The Walking Dead Season 11 Ending Explained: What Happened to Everyone After The Time Skip? The Return of Michonne and Rick | Season 11 Episode 24
The world of The Walking Dead closed its longest history on TV and is now streaming this Sunday. The AMC original series ended with episode 24 of season 11 called “May he rest in peace. After 12 years of continuous transmission and the coming and going of dozens of characters, the story had its expected end but also the appearance of future stories. Attention! There are spoilers for the latest chapter of The Walking Dead below. If you still don’t see it and don’t want to find out, don’t keep reading.
It is no secret that with the passing of the seasons, TWD was losing prominence and fans around the world. Although it is one of the longest TV series of the genre, the last ones did not reap good results to the point of going directly to streaming. The first episodes and especially the seasons that followed reached historic milestones at the beginning, for the same reason the fall was stronger when it lost viewers.
The departure of some protagonists like Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), and Michonne (Danai Gurira) or the controversial death of others like Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs); was weighing in the history of the series that transferred the leading role to the character of Daryl (Norman Reedus), Carol (Melissa McBride) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan), who was also away from the series for a few years. For the same reason, after the decision that season 11 was the last, a speed and a somewhat more insipid story were noted to close. The last chapters had to advance as if the original plan were different but forced to close a cycle and open that of other spin-offs.
The Walking Dead Season 11 Ending Explained: What Happened In The End?
Finally getting to the point, the last chapter tried to recall the best moments of the series with the walkers as the main rivals, although the deaths were not excessive. First with Jules and Luke dying at the hands of the zombies, and later in the most emotional moment of the episode, Rosita (Christian Serratos).
The group of survivors managed not only to prevail over the walkers but to become leaders of the Commonwealth and imprison Pamela, already completely unleashed in madness, leaving her citizens to die. With her in prison, the episode tried to wrap up the stories as well as possible and also show a happy ending for most people. Of course, it also paved the way for the spin-offs that have been talked about so much and with the return of two beloved characters.
Without explaining much why we saw the development of three stories that are coming in the future and will expand the universe of AMC’s walkers. The first and most obvious is that of Daryl, who without much justification takes the course of going to new places and leaving all his friends behind for a while. This is aimed at the next series of the Norman Reedus character called Daryl Dixon, which will have the character in France doing his thing.
Series that is set for 2023 and is supposed to connect with other spin-offs, The Walking Dead Word Beyond. Another story is that of Negan and Maggie. And it is that while the first does not have a defined future in the Community after having a deep conversation with the character of Lauren Cohan; she intends to continue structuring the future of the survivors. Cohan and actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan will star in another spin-off dated April 2023 in which both will have to survive in New York, a production called The Walking Dead: Dead City.
Pamela’s Strategy
In the penultimate episode of The Walking Dead 11×23, the reckoning has come. After the deaths of Lance and Sebastian, Pamela Milton remains the only real enemy that the group of survivors led by Daryl must face in the Commonwealth. The Governor’s intrigues have been exposed. And now that all the residents of the community also know the truth, they are on a war footing. But a new enemy of humans is on the horizon because of Pamela Milton. On two separate occasions, she used walkers as a weapon to restore order in the Commonwealth, by directing hordes of the dead toward the community.
All this is for the sole purpose of interrupting citizen protests, thanks to her isolation protocol that triggers when walkers get too close to the perimeter. In short, when the residents are somehow enraged at those in charge, the Governor pretends to save them from an oncoming herd of zombies to restore her image as a “good” leader. As a result, the inhabitants are grateful that she “saved” their lives and lose sight of the object of the earlier protest.
Zombie Variants
In the crazy plan with which to maneuver the walkers at will, Pamela has come to terms without the host, because she doesn’t know that among the walkers of The Walking Dead there are also the so-called variants. That is, zombies are still able to perform human gestures such as grabbing objects, opening doors and climbing walls and handholds. For this reason, her plan backfires on her and the whole Commonwealth becomes a death trap, in which the dead begin to have the upper hand over the living.
In all of this Pamela thinks only of saving herself. And during the confrontation with Daryl’s group, she inadvertently hits little Judith with a firearm. The survivors are in trouble and divided into several fronts: on the one hand to try to avoid the zombies, on the other to save the life of young Grimes in a race against time towards the hospital. In general confusion, Luke and Jules are grabbed by walkers and lose their lives. While once they arrive at the hospital, Daryl and the others discover that the building is empty: all the medical supplies have been collected by the soldiers and taken to the residences of the Governor.
