The Walking Dead is on its last legs.
As the beloved zombie drama rolls out the last eight episodes of its 11th and final season, returning on Oct. 2, showrunner Angela Kang understands that expectations are high to wrap things up in satisfying fashion.
"The thing we felt we absolutely had to do was make sure that we have some level of closure for each character's story," she told TVLine. "Whatever form that takes, we wanted to have some sense of where they land emotionally...so if you saw nothing else after this, you'd still have a sense that things are done."
As for what to expect from The Walking Dead's swan song? Well, Angela revealed there are plenty of questions left to be answered.
"There's a concept that we used for these episodes that was [not only] fitting for the [end] of the show," she said, "but also has to do with being at the Commonwealth, which is a community which has you stuck in your past. Our protagonists, if you look back to who they were before, there's so much growth. So they're reckoning with that. Who were we? Who are we now? Who do we want to be now?"
Perhaps most expressly, the final episodes will provide a showcase for Walking Dead OG Daryl (Norman Reedus).
"We've lost so many of our leaders along the way, and Daryl is part of that original group of people," Angela said. "The weight that's on him is so heavy, and he just kind of steps up, because he had a life where people didn't step up for him. He's broken that pattern."
That might finally involve a pay-off to the will they-or-won't simmering tension between Daryl and Connie (Lauren Ridloff), as Angela teased, "There's definitely a vibe there, people will just have to watch and see."
The final episodes will also bring about a conclusion, at least somewhat, for Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan).
"In the last scenes of this show, those actors are so good together," Angela said. "There's a reason they got a spinoff."
Ah yes, the spinoffs!
If the eventual conclusion of The Walking Dead doesn't suit your fancy, there's still plenty more zombie content ahead.
Jeffrey and Lauren will star in their own spinoff, now titled The Walking Dead: Dead City, which will air on AMC and AMC+ in 2023. Norman will appear in an untitled Walking Dead spinoff—which will likely also feature Carol (Melissa McBride)—which does not have a release date yet.
In addition, Walking Dead fan favorites Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira are starring in their own Walking Dead spinoff, also coming to AMC and AMC+ in 2023.
Before you can take a bite of those, however, say goodbye The Walking Dead when its final eight episodes begin to premiere Oct. 2 on AMC.