In the last episode, Alpha warned Ezekiel that a hard winter lay ahead, leading our survivors to face one of their biggest threats yet in the season finale. Walkers and humans are deadly, but our survivors are more than capable of dealing with them at this stage. Nature, on the other hand, is far more unpredictable and deadly a foe—the Whisperer’s tie to natural order is what makes them so fearsome. In “The Storm,” our heroes encountered heavy snowfall for the first time in the show’s history as they crossed through enemy territory. Here are five thoughts on the ninth season’s finale. Warning: spoilers follow!
1. Things Fall Apart
We began with yet another brief time jump in this episode, picking up a few months after Alpha marked her border. While The Walking Dead has brushed over every major loss this season, deep sadness echoed throughout the entirety of “The Storm.” It’s difficult to follow a major event without feeling a little anti-climactic, but the solemn tone of the episode gave us some strong character work, and tension filled the episode as winter arrived.
In the months since the ten heads were found, the Kingdom has fallen. Cold and rot swept through the community’s structure, ultimately destroying the boiler system’s pipes, leaving the Kingdom uninhabitable. There have been hints that the Kingdom has been struggling throughout this season, so it’s not really a surprise to see their community collapse in the face of a terrible winter. However, seeing the community which thrived on warmth, hope, and theatrics be the one to have to close its doors was a sting.
It’s a hard loss for both Carol and Ezekiel. Following Henry’s death and the Kingdom’s downfall, their fairy tale life appears to have come to an end. Many marriages fall apart after losing a child, and the King and Queen are on the rocks. I feel deeply sorry for Carol, who has come on such an incredible journey since season one but has lost so many along the way. Ezekiel’s pain is just as apparent through sombre body language and quiet words. In one scene, he takes Daryl aside and completely drops the King act—levelling with him in a fully transparent way: he believes he and Carol will heal, but that Daryl shouldn’t be there as they try to re-bridge the gap. It’s misfired blame on Ezekiel’s part, but showed the genuine vulnerability that hides behind the King’s extravagant persona.
2. The Journey
With the Kingdom forced to close its doors, they begin to travel to Hilltop. A handful of survivors from other communities help them on their way, including Michonne, Aaron, Daryl, Magna, and Yumiko. As they set out into the cold, it becomes apparent that a blizzard is on the way and they desperately seek shelter, holding up at the long-abandoned Sanctuary. They were lucky Negan escaped to clear the worst of the walkers held-up there earlier in the season.
Staying at the Sanctuary isn’t a long-term solution. With the risk of being snowed into a rundown building with minimal supplies, the leaders discuss their best options. Ezekiel notes that Rick’s bridge could have been the very thing to save them if it hadn’t been destroyed, but he was wrong. The group can find another way, demonstrating that they are perfectly capable of survival without their previous leader continuing to save them from beyond the “grave.” Their solution is to travel through the Whisperer territory at night, crossing the frozen river, to make it to the next waystation. It’s a risky journey—one that could start a war if the Whisperers realise they are in their territory, and the danger of being caught only adds to the tension of the episode.
The majority of the episode follows the group’s journey through the treacherous conditions. Although the outdoor scenes were filmed inside a huge studio and all of the snow was manufactured, it looked brilliant, fully capturing the poor visibility and claustrophobia of being trapped in the middle of a snowstorm. Being in the deep snow, biting winds, and freezing temperatures clearly gave Greg Nicotero and his special effects team plenty of inspiration, as some of the most original walker kills appeared in this episode, with heads shattering, icicles being used as weapons, and frozen skulls being difficult to penetrate. The imagery of walkers slowly rising out of a bed of snow on the riverbank as mist surrounded our heroes was haunting. Fortunately, everyone made it to Hilltop unscathed, but the snow added a real sense of danger and urgency—anyone could have easily been bitten at any moment.
Continued below3. Negan
Snow can be dangerous in hiding threats, concealing walkers in the snow, but its real threat is exposure to extreme temperatures. Alexandria is also struggling in the harsh weather, with Gabriel, Rosita, and Eugene trying to create a warm refuge for the community. Keeping everyone safe means having them together—that includes their prisoner. Negan comes out of his cell to join the Alexandrians. It’s evident he fully thrives in being part of a group. While still a sarcastic a-hole who loves to wind those around him up, it’s far more genuine and bearable than his pantomime villain schtick from previous seasons. In fact, he’s downright likeable now, as he mocks the love quadrangle and is scolded by Judith for his bad language.
It appears that even Alexandria wasn’t prepared for this hard a winter, with their fireplace breaking due to poor maintenance. They too have to venture outdoors, but just across the settlement to Aaron’s house. The short distance doesn’t make the journey any less risky. Everyone holds onto a rope, creating one long chain, before setting out into the storm. Visibility is terrible and the gale is deafening. Judith hears Dog barking (it’s previously established that she lost him—why Dog is now with Judith and not Connie is never explained), and in true Grimes fashion, she lets go of the rope and runs into the mist to find him. Negan immediately steps out of formation and runs after her. But in this storm, people are easily lost. Voices are carried in the wind and barely anything can be seen. Debris whips around the ground, with Negan’s leg becoming injured. Nevertheless, he perseveres, following Dog’s barks, to find Judith—frozen but alive. He quickly wraps her in his jacket, picks her up, grabs Dog’s leash, and leads them to safety.