Judith’s Secret
After Judith is hurt by Pamela, she is knocked unconscious a few times. While in semi-consciousness delusions, she reveals a secret she has kept for some time. In the tenth season of The Walking Dead, Michonne sets out to find Rick after finding traces of him on the island where Virgil lives. Only Judith knows where her mother went and to the rest of the group, she tells us that Michonne is helping people elsewhere. This time she unintentionally tells the truth in front of Carol and Daryl, who discover that her best friend of hers is still alive.
Rosita’s Death
Among the hundreds of walkers who have invaded all the districts of the Commonwealth, there are still Gabriel, Eugene and Rosita who are looking for Coco, the daughter of the latter. The trio manages to find her little girl and together with her, they also find two other children whom they rescue.
On the way back, however, Rosita is overwhelmed by some walkers. She immediately reacts and it seems that she came out unscathed. She later reveals to her companions that during that fall, she was bitten on the shoulder. A point on her body that unfortunately cannot be amputated. So Rosita resigns herself to her fate, but with the awareness of leaving her little girl in good hands.
Mercer’s Help
After Eugene is sentenced to death during Sebastian’s murder trial, Mercer frees him and sides with the group. When he is discovered, Pamela has him arrested for treason. In the final episode of The Walking Dead, Max along with Princess manage to free Mercer from prison. Finally, the two women can count on a precious ally to help the rest of their companions.
Mercer still has many loyal soldiers on his side, and he knows the community and resources well. In a short time, he manages to gather the rest of the group and escort them to the place where other people have taken refuge. Among these, there is also Tomi, Yumiko’s doctor brother. The surgeon immediately gives Judith aid and Lydia is also treated properly, after having previously had her arm amputated by Aaron and Jerry due to the bite of a walker.
The Clarification Between Maggie and Negan
In the revolt against Pamela, Negan tries to convince Maggie that the best thing to do is kill the Governor. Because many people are still faithful to her and one cannot find a common point. In this context, Maggie and Negan have a decisive confrontation in which they finally speak to each other with an open heart. Negan regrets what he did to Glenn in the past. Now that he, too, has a new wife and a child on the way, he can truly realize what the loss he caused means to Maggie. From her singing of her, Maggie knows that you are sincere, and for this, she would like to forgive him by putting a stone on their past.
But sadly, every time Maggie looks at Negan, she sees her husband’s death. That moment when the former leader of the Saviors not only slaughtered Glenn. But he also mocked and humiliated him before finishing it. Despite everything, Maggie turns the other cheek. She on the one hand decides to team up with Negan to eliminate Pamela. From another, she explains to the man that she is welcome in her group, but she cannot promise him that she will be able to look at him with different eyes.
Pamela’s Arrest
The group of protagonists has all reunited thanks to the intervention of Mercer, but a new problem arises. The Governor has barred the gates of her residences, as she has decided to leave thousands of defenseless citizens outside while the horde of the dead is coming up behind them. Mercer decides to intervene because he still believes in his role as an army general, regardless of Pamela’s deceptions.
Eventually the whole group, after Ezekiel’s input, decides to unite to intervene. Pamela immediately tries to stop any attempt by aiming her weapons, but some members of the group know how to strike the right chords to avoid the worst. In particular, Daryl uses a historical phrase in The Walking Dead comic, from which the series is based, is said by Rick Grimes:
We are not the walking dead.
His speech manages to bring reason to the rest of the soldiers, who therefore go over to Mercer’s side and arrest the Governor. A simple but effective sentence, which encompasses the whole meaning of The Walking Dead story. Because the dead are zombies and they remain everyone’s common enemy, especially now that among them there are also dangerous and unpredictable variants. The same speech Rick makes when on that hill many years ago, he decides to spare Negan’s life as the beginning of a better world.
The Conclusion of The Walking Dead
After Pamela’s arrest and defeat against the walkers, the survivors are all gathered to have a moment of serenity following the latest events. Negan again chooses to go his way of him, so as not to affect Maggie’s life. Rosita enjoys her last hours with Coco and the rest of her family. Dog, to the delight of the fans who feared for his fate, is alive and enjoys a small treat offered by Judith. While Magna and Yumiko, after an estrangement due to a long period of misunderstandings, finally find each other.
