The final episode of The Walking Dead aired on November 20th, 2022.
After 12 years, The Walking Dead's season 11 finale brought down the curtain on a decade of intense post-apocalyptic drama but at the same time, the show will forever be remembered for setting up the rest of the universe. The final episode alone set up Daryl Dixon and Maggie and Negan's spinoffs, expanding the already immense Walking Dead universe. However, while not every spinoff rings true to Robert Kirkman's original comics, the universe continues to evolve thanks only to the impact the parent series had. Since its premiere in October 2010, The Walking Dead has become a cultural hit with video games, web series and the aforementioned spin-offs currently leading the way forward.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead.
Which was the final episode of The Walking Dead?
The final episode of The Walking Dead, titled "Rest in Peace," aired on November 20, 2022, bringing the 11-season series that began in 2010 to a close. It was the 24th episode of the season and also the 177th overall, and gave the writers the biggest challenge of them all; wrapping everything up perfectly. That was especially the case given the variety of storylines and character arcs that were incomplete going into the series finale.
In the end, the 65-minute episode was based on a story by showrunner Angela Kang and written by Corey Reed and Jim Barnes, and it became one of the highest-watched episodes of the season. That was mainly because the episode featured the return of Rick Grimes and Michonne to set up their spin-off, which attracted a lot of attention from those who never expected the two characters to return. The episode went on to attract over 2 million viewers and received a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
What happened in the last episode of The Walking Dead?
With a lot of character arcs and storylines incomplete, the final episode of The Walking Dead, titled Rest in Peace, was packed with action and a lot of endings as the survivors from Alexandria battled walkers and The Commonwealth in a fight for survival. Together, Daryl, Carol and the rest fought to protect the community from what seemed like a never-ending horde of walkers while Governor Pamela Milton led The Commonwealth against the survivors in a war between humans.
However, not everyone got a happy ending as Rosita was bitten by a walker during a rescue mission and died in the process but not before she shared her final moments with her best friend Eugene and her partner Father Gabriel. Eventually, the tide turned for the survivors as they managed to beat Milton and her corrupt regime of The Commonwealth, with Mercer arresting her to bring an end to her reign over the community.
Even Negan and Maggie managed to find common ground with the former apologizing for everything he did to Maggie and her family, and while she didn't completely forgive him, she allowed Negan and his pregnant wife Annie to stay with the community. The episode skipped ahead with a time-jump to showcase the rebuilt community after the war before ending with the aforementioned surprise appearance from Rick and Michonne.
Related: The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon How Many Seasons
How many seasons did The Walking Dead have?
By the time the series finale aired, The Walking Dead had run for a total of 11 seasons between 2010 and 2022, airing 177 episodes and establishing itself as one of the longest-running horror television series ever. While there were records it didn't break, the show's nearly 12-year spell across AMC managed to garner over 2 million views on the final episode, even a decade later.
The show didn't stay the same though as during its time on air, the series evolved from a simple survive-the-zombie-apocalypse plot to learning how to live with the undead while rebuilding communities and surviving with other humans. Not only that, it also gave fans some of the best horror television antagonists like Negan and the Saviors while also rebuilding a villain's character arc rather superbly. Furthermore, it set up the future for the universe, with three spin-offs originating from the last episode.
Here’s a breakdown of each season:
Season 1 (2010): 6 episodes
Season 2 (2011-2012): 13 episodes
Season 3 (2012-2013): 16 episodes
Season 4 (2013-2014): 16 episodes
Season 5 (2014-2015): 16 episodes
Season 6 (2015-2016): 16 episodes
Season 7 (2016-2017): 16 episodes
Season 8 (2017-2018): 16 episodes
Season 9 (2018-2019): 16 episodes
Season 10 (2019-2021): 22 episodes (including 6 additional episodes)
Season 11 (2021-2022): 24 episodes
The final season was notably longer than previous ones, with 24 episodes split into three parts. This extended format allowed the show to wrap up its numerous storylines and character arcs more comprehensively.
Read more about The Walking Dead:
How many seasons of the walking dead
FAQ's On Last Episode Of The Walking Dead
A. Yes, fans get to see a cameo of Rick Grimes in the final moments of the finale of season 11 of The Walking Dead.
A. The Civic Republic Military took Rick Grimes thanks to Jadis, who saved him following the explosion and took him to the CRM.
A. Maggie Rhee left Alexandria with her daughter Georgie in season 9 to help build a community because of contract issues between actress Lauran Cohan and AMC. However, she returned as a series regular for the 11th and final season.