Negan’s bond with Judith seems entirely genuine, with the two bouncing off each other well. There’s a mutual respect there which reflects Negan’s respect for both Rick and Carl—they may have been on the opposite sides of a war, and Negan may have taunted, hurt, and intimidated them both, but he did respect them and everything they built. This rescue is evidently the start of Negan’s redemption arc, as he finds himself back in the hospital bed he first landed in after Rick slit his throat, but this time without restraints and a relatively pleasant conversation with Michonne. We’ll need to wait until next season to see if a leopard really can change his spots.
4. Home
After being lost in the storm, everyone had a chance to find home, with the Kingdom travellers arriving at Hilltop. Ezekiel tells Judith “just because we left our house doesn’t mean we lost our home.” The eternal optimist finds belonging among his people. But there’s more to it than simply arriving at a place, and throughout the episode, both Lydia and Carol struggle to understand where they really belong.
Lydia sneaks away from the group twice in this episode. Insults are flung at her by Alden, clearly still devastated by Enid’s death. Although Daryl repeatedly sticks up for her, it’s clear she hasn’t been accepted into the group yet—held accountable for her mother’s actions. Both times she sneaks off, Carol finds her. In the first instance—a homage to Carol’s comic-book death—Lydia nearly sacrifices herself as walker-bait, slowly inching her arm towards a chomping walker mouth before seeing Carol watch her. They silently hold each other’s gaze, then return to the group. The second time, Lydia begs Carol to kill her, goading her by telling her Henry would still be alive if it weren’t for her and the communities risk losing others if she lives. She can’t bring herself to do it, as she’s too weak. Once again, Carol is silent throughout the exchange, simply watching her. Melissa McBride has long been my favourite actor on the show, and this episode reaffirmed why. McBride was repeatedly able to convey entire waves of emotion and add weight to the scene with nothing more than a look. In the end, she breaks the silence, telling Lydia “You’re not weak,” before extending her hand. Lydia takes it, and the pair leave together.
Arriving at Hilltop isn’t quite enough for Carol, though. She acknowledges that her fairy tale has come to a crashing end and decides to move on with the Alexandrians, leaving the King behind. She returns her wedding ring, but Ezekiel lets her keep it. Whether or not this is truly the end of their romance remains to be seen. Ezekiel is an eternal champion for hope, but in times of crisis, Carol often isolates herself to find her identity–or adapt a new one. Returning to Alexandria reunites her with the core group that has supported her from the beginning. It’s expected that Carol and Alpha will have a showdown at some point in the future, pitting two angry mothers against each other, but for now, Carol needs to rediscover herself and consider who she will become to survive this next chapter of her story.
Continued belowAs the group returns to Alexandria, the solemn mood that hung heavily over the episode melts away for a moment as a big snowball fight breaks out amongst the adults and children. Contrasted with the sadness of the episode, it’s moving to see our survivors enjoy a moment of happiness, with everyone laughing and smiling.
Near the end of the episode, it’s revealed that our survivors weren’t the only ones to arrive home—and they had no need to worry about crossing through Whisperer territory in the winter. True nomads, Alpha and her followers headed south for winter to survive the cold. Beta reveals that he thinks time away has been good for everyone, but Alpha sternly resolves that she’ll need to be stronger for “what comes next.” As one of the most chilling villains in The Walking Dead, I dread to think what that will be and am excited to find out next season.
5. Season Nine and What Comes Next
Like travelling through enemy territory in a walker-infested snow storm, I have stuck with The Walking Dead through thick and thin. Like many, my patience was admittedly stretched and tested during seasons seven and eight, and I was reluctant to continue with season nine. However, the new life that Angela Kang and her team have been able to breathe into the show has been incredible to watch—like a slow, decaying walker removing its mask to reveal itself to really be a Whisperer, full of life and ready to grab viewers when they least expect it. Every element of the show has massively improved—from pacing to writing to trope twisting—and it’s a real testament to the team.
Most importantly, I feel connected to the characters again. The show has lost a number of key players recently, but this second half of the season proves that the remaining cast are plenty capable of carrying the show. Each character feels fully realised and they have my full attention once again. For those who dropped off, I understand it, but for those who dropped off and sometimes wonder if they should revisit it, I would encourage you to give season nine a go.
So what can we expect from season ten? A crackling radio reveal as the episode closed suggests our heroes are likely to come into contact with the Commonwealth sooner than expected. With Alpha clearly preparing up for something big, we’ll likely see the Whisperer War next season—but who will exact revenge upon Alpha? For the first time in a long time, I’m eagerly awaiting a new season and can’t wait to find out how this will all play out.