The Time Jump
At the end of The Walking Dead, after the living has won against the dead, a one-year time jump occurs. A few things have changed during that time. Eugene and Max have become parents of a girl who is named Rosie in memory of Rosita. Ezekiel and Mercer have become the Governor and Deputy Governor of the Commonwealth: a renewed community without soldiers and social classes but made up of all the same people who form a large family. Maggie decides it’s time for everyone to explore what’s going on in the rest of the world. While in the meantime every other community has returned to shine and to have commercial exchanges. Daryl can finally go in search of Rick, while Carol has taken Lance’s place in the community and prefers to devote himself to others, rather than run away from everything as she did in the past.
The Extra Scene In The Ending Of The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead couldn’t end without at least a hint of the one who gave it all away. I much loved Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes. In the final part of The Walking Dead episode 11×24, there is a cutscene set in a different timeline. Rick and Michonne appear, both searching for each other as their path to reunite presents obstacles.
Rick in episode 9×5 of The Walking Dead is taken away by helicopter by Jadis, who is in radio communication with a community that is not shown in the series. While the face of who is behind these aircraft is revealed in The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the second spin-off of The Walking Dead.
In this interlude where Rick appears, it is revealed that he managed to escape from the community that held him captive. But he is found by one of the helicopters and then captured again. Before giving up, Rick throws a backpack with some items into a ship. Among them are his boots and a cell phone with pictures of Michonne and Judith drawn on it.
These items are the same ones that Michonne finds on Virgil Island and for which she decides to look for Rick. As seen in The Walking Dead’s finale, Michonne is on her way to try and find Rick. For this reason, she is not the end, but only a goodbye. Rick and Michonne return to 2023 in a new spin-off dedicated to them. As Daryl returns in yet another spin-off and so do Maggie and Negan, as can be seen in the first trailer for their spin-off Dead City.
The Moral of The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead has taught from day one that man’s true danger is man himself. But at the same time he showed that if men work together, they can achieve great things. And together, nothing is impossible. The Walking Dead is a great love story that begins with a man on a horse going in search of his family. A family that he finds together with other people, who become more and more over time, forming a unique force guided by love. Where everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves to allow others to survive. Because as the final images of episode 11×24 remind us ” we are the ones who survive “.
How Do They Convince The Military?
Pamela Milton and the rest of her circle are taking refuge in the Estate, the wealthy district they decided to close, leaving the rest of the population behind. Once the protagonists manage to infiltrate, the key piece is to convince Mercer and the rest of the soldiers to join their cause and make them see that their leader is the real threat. To achieve this, Daryl Dixon makes a speech that touches the hearts of comic book fans, as it is originally given by Rick Grimes. The line “We are not the living dead” refers to those who are the only enemies and that, in these times, humanity should be united. Both sides lower their weapons and Pamela Milton is defeated, without the need for any more bloodshed.
Gabriel’s Redemption
After the alliance, the most obvious step was that they had to try to save the people who had been left outside the farm and who were at risk of being consumed by the horde of the dead. This takes on greater sentimentality when the person who opened the doors is Gabriel. In parallel with what happened in past seasons, when he abandoned his congregation outside his old church. His willingness to open the doors, despite the risk, shows the growth and evolution that the character has had.
How Do They Manage To Distract The Dead?
Although they have already managed to neutralize Pamela, the dead continue to haunt the Commonwealth and they must find a way to drive them away. However, since there are variants in the group, they cannot guide them elsewhere with the common methods. Once again, the series pays homage to past events, using the strategy of Luke. They drive a truck through the horde to collect the gasoline that is in the depot. They lure the zombies into the Estates, where Pamela had been hiding, using music, just like Luke did in Season 10, and blow up the place. This not only kills off The Walking Dead but also the symbolic figure of inequality that the place had: the rich of the Commonwealth will stop parasitizing the masses.
The Parallels Between Pamela and Negan
Something important in this episode is the change in the relationship between Maggie and Negan, especially because of the similarities he has with Pamela. In the past, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character was a terrible villain who terrorized many people and murdered Glenn. However, now he is trying to redeem himself and seeks to sacrifice himself by being the one to kill Pamela and, in this way, take responsibility away from the rest of the group. Once again, he is willing to die for the people from whom he took so much.
Anyone would have accepted this in Maggie’s place, but she refuses to let Negan go alone. Although it could be said that she is finally developing empathy for him, what is certain is that a greater motivation is that she does not want Negan and Annie’s son to grow up without a father, as his son did after the death of Glenn. Negan assures her that Pamela will always be a problem as long as she is alive, just as he was once thought of. However, he understands, from his own experience, that staying alive is a worse punishment than a quick death since that is what had to happen after Rick Grimes decided not to kill him. The crimes he committed will haunt him for eternity.
