‘The Walking Dead’ Final Season Premiere Delivers Signature Cliffhanger
This article is all about the season 11 premiere of The Walking Dead. Obviously, it’s rotted through with spoilers. Heh. Anyway, proceed with caution!
The final season of The Walking Dead has come to leave us with a classic cliffhanger ending. Closing on a note of tension is the show’s bread-and-butter, especially in the earlier seasons. If this first episode is any indicator, we’re in for several more shocking moments in the upcoming weeks.
Beware the Lurkers
Lydia, Rosita, Carol, & Maggie drop into a dangerous supply run, courtesy of Josh Stringer & AMC
The premiere kicks off with a small group of our survivors attempting to retrieve MREs from a military base. Some of the crew is lowered down into the base where the ground is covered with bodies. Everyone is being very quiet, but a drop of Daryl’s blood awakens a room full of resting zombies. We haven’t really seen this kind of zombie in the series much, but they’re called “lurkers” in the comic books.
A Supply Run Goes Underground
Our heroes return to a burnt and broken Alexandria. Hershel Jr. announces that Cole has found some of the survivors from Meridien, and the town leaders get together to decide what to do next. Alexandria is running low on food and other supplies, so Maggie suggests some of them go back to Meridien– even if it means confronting the Reapers.
Daryl and the crew go underground, courtesy of Josh Stringer & AMC
After hashing out the risks, Maggie takes a group on what Rosita calls a “suicide mission”. The group brings Negan to guide them, but it’s immediately clear that they aren’t going to follow his suggestions. They soon stumble onto a train-car surrounded by bodies in bags. The bodies are walkers, and they’re completely silent because their throats have been slit. Maggie insists that the Reapers couldn’t have left the bodies, and demands they clear a path through. But after Gage almost gets bit, Negan brings Maggie’s judgement into question.
Negan proceeds to call it like we all see it– Maggie suggested bringing him along so she could find a quiet moment to kill him. He points out that her desire for revenge is occupying her mind, and causing her to disregard the welfare of the group. After he tells her that he won’t be put down like a dog “like Glenn was”, she lays it out: he’s not wrong, she wants to kill him. But she makes her choices based on what’s best for the mission.
Negan, courtesy of Josh Stringer & AMC
Later on down the tracks, when their path is blocked, they turn around and discover that Gage and Roy have stolen their supplies. The tunnel is now full of walkers, and as Dog runs off, Daryl goes after him while the rest of the group is forced to climb on top of a train car. Maggie is last, and as she tries to pull herself up, walkers clawing at her ankles, Negan looks down. He pauses, conflicted, and then reaches down to– NAH. Just kidding. He absolutely does not help her, he lets her fall. Roll credits.
Meanwhile, at the Commonwealth…
Eugene, Yumiko, Ezekiel, and The Princess are undergoing a rigorous interrogation overseen by Mercer, the guy in orange. The questions are detailed and repetitive, and seem geared toward rooting out inconsistencies. In addition to asking where the group’s settlement is located, the interrogators clearly have a specific interest in their medical histories. This doesn’t bode well for Ezekiel, whose neck growth isn’t exactly subtle.
Princess under interrogation, courtesy of Josh Stringer/AMC
In order to change the subject, Ezekiel turns the conversation toward Mercer. Ezekiel pegs him as an “asshole beat cop.” Mercer’s response is very collected, but something in his expression indicates that this unnerves him. But Ezekiel goes into a coughing fit, and the assessment ends.
Later, the pals are comparing interrogation notes when they see another prisoner aggressively led away for “reprocessing”. They decide it’s time to escape, and Princess displays a case of perfect situational awareness that allows them to snag two Commonwealth uniforms. The four begin their breakout, but on the way, Princess notices Yumiko’s picture on a bulletin board. The board is covered with pictures of the relatives of Commonwealth citizens. Realizing that her brother Tomi is there, she decides to stay.
Yumiko helps plot an escape, courtesy of Josh Stringer & AMC
Walkers, Wonders, & WTF Moments
The end of the first episode left viewers cursing at Negan, just like the good ol’ days. But this time, his motivations are understandable. At the end of this episode, Negan’s opportunism won out. But we can assume that Maggie will survive and they’ll face off once again.
The episode also delivered its signature special effects make up, from the floor full of dusty sleeper-zombies to the big ol’ boiley guy who almost noms down on Negan. Undoubtedly, we’ll see more creative zombie designs and even more cliffhangers as the final season progresses. The biggest question now is how will Maggie survive and make her way back to punish Negan?
