problems to solve to make this episode work and the winter looked amazing. 

With Henry gone and repairs becoming overwhelming, the Kingdom falls. The community groups up and makes their way towards the Hilltop, but a huge stop traps them in the Sanctuary. King Ezekiel gives a speech and it made me realize how sick I am of speeches on this show. The Walking Dead relies heavily on emotional speeches with montages of exposition, but we have seen it so many times. I want to be told the story in a different and more creative way.

I’m sad to see the Kingdom go, but I am sure we will see it again in the future. The show is expertly mixing in comic storylines with fresh intakes to keep watchers just as invested as people who have read the comics. Another great example are the deaths from the last episode. During the entire time watching, I knew scene the episode would end on, and it still shocked.



Lydia’s character has really turned around and I’m excited to see where she goes, particularly her relationships with people in the community after what her people did. Daryl standing up for Lydia  was heartwarming, especially considering his attitude towards her all season. Throughout the episode, Lydia struggles with her identity and whether or not she can live with the people she hurt so much. At one point she even begs Carol to kill her, but Carol doesn’t want to lose herself again.

Back in Alexandria, the group had to let Negan out so he didn't freeze to death in his cell. Negan had a good amount of dialogue and it is always fun to watch him try to lighten a mood with some mean jokes. His writing was on point this finale. 

While in the Sanctuary, Michone and Ezikeil have a touching moment. Michonne pointed out that Alpha would never have been able to walk among them if they had all known each other. I was worried that the events of the previous episode would reset some progress, but luckily Michonne is moving forward. 



Low on supplies, the Kingdom group realizes they must make it to the next waypoint during the storm. To do this, they must cross through Whisperer territory. 

After eight seasons, we finally get to see the world of The Walking Dead during the winter! It makes the scenery feel so fresh and with Bear McCreary’s music mixed in, some scenes are just beautiful. 

Snow also gave us some cool new walker deaths and more impressive makeup and special effects that The Walking Dead always delivers on. This episode took the winter theme and completely owned it. 

It was interesting to see Michonne have to bash a walker twice, once crack the ice and another for a final blow.  One of my favorite scenes was when hidden walkers slowly began rising out of the dusty snow. It was pretty convenient they all decided to awake at once, but I’ll let that slide after an impressive and suspenseful scene. 

Overall, the new elements made this a really interesting episode. Not much happened and yet I found myself hooked the entire time and when the episode ended, I couldn't believe that fifty minutes had gone by. The Walking Dead has been just ok for years, and this season took the show in a brand new direction. Average episodes of season 9 are so much better than a lot of the past episodes in different seasons. 

Angela Kang has finally made The Walking Dead worth talking about again. I think that if she takes the mistakes from this season and gets rid of some of the show's bad cliches, The Walking Dead could return to being one of the most talked about shows on television. 

9/10 stars


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