Pamela seems to know this too, so she tries to commit suicide by letting herself be eaten by Lance Hornsby, her former assistant who was revived as a dead man. However, he is hit by Maggie’s bullet, which sentences her to a life of guilt. In addition, Maggie and Negan will star in “The Walking Dead: Dead City“, where they will visit New York to face a strong threat.
Rose’s Sacrifice
Just as we predicted, Jules and Luke didn’t make it, in any case, the last episode of “The Walking Dead” had fewer casualties than we expected. The losses of some protagonists, such as Rosita Espinosa, felt as if a thousand had died. We knew that Rosita, Gabriel and Eugene were in great danger when they went to rescue Coco and the rest of the Commonwealth children. After the incredible fight montage, just when we thought they were going to pull it off, Christian Serratos’s character takes a blow to the back but keeps it hidden so as not to distract the group from taking over the Commonwealth. Something similar to what happened with Andrea in Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead” comics.
Rosita was able to spend her last moments with the family she had formed, but the most emotional thing was her last conversation with Eugene when they both said goodbye after having gone through so many moments throughout the series. The connection between the two is reinforced in the one-year time skip, in which it is shown that he and Max have a daughter they name Rosie, after Rosita.
According to an interview given by Angela Kang, the executive producer and writer of this episode, it was Serratos herself who thought that this would be the best ending for her character.
“She felt that the correct ending for her character was to die in an attempt to protect her son and the next generation, which was something we were dealing with thematically” he explained to a decider. “ She is, I think, the fourth longest-serving person on the show right now, and that creates a lot of excitement. That’s the closest you can get to Andrea’s death“.
What Happened To Everyone After The Time Skip?
Pamela Milon is succeeded by Ezekiel, who is appointed the new Governor of the Commonwealth with Mercer as his right-hand man and Caro as COO. Meanwhile, Daryl Dixon and Connie seem to be having a flirtatious interaction, but it’s unclear if they’ve established a relationship. There is probably some resistance due to the nomadic nature of Norman Reedus’ character, who will be in France in the spin-off that is taking place about him.
In addition, it is hinted that Daryl will be tasked with exploring what dangers lie beyond the United States and learning about the virus and its variants. Other relationships have blossomed, such as Yumiko and Magan, Mercer and Princess, as well as Lydia and Elijah. Elsewhere, Maggie is the leader of the Hilltop, which they have rebuilt during the time skip. However, the state of Oceanside is not mentioned. For their part, Aaron, Jerry and Gabriel (who adopted Coco after Rosita’s death), reside in Alexandria. Negan and his children seem to live near the place, as he returns the compass to Judith, which may be symbolic that he no longer feels lost.
The Return of Michonne And Rick
Just as we expected finally, the return of Rick Grimes and Michonne was confirmed after the departure of both in season 9 and 10 respectively. All this begins to lay the foundations for what will be the spin-off that has them as the protagonist. Rick is a prisoner of the Civic Republic Military and tries to escape but seems to be so important to them that they don’t take the typical shooting route.
He manages to leave a clue behind, an iPhone and some boots that Michonne discovered before leaving in the tenth instalment. However, given the years that have passed since she escaped, we don’t know what her current situation is, something that the new series will have to answer.
The Last Battle for Survival, The Commonwealth Assault
Having set aside the social experiment, the AMC executive table decided to stake everything on the action with a copy and paste of past and renowned situations. The trick seems to have worked for some time until we figured out the trick. And it is in this context that Pamela Milton and the Commonwealth take over in a well-tested formula: our characters discover a new community, and we witness the encounter with the unveiling of the villain and the battle to oust him and thus bring about peace and democracy. For twenty-four episodes the script has us going in circles, they bring the worst of The Walking Dead to the screen.
The third and final part brought to mind Boris and the production choices of the characters and the iconic screenwriters. The jokes connected to the Italian series are now wasted, but in this case, they come perfectly. This is because we have witnessed real “we don’t show it”, script holes and questionable directorial choices. Think of Daryl’s chase in the previous episode, where the fall of the Commonwealth soldier is not shown. Or, how easily Maggie finds a nail in the woods or once again the Commonwealth sharing details and locations of secret bases. All of this makes us think that Pamela Milton has taken Star Wars ‘ Stormtrooper training as a reference. Beyond these details, The Walking Dead has missed the target of emotion.
