The Walking Dead season 9 finale review: The storm

The Walking Dead season 9 finale delivered a brutal storm, group tension, and cliffhangers, and we’re already excited for season 10 to start.

With a minor time jump a few months, The Walking Dead season 9 finale does exactly give us the start of the Whisperer War. Though the final episode in the season didn’t yield any tension between the communities and the Whisperers, the episode did build a steady framework of interpersonal turbulence in the background of the episode, so we know what group dynamics to expect in the coming season. “The Storm” might be about a blizzard and the foreshadowed conflict, but the finale is about mental health.

From the Kingdom (which has a new domain now) to Alexandria and everywhere between, the allied communities are essentially an extended family unit. Though the winter-themed episode set the timeline forward a few months, the united family front is still grieving from the pike scene. It’s expected, just like we expect every family and every character to manage their grief differently. The Walking Dead has extended Alpha’s grasp on the communities beyond their fearfulness over the Whisperers’ borders, and the constraints Alpha has on the group have also strained some relationships.

The Walking Dead hinted at Carol and Ezekiel’s temporary split from the beginning of the episode. Even in the beginning moments of the finale, Ezekiel basically told Daryl that he and the Queen weren’t ready to be around Lydia. They associate Henry with her, so it’s understandable. However, it seems like Ezekiel didn’t really consult Carol prior to that. Maybe Carol is more well-versed in lose than Ezekiel, especially since this Henry isn’t the first child she’s lost. Though she’s hurting, Carol exemplifies some healthy character development in the finale.

Carol from seasons past might have intentionally or unintentionally channeled her turmoil through isolation and violence. Beyond just saying with the group, she uses her motherly persona to help Lydia, who is also hurting well beyond their shared remorse over Henry. Given her explicit suicidal ideations and attempts in the episode, the series is setting up some critical arcs about mental health and coping with lifelong abuse. Even before the walker virus, she’s never actually had a family and learning to trust others and allow herself to cope instead of punishing herself — like we’ve learned the Whisperers do with ritualistic brutality. Now that Carol has decided to go to Alexandria, we hope she and Lydia have a chance to bond in season 10.

Both Carol and Ezekiel need something different before they can heal from Henry’s death. However, we hope they can mend their relationship in time, especially since we’re not ready for the rumored love triangle between Carol, Daryl, and Ezekiel. Seriously, the way Daryl looks at Connie is enough to ship them, and given Rosita’s love rectangle, there’s already enough relationship drama on the show. It’s okay if Carol and Daryl are just friends because they continuously support one another. That’s more than enough in the apocalypse.

We know that everyone’s talking about Negan’s apparent character development in the episode. Nonetheless, we aren’t really convinced that he’s actually changed since his days ruling the Saviors. Sure, he isn’t throwing together a rebellion or his own opposing pseudo-civilization. He saves Judith and the dog and risks his life doing so, but his concluding monologue doesn’t seem convincing quite yet. Either Judith’s talks with him while he in apocalypse prison or his stint in his fallen kingdom, which caused him to contemplate his own mortality and loneliness more extensively, might have prompted his savior arc this episode. Yet, he still appears to have the same crude sense of humor that just creeps under your fingernails. However, we’re certain his characterization will evolve even further in the next season of The Walking Dead.

Now that Negan is apparently assimilating to a more family-oriented lifestyle, we already have a comic-related idea of how he’ll fit into the upcoming Whisperers narrative in season 10.

While we know The Walking Dead deviates from the comics a bit in order to give some characters, notably Carol, Lydia, and Ezekiel, can get some empowering vengeance, the final moments of the season 9 finale give us a couple of cliffhangers to chew on while we wait for the series to resume.