The Walking Dead's Series Finale Title Teases One Last Death

By Cameron Bonomolo

Not all will survive the final episodes of The Walking Dead. The AMC zombie drama returns October 2nd with the last batch of eight episodes, ending the show after 11 seasons, 12 years, 177 episodes, and countless losses. The Greg Nicotero-directed series finale, which airs November 20th on AMC, is shrouded in secrecy. But with multiple Walking Dead spinoff shows in the works — spoiler alert! — some characters are fated to make it out alive: there are plans for Daryl (Norman Reedus), Carol (Melissa McBride), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) all to return in AMC's TWD Universe.

But there will be at least one last death in The Walking Dead's series finale, titled "Rest in Peace." The episode title is inspired by the final volume of creator Robert Kirkman's Image comic book, Volume 32: Rest in Peace, which ended the long-running zombie saga after 193 issues in 2019.

That volume is defined by one major death (spoiler alert!): Rick Grimes, gunned down by a Commonwealth assassin before his zombified body is shot dead a second time by his son Carl in the book's penultimate issue. (It's a fate Rick will avoid in the live-action adaptation.)

Titles for the final eight episodes of The Walking Dead have been revealed, according to Gracenote:

  • Season 11 Episode 17, "Lockdown" (October 2nd)
  • Season 11 Episode 18, "A New Deal" (October 9th)
  • Season 11 Episode 19, "Variant" (October 16th) 
  • Season 11 Episode 20, "What's Been Lost" (October 23rd) 
  • Season 11 Episode 21, "Outpost 22" (October 30th)
  • Season 11 Episode 22, "Faith" (November 6th)
  • Season 11 Episode 23, "Family" (November 13th)
  • Season 11 Episode 24, "Rest in Peace" (November 20th)

"The finale is about completing The Walking Dead story, not setting up spinoffs. There's room for those spinoffs, but full-on, The Walking Dead finale concludes the story of this 11 years," executive producer Scott M. Gimple said during the show's final San Diego Comic-Con appearance. "We didn't want the spinoffs to get in the way of that satisfaction. They live together, I think, very nicely."

Said showrunner Angela Kang, who scripted the series finale directed by Nicotero, "I think that's right. I think the goal is that, even if there were no spinoffs, it would feel like there is a closure to the show itself. The show itself needs its own ending. But doors are left open, as they so often are in life, and as they were even in the ending of the comic. There's always a story that's continuing once the story that you tell on screen has ended, so that's the spirit."

The Walking Dead returns with its last eight episodes Sunday, October 2nd on AMC and AMC+. See ComicBook's comprehensive guide to the final season. 

Follow @CameronBonomolo and @NewsOfTheDead on Twitter for TWD Universe coverage all season long.

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