Not even Judith’s stories at the beginning of each episode seem to succeed in this attempt; also, editing and sound don’t help us in this sense. Having said that, in the latest episode of The Walking Dead our protagonists manage to defeat Pamela Milton, the horde of zombies and thus restore peace between communities, nothing more and nothing less. Dan Fogler’s Luke returns just in time to leave us and with him the much-loved Rosita. And yet, it is not the big farewells of the final act that cause a stir, but the last sequences with the return of Rick Grimes. It is that expanded universe that we talked about earlier and that we will now address in detail.
The Return of Rick Grimes And The Ride Of Michonne
We all expected the return of Rick Grimes in a big way, but we were not satisfied. However, the character appears at the very least, in a sequence related to the character of Michonne, intent on finding him. The moment sees the former sheriff intent on writing a letter which he will later throw into the water behind a bottle. We find him barefoot, dirty and debilitated, but what especially arouses our attention is the symbol of him on his bag. Well yes, Rick has come into contact with the CRM (Civic Republic Military) from which he seems to be on the run. As we know the character was saved by Jadis after the bridge explosion in the fifth episode of the ninth season. An aura of mystery hangs over what happened next, but a hint came to us at the ending of The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
In the series finale, Jadis claimed to have entered the CRM thanks to an exchange, precisely that of Rick Grimes, but for what purpose we still do not know. The scene took place in Philadelphia, which is where Rick also appears to be in the RIP scene. A Michonne, whose outfit looks like a mash-up of Black Panther’s Okoye and an American football player, rides in search of her amidst a huge horde of zombies. The two will meet again in the spin-off miniseries dedicated to them after the project for a film trilogy is skipped. The series could arrive in 2023 and would involve some characters from The Walking Dead: World Beyond, including Jadis herself played by Pollyanna Mclntosh. We feel we can apply the same principle to Daryl’s storyline and to the future spin-off of the character, which should arrive in France. Does it remind you of anything? Then you know that each point of the various series will start from what is shown in World Beyond.
All The Walking Dead Spin-Offs in The Works
Daryl Dixon is back on the road. The character sets off once again in search of Rick, but as we know from the various panels, his journey will take him to the old continent, to be exact France. The story will then presumably connect with what is shown in The Walking Dead: World Beyond ending. In the sequence of the last episode, we saw the laboratory from where the zombie virus probably spread after a series of experiments. If our hypothesis is correct, Daryl could discover the origin of everything and maybe even find a cure. However, we wonder if he is the right character for a plot that seems to have the tinge of a spy thriller.
Leaving Daryl on his bike, let’s now compare ourselves with Maggie and Negan, to whom the production has decided to entrust a storyline that we think is forced. After their last dialogue, in which “the widow” confesses to the former head of the Saviors that she is unable to forgive him for killing Glenn, it is fair to think that the spin-off dedicated to them will address this issue. With this, we are at three branches of the series, if we do not consider Tales of the Walking Dead, from November 21 on Disney+, and Fear the Walking Dead.
A proliferation of zombie-themed content all at once, but we ask ourselves the same question once again: what could they tell us again after eleven years? The answer, for now, is only known at the top of production, even if the European setting could be something interesting and fresh. We cannot say the same about Negan and Maggie, whose journey could easily be told within the mother series. The Walking Dead leaves us, but not in the way we would have imagined a decade ago. In the meantime, we can await the release of the various spin-offs, with the hope of redemption.
And What About the Final Cameo?
The great moment of the chapter was seeing Rick Grimes and Michonne again. As you know, Rick was believed dead but years ago he was taken by helicopter with Jadis. Here we can see that the ex-commissioner is possibly being held prisoner, with someone in a helicopter telling Rick that he can’t leave and that “someone” doesn’t like him trying. At the same time, Michonne continues on her journey to find Grimes and we see her on an armored horse leading a horde of walkers as she follows clues to find her beloved and the father of her child.
Although at first it was said that Andrew Lincoln would have a trilogy of films to find out what the hell happened to him all these years, the latest report was that both he and Danai Gurira will star in a series in which it is hoped they can finally meet and return with Judith. Thus, and leaving some uncertainties plus other clarities about the next projects, The Walking Dead put an end to its period of success and also disappointments. With memorable villains and other storylines that lost the interest of its fans, in retrospect, it is impossible to erase the success that the series was at the time and will be in the hearts of millions of fans.
