A Few Thoughts on The End of ‘The Walking Dead’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Well my fellow zombie fans, if you’re reading this article, then you’ve heard the stunning news that AMC announced this morning. In that, after a long and incredible run as one of television’s biggest shows; The Walking Dead will be coming to an end in 2022. Which is a stunning announcement to say the least. Because not that long ago, it seemed as though this series was going to last forever. For the cast was intact, there were endless villains and walkers for Rick Grimes and his family to fight, which allowed for horror fans old and new to take comfort in the fact that Sunday nights were dedicated to the dead.
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But alas, nothing lasts forever, and with some cast members making their exit and after a decade of storytelling, clearly everyone behind the scenes has come to realize that the time has come to bid farewell to this particular iteration of the TWD Universe. But while today’s announcement should bring forth sorrow and pain, it’s honestly best we take a moment and celebrate the fact that a series about walking corpses, managed to take the world by storm and entertain so many and that is no small feat. Because before this series, the living dead were in no way as wildly popular as they are now. In fact, they were more or less a niche horror market, one dedicated to VHS home video and a small network of hardcore fans that stood by George Romero’s modern re-envisioning of the zombie. 

But this series, it put the living dead on the map. Because shortly after the premiere of ‘Days Gone Bye’ everyone was talking about this series and how good and how creepy it was, and just like that… everyone was suddenly a zombie fan, and we had an overnight sensation on our hands. But more importantly zombies were suddenly everywhere in pop culture for the first time ever, and horror was suddenly considered to be a top-tier genre, one that was quickly in demand from the networks. But how this series accomplished this feat is what makes this accolade so special. Because TWD​ held nothing back from a gore standpoint and was (and remains) bold in its storytelling, and while those elements helped to give the show its lasting power, the wonder of this series didn’t end with the scares and the splatter. 

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Because this series has also done a phenomenal job of telling a human story. One that features characters that are painfully relatable and realistic, and that allowed for everyone to become invested in this story in every way imaginable and that investment, is honestly what makes this show such an incredible ride. Because rule number one of entertainment, is to move the audience in some form or fashion and this is a story that can and will break your heart or send your spirits soaring, and that’s tough to accomplish in a horror series about walking corpses that eat human flesh and well, our emotional experiences with this series are why fans are still so dedicated to this series. Because week in and week out, we are able to  experience a gauntlet of emotions over the course of a single hour, and that makes this saga a special one indeed.
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However, while it seems as though we are getting off-topic and eulogizing a series before its end has come, it is quite important to revisit where we have been in regard to today’s announcement. Because showrunner Angela Kang knows what this series stands for and what makes it so incredibly magnificent, something her writing staff has proven time and time again since she assumed command of the series. Which means that the eleventh and final season will likely be filled with the incredible elements we’ve just discussed, alongside more bold and powerful decisions that will keep everyone talking. And there is a fair chance that we might be looking at the finest season this series has ever known, one that will end in epic fashion and one that will be talked about for years on end.

Which means that today is a cause for celebration and jubilation. Not because the series is ending, but because The Walking Dead is going out on its own terms, and it will be able to close out its grand and sweeping story in a satisfying and complete manner. Something that few television shows ever get to accomplish. Plus, it isn’t a true ending in the traditional sense, since there will be more TWD Universe related shows coming our way. For Carol and Daryl are getting a spin-off and the anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead is in development now. But before we get to those shows, we can properly bid farewell to a series that moved and touched us all in some form or fashion and it is going to be quite the incredible and emotional experience, to watch this grand finale unfold.

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